TIA'S MATE (Shifters of the Bulgarian Bloodline Book 1)

by Dalia Wright

  “I love you, sweetheart,” Isabelle whispered. “No matter what happens, we’ll get through it all together.”

  Her words provided some much-needed comfort and as she got closer to her delivery date she felt no fear or apprehensions at the idea of embarking on parenthood by herself and only thought about David a handful of times as opposed to almost constantly, and tried very hard to not think about David and Daphne’s blissful married life.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  She didn’t hear from or see David over the following weeks. She heard from someone that he had gone to the city on some business and wouldn’t be back in awhile. Isabelle secretly hoped he would be gone long enough for her to have the baby and make the arrangements to leave town herself. This way she would never have to see him again.

  So when he suddenly burst into her parents’ home a week before she was due to give birth, he was the last person she expected to see. She struggled to her feet, a hundred different things on the tip of her tongue, all of them angry and mad.

  But the accusations died in her throat when she saw the look in his eyes. There was no mistaking the love in them. But was it for her?

  “Isabelle.” His voice was soft and loving and filled with contrition. “I’m so sorry, Isabelle.”

  Isabelle could have made him sweat it out, or told him off, or told him how much he had hurt her. But just seeing him standing in front of her, feeling the baby - his baby - moving and kicking inside of her, anxious to come out, melted all her anger away. Besides, hadn’t she also hurt him? She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him it was okay and that she was happy for him and Daphne, but a surprised cry came out instead as she felt water squirting between her legs followed quickly by a contraction.

  David was at her side in an instant.

  “Isabelle! What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

  She reached out towards him and gripped his hand tightly as she braced herself for another wave of pain. “I think I’m in labor, David.”

  “Oh my God! Oh my… ” With enormous effort, he cut off the rest of the words and swallowed the panic rising within him. This is not the time to fall apart, he told himself. I have to be strong for Isabelle.

  “Okay,” he said, taking in a deep breath, “where’s the doctor’s number? I’ll call him right away. Are your parents home? Is there anyone else you want me to call?”

  “It’s a midwife, not a doctor. Her name is Tess.” She grunted through gritted teeth between her contractions and waved towards the fridge. “My parents went to town for the day. The baby wasn’t supposed to come for another two weeks.”

  A piece of paper with a list of numbers was stuck on the fridge door. David found the midwife’s number and called, then turned to Isabelle anxiously.

  “She said she’ll be here in ten minutes. Can you hang on for that long?”

  “Yes, I’ll be fine.”

  Looping an arm around her waist, David said, “Let me help you to your bedroom.”

  But Isabelle shifted away and shook her head. Regardless of the pain she was in, she had to make some things clear.

  “David, I can handle this on my own; you don’t have to be here…. especially since there’s the question of the baby’s paternity and with Daphne... ”

  “Daphne?” David eyed her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “I know that you’re married to her and you’re having a baby with her. You don’t need to be here.”

  The confusion ebbed away and was replaced with a hoot of laughter.

  “Married to Daphne? Are you crazy?!”

  “But I saw her and she…”

  “She married Tom! Not me!”

  “But then what about at the hotel? You spent the night with her, after our fight.”

  “No, I didn’t, Isabelle. I never spent the night with her. She was upset about something and wanted to talk it over, but that was all. I sent her back to her room.”

  “You did? You truly didn’t have sex with her? And you’re not married?”

  Another bout of pain made her clench her stomach and she doubled over, breathing heavily.

  “But I meant what I said, David,” she continued once she got her breath back. “I’m not expecting anything from you.”

  David grabbed her by her arms and looked her straight in the eyes. His voice was forceful, passionate, and sweet all at once.

  “Now you listen to me and you listen hard, Isabelle. I don’t give a damn whose baby you’re carrying, I don’t give a fuck what you want or don’t want from me. What I do know is I love you and I know you do, too. So we’re doing this together. Understood?”

  “How do you know I love you?”

  “Because you came home and because I can see it in your eyes and because we’ve always loved each other.”

  “There’s nobody else?”

  “How could there be? Nobody can hold a candle to you,” he replied. His lips brushed against hers and before Isabelle could argue any further, he kissed her long and hard.

  Their passionate kiss was interrupted by the arrival of the matronly-looking midwife who quickly broke them apart and hustled Isabelle into her bedroom with strict instructions to relax and practice her breathing techniques.

  “There was never anybody else, David,” she huffed. “Only you.”

  He patted her hand. “Shhh… now’s not the time. And I don’t care.”

  “No, it’s important you know… before baby comes… it’s your… baby…” Her voice trailed off and gave way to an earth-shattering scream as she began to push with all her might. Twenty minutes later, the baby came out, screaming, squalling, and crying its little lungs out. Tess beamed at the parents.

  “It’s a girl. A beautiful little girl,” she said, placing her in Isabelle’s arms.

  David watched the red-faced, angry little being in wonder and pride. Love for her, for them, swelled in his chest. Even if Isabelle hadn’t eased his doubts, he knew in his heart the baby was his.

  Isabelle’s eyes drooped with tiredness. She was falling asleep. The baby laying on her chest was fast asleep already. David leaned over the bed and placed a gentle kiss first on Isabelle’s forehead and then on the little baby girl’s.

  “I love you so much, Isabelle. I love you both so much and we’re going to be together forever.”

  “Are you… you sure?” she murmured.

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he vowed.

  “I’m glad… I love you so much, too,” she whispered back. A smile played on her lips as she fell asleep, feeling blessed and secure in the knowledge she had everything she could have ever wanted.

  THE END

  * * *

  [S1]He is previously described as having blue eyes. Which would you prefer?

  [S2]I think a word is missing here. For example, her Amish tendencies? Shyness? Accent?

  [S3]Earlier, it states she had only been in the English world for a couple months, so consider revising this.

  [S4]This is a little unclear. Are you referring to the waitress or Sarah?

  [S5]Just to be sure, has she been riding in a car while she’s been in the English world?

  [S6]Previously, she was described as having brown hair. Which do you prefer?

  [S7]Earlier, Sarah says she promised Hanna she would go to the English world, so that’s a little puzzling if they didn’t even know each other. I added “well” to hopefully clear that up.

  [S8]This was also said during their first date, so I suggest taking it out to avoid repetition.

  [S9]Should this be “Gott”?

  [S10]Who is the speaker?

 

 

 
-o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share