“Of course,” Gabi said. “How else will you be her parents?”
“But…but I thought…you and Julius…we’d be guardians or something…” Trish stammered.
“There is no one better suited to being this very special baby’s parents.” Gabi smiled, knowing without a doubt that this was the right decision, and Julius had agreed with her after she’d been open with him about her genuine lack of maternal desire. “Julius and I will be her doting aunt and uncle along with most of the Clan, and she’ll have a devoted grandmother in the form of my mother. Fergus already adores her, as does Sasha. And then there’s your brother and Kimberley and the Pack, so you’ll have plenty of support, and you’ll be spoilt for choice of babysitters. In fact, you might have to draw names from a hat to avoid fights breaking out. You’re on your own with dirty-nappy duty, though.”
Trish’s tears were flowing again. Kyle shook his head, laughing a little as he handed Trish a fresh tissue and wrapped one arm around his mate.
“You’ll be around to help with…the other part?” he asked.
Gabi closed her eyes and breathed. There was very little chance the baby wasn’t Dhampir, but she could still hope. Finally she smiled again, though she knew it was a little brittle.
“Imagine the world with two of us in it,” she said with a wry chuckle. “Of course I’ll help as much as I possibly can when, and if, the need arises.” She paused, knowing she needed to tread carefully. “I have one personal request to make.”
Trish and Kyle both looked at her with matching quizzical expressions.
“Please, never tell her that Mariska wanted her dead. Make something up and let me know the details and we’ll all stick to those like glue. There is no reason for her to know that kind of mental anguish.”
They both responded with an immediate nod. “You have our word,” Kyle said.
“We agree wholeheartedly,” Trish backed him up. “But what about being a twin? Should we tell her that?”
Gabi blinked away her own suddenly emotional state. “I have the feeling she already knows about her twin,” she said. “She’s a very special little character.” There was a moment of silence as they all came to terms with their new reality. Gabi finished her coffee.
“Now,” Kyle sat forward on the sofa, his eyes alight with…something Gabi couldn’t quite read. “We have a question to ask you.” Trish’s entire face lit up, and Gabi grew sceptical. “We haven’t actually told anyone else this, but I asked Trish to marry me and,” he turned to his mate with a stupid grin, “she said yes.”
“Oh. My. Gods.” Gabi found herself shrieking for the second time in less than an hour. She jumped up to hug both of them.
“Will you be my maid of honour?” Trish asked, then looked at Kyle and giggled. “We actually had a fight over who got to ask you to stand at our side. Kyle wanted you to be his best woman, but I won when I pointed out that I would be left with Derek and he would look terrible in a dress.”
Gabi burst out laughing. “I would pay good money to see that, but yes, absolutely, I’d love to be your maid of honour.”
“We’re planning an evening wedding so that everyone can attend,” Trish began, her excitement almost palpable. A plaintive wail interrupted her. Trish responded like a thoroughbred out of the starting gate and she was out of the room in a flash.
Kyle grinned, shaking his head, and then turned serious. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made her. Us,” he corrected.
“Oh, I think I have some idea,” she assured him.
“Are you really sure about this? You and Julius don’t want to…?” He looked at her pointedly.
“You know I’m not cut out for it,” she told him. There had been a tinge of sadness to her decision, but it was more for Julius than herself. Seeing Trish’s and Sasha’s response to the baby had only cemented her decision. “My life is crazy, I rarely see the sun, I can’t keep normal hours, I travel around the world and face dangerous people and situations. And I genuinely like my life as it is. If the gods forced my hand, I would cope and change what I had to and be a mother, but it’s not a decision I would make for myself. And just look at Trish, you can see she was meant to be a mother; it’s integral to her mind and soul. I don’t have that inside me.”
“I understand,” Kyle said at last, and studying his expression, Gabi thought he did.
And then Trish sailed back into the room with a tiny bundle wrapped in a white and pink baby blanket. Her friend’s face glowed with radiance and she oozed happiness. Slinky galloped along behind, his eyes fixed on the bundle.
“Look, it’s Aunt Gabi,” Trish cooed, kissing the little girl’s forehead and gently depositing her in Gabi’s arms. “Slinky is just as besotted as the rest of us. He sleeps at her feet in the crib and doesn’t take his eyes off her.”
Gabi smiled at the excited ferret; he was emanating the same cloud of content happiness as Trish.
The baby scrunched up her nose and wriggled a little until Gabi turned her so that they were face to face. A smile lit her cherubic face and her eyes locked with Gabi’s. Those baby blue eyes were calm and clear, knowing, intelligent; an old soul, as some would say.
“Life sure is going to be interesting with you around,” she told the little girl.
The baby gurgled cheerfully in response, and Gabi chose to ignore the tiny frisson of unease that trickled down her spine.
THE END
This concludes the Hellcat Series
Other books by Sharon Hannaford
A Cat’s Chance in Hell (Hellcat Series Book 1)
All Hell Breaks Loose (Hellcat Series Book 2)
A Cold Day in Hell (Hellcat Series Book 3)
To Hell and Back (Hellcat Series Book 4)
Come Hell or High Water (Hellcat Series Book 5)
There'll be Hell to Pay (Hellcat Series Book 6) Page 27