“I do,” Maci admitted. “I don’t know when it happened, but I do.”
“That is all that matters. Logan is comfortable living wherever you are. I can promise you this.”
“But he built a beautiful cabin for his future family, and I’m not sure that I can live here forever.”
“He also has a house in the city, and so do you. Who says that you have to live here, or that your house isn’t the house you’re meant to live in? Those things aren’t up to Fate. All Fate is doing is showing you a man who will gladly walk this path of life with you. It’s up to you to choose the path.”
Sara patted her hand and then her cheek, rubbing her thumb tenderly across Maci’s skin and wiping away the single tear that had escaped.
“Trust me,” Sara said with a voice that trembled slightly. “You’re not the only one who is unhappy with Fate. I would have been over the moon to welcome a daughter into my life, but that is not the path that made you who you are today. And your childhood shaped Archer, and Archer is shaping the world and changing lives for shifters and humans alike. It all has come full circle, just not the way we would have planned it to be. But you are family, no matter which way you look at it, because you are Chad’s sister, and because you’ve touched our lives in a way that doesn’t fade. Everything else is up to you. Just don’t lose out on the love of your life because you’re too stubborn to accept a little help from Fate.”
Sara got out of the car, leaving Maci there for a moment with her thoughts. Maci sighed, grabbing her backpack and her duffel bag full of clothes and heading toward the cabins. Sara was right; it wasn’t about all the other things. She loved Logan, and she hoped that he still loved her after she had let him return home alone a month ago, that love was enough, and they could sort the rest out together.
She headed straight for his cabin, butterflies building in her stomach with each step. She couldn’t wait to see him, and she had been anxious about it the entire two-hour drive. Now that she was only steps away from the front door, she was terrified.
She lifted her hand to knock on the door, but it swung open before her knuckles connected with the wood. And there he was, staring at her with those dark brown eyes, bare chested and barefoot, taking up most of the doorway.
She caught her breath, and her heart fluttered in her chest. The sight of him took her breath away, and she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms and never let him go.
They stood there in silence, both sizing each other up and trying to guess what the other was thinking and feeling. Maci opened her mouth to explain where she had been and why she hadn’t called him, but she was cut off when Logan pressed a finger gently to her lips and smiled.
“It’s okay,” he said, then cupped her face in his hands. “Everything is finally okay.”
He kissed her gently, his fingers sliding into her loose hair and holding on as he deepened the kiss. Maci’s heart was in her throat, but she pushed back the sob that threatened. After everything, he still loved her. Without question and without explanation, he still loved her.
She sighed then and stepped into his arms, wrapping herself in him without breaking the kiss. She let her bags slip to the floor right there in the doorway, and Logan scooped her into his arms, still kissing her hungrily.
He carried her into the bedroom and set her on the bed, lying beside her and gathering her in his arms once more. She snuggled against him, burying her head in his chest and taking a deep breath.
“I don’t know if I can live here forever,” she said softly.
“Home is wherever you’re happy,” he countered.
“I don’t know if I’m the marrying type,” she offered.
“As long as you love me, you can label this however you want,” he said gently.
“I’m not a good cook.”
“I don’t mind takeout.”
“I’m stubborn,” she said, laughing.
“I have the patience of Job.”
“I’ve never been in love before.”
“I’ve been in love with you since before I met you.”
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”
“My answer is that I’m here and ready to love you, no matter where you are in that journey. I can wait forever for you, or we can get married and start a family tomorrow. The only thing that matters to me is you.”
She kissed him, roughly, passionately, her fingers in his hair and curling around the thick locks. She held him like that and the world around them dropped away, and there was no one left but Logan and Maci, in a beautiful, hand-built cabin in the wilderness.
Sighing again, she released his lips and laid her head on his chest. He pulled the quilt over them to ward off the chill and wrapped her in his arms. Within minutes, she felt her eyes getting heavy, and she knew that she was about to fall asleep, but this time, she was exactly where she was meant to be.
The dreams came anyway, and she knew the minute that she slipped into the dream that she was only dreaming. Even knowing that, she couldn’t wake up, and she was forced to flow with the dreams despite her fears.
She was in bed with him still, but a light at the end of the dark hall beckoned to her. She stepped out of bed, careful not to wake him and admonishing herself for playing into the dream. Knowing it was a dream didn’t change much, but at least she knew that she couldn’t wake him if she jumped on the bed and started yelling his name. And she knew that she wasn’t in any real danger if things in the dream went south.
Slowly, she walked barefoot down the hall, following the soft light that glowed from beneath one of the doors of the extra rooms. She recognized the door instantly as the one to the room where Logan had been building furniture before he had left the village to help Chad. Curious, she opened the door, stepping into the empty room and looking around.
There was a rocking chair in the middle of the room, a beautifully patterned seat cushion tied to the slats on the back, a matching, padded footstool a few feet away. She went to the chair, sitting in it and closing her eyes, rocking herself gently and admiring how smooth the motion was. It was perfect, and it fit her like it was made for her.
She rested her hands in her lap, letting the motion of the rocking chair lull her almost to sleep. She smiled at the thought and wondered if she could fall asleep in her dreams, and would she awaken completely refreshed, or would she have to wake up twice?
She opened her eyes, still taking in the softly lit room, and rocking with her feet up on the stool that glided with her movements.
She looked down at her hands and didn’t even flinch when she realized that she held something in her arms, pulling the bundle tightly against her chest as she rocked and hummed out loud.
The tiny quilt was soft and bright, the miniature patterns cheery, even in the soft light. She was singing now, holding the bundle wrapped in the quilt against her chest and closing her eyes. This moment felt perfect, and it was where she was meant to be. She had never been at peace in any of her dreams the way she was right now, and as she floated up and made her way toward consciousness, she wondered what it all meant.
She looked down at the room as she floated away, noting the other furniture around the room and the quilted bundle that rested inside one of the pieces that Logan had made. It suddenly all fell into place, and her eyes widened as she gasped. Could it be?
She sat straight up in bed, looking around the now dark room and trying to get her bearings for a moment. She blinked, but the image of the dream remained.
“What’s wrong?” Logan asked sleepily from beside her. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“Not a bad dream,” she said, throwing back the covers and getting out of bed.
“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice still groggy. “We slept right through dinner, but I can get you something if you want. Maci?”
She didn’t answer, making her way into the hallway and flipping on the light.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
She heard him get out of bed, but she didn’t turn around. She was making her way to the room at the end of the hall, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
When her hand touched the doorknob, he was right behind her, standing quietly. She turned the knob and pushed the door open gently, letting the light from the hallway flood into the room and cast a golden glow on the furniture.
She sucked in a deep breath. It was exactly the way it had been in her dream, complete with the rocking chair in the middle of the room. Tiny furniture took up every available space, and a large, thick carpet took up half the empty floor space in the middle.
“I’m not still dreaming, right?” she asked.
“You’re not dreaming,” he confirmed.
“How long have you been working on this?”
“Since I came back.”
“Why?”
“You’re not the only one having dreams, Maci.”
“You built these all by yourself?”
“I did.”
“And the quilts?”
“My mom has been sewing them since she came home. Since before I even started having the dreams.”
“She’s been having dreams, too?”
He smiled.
“It’s a lot to take in,” he admitted. “I know it’s not the life that you’re used to, but we put a lot of stock in dreams. Maybe it’s not a dream for now. I didn’t build these to rush you-”
She shook her head, stopping him.
“I don’t think that you’re dreaming about something that is going to happen in the future,” she said quietly. “I need a minute.”
“I understand,” he said, though his expression said otherwise.
Maci nodded, leaving the room as quietly as she had entered and getting her bag.
Her hands were shaking when she set the bag down in the bathroom and tugged at the zipper to open it. The flimsy box was buried in the bottom, along with other products she had bought for her stay, not knowing if she would be here for more than a month.
She thought back, counting the days and realizing that it had been a little over two months. She closed her eyes, ripping open the box and not even bothering to read the instructions. She knew how this worked, and she was prepared for the longest three minutes of her life.
She set the test on some tissue paper and sat there, watching as the window filled up and the first line turned dark red. She didn’t have to wait three minutes for the second line to appear. She stared at the test for a solid minute, feeling numb, but also, surprisingly happy. She had never imagined being a mother, but that had all changed in an instant, and suddenly, all her dreams for the past month came together and made sense.
Fate had been trying to tell her for over a month, and it took a message that couldn’t be ignored for her to realize what the message was.
She stepped out of the bathroom, walking back into the room where she had left Logan.
“Are you alright?” he asked, looking her over as she stood in silence.
“I’m more than alright,” she said, looking at the room again.
She walked to the tiny crib, running her hand along the polished wood and admiring all the intricate details of the carvings.
“You bought a mattress for the crib?” she asked.
“That would be my mother again.”
Maci laughed.
“I don’t know how we talked for that long, and she never said a word about this.”
“We knew that you wouldn’t be ready until you were ready.”
“You’re probably right,” she offered. “I’m still not sure if I’m ready, or if I ever will be. I didn’t exactly have the best parenting role models growing up.”
“They weren’t a good example of anything,” he said. “You still rose above it.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be a good mother,” she said.
“I believe in you.”
He reached out, his hand on her back as she took in everything and tried to calm her nerves.
“I can’t believe that we are going to be parents,” she said finally, her voice breathy and excited.
“Now that is a sentiment I can agree with,” he laughed. “I have no idea if I’m going to be a good father, but I’m going to do my best to be the man our child deserves.”
She turned then, searching his eyes.
“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“No,” he said. “Fate doesn’t give all her secrets away.”
She smiled.
“At least there’s one thing that you won’t know before I do.”
“There have to be some surprises,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
She was quiet when he kissed her cheek, lost in thoughts that she couldn’t quite pin down.
When she finally put words to the jumbled-up mess that was in her head, she held her breath, waiting for him to respond.
“If we are not married, is this going to be a problem?”
“A problem for whom?” he asked.
“The pack?”
“We don’t operate under human traditions,” he said. “Unless that is something that you want. In which case, I’ll marry you whenever and wherever you want.”
She laughed, the relief evident in her voice.
“I’m not in any hurry to get married,” she admitted. “And Archer and Elaine are busy with their campaign to change the world, and they won’t even be back in the States for more than a few days at a time until the end of the summer.”
“We can wait,” he said.
“I might be huge by then,” she laughed.
“We can wait until next year if you want.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, kissing her gently. “We can get married in ten years if you want.”
“Maybe,” she teased.
“I almost hope you’re kidding,” he laughed.
“Next year sounds perfect,” she said.
“It’s a date, then,” he said, pulling her close for another kiss and sweeping her into his arms.
“Where are we going?” she asked when she pulled away, breathless from his kiss.
“Back to bed,” he said. “You need your rest, and I have work to do.”
“Work?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“That room isn’t done,” he laughed. “Not even close. And there is so much more that I want to make you before the baby gets here.”
“We have enough now,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek as he carried her.
“I know we have enough,” he said sweetly. “But you’ve lived your entire life with enough. I want to give you more than you’ve ever dreamed.”
“You already have,” she said. “You’ve given me more than I ever thought I deserved.”
*
The weeks went by in a blur, and pretty soon, another two months had gone and the summer was upon them. Their days passed pleasantly, and it wasn’t long before Maci fell into the easy rhythm of life on the mountain. Some days, she longed for the city life and almost asked Logan if they could move, but just as quickly, she would change her mind and decide that she was exactly where she needed to be.
Now that they were on their way back into the city for a quick visit with Archer and his family, all Maci could think of was getting into her house and trying to decide if she wanted to sell it or beg Logan to move back. She was still on the fence, and she wasn’t going to bring it up when she wasn’t sure.
Archer had been adamant that they needed to be in DC today, that he had a special dinner planned, and it was something that none of them could miss. The entire village, children included, was caravanning into DC, welcome among humans without paperwork and restrictions for the first time in as long as many of them could remember.
Sara, Sam, and Chad had driven Logan and Maci in the first truck, dropping them off at the old barn to retrieve the Porsche so they could drive that back to the city and return it while the three in the bed of the
truck took the back seat of the cab and road on with Sam, Sara, and Chad.
“How are we going to get back to the village?”
“I was thinking that we should buy our own vehicle,” he said. “Or, if you want to stay in town until you give birth, that would be fine, too.”
“I’m not due until December,” she said.
“These next three months will pass quicker than you ever thought,” he said. “And I think that you would be more comfortable with modern medicine available.”
She let out a relieved breath.
“I would,” she said. “I didn’t want to tell Eliana that and hurt her feelings, but I’d just rather be-”
“You don’t have to explain it to me, and you don’t have to explain it to Eliana. She’s the one who told me that she thought you might not be comfortable.”
“That is sweet of her,” Maci said, watching Logan from the passenger seat as he guided the car down the highway toward DC.
“If that is what you want, I’m good with it,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said, holding his hand.
“We are almost there,” he said, looking at her and smiling. “You look beautiful.”
“It’s this dress,” she laughed. “Your mom is amazing.”
“It’s only fabric,” he insisted. “It’s the woman that makes the dress, and you’re stunning.”
She laughed.
“I just can’t wait to see Archer’s face,” she said. “He doesn’t know.”
“I don’t think anyone is going to miss that you’re pregnant,” he said.
“I guess it saves making an announcement.” She leaned back in the seat, rubbing her hand across her tight belly and smiling. “I can’t wait to meet this little one.”
He was smiling so wide that he was beaming, his face aglow in the late afternoon light.
“I can’t wait, either,” she said. “I’m in love already, but putting a face to my heart song will be nice.”
The city came into view, and Maci stopped, staring at the city as it grew in front of them.
“It’s so strange,” she said. “It’s like home, but it’s not the same as it was before.”
The Wolf In The White House Page 18