The blood drained from Dallas’s face. He swallowed hard and fidgeted where he stood. After a couple beats of silence, he sighed heavily. “I’m going to ask her to marry me.”
Devon couldn’t hold back a snort from coming out. “And the thought of marrying you makes her sick? I can see that.” He chuckled and poured the juice for his brother’s girlfriend.
“No, dickwad, I’m pretty sure she’s pregnant. She hasn’t said anything. Hell, I don’t even think she realizes it, but” Dallas looked away and a dark red blush painted his cheeks, “she smells different.”
All thoughts of the article fled for the moment. “That’s why you two came up here, isn’t it? You needed some advice.” Devon said. He knew all about getting a human pregnant and noticing the subtle differences in a woman’s body. Their tiger could smell the change in the body’s chemistry well before any store-bought pregnancy test could be used.
Dallas looked at the floor and shrugged. Anyone walking in the room would be able to tell how uncomfortable he was with the entire conversation. “Sorry, Devon. Kacie insisted on coming when mom called and told us what happened. To be honest, I wanted to keep her home in bed. She’s acting like nothing is wrong except for a little cold. Even Corrine and MJ could tell something was off, but they won’t say anything. I swear women are strange.”
Silence descended on the men. Devon didn’t know what to say. He’d gotten Sasha pregnant and insisted on them marrying. He wouldn’t call his marriage a mistake, but he questioned whether it was the right thing to have done. Now, his brother was in the same situation.
“Are you happy, Dallas?” Their father asked, breaking the quiet.
Dallas nodded and looked at them. “I’m ecstatic. Kacie’s my mate. I knew it the first time I saw her. My tiger damn near fell over himself trying to get to her. The only problem is; she doesn’t want to move too fast. She feels like she’s still learning to stand on her own two feet.”
“That could pose a problem,” their dad chuckled. “You should have been more careful.”
Dallas’s eyes bugged out. The sex talk with your father was plain awkward, no matter how old you were. Devon had gone through it with Sasha, and it was only right Dallas suffer as well. “We were. I swear. But, uh, there was one time when the condom broke in the shower. We talked about it. Knew what could happen, but I think we both brushed it off.”
“You need to find out for sure as soon as possible, and maybe tell her you think she’s pregnant and explain why you think that,” Devon advised.
“Is that what you did with Sasha? I admit, I didn’t pay much attention to you two at the time.”
“You were, what, sixteen when I got Sasha pregnant?”
“Sounds about right.” Dallas snickered. “Damn, that was a long time ago. I’d just lost my virginity and was freaking out about getting some girl pregnant. It was another couple of months before I did it again.”
“Excuse me,” their father blurted.
Dallas stepped back. “Oh, yeah, TMI. Anyway,” he focused on Devon, “you think I should just tell her what I think?”
“Yeah. It’ll be better in the long run, and you’ll have more time to figure things out.” Devon’s gaze was drawn to Carolline’s. He wondered if he should take his own advice. It was a damn shame it would be a couple weeks before he could scent a change.
A toilet flushed down the hall, breaking the silence that had fallen over them all. Light treaded feet made their way into the kitchen. Kacie, the petite little blonde his brother fell ass over teakettle for, stopped abruptly. “Um, I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”
Dallas looked like a deer caught in headlights. Their mom was starring wide-eyed at Kacie’s flat stomach. Devon could admit he was at a loss for words, much like his father. Ben had basically inched back and blended into the wall upon Dallas’ arrival.
It was Carolline who huffed out a breath and stood from her seat. “No. We were just talking about the news article that showed up in the Cheyenne paper about the kidnapping.” She stuck her hand out and introduced herself to Kacie. “I’m Carolline, Devon’s new mate.”
Kacie beamed a smile at her and shook her hand. “Sweet, it’ll be great to have another woman around to balance out the testosterone. I’m Kacie. I’m kinda fond of that guy over there.”
Devon would have been picking on Kacie for her testosterone comment, but his mind was too busy looping Carolline saying she was his new mate to think up something witty.
Chapter 26
Ben studied the family as they were involved in a conversation other than the one he’d come over to have with them. The brothers were caught up in a topic most would think required privacy. The parents, after hearing of the possible pregnancy, couldn’t keep the grins off their faces, and kept leaning into each other. Shoulders bumping and rushed whispers going back and forth between the two. Pure joy radiated from them, damn near suffocating the room with the scent of a flower-filled meadow in springtime.
He looked to Carolline to gauge how she felt, and noticed she had the same contemplative look he held. While his family was small, consisting of only his mother and half-brother, hers was nonexistent. It had to be slightly overwhelming to be in her shoes. He had no idea how she would handle blending into such a tight-knit group. Ben had heard the Andersens were in each other’s pockets. Always knowing what was happening in one another’s lives. It was a far cry from the solitude and peace and quiet he knew she was accustomed to and held so dear.
The entrance of the woman, he presumed to be Kacie, broke up the men’s discussion. A charged silence fell over the group. Carolline, probably the best at reading uncomfortable situations, stood up and did what she did best. In that soft, comforting tone of hers, she introduced herself, breaking the spell over the room.
Dallas tossed away the paper Ben had brought over, and took the glass of orange juice from Devon. His focus on the potentially pregnant woman.
Devon’s kids came barreling into the room, dressed in pajamas and sporting crazy bedheads. Squeals of joy echoed throughout when they caught sight of their Uncle and his girlfriend. The youngest tried climbing the man like a tree, and the little girl scooped up Kacie’s hand to tug her over to a chair where she proceeded to crawl into her lap. The oldest boy picked up a bag Dallas must have dropped on the counter on the way in, and exclaimed at the huge pink box with Sweet Confections plastered all over it.
This was the chance Ben needed to gain Devon’s attention. He did have other things to do today, one of which included catching the people responsible for landing his friend in the hospital. Ben tapped Devon on the shoulder and nodded his head.
“Right.” Devon snatched the paper up, pressed a kiss to Carolline’s cheek and murmured softly in her ear, before motioning for Ben to follow. He led them to the office at the front of the house. Russell slipped in after Ben and closed the door behind them.
“I thought I would sit in, if you don’t mind,” Russell said before settling on the couch pushed up against the wall. It didn’t appear that Ben or Devon had much of a say in the matter one way or the other. Nor would he want to. If he had the backing of one of the founding families in what he wanted to do, then who was he to complain?
“Of course not,” Ben said. He waited for Devon to take a seat next to his father before handing the paper back to them. “The reason I came over today was because of this article. To say I was surprised to see it, would be an understatement. We haven’t released any information whatsoever, and I don’t think your buddy at the paper would do so without consulting you first.”
“He wouldn’t,” Devon confirmed. “Especially since it deals with the kids. We protect our own here, as I’m sure you know.”
Ben nodded. “Then we need to find out who did this. I doubt the man who escaped is the culprit. Why bring unwanted attention to himself?”
Russell grunted. “It would serve no purpose, that’s for sure. He failed, so why expose himself?”
“Right,” Ben a
greed. “I have one of the deputies heading to Cheyenne to talk to the newspaper staff in person. See if doing a face-to-face will help, since they weren’t keen on disclosing any information over the phone. In the meantime, we’re looking at everyone who was involved in the incident. My first stop being you,” Ben directed at Devon. He didn’t honestly believe the man would say anything to the newspaper, but he had to cover his bases. It wouldn’t hurt if Devon had some ideas as well. People who held a grudge against him and his family, stuff like that. Which, from his check into the Andersen family background, would be any number of people.
A lot of people looked up to the Andersens, but there appeared to be just as many who weren’t their biggest fans. Their lenient and open views on half-breeds and humans pitted them against those who felt purebreds were far superior. The Purists, while dwindling in numbers, had a few strong and high-ranking members who could inflict damage when they truly wanted.
Devon chuffed low in his throat. “I would be offended by that if I didn’t know it was part of your job. I would never put my kids in danger or out in the open like that.”
Ben nodded. It was as he thought. “What about the nanny or her boyfriend? Do you think she would do something like that to get back at you for firing her?”
“No. The girl may have shirked her duties, but she loved the kids. Her failure and subsequent firing was expected. She was beside herself with guilt when she found out they had almost been taken.”
Ben nodded again. “That leaves the EMTs and hospital staff. I have the information for everyone at the scene. I’ll be checking with the nanny to cover that base. While I’m doing that, I’d like a list of everyone who came in to contact with Carolline and knew her connection with the kids. Since you showed up with her, I have a feeling that could be quite a few people.”
“We kept the number of people working on her case to the bare minimum. Even after I handed her over to another doctor. I insisted on it, and I would like to believe they followed my directions.”
“In any case, I’ll find out when I interview them. Get that list to me by the end of the day. Have a good one gentlemen. Oh, and Devon, it’s good to see you stepping up.”
Ben turned on his heel and was almost to the door when Devon’s voice stopped him. “It may have taken me a bit to figure out my priorities, but I’m all in. Carolline is mine,” he all but growled.
Ben turned and smirked at the man. “Good. She deserves someone who feels that way about her.” Ben opened the door and left, shutting the door behind him. He nodded his head at the officer parked out front and got into his car. He was happy to see Carolline surrounded by people who would love her. Now all he needed to do was make sure no one would rip that away from her.
Chapter 27
Devon was up early, coffee in hand, and debating on what to do for the day. The previous day, when Ben had come over, the family decided to stay in and relax. He’d wanted Carolline to get to know his family too. Let the kids get more comfortable with her. See how well she blended with them all.
And she did. It was seamless the way she fit in. She looked right at home sitting in the living room, his family surrounding her. Seb spent most of his day leaned up against her side, where she ran her hand through his thick dark hair. Tabitha had bounced between Carolline and Kacie. Talking almost non-stop about school and her friends. Kacie, of course, talked to Carolline like they were long lost friends. Gabbing about the Sweet Confections crew and how they were all doing.
A small smile tilted his lips as he took a sip of his coffee. He turned to take a seat at the table when movement out back caught his eye.
Carolline stood out there in a pair of form-fitting pink yoga pants and a thin T-shirt with a sport bra. She stood in a pose with her arms stretched over her head, her back elegantly bowed. Tabitha and Sebastian were next to her, mimicking her and giggling the entire time. Each time they tipped over, Carolline would help them back up with gentle hands.
“I like her,” his brother said, startling him.
He shot a glance at him over his shoulder. “Me too,” Devon grunted.
“I would hope so,” Dallas snorted. “You’ve marked her and brought her into the house. She’s the first woman you’ve let near the kids since Sasha died.”
Devon shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal when it undeniably was. “She’s my mate. This is where she belongs. Maybe, if I’m lucky, your kid will have a cousin the same age.”
“Seriously?”
“I don’t know. She’s brought up some good points about hybrids and our lack of knowledge about them. Since she’s a tigon, and not yet thirty, there might be a possibility.”
“Interesting,” their father murmured, startling the guys. “We need to clear up what’s going on with the kidnapping, and who put that article in the paper. I don’t want to see anyone else in this family get hurt. I’m going to get hold of the Guild and see if they can help. As a Founding Family, we have full access to all their resources. I also want to see if there are any Purist sympathizers living in town that we need to be aware of.”
“Sounds like a good idea. You can work out of my home office if you’d like,” Devon offered. It wasn’t like he used the room for what it was intended to be anyway.
The back door slid open and the kids came running in. “Uncle Dallas, come do yoga. Carolline taught us everything,” Tabitha squealed, full of excitement.
“Sure thing, squirt. Let me take some orange juice up to Aunt Kacie, and I’ll be right back.” Dallas ruffled Tabitha’s hair.
“We’ll come with you to make sure you come back downstairs. Sometimes you get lost,” Tabitha said, holding onto Sebastian’s hand.
Carolline came in, closing the door behind her. Her cheeks were a delightful shade of pink, and she practically glowed. “They’re quick learners,” she remarked, moving to pull down a glass. She poured some juice before settling next to Devon, where he’d leaned up against the counter. “A little giggly, but I think they had fun.”
A sense of rightness filled him, having her body next to his. He slid his arm around her waist, pleased when she snuggled closer. His tiger purred in contentment, resulting in a purr rumbling from his chest.
She chuckled and kissed him on the cheek. “I need to get cleaned up, then see what I have for work tomorrow. I have a feeling I’ll need to head back to my place at some point.”
“You aren’t moving back,” Devon snapped.
She turned to face him, while stepping away. “You never asked me to move in. I no longer feel any pain, so I’m able to defend myself if need be. And besides, nothing has happened in the last couple of days to warrant me staying here.”
Devon snorted in disbelief. “Something has happened. We mated. And, as my mate, you are not staying somewhere else. I won’t stand for it.”
Carolline’s eyes narrowed, and a sense of foreboding tripped over him. “You won’t stand for it? What kind of chauvinistic crap is that? You don’t own me, Devon, and I have a life that doesn’t revolve around you.”
“Carolline,” he warned. His tiger stopped purring and started stalking back and forth. He could feel his mate getting upset, and wondered what the hell the human had done to piss her off.
A loud sigh came from the kitchen entrance. “Ask her to stay here, Devon. Good lord, you’d think I didn’t teach you boys how to talk to a woman.” Devon’s mother strolled into the kitchen, and dropped a kiss on her husband’s cheek. “They get their Neanderthal tendencies from you, Russell, dear.”
Devon’s dad chuckled. “I would imagine so, but their stubbornness comes from you.”
Carolline snorted and started to walk away. “I’ll be upstairs if you want to talk, Devon, but I do need to see what I have to wear for work, and sit down with my work planner. I have a packed schedule, since I had to cancel all of my appointments the week I was out.”
Devon scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration.
A small, soft hand landed on his arm. He dropped his han
ds, and saw his mom standing in front of him.
“Talk to her, Devon. She isn’t like Sasha. She won’t do what you say just because you deem it so. She’s been making decisions about her life without your help for quite a while now.”
Devon grunted and kissed his mom on the cheek. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Don’t see, son – do,” his father stated.
Marching upstairs, Devon found Carolline standing with her hands balled on her hips, staring at the clothes covering the bed.
Carolline heard Devon’s heavy tread coming down the hall, sending her heart racing. It was funny how easy it was to get over his bullish behavior. She knew he wanted to keep her close because of the mating. Hell, she wanted to stay close too. Her tigon refused to entertain thoughts about going anywhere without him. She wasn’t telling him she wanted to move back to her place, only that she needed to get her stuff. Of course, he didn’t take it that way. He jumped to conclusions and reacted by being an ass. Did he even realize his mistake was not asking her to move in with them? If he had, they wouldn’t have argued. She’d already dove head first into the relationship. There was no reason to back out now. Not without good reason and a fight with her animal side.
She shouldn’t be surprised by his attitude. That didn’t stop it from happening, though. He was used to people jumping when he snapped his fingers. Sadly, for him, she would not be one of the adoring masses to jump at his command. The idea of letting her mate run roughshod over her left a bad taste in her mouth. Enough to where she refused to let it happen.
Counting down the seconds, she knew the exact moment he stepped into the room. The warm scent of his musk drifted to her, rippling over her body. She repressed the shiver wanting to take hold. The door shut, lock clicking in place. Focus on work. Let him bring up moving in.
“I’m not sure I have one good work outfit in this mess. What in the hell were you thinking when you grabbed this stuff?” She spun and faced him, her breath catching in her throat.
Finding More (Tiger Nip Book 3) Page 17