Deep Trouble

by Brandy L Rivers

  Adam grinned. “Bet you can’t wait.”

  “Yeah. How’s Danika and little Makayla doing?”

  “They’re great. You still on for the barbecue Friday?”

  “We’ll be there. What do you want us to bring?”

  “Fallon’s chili sounds pretty amazing.”

  “I’ll ask her.”

  * * * *

  Fallon waved at Phineas, who gave her a warm smile when she came through the door. She grinned, passing the old brownie a sack of goodies. “For you.”

  “You’re too sweet,” he replied in a vaguely Celtic accent. “How are the babes?”

  A flitter of worry threaded through her at the mention. “They’re growing.” She slipped through the door before he had a chance to question further.

  Brody set his wrench aside and stood. His lips curled into a sinful smile as he watched Fallon cross the garage.

  “Afternoon, handsome. Want to go for a ride?” she teased.

  His brow arched as he walked closer. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Picnic somewhere quiet, where we won’t be interrupted.”

  “You and me, all alone? That can be arranged.” He pulled her into his arms and laid a slow kiss on her. Grinning, he released her and backed toward the sink to scrub up.

  Fallon licked her lips, her eyes dancing around the shop. Then she laughed. “This Dacia’s bike?”

  Brody chuckled. “Yes. Routine maintenance, not a ploy for attention.”

  “She’s a little too preoccupied with Preston these days to want anything to do with you now,” Fallon teased.

  He glanced over his shoulder with a smirk. “Which works out perfectly since you fill every thought of mine.”

  “Rather you were filling me right about now,” she murmured.

  “We better get going then. I still have work to do.”

  Shrugging, she nodded toward the office door. “I suppose we could lock ourselves in.”

  “Nah. I have the perfect place in mind.” Brody dried off and turned as she started for the door. He swiped the basket from her arm. “Let me.”

  Her brow arched. “I’m pregnant, not weak.”

  “No one in their right mind would ever call you weak, Sugar.”

  * * * *

  After eating and taking Fallon’s suggested ride, Brody lay beside her on the blanket, trailing his fingers over her belly. “What was bothering you this morning when you couldn’t sleep?”

  “Missed you. Bad.”

  “Fallon, I’m not stupid. That wasn’t all of it. Talk to me.”

  She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky, trying to come up with something, anything, that might not worry him more than he already was.

  Instead, she smiled and turned toward him. “I was thinking, since shifting isn’t bad for the babies, I want to go with you the next full moon.”

  “Serious question here, since I honestly don’t know. Shifting won’t cause any problem with these two?” He spread her hand on her belly.

  She shook her head, looking deep into his eyes. “No. My mother shifted all the time. Can’t do bird forms, or anything that lays eggs, but mammals are fine.”

  “Then come with us. I love running with you.”

  She snuggled closer and laid her head on his arm.

  He caught one nipple ring and twisted gently. “Don’t fall asleep. I want another taste.”

  She moaned low in her throat. “Still hungry?”

  “Famished.” His mouth closed over hers as he pulled her over on top of him.

  Chapter 6

  “Sure does smell amazing,” Brody admitted as he pulled up to his brother’s house.

  She rolled her head toward him. “You always say that.”

  “You make damned good chili.”

  “Maybe, but you’re better in the kitchen than I’ll ever be.”

  “Not sure about that, Sugar. I never get tired of finding you in one of my shirts in our kitchen. You know what always follows.”

  Her lips quirked. Yes, she did. Him deep inside of her on the nearest surface.

  She slid out of the seat while he grabbed the dish. Everything was fine until Tremaine turned her way with a raised brow. She offered a smile but made no other indication she’d done as he’d suggested.

  What was she supposed to tell Brody? Hey, guess what? If I don’t shift when one of our babies wants to, I could lose them both. Now don’t get your panties in a wad, that doesn’t mean I have to keep from doing anything.

  Brody caught up to her. “Why so nervous?”

  With no good answer, she shrugged.

  “We’ll have fun. Besides, we get to see my niece and Dakota’s boy.”

  She smiled back at him. “Everyone loves babies.” While taking the dish from Brody, she moved to the table where the rest of the food had been set out.

  Shaking his head, he followed behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist. “Stubborn.”

  “You love it.”

  “Mmm, most of the time.” Brody led her to a bench and sat, pulling her down beside him.

  Dakota brought Jacob over, and Brody hopped up to take the baby.

  “Hey, munchkin. You’re going to have two more playmates before long.”

  Tremaine stepped in behind Brody, giving Fallon a stern look while Brody was distracted.

  She returned her own and prayed he would leave it be for the moment. Telling Brody would happen as soon as she found the words.

  Tomahawk grinned and asked, “Hey, Fallon. Thirsty?”

  She nodded, knowing better than to refuse.

  He brought her a tall glass of orange juice. “Don’t worry. You can have alcohol in a few months.”

  She laughed. “Thanks. I really don’t miss it, though.”

  Danika plopped down beside her with Makayla in her arms. Fallon reached over to rub the girl’s head full of honey blond hair. “How you holding up, Dani?”

  “She’s sleeping through the night already. I consider myself lucky. How’s the morning sickness?”

  Fallon shrugged. “It’s not so bad lately.”

  “That’s good.”

  Yeah, but not the twinge of pain that twisted through her abdomen. Before long she’d need to disappear awhile.

  * * * *

  The strained look on Fallon’s face gave Brody a pang of worry. He watched as she moved uncomfortably, and then she pressed on her stomach. “I’ll be right back.” She got up and slipped into the house.

  Danika frowned. “She okay?”

  Brody shook his head slightly, unsure what to say.

  Oblivious, Adam threw his arm around Brody. “Next week, I think we should take a Saturday to go for a ride. Just us guys.” He turned to Danika with a hopeful smile. “A day trip, that’s all.”

  “Yeah, sounds like a plan,” Brody answered absently, more concerned about why the front door opened and closed seconds after Fallon went inside.

  Adam’s arm still wrapped around Brody’s shoulder as he continued talking. “We haven’t gone in so long. You know, we need some time to get out. And then the next day, we can give the girls their break. Let them do whatever they want.”

  All Brody could think about was Fallon and trying to figure out what was going on in her head.

  Dakota took Jacob. “Might want to check on her,” Dakota urged.

  Tremaine nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Probably wise.”

  Brody dipped his head and walked through the house to follow her scent. He caught the smell of her wolf as he neared the front door, so he ran, following the trail until he found her curled under a willow tree in her wolf form.

  She looked up at him with such big, sad eyes.

  He crept closer to her wolf. “Don’t run off, please.”

  When she laid her head back down, he sat beside her and rubbed behind her ears. “Did I fuck up somehow?”

  Her head shook slightly.

  “Scared?” he asked.

  She curled closer.

 
“Shift back and talk to me?”

  Again, she shook her head, this time with a whimper

  “Wish you’d talk to me. Whatever it is, we can get through it.”

  She let out a sigh, her body relaxing as he stroked her back.

  “You know I’m here for you, no matter what. You can’t say or do anything that will ever turn me away from you. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m worried about you. We need to talk, Sugar. Don’t make me wait forever. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

  Fallon nuzzled against him. Brody looked up at the sky, trying to let go of his frustration. He couldn’t fathom what was going on unless the problem was a dose of doubt. They’d been through all of that and were over it, he thought.

  Maybe not.

  Then an idea occurred to him. “Are you worried about the twins?”

  She froze, her body stiff.

  “Has something happened?”

  Nothing.

  He closed his eyes. “You have an OB appointment tomorrow, right?”

  She nodded.

  “Ultrasound too?”

  Her shoulder lifted slightly. He knew Fallon wasn’t big on doctors, but she had set up the appointments without being asked to.

  “Nervous about that?”

  She nodded.

  Relief settled in. Fear was an emotion he understood. He smiled softly. “Is it the machine?”

  She shrugged again, confirming his suspicion.

  Brody relaxed. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”

  She snuggled her head in his lap, and he settled back against the tree, rubbing her head. The next few minutes seemed to drag.

  Finally, she sat up and shifted back. Her emerald eyes appeared haunted. “I’m sorry.”

  He pulled her onto his lap and caressed her face. “Would a midwife help?”

  She shook her head. “No. They’d still use machines. Seems so unnatural.”

  He smiled softly. “Yeah, well, maybe they can tell us what we’re having?”

  “Too early for that, silly.”

  After brushing his lips over hers, he said, “We can hear their heartbeats.”

  Her face lit up. “We can. I can hardly wait until they’re here.”

  “Neither can I.”

  “You ready to go back to the party?”

  “Are you?”

  “I am.”

  Brody brushed the hair back from her face. “You know you can talk to me if you’re worried about the doctors, the machines, anything.”

  The corners of her mouth turned down as she glanced away. “Yeah, but it’s foolish. I know better.”

  Relief settled in. He could help her with this. “No. It’s not. Lots of people hate going to the doctor.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “I’ll be at every single appointment with you.”

  * * * *

  Tremaine cornered Fallon after dinner. “Come talk.” He tugged her toward the edge of the woods. Brody gave her a funny look but didn’t comment.

  “You didn’t tell him, did you?” he whispered.

  “Tell who what?” her father asked as he stepped out of the shadows.

  “Shit,” Fallon muttered. “Doesn’t matter.”

  Declan gave her a grave look. “I know I wasn’t there when you were growing up, but I want to help. What’s going on?”

  She sighed. “You can’t tell anyone this. I’m trying to figure out how to tell Brody, but he can’t know yet.”

  Declan frowned and turned to Tremaine.

  He rolled his eyes.

  Fallon cleared her throat. “One of my babies is a werewolf. No one else knows right now. I’d like to keep it that way until I can figure out how to tell Brody without him freaking out.”

  Declan’s brow arched. “My lips are sealed, but he deserves to know.”

  “I’ll tell him.” Eventually.

  “They’ll be fine. We can talk to him,” he offered.

  Tremaine nodded. “If the slightest thing happens, I will tell him.”

  “You’ve made your point, but I’m going back over there before he starts worrying now.”

  Declan pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear. “Don’t keep secrets to protect him. It never goes as you expect.”

  She remembered the story he’d told her about how her mother never mentioned she’d given up. Then she died before he could find a solution to the situation with the Dales.

  Guilt wafted through her, but she had no words. She wasn’t giving up. She simply didn’t want to worry her mate worse than he already was. There was a difference.

  Chapter 7

  The next morning, Fallon couldn’t help smiling as she stared at the mirror. Her pants were snug. She wasn’t sure how long before she started to gain weight with the twins, but strangely, she hoped it was soon. Fallon rubbed her belly about the same time Brody came in.

  “What’s that smile for?” he asked with a sexy grin.

  She shrugged sheepishly. “Pants are tight.”

  He laughed. “Thought you weren’t supposed to start showing until the second trimester.”

  “Yeah, but when you have twins, it’s often earlier.”

  “Not sure I’ve ever heard a woman happy about getting bigger.”

  “For these two, definitely. As long as they’re healthy.”

  His brow pinched. “About last night. Why did you hide?”

  “Needed to be away from all those babies for a few minutes. I kept wondering what if?”

  “Like what?”

  “Anything. I’ve been reading all those books. So many things can go wrong.”

  “Maybe you should stop reading them,” he teased.

  “Want to be prepared for anything.”

  “You always are. But why shift?”

  “Easier to shut off my brain.” It was half the truth. She didn’t have to worry if she started hurting and shifted because the problem ceased.

  “I can help you stop thinking.” He kissed her slow and sweet, cupping her hands in his. When he leaned back, he tugged her toward the door.

  “You’re good at that.”

  His eyes sparkled. “Personally, I’m excited to hear their heartbeats.”

  She grinned. “Me too.”

  “The twins will be perfect.”

  Fallon nodded. She certainly hoped so. Some people might argue that one was a freak. If they did, they would have to deal with mama’s wrath.

  * * * *

  Fallon’s grip was hell of a lot tighter than it needed to be. Brody’s fingers were numb. He smiled down at her, rubbing her belly with his other hand.

  “Relax. She’ll put some goop on you and wave the wand around. Then we’ll hear magic.”

  She nodded slowly but didn’t relax.

  Jolene came back with warmed gel. “Sorry, didn’t want you to squeal when I put the cold stuff on yours skin. The babies don’t seem to like it either. Next exam room had a bottle in the warmer.”

  Fallon shrugged. “Would have been fine.”

  “I know, you’re badass but nervous. One less thing to worry about.” Jolene squeezed a dollop of the clear substance and moved it around with the wand.

  The whooshing woops were so fast he frowned. “Is that normal?”

  Jolene grinned. “Strong, fast. They’re definitely twins and out of sync by the sound of it. Though every other beat was more pronounced.”

  Fallon frowned, her head cocked to the side.

  “Don’t worry. I can’t tell the difference between the two, but babies heartbeats are around 140 per minute. It’s faster, but being out of sync, that’s normal.”

  Brody relaxed, even as Fallon squeezed tighter on his hand. “Amazing,” he cooed, looking into Fallon’s eyes. Fear stared back. “Hey, you heard her, it’s normal.”

  Fallon’s gaze softened, a slow smile curling her lips.

  “Not so bad, is it?”

  She shook her head. “Nah.” Fallon turned her head to face Jolene. “Normal? Healthy?”

  Jo
lene nodded. “Very. Relax. In a couple months, we’ll see if we can determine the sex. That is if you want to know.”

  Fallon grinned. “Oh, I’m having a boy and a girl.”

  Her brow arched. “How do you know? Is that a druid thing?”

  “Nope. Mother’s intuition.”

  * * * *

  Fallon relaxed as soon as Brody started the car. He finally sighed in relief. Maybe her worry was wound up with the appointment.

  He took her hand. “Really that nervous around doctors?”

  “First time I ever went to one.”

  “Really?”

  She shrugged. “Grew up around druids who often heal. Then I was with Gabriel, who was always around Others. Anytime I was hurt, someone was there to fix me. Never needed a doctor.”

  “Never?”

  “Weird, huh?”

  He laughed softly and shook his head. “Nah. I grew up a boring human. We see doctors for everything. Shoot, I’d stub a toe, and Mom would drag me to the emergency room.” He rolled his eyes.

  Fallon finally let a laugh escape. “Doubt you were ever boring, Brody.”

  He pulled her hand to his lips as he maneuvered the vehicle through town.

  She tugged his hand toward her and sucked his fingertip. “Hurry. I need a taste.”

  He groaned low in his throat. “As fast as I dare. The sheriff may be my friend, but he’ll still pull us over.”

  Fallon laughed. “True, but if you get us home, he won’t get a show. If he pulls us over, he might.”

  He pressed harder on the gas pedal. Thankfully, no one pulled him over as Fallon teased his finger with her hot, wet mouth.

  She slid out of the truck and rushed inside. He barely made it through the door before her hands were on his belt, yanking it open as she dropped to her knees.

  “Shit, Fallon, I want more than that.”

  “Not like it ever takes you long to recover.” Her mouth closed over his him, her tongue curling around the ridge.