Grey shook his head. “Babe, he’s your best friend. Don’t you think it’s time you make up with him already?”
“How can you say that? The whole reason Wes is being an ass is because he thinks you’re not good enough for me.”
“So? He wants the best for you. I get it.”
“He doesn’t get to decide that, Grey. I do.”
“I know, babe. But I just want to see you happy. You’re getting married and having a baby. These are two of the biggest things you’re ever gonna go through. We’ve already excluded your parents. And now your best friend?”
Etti’s temper flared as her wolf protectively snarled at the mention of her parents. Her voice was low as she addressed Grey. “I’m not changing my mind about my parents. You know we can’t trust them. They tried to kill me. I’m not letting them anywhere near my baby.”
“I know that, Etti. And I agree with you where your parents are concerned. But Wes is your best friend. I don’t want you to regret not having him be a part of this.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Talk to him, Etti. Work out whatever this problem is.”
“I know what his problem is. He’s an overgrown six-year-old and I’m not apologizing to his jealous, nosy, overbearing ass!”
“Etti . . .” Grey gave her a warning glare and she shot one right back. “If you won’t do it for me or yourself, do it for the baby,” Grey pleaded. “This feud between you and Wes is adding way too much stress to your life. I won’t risk it, Etti. Nothing is more important to me than my girls. Now go make up with that overgrown six-year-old.”
Etti hated when Grey used the baby like that. She couldn’t say no now. She gritted her teeth but nodded. “Fine.” She squared her shoulders and marched toward the door, ready to go back downstairs and try to make amends with Wes.
“Where are you going?” Grey called after her.
“To talk to Wes, like you just told me to.”
Grey caught up to her and took her hands. “Oh no, ya don’t. Not like this. I can feel the tension pulsing off of you. I want you to bury the hatchet with Wes, not bury it in him.”
Etti threw her hands up. “Well what do you want me to do? I’m willing to talk to him, but I can’t help that I’m still pissed.”
Grey tugged her down the hall toward their bedroom. “I have a few ideas that might help relax you a little,” he said giving her a seductive glance that made her toes curl. “That is . . . if you’re feeling up to it.”
Etti’s clothes were off before she even took another step. That was all the answer Grey needed. He scooped her up, making her giggle, as he pretended to strain under her new weight. Grey carried Etti into the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes and laughter in their wake.
Chapter 16
Wes
“Come on,” Cali begged. She cornered Wes and Marc in the tiny lobby of the Painted Wolf. “It’ll be fun.”
“Cali, we’re dudes. Nothing about a baby shower sounds like fun to us,” Marc countered.
“But it’s for Etti,” Cali whined.
Marc crossed his arms. “Does Etti even want a baby shower? She’s not very . . . ya know . . . girly.”
“She is so, but that’s not even the point.”
“What is the point?” Wes grumbled.
“Etti’s having a baby. And babies require a lot of care. A shower is our way of giving her the things she’s going to need and showing her that we’re here for her.”
Marc sighed and Wes rolled his eyes. Marc was too soft when it came to saying no to women and Wes knew the look Marc was giving Cali—he was going to cave. It made Wes want to kick his friend’s pansy ass. If Cali got Marc to agree to this ridiculous party, there was no way she would let Wes off the hook.
Wes had been spending a lot of time with Cali over the past few weeks. She’d been a really good friend—well, maybe more than a friend. The bed-breaking sex sure suggested there was more than friendship between them.
The night Etti told Wes off, he needed an outlet for his anger and frustration and Cali offered it. He’d point blank told Cali that he was just using sex with her to escape, but she hadn’t cared. So Wes let himself get carried away and when he finished, he was surprised his apartment was still standing. He and Cali had broken the bedframe, the kitchen table and torn down his shower curtain. After surveying the damage from their sex-capades, Cali had promptly decided that Wes would stay with her until his place was livable again. He’d tried arguing, but Cali was possibly even more stubborn than he and Etti combined.
So for the past few weeks, Wes had been calling Cali’s place home. He didn’t mind it. Her place was great—much bigger and cleaner than his. Plus, it always smelled good and was stocked with food. And not to mention rolling around in the sheets with the sexy shifter every night was a perk. If Wes weren’t fighting with Etti, he’d almost say that he was pretty damn happy about his new living arrangement. But of course that wasn’t the case. Every time Wes started to feel anything like happiness, the weight of what he’d lost crept in. Everything Wes was enjoying with Cali, he’d thought he’d be enjoying with Etti.
Cali’s voice pulled Wes back to the conversation. “There will be ladies at the shower,” she said coyly to Marc.
Marc scoffed. “Who? Etti doesn’t know any women. We’re pretty much her only friends.”
“I invited some of the girls from the clinic. And I was hoping you guys would invite some of her favorite clients?”
Marc contemplated. “Can we invite our favorite clients?”
“He means the hot ones,” Wes grumbled.
Cali laughed. “Sure. The more the merrier. Plus,” she added, winking at Marc, “women love babies. They’ll be hanging all over you.”
“I’m in!” Marc replied.
“Great!” Cali turned to Wes, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “Wes, she needs to know you’re still here for her.”
“Cali, have your stupid party if you want. But I’m not coming. Etti wouldn’t want me there anyway.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Cali replied, nodding over Wes’s shoulder.
Wes turned around to see Etti standing in the lobby, one hand on her round belly. He took one look at her, with her gorgeous black hair spilling over her plentiful breasts and his heart stuttered. He wished she’d stop trying to fit into her regular clothes. The tight-fitting, low-cut shirts she normally wore were now down right scandalous and it was making it impossible for Wes to be around her. Filthy thoughts flashed across his mind as his eyes roved over Etti’s curves, until he reached her belly. He couldn’t think of her like that anymore. She was carrying a child—another man’s child.
“Wes, can we talk?” Etti asked tentatively.
Marc immediately disappeared into his booth and Cali made herself scarce as well.
Wes shrugged. “You’re the boss.”
He watched Etti fight to keep herself from rolling her eyes. He sort of wished she would. That’s what the old Etti would have done—his Etti. But instead, she exhaled a long breath and reached a hand out to Wes.
Wes fought a myriad of emotions as he took Etti’s hand and let her lead him to the back room. But the first word out of her mouth was like a dagger to his heart.
“Grey wants me to make peace with you.”
Wes snorted. “How noble of him.”
She exhaled again, like it was painful for her to be in the same room with him. “This is stupid, Wes. Can we put this behind us and stop fighting already?”
“Sure. As soon as you wake up from the brainwashed spell that Alpha asshole has you under I’d be happy to go back to being your friend.”
Etti’s eyes glowed with feral rage and Wes took a step back. He knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. “I know you think I’m being a bad friend, Etti, but I’m not. And when you wake up one day and realize I was right, you’ll see why I couldn’t just stand by and say nothing while you let someone else control you.”
“He doesn’t control me. I love him,” she snapped.
“Yeah because of a supernatural bond he forced on you!”
She remained silent, staring at Wes with a hatred that broke his heart. But he kept going. This might be the last time he had a chance to change her mind. “How could you, Etti? After everything you’ve been through? After what we’ve been through? You fought for every ounce of freedom your parents tried to take from you. And now you’re willing to just give it all away . . . to him? A shifter with a price on his head? I promised myself I would never let anyone hurt you again, so I’m sorry, but I can’t stand by and watch this.”
“Why can’t you understand that I love him?” she yelled back. “I’m not giving anything up. I’m gaining it. I’m finally happy, Wes. I have someone who I love and he loves me back. And we’re going to have a family. My own family.”
“You have a family,” Wes said, pain tearing through him, begging her to remember the vow he’d made to her when they were only children, the first time Etti had told him that her mother beat her. I’ll be your family now, Etti.
“I know that, Wes. But this is different. This little life inside of me,” she rubbed her stomach. “It’s brought me more joy than I even knew existed. But . . .” Etti’s words faltered and her face softened as she reached for his hand again. “But what I want more than anything is to share my joy with you. You’re my best friend, Wes. And I need you, because I’m terrified of screwing this up, of being a terrible mother to this baby, like my mother was to me.”
“You are nothing like your mother, Etti.”
“Thank you,” she whispered and took a steadying breath. “See, this is why I need you, Wes. No one else knows what my childhood was like. You know me better than I know myself sometimes. You’re my other half and I can’t be truly happy if you’re not in this with me.”
“I offered to be more than that, Etti. You shot me down, for him!” Wes spit the last word like it was poison.
“Wes, I love him.”
“I thought you loved me too.”
“I do! I love you both!”
Wes scoffed. “Yeah, but I guess you love him more.”
“Wes—”
“Save it, Etti.” Wes hissed pulling away from her. “If you’re looking for my blessing, you’re not going to get it. I’ve already told you this is a mistake. But you’ve made it clear what me and my opinions mean to you,” Wes grumbled, pushing past Etti and darting out the back door.
Chapter 17
Greyson
Grey was down the stairs the instant he felt his mate’s distress. By the time he burst into the Painted Wolf, Cali was helping a teary-eyed Etti to the couch, with Marc scrambling to help. Grey pushed past them both, eager to get to Etti. He slipped his arm around her and lowered her safely onto the couch. She exploded into tears at the sight of him and buried her face in the crook of Grey’s neck.
His wolf wanted out—wanted to kill Wes for making his mate so upset. But Grey clamped down on his rage, reminding himself this was his own fault. He’d told Etti to try to fix this thing with Wes and now look at her. She was a sobbing mess, shaking in his arms as she drew in shaking breaths. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’m here,” Grey soothed, stroking her back.
Suddenly, Etti jerked, her body going rigid with pain. She gasped for breath and clutched her stomach. Panic flooded Grey. “Etti? What’s wrong?”
She only gasped again, fear wild in her dark eyes.
Cali was by their side in an instant, pushing Etti onto her back and holding her wrist to check her pulse. “Etti, I need you to calm down. Slow your breathing down, honey.”
“I can’t,” she panted, wincing as something strong seized her stomach, tightening every muscle across it.
Cali looked at Grey, speaking with a calm command in her voice. “Greyson, I need you to calm your mate down. Her blood pressure is through the roof and it’s affecting the baby. This kind of trauma could force labor and it’s way too early. Calm her down, do you understand me?”
Grey nodded, taking charge—his strong hands gentle on either side of Etti’s face. “Look at me, Etti.” She did and he pressed his forehead to hers. “Listen to me, babe. It’s just us. Me and you and our baby girl. You’re the only ones that matter to me in this universe. I need you to know that I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay?”
She nodded.
“I’ve got you, Etti. And I’m not letting go. Everything is going to be fine. I just need you to take a deep breath. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded again and sucked in a ragged breath.
“Exhale,” Grey ordered after a beat.
She did.
“Good girl. Do it again. Deep breath.”
She complied.
“Again.”
Grey stared into Etti’s beautiful dark eyes, commanding her to take slow deep breaths until the terror drained away, leaving only the fierce woman he loved behind.
Cali checked Etti’s pulse again and then put her ear to Etti’s belly. Grey loosed his own tight breath when Cali smiled. “Good job, parents. You just survived your first false labor and baby girl sounds perfect.”
“You can hear her?” Grey asked with astonishment.
“Yep,” Cali smiled pointing to her ears. “Shifter hearing. Try it.”
Grey tentatively put his head to Etti’s belly, listening for the fluttering waves he’d heard on the ultrasound monitor.
“Hear that rapid thumping?” Cali asked.
He nodded.
“That’s your little girl.”
Grey looked up at Cali in awe. “She sounds . . . powerful.”
“She is,” Cali replied. “Get used to that sound. That’s what you want to hear, a powerful, steady heartbeat.”
Grey gazed up at Etti. She had a new determination in her glistening eyes. “Izzi,” Etti murmured resolutely lacing her fingers with Grey’s. “I want to name our daughter, Izzi. It means powerful.”
Grey’s chest swelled with pride, and he smoothed Etti’s wild black hair. “Izzi West,” he whispered, kissing her cheek. “It’s perfect.”
Grey watched Marc buzz around the Painted Wolf with worry. Etti was sitting on the lobby couch sipping the water he’d given her, and every twenty minutes or so, he popped his head out of his booth to check on her. Grey noted the stress on the pale tattoo artist’s face. He was doing a great job staying afloat considering Wes took off and left Marc with extra clients again. Grey was just wondering how long he’d be able to keep Etti off her feet with the Painted Wolf so busy when the bell rang on the front door and two male college students stumbled in inquiring if there was room for walk-ins.
“I can take you,” Etti said trying to heave herself off the couch. The guys glanced at Etti, then at each other, seeming to second-guess their choice of tattoo parlors. Luckily, Marc slid out of his booth and quickly offered to make them an appointment for later in the week.
The bewildered students thanked him and hurried out the door.
“I could’ve inked them,” Etti complained. “They probably wanted some lame frat letters or something. It would’ve taken twenty minutes, tops.”
“Etti, have you seen yourself?” Marc asked. “You look like you’re about to burst, you’re wearing slippers and have mascara running down your face.”
Grey tried to fight his grin as he watched Etti try to look down at her feet. She could barely see them past her ever-growing belly. He put an arm around her shoulders. “I think you look perfect, babe. But maybe Marc’s right. It might be time you leave the customers to him and Wes.”
“Wes isn’t here. And I’m not useless, ya know? I still have more than a month to go with this pregnancy. I need to work.” Etti lowered her voice for only Grey to hear. “We need the money.”
“Etti, my mother is happy to give us the money.”
“Grey, no. I’ve already told you how I feel about that. This is our baby, we need to be able to provide for her.”
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Grey exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew it hurt Etti’s pride every time he brought up his mother’s offer to help. He was sure it had something to do with her estranged relationship with her own mother, but Etti refused to talk about it whenever Grey tried to bring it up. “I’ll find a job, Etti.”
It’s not that Grey hadn’t been trying. But the shifter community was on high alert after what the hunt had done while in town. No one wanted to trust outsiders, especially those with ties to the hunt, and Grey couldn’t blame them.
“Grey,” Cali interrupted. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but if you need help getting a job, I can put in a word for you at the Horney Wolfe. I’m friends with the owner and he’s always looking for bar staff.”
“Cali, that would be amazing,” Grey replied, relief sparking in his chest. “I was actually a bartender in college.”
“Wait a minute,” Etti interrupted. “I don’t want you working there. You’ll be walking eye candy.”
Marc smirked. “And Horney Wolfe patrons have a reputation for devouring candy.”
“Babe, are you jealous?” Grey asked, unable to hide his crooked grin.
“No!”
“She totally is,” Marc retorted. “And it’s adorable,” he added, wisely sneaking away after his comment.
“I’m not jealous,” Etti argued. “It’s just sort of a dangerous place.”
“She’s not wrong,” Cali said. “More than just shifters hang out there. It can be a rough crowd sometimes. But it’s also a great place to gather info.”
“What do you mean?” Grey asked.
“The hunt,” Cali replied. “If they start sniffing around town again, you’ll catch wind of it at the Horney Wolfe. That place is a hive for local gossip. And since the Wolfe’s own the place, they can put the staff on alert to pass info to Grey.”
Etti frowned. “It sounds dangerous.”
“The Wolfe’s already monitor rogue movements in the area,” Cali said. “They helped us run the hunt out of town once, I know they’ll help us again. Our community protects its own.”
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