I sighed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re going to start smelling like a pregnant woman very soon. It will be obvious to every single one of us and there’ll be no hiding your condition.”
Great.
So, my timetable just shortened considerably.
“How long do you think I have?”
He shrugged. “My best guess would be no more than a few days.”
I nodded with a sigh. So, not only had my whole world just been tipped upside down, but now I had a fast approaching deadline to make the biggest decision of my life.
And just like that, knowing someone was out there trying to kill me became the least of my worries.
Chapter 43
I stepped out of the Monroes’ house and almost walked right into the back of Wyatt. Honestly, with everything else I had going on, I’d almost forgotten he was there.
“You all set?” he asked.
I nodded and took off for the lodge. I knew I wouldn’t be much of a conversationalist and figured, with Wyatt, that wouldn’t be a problem. That man was taciturn on the best of days. Unfortunately for me, it turned out today he’d decided to be chatty.
“Everything go all right in there?” he asked.
I almost laughed, but I somehow held it in. Did everything go all right? Well, I wasn’t the first werewolf to ever get sick. And I guess that meant Abraham and I were probably still fated mates, right? So, I guess all of that was good news.
On the other hand, I had to make the hardest decision of my life. Either I’d be a mom to triplets in eight months, or I’d terminate the little lives inside me. Little lives that were not only part me, but part Abraham. The most amazing person I’d ever known.
Could I go through with it?
Instinctively, my hand reached for my stomach and Wyatt’s sharp eyes caught it.
“Are you still not feeling well?”
I ripped my hand away from my belly and fisted it at my side. “No, not really. I think I need to go lie down.”
“Did the doc know what’s wrong with you?”
I stumbled on my next step as my mind went blank. Damn it, I hadn’t thought of a suitable excuse yet. My mind was so filled with thoughts of babies, I hadn’t even considered what I’d tell Wyatt.
I almost tripped again as I remembered Abraham was also waiting to hear how the appointment went.
What the hell was I going to tell them?
“Um…” I said as I stalled for more time. “I don’t really remember most of what he said, but he didn’t seem worried.”
Wyatt shot me a look as his blond brows furrowed. “You don’t remember?”
I barely held back a wince. Now that he said it like that, I realized how dumb it sounded. I spent all that time in the doctor’s house and I’d already forgotten what he’d said?
You’ve got to do better than that, Montgomery.
I took a deep breath and tried again. “Um, he said something about maybe my immune system is still part human since I’ve only been a werewolf for a little while.” There. That sounded plausible, right? “He said sometimes the full shift from human to werewolf can take a while and I’ve just caught a regular old human stomach bug. I should be better in a few days.”
Which was a lie. I wouldn’t be better for another eight months.
But I was proud of myself. That lie didn’t sound half bad. And lucky for me, bitten wolves were so rare, there weren’t many people who knew any better.
Wyatt shrugged but remained quiet and I had to hope Abraham would swallow down my lies as easily as my bodyguard had.
When we made it back to the lodge, Wyatt followed me up the stairs to our floor, only letting me leave his sight when I’d stepped into Abraham’s office. You really couldn’t say that guy did his job half-way, could you?
“Hey, baby. How was Doc Monroe’s?”
My smile was thin as I walked around his desk to take a seat on his lap. “It went all right.”
I hoped he’d leave it there, but those hopes weren’t particularly high. My fiancé wasn’t the kind of man who would settle for half a story and today was no different.
“Did he figure out what’s wrong with you?”
Boy, did he.
I cleared my throat and looked down at his desk, hoping that if I didn’t meet his eyes, it would be easier to lie to him.
I launched into the same story I’d told Wyatt, hoping the words sounded more believable than they felt. When I was done, I left my eyes glued to his desktop while the words settled around us. Finally, he grasped my chin and turned my face toward his.
“So, you’re just sick? It’s nothing serious?”
Actually, it was the most serious thing that’d ever happened to me.
I pulled my lips into the closest thing I could get to a smile. “That’s what he thinks. Apparently, I just need some rest and some fluids, and I should be better in a few days.”
What I didn’t say was the only way I’d be better in a few days would be if I terminated the pregnancy. My stomach clenched at the thought and I reached for my belly again. Abraham, who didn’t miss much, caught the movement and frowned.
“Are you feeling sick now?”
I shrugged. “Kinda.”
To be honest, I’d never felt more sick in my life, but it had nothing to do with my stomach and everything to do with my heart. There was a monumental decision ahead of me and I honestly didn’t know what to do. Both options seemed impossible, and I felt like I was stuck in a tug of war between them.
Abraham stood us both up and scooped me into his arms.
“What are you doing?” I asked breathlessly as a wave of nausea hit me. Apparently, the babies didn’t like being manhandled like that.
“I’m taking you to bed.”
I smirked at him, feeling like myself for the first time in a long time. “That sounds like fun.”
He grinned down at me but shook his head. “Not for that, El.”
I pouted, and he laughed again before kissing my lips. “There’ll be plenty of time for me to make up for the week we spent apart.”
Butterflies took flight in my stomach at his promise, but I told them to settle down. It was clear that sex was not on the agenda just yet.
He walked us into our room and placed me under the sheets much like he had last night. When I was tucked in, I realized I actually was pretty tired. A yawn escaped my lips and Abraham looked at me knowingly.
“Why don’t you take a nap and I’ll bring you up some soup in a little while?”
I yawned again and wiggled into the soft mattress. “That sounds good. Thanks for taking care of me, baby.”
He leaned over, caging me in with a thick arm on either side of me. His lips met mine in a gentle kiss that curled my toes. When he pulled back, his blue eyes full of so much devotion, it made my heart stop for a moment.
“I’ll always take care of you, El. Every day for the rest of my life. You got that?”
I smiled softly. “Yeah. I got it.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Good. Get some sleep.”
I did as he asked and was out before he shut the door behind him.
I woke up a little while later feeling so much better than I had. Apparently, all I’d needed was a little nap. The bed dipped next to me and I frowned when I saw Abraham was lying there shirtless. When did he get here?
He cracked one of his beautiful eyes open and smiled softly. “You’re finally up,” he said, his voice deep and rough with sleep.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He yawned and stretched his arms above his head before wrapping them around my waist. “You slept through the night. I tried to get you up to eat some soup around dinner, but you were knocked out.”
I froze in place. “I slept the whole day? So, it’s tomorrow al
ready?”
He nodded and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Don’t worry, baby. It seems like you needed it.”
I wracked my brain as I tried to figure out if there were any repercussions for me sleeping through a whole day. I was supposed to get more work done for The Asheville Initiative, but I could make that up this weekend. There hadn’t been any appointments scheduled for me and I hadn’t promised to do anything with anyone, so I guessed it wasn’t a big deal. It kind of sucked, though.
I turned to Abraham and kissed his bare chest. “Sorry I slept all day.”
He shook his head and pulled me closer. “Don’t be sorry, baby. Are you feeling any better today?”
I shrugged. “So far, so good. Let’s see what happens when I get some breakfast in me.”
Speaking of breakfast, I suddenly realized I was famished. It felt like I hadn’t eaten in weeks rather than a day. My stomach took that opportunity to rumble loudly and Abraham chuckled.
“Let’s get you down to breakfast before we have a mutiny on our hands.”
I smiled sheepishly. “That’s probably a good idea.”
We got dressed and walked hand in hand down to the busy kitchen. Abraham made us both plates overflowing with food and I didn’t even bother to reprimand him. To be honest, I was pretty sure I’d be finishing all that food, anyway.
We found a set of seats and I wasted no time digging into my food. Abraham chuckled beside me, but I ignored him. I didn’t know what Ms. Elsie had done with the eggs that morning but I’d never tasted anything more delicious. I could even eat the sausage and it almost melted in my mouth.
When my feeding frenzy slowed down slightly, Abraham spoke up next to me.
“Nana’s coming over today.”
I shot him a wide-eyed look. “Family dinner?”
He nodded, but his eyes were cautious. I knew he still felt immense guilt over the death of his cousin despite the fact that he’d turned out to be a psychotic serial killer. It didn’t matter when it came to family, did it? You loved them no matter what, and I knew that would never fade for Abraham.
Not wanting to let him dwell on Calvin for any longer, I tried to change the subject slightly. “Are we going to pick her up this time?”
His eyes lit with fire for a moment before he shook his head. “That would not be a good idea.”
I frowned as I shoveled another scoop of eggs into my mouth. “How come?”
He sighed as he pushed the home fries around his plate. “I doubt Conrad would allow me access to his lands in light of what happened with his son. It’s best if we keep our distance for as long as possible.”
I swallowed harshly as I heard what he was trying not to say. He’d avoid Conrad until it came time to face him head on. When that would be, we didn’t know, but it could happen at any time. It was why Abraham was so adamant about getting us extra enforcers and why the lodge had tripled its occupancy in the past week.
I shook my head and pressed on. “So, who’s going to get her?”
He sighed again. “She was trying to drive herself and I just barely talked her out of that. I don’t like her making that trip back and forth all alone.”
I smiled at my sweet fiancé. He was always thinking of others. Always trying to figure out how to take care of everyone around him.
“Evey and a handful of my enforcers are heading down there this afternoon.”
I frowned as my stomach twisted uncomfortably. “Why Evey?”
I didn’t want my friend and the smallest of the McCoys anywhere near that man and his pack. Who knew what he was capable of?
Abraham released a deep breath and speared me with a look. It was full of all the doubts that were circling my head. “She figured she was the least threatening of all of us.”
I swallowed. “Isn’t that a problem, though?”
He shrugged and looked away. “When she found out about my issue with getting Nana here, she insisted.”
I looked back down at my plate as my stomach continued to clench uncomfortably. “How many enforcers are with her?”
“Three in the car with her and five more following them there and back. And they have orders to not cross into his territory. Nana is going to meet them at the gate.”
My heart slowed its racing tempo slightly at that news. That didn’t sound like a half-bad plan. I felt much more comfortable knowing Evey wouldn’t be behind those gates with Conrad.
I let out a deep breath and rested my head on his shoulder. “I wish Nana would just stay here with us instead of going back there.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “You’ll have to tell her that. Maybe she’ll listen to you since she won’t listen to me.”
That had about a snowball’s chance in Hell of working, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to try, right?
Abraham’s phone rang in his pocket and he pulled it out and answered it right away. “Adam! Good to hear from you, man.”
I could easily listen in on the other end of the conversation, but I worked to tune them out as I finished up my breakfast.
“You’re kidding! That’s great! Congratulations!”
I shot Abraham a look and found him smiling from ear to ear at whatever Adam was saying. I shrugged and turned back to my plate, scooping the last of the grits onto my spoon and shoveling them into my mouth. Truth be told, I could probably have eaten another plate just as full, but I figured I wouldn’t push it. It was a miracle my stomach was agreeing with this amount of food. I’d just be happy if I could keep it down.
“We’ll have to stop by sometime soon and meet your new additions! I’m really so happy for you, man. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for the two of you.”
There were a few more pleasantries before Abraham hung up and tossed his phone on the table. I looked at him expectantly and found his smile just as wide as before.
“That was Adam from the Greensboro pack. His mate, Maggie, just gave birth to two healthy boys.”
My stomach curled as I tried to paste a smile on my face. “That’s great.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Isn’t it? Adam’s a lucky guy.”
I gulped and looked back at my empty plate. “Why’s that?”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “He gets to be a dad,” he said simply.
My heart thundered in my chest as I turned to him. “You think he’s lucky to be a dad?”
His brows furrowed, but his smile was still stretched across his face. “Of course he is! I can’t wait until we have pups of our own.”
My heart skipped a beat before pounding erratically again. “Really? I don’t think I’d make such a great mom, Abraham. You might not want to have kids with me.”
He laughed and waved a hand in my direction. “Don’t be ridiculous, El. You’ll be a great mom. Look at the way you love my sisters. Look at the way you love Charlie. Look at the way you love and take care of this pack. You’re amazing and our kids are going to be so lucky to have you as a mom.”
My nose burned as tears rushed to my eyes. I looked back down at my plate, hoping to hide them from him.
Abraham thought so highly of me, but was that just because he was in love with me? Or did he see something I was missing? Did I have the ability to be a good mom? Could I really do this?
Sitting next to this man who was so ecstatic over someone else’s kid, I knew I’d be the luckiest woman in the world to have children with him. He’d be the most amazing dad. There was no doubt in my mind.
The only question that remained was, could I live up to that? Could I be as good of a mom as he thought I’d be? Was it possible for me to have the babies and actually do right by them? Or was I doomed to be as miserable of a parent as my own were?
Chapter 44
“Where are my babies?!”
Abraham rolled his eyes, but his
smile was wide across his face. He stood up from the kitchen table we’d been waiting at and held out his hand for me.
“Looks like Nana’s here,” he said.
I let him lead me to the door where Nana was holding several trays of food, surrounded by her grandchildren. Abraham grumbled and dropped my hand before rushing over to his grandma.
“Nana, let me take those.”
She handed over the aluminum trays, and once her hands were freed, she reached up and pinched his cheeks. “Such a good boy you are,” she gushed.
I stood back while all the other McCoys greeted Nana. Even Clyde was there, although he looked like he didn’t want to be.
I’d been seeing less and less of him and it worried me. I didn’t think it was healthy for him to sequester himself away from everyone. He clearly had some deep issues he was dealing with and it’s usually better to shine a light on them than let them fester in the dark.
Although, I wasn’t one to really talk when it came to hiding things.
The last time we’d all been in the same room and everything that had been revealed about my past swam to the front of my mind. I’d thought that would be my first and last family dinner with the McCoys, but they’d surprised me.
Thankfully, they’d all seen through Peyton’s attempts to turn them against me. They’d understood that the police report her brother Paul dug up hadn’t been accurate and that I’d just been a kid when it happened. It was one of the few times I’d had someone look past what I’d done back then and see the real me underneath.
That was the night Beatrice decided to stop being antagonistic toward me. She claimed it bothered her when Peyton threw me under the bus. From that night on, we’d slowly but surely built our relationship into what it was today. We joked, we sparred, and we had a great time together. If you’d told me a couple of months ago that I’d be such good friends with Beatrice McCoy, I’d have laughed in your face, but we really were.
“Ellie! What are you doin’ way over there? Come over here and give me some sugar!”
I was broken out of my thoughts by a very adamant Nana. I gave her a sheepish smile and did as she asked. When I was close enough, she pulled me into her arms and kissed both of my cheeks.
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