Before I could walk it back and claim to be joking, Rafe nodded and put a business card on the table. “Any time. We’d be lucky to have you, if you don’t have another pack in mind. I thought Evershaw and his people would claim you. They kind of already claimed you and threatened dire consequences to anyone who bothered you. But if you’re looking for back-up and a family to support you, we are one hundred percent on board. That’s all my contact information, and Meadow’s as well. If you need anything –anything– just call. No questions asked.”
The kindness made it even more difficult to breathe. My vision blurred a bit but I kept the smile on my face as they slowly rose from the couch and headed for the door. “Thank you. I appreciate it. And maybe – maybe I’ll take you up on dinner later this week. If the offer still stands.”
Meadow hugged me. “Always. I’ll check in on you in a couple of days, okay?”
I nodded, wiping under my eyes in case a hint of moisture had crept out. “Sure. Yeah, sure. That would be nice.”
“Good.” She grinned and opened the door. “We’ll get out of your hair so you can rest, but I’ll be back to ask you about the habitat design. My uncle Smith is very interested in what you can do with a very large forest and a few gardens. He asked me to reach out again.”
“Oh, right.” I nodded. I barely remembered the tall, silver-haired man with the air of mystery around him. It felt like a million years ago that we’d been in his office. Dodge hadn’t seemed to like him much. The guy made the back of my neck prickle, but if he was related to Meadow, he couldn’t be all bad. “Yeah, that would be fun. It’ll be good to get back to work.”
“For a little while, anyway,” Rafe said. He squeezed my shoulder and started to follow Meadow into the hall. “Congratulations, by the way.”
I gripped the door, starting to frown again. “Congratulations? For what?”
“The baby.” And he gestured at my stomach.
I blinked. My mind wouldn’t form a coherent thought as I stared at him. A flush slowly climbed his cheeks, and Meadow glared at him with a mix of fury and horror. I cleared my throat. “I’m sorry, what? Did you just say... What did you just say?”
“Uh...” Rafe shifted his feet and tried to back up more, like he thought I might take a swing at him. “Just... You, uh, smell like you’re pregnant. The wolf can tell. I thought you knew.”
Meadow smacked her forehead and hissed, “What iswrong with you?”
A loud rushing noise filled my ears and I kept blinking, hoping that something would occur to me. He had to be wrong. I couldn’t be pregnant. “I don’t... It’s just not possible.”
“I’m probably wrong,” Rafe said. He held his hands up and started edging toward the elevators. “Don’t listen to me. Ow. Meadow, stop pinching me. I’m sorry. I’msorry.”
My brain short-circuited and I was still staring blankly at the hall as Meadow apologized profusely for her mate and promised to look in on me. Then they disappeared behind the softbingof the elevator. Still I stood there, trying to remember how to breathe.
Pregnant?
Chapter 48
Percy
Eventually I remembered to shut the door. I found myself back on the couch, staring at the floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the city, but not really seeing anything. It just wasn’t possible. After everything that happened, after everything my body had been through at the animal sanctuary, surely...
I shivered and got up to pace, my stomach turning over. Sure, there had been that marathon night with Dodge, and yeah, we’d forgotten a condom that one time... and then again in the shower... But...
I shook myself as panic bubbled up. I’d been nauseated a lot, and worn down, and thrown up more than once. Could it have been morning sickness? Fatigue from being pregnant? I’d been at the hospital for almost two full weeks. They’d done so much bloodwork it was a miracle I had enough left for my veins. Which was why I hadn’t been surprised when I didn’t get my period as expected. For two months.
My hands started to shake as I made another circuit of the living room. It just wasn’t possible. Not possible. Not even in the realm of possibility. With all the injuries and surgeries and everything else, it justwasn’t possiblethat a baby survived with me.
I barely managed to pick up my phone without dropping it, and it took me three tries to finally get Deirdre’s phone number on the screen. When she answered, my voice cracked immediately and tears started to fall. “I n-need to talk to someone. Can you come over? It’s – im-im-important.”
“Whoa, girl,” she said. Noise in the background made it clear she was outside and moving around. “What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t say the words out loud, not yet. That would make it real. Once said, they couldn’t be un-said. I squeezed my eyes shut as more tears escaped. “I just – can you come over? I know it’s an imposition and I wouldn’t have asked if...”
“It’s not an imposition,” she said, sounding impatient. “I’m nearby running errands. I’ll be there in five, okay? Just keep yourself calm and make some tea. Don’t get worked up. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it. Okay?”
The confidence in her tone helped immensely, so I had stopped crying by the time she knocked on the door. I still felt like a mess and couldn’t stop pacing around in jerky movements, but at least I wasn’t sobbing. Although the tears started again the moment I opened the door and found her standing outside.
Deirdre’s eyebrows shot up the second she got a look at me. “Jesus Christ, what’s wrong? What happened? Did someone – stop by?”
The guarded tone made me wonder who she’d expected to upset me. Maybe Rafe or Meadow reached out to her to explain what happened. I flopped onto the couch and waited as she dropped several bags near the door before joining me. “Well, Rafe and Meadow were here. They came by to invite me to dinner.”
“Okay.” She eyed me, waiting for the other shoe.
