Shawn immediately looks to me for a judgment call. “We haven’t even thought that far ahead,” I admit. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around becoming a father.”
“Fair enough. Let me know if you want me to tell you. Have fun buying two of everything.”
I snort. “One for a boy and one for a girl? Isn’t that overkill?”
She arches an eyebrow at me. “No, because you’re having twins.”
“WHAT?” Shawn screeches.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Mal
Momma mia!
I need a few minutes alone after our strange interaction with Alizée, so I excuse myself, head to the master bathroom, and lock the door.
Not that I think Iris will follow me, but, as exuberant as she is, it wouldn’t shock me.
I’ve never met a witch before, and frankly, I’m…reeling from Alizée’s premonitions. The quiet words she spoke in my ear.
That we’re having a little girl, according to her. Which simultaneously fills me with joy and terror.
And no matter what nightmares I might have to not take them to heart because she will be born healthy.
But what I struggle with beyond all that news is her statement that my mom will not only be here for our wedding, but for the birth of our little girl.
Dare I hope it’ll all come true? Seems like any time I allow hope to gain hold in my system my world gets upended. Without fail.
I have taken her admonition to heart about not going off half-cocked, not that I would’ve disobeyed Todd anyway, much less Jax.
With Iris excitedly bouncing around the house I can’t really pull two brain cells together to fully process what transpired with Alizée. I don’t know what she said to Todd, but I felt how it impacted him, like an emotional tsunami slammed into him.
In a good way, but still, it walloped him.
I have a feeling Iris and I will quickly grow close if for no other reason than this is her first grandchild and she’s already adopted me. Todd wasn’t kidding about her not caring who or what I am—she’s literally already planning the baby shower.
I haven’t mentioned Alizée’s prediction about the baby’s gender. I think I’ll hold that back for a while from everyone but Todd, unless he already knows because that’s one of the things the sweet witch told him.
I can’t stop obsessing over her declaration that our baby will be born healthy, and I’ll also have no problems with the delivery.
I think one of my first private conversations with Dr. Williams will be a basic anatomy lesson about how all this is supposed to work. I know what I’ve heard, and some of the stuff I’ve read online—and obviously I was able to get pregnant—but again, this is one of those damned basic biological facts I hate my father for keeping from me just because his ego couldn’t handle his youngest son is an omega.
What if I’d been lucky enough to have a father like Caleb? He’s the polar opposite of Iris in terms of staying calm and not getting excited, but I can sense his love for Todd and his growing fondness for me, even if he’s not ricocheting off the walls like she is. Hell, compared to my father, Caleb is a snuggly kitten.
Seriously, Iris is like one of those glittery super-bouncy balls you get in a grocery store vending machine, and when you bounce it off the pavement, it practically sails into orbit. But in human form. She’s 83, which shocked the hell out of me since she’s a human, but apparently, being mated first to Todd’s father, an Alpha shifter, and now to Caleb, she enjoys increased longevity. She looks like she’s in her 60s, maybe, and well-preserved. Caleb is 132, but the lynx shifter looks younger.
I splash water on my face and take a few deep breaths to try to calm myself before returning to the kitchen. Iris is still happily bubbling all her ideas for not only the baby shower, but for our wedding, too.
Todd arches an eyebrow at me and I mentally manage to say, “Later. I’m okay.”
He briefly frowns, like maybe he doesn’t believe me, but I blow him a kiss, which earns me a smile.
Oh. My. Goddess. We’ll be dealing with Iris all day.
I went from a mother who was terrified of my father to an adopted one who wants to smother me.
This will take some getting used to.
