Excitement bubbled up inside of me. “Seriously?”
Violet gave me that look that said she knew everything and not to question her.
“Okay, take the cake to the party, I’ll be right out.” I turned tail and raced up the stairs.
Kade and I had just talked last week about wanting to try to have a baby. Calista had been the one to bring it up with her not-too-subtle way of giving me a basketful of ovulation predictor kits and pregnancy tests. She was always trying to continue to secure my position as queen, and with an heir it made me look stronger. Our line struggled to conceive and carry to term, but something told me Kade’s child would be one strong little fighter.
I yanked one of the tests out of the basket and ran into the bathroom to pee on it, almost tripping over Finn as he raced in the door.
Pregnant? he asked me, his soulful yellow eyes dancing.
“I don’t know! Violet says yes, so I’m going to take the test.”
I’ll wait out here.
I shut the bathroom door and peed on a stick — a stick, which could possibly change my entire life. I sat it on the sink, washed my hands, and opened the door to step out and stand by an anxious Finn. He had been waiting right on the other side, and I could feel his energy thrumming across our bond. We didn’t talk. Neither of us could. Would the baby be a bear or wolf? Would it be healthy? I’d had a ton of chocolate last night — was that okay?
It will be fine, Ari, Finn finally said, trying to calm me down.
I forced myself to calm down, and reinforced my shield between Kade and me. With my emotional overload, I was struggling to keep him out of my head, but I didn’t want to get his hopes up.
He should be here, though.
Waiting with me.
We were a team. We celebrated and comforted each other, no matter what the results.
I had just decided to run and get him — this was not something I should see without my mate — when the second hand on the clock ticked over to two minutes.
I froze to the spot.
Do you want me to look? Finn asked.
“Yes … no … I don’t know.”
He gave me a second and I finally sucked up the guts to walk forward and pick up the little stick. I held my breath and lifted it up. I then looked between the box and the test three times to make sure I was reading it right.
So…?
Finn was getting impatient, so I spun around and let my absolute joy spread across my face. My cheeks were hurting I was smiling so broadly. “I’m pregnant!”
He tipped back his head and let out a long howl, strong and filled with happiness. He then butted against me, and I dropped down and wrapped my hands around him, careful not to tangle the pee stick in his fur.
We’re adding to our pack. And finding out on Winnie’s birthday … another blessing in our lives.
I buried my face in his fur, letting the tears drip down my cheeks. They were happy tears, but also a few sad ones. The battle might be over, but we had lost too many. I had lost too many. Ben and Derek. My … mother. I had made my peace with the Red Queen, which actually made it so much harder now. She was gone. But at least she wasn’t trapped in the mecca. Thankfully, Luca had made no difference to the energy of the stones. I checked regularly, and he was nothing more than a ghost trapped in a purple world.
After I pulled myself together, wiped away the tears, I stood and lovingly stroked Finn. “Let’s go celebrate,” I said to him.
I didn’t realize until I was down the stairs and halfway across the huge landscaped lawn that I was still holding the stick in my hand. I also realized something else.
I think Kade might already suspect.
Finn paused and looked up at me.
He mentioned last night that my scent was slightly different.
I chuckled. Finn tilted his huge head, leaning in closer and pressing his nose to my stomach. It’s subtle, he said after a few beats, but there is a change.
“Ari!” Blaine’s call distracted me and I turned to wave. He was standing near the huge white silk party tent, his long arms wrapped around Bianca. Seeing my old friend so happy, in love, settled … it was another perfect piece in our puzzle. They had just bought a house down the road from the Staten Island estate, and the way they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, my babies were soon going to have some “cousins” to add to their pack.
I hurried, needing to tell Kade and Winnie our good news. Finn remained close behind but still gave me some space. I found my loves together, wrestling in the grass. Winnie was a competitive little thing, and even though Kade let her win, he still had to keep his wits about him. She was not only competitive, but hugely sneaky.
“Hey there, birthday girl,” I sang as I closed in on them.
She let out a little shriek and jumped up to throw herself into my arms. “This is the best birthday ever. Thank you! Thank you!”
I hugged her so tightly I was afraid her little ribs would crack, but I couldn’t help myself. Kade also jumped to his feet. A dozen feet away, Kian was play-wrestling with his son, while Shelley looked on at her two boys with a combination of love and exasperation.
Keeping Winnie in my arms, I tried to find where the test went. It had been knocked out of my hands when I caught the little wolf. Kade noticed what I was doing, and before I could say anything, reached down and snagged the white stick up.
He looked at it for a second, a very long second, and then those swirling bronze eyes lifted to stare at me. The intensity of that look, it knocked all air from me. “Is this … are we…?” He seemed unable to finish a sentence, so I took pity on him.
“We’re pregnant.” My words were low, soft, meant only for Winnie and Kade’s ears. This was a private moment. Our moment.
Before I could suck in another breath, his hands were on my cheeks, his lips crashing into mine. All rational thought disappeared, and I forgot everything in the world except the taste and scent of my mate.
“I’m going to be a big sister?” Those whispered words finally broke through my Kade haze.
Winnie sounded so happy, her excitement spilling over in one rushed sentence. I was still holding her. Kade wrapped his arms around us both, and we turned to her. “Yes, sweetheart, you’re going to be a big sister.” I kissed her cheek, and she sobbed a few times, even though she had the hugest smile I’d ever seen on her face.
“I’m so happy.” She sobbed some more.
Kade let out a chuckle, and even his eyes looked a little shiny. “I love you both so much,” he said with a fierce intensity. “I promise I will protect and love you three until the end of my days.”
Gods he was perfect. I hadn’t been completely sure what his reaction would be to this news, but the absolute love and happiness he was exuding told me everything. He was already an amazing father, and he would be for every single child we added to our family.