Page 32 of Wolf's Midlife Baby

Pierce nodded. “Dawn is a very talented woman, as are many in the Glenwood bloodline. She’s more than just a skilled nurse. She and Max’s daughter Ava were able to wipe his memory. When Kyle wakes up, he won’t know a thing about people like us.”

“Oh.” She chewed her lip for a moment. “That’s wild, but it’s actually kind of a relief. I didn’t know how we were going to stop him.”

“We won’t have to worry about him now. We just have a little homework to do.” Pierce told her about Rex’s suggestion of a new article.

“I’m sure I can come up with something,” Holly promised. She folded her hands in her lap and shifted in her seat, looking uncomfortable. “Listen, Pierce. I really am sorry for all of this. I thought I could deal with Kyle on my own and keep our secret from being exposed. I can see now that I should’ve just told you about it.”

“It’s all right,” he replied. “I know you were just trying to protect me, too.”

“Yes, although you seem to need a lot less of that than I do,” she remarked.

He smiled despite himself. “I don’t know. I saw the way you walloped him.”

She turned to face him. “You actually saw it?”

“Through the window,” he confirmed. “Next time you shift inside a house, you might want to make sure the curtains are drawn.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” she promised with a laugh that quickly dissipated. “Can I tell you something?”

She could tell him everything and anything. As long as they were close to each other and she hadn’t yet gotten on a plane for Massachusetts, he would sit and listen. “Sure.”

“There’s another reason I didn’t tell you I was staying in Eugene other than believing I could safeguard you from Kyle.”

He licked his lips and waited, not knowing what to expect.

“It was just too hard,” she admitted after a moment, her voice thick. “It was too hard to spend time with you when I knew it was so limited. I made excuses to myself that I deserved to have a little fun, but I was really only teasing myself. I knew I’d only fall for you more than I already had, but then I’d have to go home.”

Her words poured over him just as the moonlight did. They couldn’t fix what’d happened between them, but they were a greater comfort than she could know. “I understand. It was hard for me, too. I guess that’s why I was so upset when I found out you were still here. I knew the reality of our situation, but I didn’t like thinking that I’d missed out on any time with you. It would be painful later, but I still wanted every second with you that I could get. I still do. I know we’re different, but we’ve got a bond I don’t think we can deny at this point.”

She looked down at her lap. “Maybe we’re not that different, after all.”

“You’re right. I was also more than ready to clock Kyle,” he replied. It was a serious talk, but he felt a desperate urge to lighten the mood. Once Kyle was taken care of, she’d have no reason to stay. She’d be gone, and he didn’t want their last moments together to be so somber.

“I’m sure, but that’s not what I mean.” Holly picked at the hem of her shirt. “I started to wonder a few days ago when I realized how off I felt. I just didn’t feel like myself at all. I wasn’t clearheaded, and I wasn’t thinking things through. My mind felt completely blocked. I was so quick to anger, and I couldn’t control myself. That irresponsible shift of mine that you saw tonight? That’s not me. That’s not something I would do. I don’t think I’d ever hit someone, either.”

He leaned forward, turning his head to the side to see her face. “It was a pretty hard night for all of us.”

“No. I never would’ve shifted in front of Kyle if I could help it, but once I did, I knew for sure.” Holly looked up. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and he thought he saw tears of concern in her eyes. “Pierce, I’m pregnant.”

The last bit of air in his lungs drifted out on its own accord. He was glad he was sitting down, or he might’ve gone crashing straight to the deck. There were many things they needed to discuss, but this wasn’t a conversation he’d been imagining he’d have. “You are?”

“And before you ask, I’m sure. I could sense it when I shifted.” She twisted her fingers together in her lap and chewed her lip again. “I don’t even know what to think about it. I’m forty-three years old. At this point, I hadn’t thought I’d ever start a family.”

And yet they had. Their one night of passion had been the beginning of an entire life. Joy flushed through his body, mixed with instinctive pride and elation. He wanted to run back into the packhouse and tell everyone. But when he saw how uncertain Holly was about the whole thing, it hollowed him out. “We should talk about this. We’ll figure out how to handle it all.”

Holly frowned as she swiped at the corner of her eye. “We should, but I don’t think I can right now. I need time to process all of this. I need time to even think about what questions I have, if that makes sense.”

Dozens of them were already flooding his mind. “It does. We’ll figure this out, Holly. I promise.”

“How can you be so confident when we haven’t managed to figure anything else out yet?” She wiped her face again.

There was nothing he wanted more than to pull her onto his lap, hold her close, and feel her in his arms. He wanted to press his cheek to her head and feel the softness of her hair, to entwine his fingers around her hip and never let her go.

But he’d give her the time she asked for. He’d give her anything. “I just know.”

15

Holly polished off her scrambled eggs. She rinsed her plate and then turned to the fridge to see what else she might have. At least now she knew why she was so emotional and wanted to eat so much. It was incredibly early in the pregnancy yet, but she knew from family members that the typical symptoms could start far sooner for people like them.

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