Page 42 of Her Shifter Babe

My brother hadn’t, though Stacey had taken his load down her throat, and I was pretty sure he was happy about that. It was always better when you didn’t have to pull out.

I’d prepared most of breakfast when I heard Tommy and Stacey slowly making their way downstairs. When they entered the kitchen, I waved at the table where the trays were filled with syrup and cutlery. “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed,” I said.

“Oh, thank you for the thought, but it’s so good to get out of bed now,” Stacey said with a smile. “I know I can’t go too far, but even being in the living room is pretty amazing after weeks of only the bedroom walls to stare at.”

“Sit then,” I said with a smile. “And let’s eat.”

Stacey ate well, which I was more than happy to see, given her appetite hadn’t been that big lately. It was getting to the point where the baby was taking up a lot of real estate, and no doubt her stomach was being compressed inside there. But at least she was smiling and laughing, and there were no signs of another bout of pre-term labor.

“You aren’t too sore from last night, are you?” I asked her hopefully, wanting to relieve myself of the last of my lingering guilt.

She shook her head, her cheeks turning rosy. “No, not at all. I feel really great.”

I hid my smug smile behind my coffee cup as I took a satisfying sip.

Perfect.

The doorbell rang, and I rose to my feet wearing only the pair of jeans I’d pulled on to do the cooking. When I opened the door expecting to see Mom or Nancy, I was surprised to find a complete stranger on my doorstep.

“Hi,” I said, nodding at him, my brow furrowed. “Can I help you?”

In a town our size, I knew practically everybody, and this guy didn’t look like he was from around here at all. He was tall, but not as tall as me, and he wore an expensive suit with his dark hair slicked back with oil.

The man narrowed his eyes at me. “Yes,” he answered curtly. “You can tell me where my wife is.”

I laughed at him and crossed my arms over my naked chest, which seemed to infuriate him. “I have no idea who your wife is, stranger. So... I doubt it.”

His nostrils flared. “Her name is Stacey Mercer, and I was told she was staying here.”

What the fuck!

I swallowed hard, trying not to give this prick the pleasure of seeing me freak out. My entire world began to narrow around me, and panic rose in my chest. I fought it down with a mammoth effort, determined to maintain my poker face.

My mate...

“I’ll have to speak to my brother,” I said in a tone that offered no room for argument. “Wait here.” Turning my back on him, I went to shut the front door.

He slammed his hand against the wood, halting its closure. “She’s pregnant,” he said, the vehemence in his words like a nail driving through my skull. “And the baby’s mine. She’s mine. You get her to come out here, and then I’ll be taking her home. Today.”

It was my turn to clench my jaw and glare right back at him. “Stacey belongs to no one,” I said. “Wait here.” I pulled hard, dislodging his arm, then slammed the door in his face with a resounding thud. “Fuck!” My chest rose and fell rapidly as I marched back to the kitchen, the dreams for my future seemingly fading with every step I took.

“Who was that?” Tommy asked from behind the island where he was busy putting things away.

“What’s wrong?” Stacey asked, getting to her feet, her hands holding her baby belly in her usual protective fashion.

The baby that this asshole, says is his.

“There’s a man at our door,” I said, trying to stay calm all the while it felt like my blood was boiling inside my veins. “He says that Stacey is his wife, and the baby is his.”

The happy rosiness of Stacey’s cheeks went deathly pale, and her demeanor instantly turned to one of fear. “Jamie’s here?” she whispered, her gaze bolting to the front door.

“It’s true?” I asked, unable to hide the subtle note of hurt and resentment in my voice.

She shook her head as she sank back down into the chair she’d just been occupying at the dining table. “No!” she gasped. “Well... yes, we were married. But I left him six months ago! The night I met Tommy.”

I gaped at her, trying with all my strength not to be angry, not to be any more hurt by this entire life-shattering situation, but my wolf was already howling inside my mind.

“You got pregnant the night you left your husband?” I asked, just to make sure I understood it right. “How do you know the baby is Tommy’s then?”

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