Page 26 of Her Shifter Babe

She stared at me, our eyes meeting with an intensity that took my breath away. “Yeah, he did. But I told Nancy that I’m not sure that will work for me, or even for you guys. Neither of you know me that well, and you probably don’t like this...” She gestured to her huge belly. “So, even though it was nice to talk to Nancy, she wasn’t in our situation when she met her husbands, so I just...” She trailed off, having seemingly run out of words.

I had the strangest urge to reach out and run my hand comfortingly over her huge belly, but I didn’t. Again, even if Fate somehow thought this could work, it wasn’t my baby, nor my right to touch her uninvited. “This is new for all of us too,” I managed to say, breaking the awkward silence that hung between us. “And I can imagine this was a surprise for you too.” I nodded toward her belly.

Tommy cleared his throat loudly, obviously wanting me to reassure Stacey that her pregnancy was indeed, wanted. I ignored him. I wasn’t ready to alleviate anyone’s feelings about what I thought or felt. I didn’t even know yet.

“It was a surprise,” Stacey said quietly, then reached out and gripped my bare forearm where my shirt was rolled up. “I’m so sorry to wreck all your plans.”

My eyes slid closed on a moan I couldn’t hope to contain. Her touch was the balm to my soul I’d been aching for all my life.

She didn’t let go upon hearing my reaction. In fact, she gripped tighter.

The touch wasn’t electric like before but was still stronger than I’d been prepared for. When I opened my eyes, she was staring at me. I didn’t respond except to continue staring right back at her, just drinking in her beauty and the serenity she radiated.

“It’s all true, isn’t it?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

I could only nod and gulp. My chest hurt, and my immediate response was to try and get away. For some strange reason, my flight instinct was being triggered.

Somehow, she seemed to read the play and moved her hand down to my thigh. “Please stay a bit longer.”

I nodded, turning quietly back to my steak and cut it into small pieces with skillful precision.

She’s my mate! She really is. Oh... my... God...

But what did that mean? Would I never know her love or affection while my brother married her, and they raised their baby? Or would she include me in their life? Would I be part of a true perfect pair, or would I forever be the third wheel in their relationship?

What’s the plan now?

Tommy artfully changed the subject while my brain imploded, drowning in a sea of questions. “So, Stacey, have you considered any names for the baby?”

Stacey turned to look at my brother but didn’t remove her warm hand from my leg. “Sort of. I thought of a few in the beginning, but I’m not really attached to any.”

“What do you like?” Tommy asked.

“Well, Margaret was my favorite,” she said. “It has so many variations and Maggie is such a cute baby’s name.”

“I like Margaret.” The words were out of my mouth before I’d given them permission to leave my brain. I glanced up to find my brother smirking at me. “What?” I protested. “It’s nice.”

“It is,” Tommy agreed before looking back at Stacey. “Perhaps Margaret Rose, or something like that?”

“Oh, I love that,” Stacey gushed, finally moving her hand back to her belly and taking a sip of her water. “That’s really beautiful.”

I missed her touch as soon as it was gone. It felt like a part of me had gotten up and removed itself, leaving me missing a piece. “So, where are you staying?” I asked, trying to sound casual when inside my head things were still spinning in overdrive.

“Nancy said I can stay with her for as long as I like,” Stacey answered. “I don’t want to be a burden, but until I can get a job here—”

“You don’t need a job,” I said, dismissing the notion completely. “You’re carrying Tommy’s baby, and you need to rest leading up to the birth, and surely for a good long while afterward. You don’t need to stress, we’ll take care of you.”

The “we” was unintentional, but Tommy and I had always been a team. I wasn’t going to bail on him now.

“I don’t want to leech off you,” she said quietly. “I do have a degree in interior design, I’ve just never had much chance to use it.”

I reached for the bottle of red wine and poured myself a glass, needing the fortification. This conversation was already racing down avenues I hadn’t planned, and Tommy wasn’t helping, sitting there just smiling at me.

The smug bastard.

“We both own businesses,” I said. She could redesign this whole place if she wanted to. I’d never been totally happy with the color palette anyway. “I have this restaurant and Tommy has the clinic. So, if you still feel compelled to work later, and pursue design, you’re welcome to do that in either of our places. Anything you want to do, you can. But for now—”

“You need to take care of yourself and our daughter,” Tommy finished for me.

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