Page 5 of Her Shifter Babe

Nancy wrung her hands and bit her lower lip. “I met someone in town today and invited her along to the party.”

I waited, wondering when this was going to become relevant to me. “Yes?” I prompted.

“Her name’s Stacey,” Nancy went on. “And she’s been tirelessly looking all over the state for you.”

The bottom fell out of my stomach at the mention of the girl’s name that I’d spent just one glorious night with about six months ago. “Ah... Stacey, you say?” I shifted my feet and moved my beer from one hand to the other.

It can’t possibly be the same woman.

“Yeah. Beautiful blonde... long hair,” Nancy answered.

“Curvy, like you?” I asked hesitantly.

Nancy’s lips pressed into a thin line. “No. She’s quite thin, overall.”

I relaxed a little, able to breathe again. “Then it couldn’t have been the Stacey I was thinking of.”

The woman I’d spent a night of unbridled passion with while on a conference in the city had curves for days. She’d possessed the most luscious breasts, and she’d wrapped her deliciously thick thighs around me in a way that had made me believe in Heaven.

Nancy’s eyebrows shot up. “Um, I’m pretty sure it’s the one you’re thinking of. Can you just come inside and meet her? She’s a bit nervous. Like I said, she’s come a long way.”

Wade and Tanner regarded me with a knowing expression.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “Ah, yeah... sure,” I agreed. What else could I say?

“Come on,” Nancy said, hustling back toward the house.

I gave my cousins a guilty smile and headed off after their mate. When I’d met Stacey, our chemistry had been electric and unlike anything I’d ever felt for anyone else. But she’d disappeared at the end of the night, and I’d never had the chance to see her again.

We walked through the kitchen, past the front door and into a small adjacent sitting room with a large L-shaped couch and a wall of colorful books.

Waiting by the door on the other side of the cozy room was Stacey. She had a pair of jeans on and a long, baggy sweater. Her face was pale, and she was definitely much thinner than I remembered. She looked like she’d lost twenty pounds, maybe more.

“Stacey!” I said with a welcoming smile. “It’s so nice to see you again. How are you?” I took a step toward her.

The young woman’s lips quivered as her hands came up to grip her belly protectively—her very round, very pregnant belly.

I stopped mid-stride.

Oh, my God.

“Ah...” I scarcely managed as my breath caught in my throat.

“Yes, I’m pregnant,” Stacey confirmed. “And yes, it’s yours. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You haven’t been the easiest man to find.”

My jaw dropped, and I rocked back on my heels. “Oh... wow.”

Stacey stared at me, her big blue eyes wide and afraid. “I couldn’t find you.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, remembering our encounter now with less than rosy glasses. “I had the same issue. You were gone by the next morning, and I didn’t have your full name, or a number to contact you.” My pride had been the only thing that had prevented me from sending a private investigator after her. If she didn’t want to see me again after the incredible night we’d shared, I didn’t want to be the one to force her.

“Yeah... that was my fault. I shouldn’t have left like that,” she said quietly, her cheeks flushing with shame.

I immediately wanted to rush over and comfort her, but I had no idea if that was what she wanted. “So...” I said, calculating dates in my mind. “You’d be... about twenty-six weeks along now, give or take?”

I’m going to be a father. I can’t believe it.

Part of me still reeled with shock, sitting on a chair in the corner of my mind unable to speak. It was a lot to take in so suddenly and without warning.

---