Page 57 of The (Maybe) Murderer Who Knocked Me Up

I love being a raccoon shifter. I even love not knowing this beautiful bit of information until now. It makes it more special. Sort of like finding out Santa Claus was my parents all along. That never made me feel disappointed, just loved.

I hold out my goblet to Aunt Emerald. “Pour me some cheap wine, then.”

She laughs and does as I say.

I raise my glass. “To love.”

“To love.”

We each take a long swallow. The wine is too sweet, but I don’t mind.

“Speaking of love. I’m having a bit of trouble with Slade. He doesn’t trust me. I get the impression that he doesn’t trust anyone. He’s been through a lot. But how do I deal with that?”

She raises an eyebrow. “He’s only been out of jail for a day.”

“I know.”

“Give him time, Quin.”

“Sure, but isn’t there something I can do to reassure him?”

She takes another sip of her drink. Slowly, as if she’s trying to preach patience by making me wait for her answer, too.

“When a scared animal ends up in my care, there are things I can do to reassure them: feed them, give them a safe place to sleep, make sure they get the medical care they need so they aren’t in pain. But at the end of the day, what happened to them before they got here has a much bigger impact on how safe they feel than how I treat them. People are the same way. Only time will prove to him that you’re different than the people who have hurt him in the past.”

It feels like I’ve already waited for too long. But maybe Aunt Emerald is right.

“What do you want me to do when Slade and I get together finally? Would it be okay if he lives here too?” I ask.

She thinks about that for a moment. “Do you believe he’s dangerous?”

I wish I could tell her about Jake’s confession, but I can’t. I need to figure out what I’m going to say to my family so they aren’t worried about me.

“Slade is only dangerous when he’s protecting someone he loves. The man he killed was attacking his brother.”

I hate lying to my aunt. Maybe that will grow easier over time.

“If you trust him, that’s enough for me. He can live here. Especially if you two end up having more children. Hint, hint.” She gives me a sly smile.

“Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.” I roll my eyes, because of course she wants me to have more children. I know she won’t push, though. My omega mom says that raccoon shifter grandchildren are always wanted, but never expected.

“If you need someone to shop with during the next few weeks, I am very available,” Aunt Emerald says.

“Shopping?”

“Of course. You’ll need more than a few goblets for your collection. I might have saved a few thousand dollars for the occasion. Since you’re a single dad and all, I figured you could use a little help getting your bling when the time came.”

I wonder what my moms would think about Aunt Emerald giving me money to buy my collection. Will they feel left out? Then I remember what my omega mom said about my brothers buying things for Chime. Spoiling your nieces and nephews is a time-honored racoon shifter tradition.

“I would love to go shopping with you, Aunt Emerald. Thank you.”

She smiles and raises her glass again. “To shiny things.”

I laugh and raise my glass with her. “To shiny things.”

28

SLADE

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