Page 28 of Cold Foot Croc

The smile came back, and his heart thumped so hard against his sternum as she nodded.

Slowly, Garret slid his hands into the open zipper of her jacket. He cupped her belly and waited.

Thump.A strong little kick hit his left hand, and his mouth fell open with a big smile for her. “Did you feel that?” he whispered, afraid he would break the magic spell.

She nodded again, and looked so happy.

She cupped her hands over his and moved his right one upward on her belly, then pressed it down.Thump.

Fuck, what was this feeling? There was no cold, no pain, no confusion, no regret. Nothing existed but the feel of her taut belly in his hands, and the baby moving within.

“He’s strong,” he murmured.

“Do you want to know what he will be?” she asked him softly.

“A crocodile,” he guessed.

She shook her head, and the worry was back on her face.

“What will he be?”

“A jackal.”

She seemed to be waiting for his response, but he didn’t know what she needed from him. “Like a coyote?”

“Similar.”

He grinned. “Well that’s pretty fucking cool. Freaking cool, I mean. I bet he’ll be fast. I bet you’ll have a hard time catching him if he decides to run.”

She laughed. “I will have to put him on one of those kid-leashes if he turns out to be a runner.”

A laugh escaped him, and he moved his hands to a different part of her belly. The baby rolled. “This is so cool.”

“Your steaks are getting cold,” she pointed out.

“I don’t care. This is more fun than eating.”

“Well, you’re supposed to be eating a lot. And also, where is your jacket?”

He tilted his head toward the tent. “Over there. I’m not cold. So his dad’s a jackal?”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “You think it’s okay that the baby will be a jackal?”

“Hell yeah. At least he isn’t like a frog shifter or something.”

She snorted. “A porcupine?”

“Yeah, or like one of those salamander things.”

“Or a goldfish.”

“Yeah, a jackal is way cooler than all of those. He can bite people if they bully him.”

“Well, he will have the ability to Turn people.”

“Oh, right. So no biting.”

“No biting,” she agreed. She inhaled sharply, and in a thick voice she whispered, “His dad was not a good man.”

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