Page 14 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Thankfully, Harely broke the uncomfortable silence. “Um…well, we’ve got a spot picked out for the fireworks if you want to sit with anyone. We’d be happy to have you.”

I was a little surprised by that. Things hadn’t been that cordial between us. She was more than likely just being polite. I decided to give her an easy out, since she probably didn’t really want me to say yes.

I made a disappointed face. “Unfortunately, I’m working right now. On duty, you know? I won’t be able to make it.”

“Oh, that makes sense, I guess. Is your security company working for the town?” Harley asked.

“Something like that.”

Harley put an arm around her girls and turned them back toward the food festival. “Well, we need to get going. We don’t need to bother Mr. Mills anymore.”

I smiled. “ You guys weren’t a bother. We were having a very good conversation.”

Jordyn grinned at that as she and her sister turned to follow Harley. The three ladies gave me a wave and walked into the crowd. Watching Harley walk away made my stomach ache painfully. I winced as my dragon stirred and whined, literally whined, inside my head. It was going crazy. Nothing like this had ever happened in all my life.

I ducked behind a tent and knelt, trying to gather myself. I couldn’t actually talk to my dragon—it wasn’t like I had multiple personalities or anything. That being what it was, I was so confused I didn’t know what else to do.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, focusing the question internally, toward the dragon.

What happened next sent a shockwave of fear through me. There seemed to be a massive struggle within me, and I nearly fell over as the will of the dragon desperately tried to claw to the forefront of my mind. I placed a hand on the grass to steady myself. Then my lips began to move, and a voice, deep and gravelly, whispered through me. “Mate.”

My eyes bulged, and my head snapped up. I caught a glimpse of Harley through the crowd, buying a massive tower of cotton candy for the girls. The longer I looked at her, the more insistent the dragon became. It was desperate for me to approach her. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I fought the beast within.

Again that alien whisper escaped my lips. “Mate.”

I dug my fingers into the grass––confusion and fear filled me in equal measure. “What the fuck?”

SIX

HARLEY

The girls and I did a full tour of the food stalls and got something at nearly every stall. We made our way back to our picnic blanket, our arms laden with every kind of food and drink imaginable. The pregnancy cravings were kicking in big time. Usually, I would never splurge on food like this, but everything looked so damned good.

As we arranged everything on our blanket, Jordyn leaned back against the massive stuffed dog Tate had won for her. My mind slipped back to the baby. I still hadn’t told the girls I was pregnant, but the first trimester was over. I hadn’t started showing until the fifth month with both of them, so I still had some time. Even with that, I had decided to tell the girls soon, just to get it out in the open. That would be a relief, but I had to think of Tate.

He’d eventually notice I was pregnant. Sooner or later, it would be evident. Would he even care enough to do the math? He’d have to put two and two together. Would he ask about it? Would he ignore it? I had so many questions, but I had no one to confide in or talk to.

I had a doctor’s appointment soon, and then I’d have a better idea of the conception date. Luis and I had been having troublebefore I found out he was a cheating bastard. We hadn’t had sex in about three weeks before I spent the night with Tate. The dates were pretty close, and there was no way for me to know for sure who the father was until that appointment. Already, I’d resigned myself to raising the baby alone. Luis was a psycho, and Tate seemed aloof and distant toward me.

I stared down at the Cuban sandwich I’d ordered earlier and picked at the bread. Lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t even notice the people setting up blankets and chairs around us. When I took a bite of my sandwich, I glanced over and saw a young woman struggling with a lawn chair, cooler, thermos, and blanket. She could barely move as she tried to set her chair next to our blanket.

Quickly putting my sandwich aside, I stood, and said, “Can I help?”

She looked at me with obvious relief. “Oh God. Yes, please.”

I laughed and took the cooler and thermos from her. It freed her hands enough that she could put the chair down. She sighed, and her shoulders slumped dramatically.

“Thanks. I was about to die.” She extended her hand. “My name is Emily.”

Shaking the offered hand, I replied, “Harley, nice to meet you.” I gestured to the girls. “These are my daughters, Jordyn and Mariah.”

The girls went full teenager and barely looked up from their food to nod. I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Kids, right? Are you from Lilly Valley?”

Emily opened her lawn chair and sat down, then said, “Not really. I got here a few days ago. I came to help move my grandma into a nursing home. I’m the only grandchild and wanted to be here for her. Between getting her moved in and starting the process of cleaning out her house and listing it tosell…” She shrugged. “Today has been my first break in almost a week.”

Settling back down on the blanket, I took another bite of my sandwich and started chatting with her. It was nice talking to someone else who was new in town. I asked her about her grandma, where she was from, and the usual things. She didn’t go into detail. It may have been a sore subject. Our conversation flowed, and it was almost like we’d known each other forever. It was so nice to have someone to talk to.

“Harley, how did you and your two girls there end up in a small town like this?” Emily asked.

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