Page 38 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Tate responded seconds later:It’s what I’m here for.

We walked out the door to stand on the curb and wait for the bus. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement across the street. Tate stood on his porch, leaning against the rail, sipping on a cup of coffee. He was shirtless, enjoying the warm late-summer weather. I couldn’t help but remember him kissing me the night before. My cheeks flushed as I took in the ripple of his muscles as he raised a hand to wave at us.

Jordyn waved ecstatically. “Tate. I’m going to high school. Can you believe it?”

He chuckled and nodded. “Icanbelieve it. Have fun.”

It was crazy how quickly the girls had taken to him. Even with the way the two of us had acted around each other at the beginning, the girls seemed to really enjoy his company. As the bus pulled up, I smiled. It was good that they had someone they could trust right across the street. Mariah and Jordyn waved to me through the window of the bus as it rolled away. Once it pulled away, I saw that Tate had gone back inside. Had he come outside just to see the girls off? Then, before I could go backinside, and before the bus was out of sight, a black sedan drove out from a side street farther down the neighborhood. A moment of fear took hold, but as it passed, Tate’s friend Blayne nodded and waved at me from the driver’s seat as he followed the bus toward the school.On it? I guess so.

Ten minutes later, while I drank my coffee at the kitchen table, my phone chimed, notifying me that someone was at the front door. After a few seconds of fumbling with the new app, I was able to find the feed for the porch camera. Tate stood there, waiting. It took a few more seconds for me to get the security system deactivated, and the door opened.

Tate smiled at me. “Hey.”

“Hey. Why didn’t you knock or ring the bell?”

He shrugged. “Wanted to test the system and make sure the notifications were working right. Looks like we’re good. Can I come in?”

Realizing I was blocking the door, I blushed. “Sorry, yeah, come in.”

We went to the kitchen table. After we sat, Tate said, “Okay, just an update. The cops did get some photos of your car, and they towed it off yesterday. Miles got the name of the garage. They were going to hold it until the owner claimed it. We went ahead and got that taken care of. The repairs on it are starting today. Steff and I gave the cops everything we have on Luis, and we let them know we are pretty much one-hundred percent sure he’s the perpetrator.”

It was a very funny feeling, having someone look out for me. It had been so long since anyone had done something like this for me. It was nice. Comforting. Warm. But it also made me feel like I was taking advantage of him. I wasn’t even sure how to respond.

“Thank you, Tate. I really appreciate all this.”

He just stared at me. It wasn’t an angry or irritated stare, it was more like he was searching for something. Looking deep inside me, literally trying to read what was going on in my head. Heat rose in my cheeks when he finally leaned back, breaking the moment.

“Okay, I’m taking you out for breakfast. Go ahead and get dressed,” he said, startling me.

I shook my head. “I’m not really in the mood for all that. I’d rather stay in today. I’m sorry.”

He smiled. “No problem, I get it.”

He stood and walked to the kitchen, then started pulling out some pans. He grabbed eggs and a pack of bacon from the fridge. It took a few seconds before I could process what I was seeing. I finally broke the paralysis that had taken hold once he stood.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

Without looking up from the stove, he said, “I’m making us breakfast. I’m starving. Plus, we need to talk.” He glanced at me. “There’s a lot to go over, and we need to go ahead and get it all out in the open. I don’t really want to drag all this out until the baby is born. No reason not to do it over a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon. Crispy or floppy?”

“Huh?” I asked dumbly.

He raised his eyebrows. “Your bacon? Crispy or floppy?”

“Oh. Uh… crispy. Maybe a step or two away from being burnt,” I said with a smile.

He pointed at me with a spatula. “I knew there was a reason I liked you. Consider it done.”

Twenty minutes later, he put a plate in front of me with perfectly cooked bacon, scrambled eggs, and buttered toast. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until the food was in front of me. I took a bite of bacon and eggs and had just stuffed a piece of toast into my mouth when Tate started talking.

“When is your next doctor’s appointment?”

My eyes jolted up to meet him. My mouth was stuffed with food, in the most embarrassing, least ladylike way I could have imagined. Already, this little breakfast meeting was going poorly on my end. “What?” I mumbled through a full mouth.

“Your next appointment. I want to be involved with everything from here on out. I want to go with you to the next one. Plus, since I’m going to be around a lot more, we should get to know each other a little better. Right?”

Finally getting the mouthful of food swallowed, I shot him a surprised look. This was not how I’d thought this would go.

Before I could answer, he said, “I mean, we’re going to be raising a kid together. Shouldn’t we know each other a little better?”

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