Page 22 of Secret Shifters Next Door

After a few minutes, I forced myself to slowly sit up, then I got up and got ready. There was no way I’d lie in bed and let the girls worry about me. It was like my body was made oflead. Every muscle shook as I dressed myself and got shoes on. Afterward, I sat on the edge of the bed, dripping sweat. By sheer force of will, I made it to the bathroom and made my face and hair somewhat presentable.

I planned to tell Mariah and Jordyn about their new baby brother today. The problem was that no matter how many different ways I thought about doing that, none sounded right. The other issue was that they would automatically assume that Luis was the father, and there was zero-percent chance I was going to tell my girls what had actually happened.

“So, girls, Mommy got a little tipsy in New York and met a hot guy. We fucked our brains out all night and didn’t even ask each other’s names. That’s the daddy. Oh, and by the way, the same walking slab of muscle and dick lives next door now. Okay, have a great day now.”

Not a chance in hell. My attempts to prevent a full panic attack while thinking about it had been pretty fruitless. All I could do was keep telling myself that I needed to stay calm. Things would work out fine. My girls were strong, smart, and intelligent. Still, no matter how much I tried to talk myself up, worry nagged at the back of my mind. No amount of positive self-talk could keep me from wondering how it would play out.

The girls were in the kitchen eating cereal when I came down. Each step was like a full thirty-minute workout. I grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and sat down, hoping the girls couldn’t see the sweat already beading on my forehead. I was still sick to my stomach but wanted to appear as normal as I could. When I took a bite of the cereal bar, I regretted my choice of breakfast. The dry, crumbly texture sucked all the moisture out of my mouth. I chewed, the granola going from crunchy to gummy. I swallowed hard and kept a neutral expression as I fought not to vomit all over the table.

Jordyn glanced over at Mariah and whispered, “Ask her.”

“Ask me what?” I mumbled, trying to work up the courage to take another bite of the bar.

Mariah smiled shyly and looked back at Jordyn. “Would it be okay if we went to the mall? To do some school shopping?”

My nausea and exhaustion forgotten for the barest moment, I looked up in surprise. They were smiling. The hopeful expressions on their faces would have been over-the-top and silly, had I not already known how bored they were. A shopping trip and lunch were usually nothing exciting. But after being in Lilly Valley for several weeks, the trip to the next town over probably sounded like the excursion of a lifetime.

“By yourselves?” I asked, praying the hopefulness wasn’t evident in my voice.

Mariah chewed at her lip before speaking carefully. “I have my permit. You said I was doing really good. Plus, it’s only like ten miles away. What do you think?”

They were also getting tired of being around Mom all day. I could relate. Normally, it would have broken my heart a little. Today? The thought of being able to go lie back down for a while without having to put on a show of health sounded like nirvana. Though, I couldn’t seem too urgent to get them out of the house.

I worked up my best mom voice, and said, “Okay, but no speeding. Seatbelts, and use your turn signal like I told you.Beforeyou hit the brakes, not after.”

Surprise flashed across their faces. Mariah was already nodding, a smile forming on her lips.

“I’ll give you my card. Two hundred bucks each. Not a cent more. Got it? And go ahead and get lunch there while you’re out. There’s a food court, so take your pick, but no damned desserts. I don’t want you having cinnamon rolls or ice cream for lunch.”

“Okay,” both girls said in giddy unison.

They nearly leaped up from the table to put their bowls in the sink. I took a breath and heaved myself up out of my chair. Ifound my purse by the door and dug out my card. Handing it to Mariah, I pulled her close and said, “If you guys wanna catch a movie, go ahead. Make a day of it if you want. Just be home by three.”

Mariah grinned and nodded. “Thanks, Mom.” She tilted her head and looked at me closely. “Are you okay? You look really pale.”

“Fine. Just fine. Didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Okay,” she said, sounding unsure. “See you this afternoon.”

A few seconds later, I watched as Mariah backed the car out of the garage and out onto the street. Before the garage door was even closed, I walked back to my room. It felt like I was on fire but also freezing to death. Maybe I had the flu or something? Before I could get to my bedroom, another massive wave of nausea struck me, and I dived into the guest bathroom and threw up the water and two bites of granola I’d just had. Instead of feeling better after throwing up, I felt worse.

Once I was in bed, exhausted and drained, I couldn’t sleep. I choked down some Tylenol, hoping to lower the temperature I knew I had. It went on like that for over an hour. One minute I was rolling around in bed, first freezing and huddling under the covers. The next minute I was sweltering to the point I threw the blankets and sheets off, pulled my clothes off, and tossed them on the floor. Even naked under the ceiling fan, my body was on fire. It worried me that I seemed to be getting worse. If I had any friends here, I could call someone to help me, but all my friends were fifteen-miles away.

Then a thought occurred to me. Emily. She was the closest thing I had to a friend here. As little as I wanted to impose on someone I’d just met, I wanted my girls to find me like this even less. Chills were creeping back into my joints, and I tried to find my pajamas and panties again as I grabbed my phone from the nightstand.

I texted Emily, telling her I was sick and asking if she could come over and help me. To my surprise, she responded within a minute, asking for my address. She didn’t even ask what was wrong; she was eager to come help. Gratefulness washed over me, so strong that my eyes welled with tears. I sent her my address and told her not to worry about getting here in a hurry and to take her time.

Thirty minutes later, Emily knocked on my front door. Too tired and weak to make it back downstairs, I called out to her. “Come in.”

Thankfully, the house and neighborhood were quiet, and she heard me. Emily appeared in my room a few seconds later, carrying a bag of groceries.

Her eyes went wide when she saw me. “Harley, no offense, but you look like absolute shit.”

I gave her a tired smile. “Thanks. You’re pretty hot yourself.”

“Sorry. I brought some stuff. I wasn’t sure what you’d need.” She dug in the bag and listed everything. “Cold and flu medicine, Pepto, chicken noodle soup, saltines, Gatorade, and bananas.”

“Sounds great, everything a lady needs for a full tune up,” I attempted to joke, but my voice was monotone and listless.

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