Page 96 of As The Shifter World Turns

“I thought I was getting dessert and I’ve got a cheesecake here with your name on it, Archer.”

“Hope you bought two,” I grumbled. “At this stage in my pregnancy, I need all the cheesecake.”

“Aren’t the three of you meeting for dinner in five minutes?” Micah asked.

“Yes,” we said in unison.

“Is there a problem?” Neil asked.

My mate held up his hands in surrender. “Nope.” He popped that p so hard, Patch jumped up and ran around in circles.

“Well, someone better order Thai food instead of pizza because that’s Neil’s favorite.” I stared at my friend on the phone as he poked out his tongue.

“I’ll do it,” Micah said, apparently fed up with our back and forth.

Neil reeled off the dishes he wanted. “Mussuman curry, pad Thai, som tum and rice.”

“Done,” Micah announced.

“Thank you. I’ll love you forever,” Neil told him. “And I’ll pay you.’

“I’m taking Patch for a walk so I can take you down the stairs,” my mate said as I ended the video call.

“Can you help me with my shoes?”

“Okay, but do you need them? You’re going down one floor to Neil’s.”

‘You’re right. Who needs shoes?”

“Come on, Patch. We’re going.”

We met Ivor at Neil’s door, and my mate continued downstairs with the dog but he returned almost immediately with my Indian food. Once in Neil’s place, I got on the sofa and put my feet up while my friends sat on cushions on the floor with the coffee table between us.

My phone beeped. It was Micah saying he was coming back as the delivery guy had just brought the Thai food. “Are there any other deliveries?” he asked at the door when he handed the bag to Neil.

“No. Should we tip you?” Neil grinned. “You’re doing a great job.”

My mate harrumphed as he thundered down the stairs.

“Let’s eat.”

We oohed and aahed as we ate but once the craving for food had been satisfied, I wiped my mouth and patted my bump. “Baby’s happy and awake.”

“Can I feel?” Ivor asked.

“Sure.” He placed a hand on my belly, which was still small. Neil joined him.

“Is that it?” Ivor asked, a big grin on his face.

“Yes.”

Of course, Neil’s eyes swam with tears. Neil wouldn’t be Neil if he didn’t cry. “I felt it too. A little unicorn.”

It had taken a while to sink in that I was carrying a unicorn. “We didn’t know if the little one would be a wolf or unicorn until we went for the ultrasound.” It’d been amazing news as I thought back to that day.

Now when Micah put his hand on the bump, he told me how excited his beast was. There’d be another unicorn in his life. Like Micah, his beast never expected that to happen.

I did worry that other than Micah’s unicorn, our child wouldn’t have unicorn friends. But Micah said his kind were used to adapting, and he’d be content with being around our Sunshine Manor shifter family. I hoped that was the case. I guessed every parent worried about their children and we were in for a lifetime of exactly that.

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