Page 187 of As The Shifter World Turns

I was suddenly reminded of Neil telling us about him taking a pregnancy test and I felt bad but I couldn’t not talk about my daughter. “Sorry, Neil, if this dredges up uncomfortable feelings for you.”

Our human friend shook his head. “It’s fine. The point of these dinners is for everyone to share what’s going on in their lives and unload. What sort of friend would I be if I told you that you couldn't do that?”

“True,” Archer agreed. “But we need to be sensitive to your feelings too.”

“Martin and I have been skirting around the subject. He’d love to have another child and Toby’s way past the baby stage. We’ll get there and I’d prefer to mate first.”

“What’s the hold up?” I asked.

“He’s a little wary of telling his in-laws that he and I are serious.”

Whoa! That seemed like a red flag to me. But they had lost a son and that was something you never got over. Seeing Martin mate again would be painful so I guessed they had to be eased into the idea.

“Have you met them?” Archer asked.

“Nope.” Neil avoided our friend’s gaze. “They know I exist because Toby told them that Martin and I share a bed most nights.”

“Out of the mouths of babes,” I noted. “Can you believe how our lives have changed since we met?” We had been so young and naive. Well, I had. I’d been right scared of my own shadow and constantly worried about not havingenough money. Daire had saved my ass by charging me very little rent and Ryder had offered me a job when I lost mine. Of course, he’d given me a lot more than that in the intervening period. And now Ryder’s app, our joint idea, had turned into a money-maker.

“I’m mated to a unicorn, have a daughter and another baby on the way.” Archer popped a fry in his mouth.

“Plus you don’t have to work,” Neil observed. When Micah and Daire sold their company, none of the three had to work again if they didn’t want to. Though Daire still did his gardening videos.

“That’s going to change,” Archer noted. “I’ll go stir crazy if I don’t have a job.”

“Here’s to us.” I held up my glass and Neil did as well. Archer clinked his apple juice with our wine glasses and we each took a sip.

I wondered if we’d still be having these take out meals when we were old and gray. I hoped so, but none of us knew what the future held. “No matter where we go or what we do, we have to get together once a week even if we do it virtually or maybe that’s digitally.”

“I’ll drink to that.” Neil gulped his wine.

If the pair of them moved away, a tiny part of me would die. With the money they made from the sale of the company, Micah and Archer could do anything. But like everything else I’d endured, I’d deal with it. I had my mate and our daughter.

“Cheers!”

Daire

“What am I supposed to say?” I crumpled the piece of paper in my hand and aimed it at my herb garden but instantly regretted it. “Sorry, my babies. I didn’t mean it.”

“Enough with the plants,” Ryder complained.

Everyone was on the roof of Sunshine Manor and it wasn’t Friday. Patch and Toby were cooking up mischief at the far end of the roof. Dyani was asleep in her pushchair while Micah held Elune who was eyeing Patch. Archer was sitting with his feet up and eyes closed, while everyone else was scattered around the space.

Tomorrow was the big day. Nate and I were mating. We’d do the actual deed in private before the ceremony but I had to write vows and I didn’t know where to start. Luckily he was staying the night in a hotel with his parents and brothers or he might change his mind about spending his life with me.

“Focus, Daire,” Ivor mumbled as he took a bite from a pork dumpling. There was no grilling tonight, only Chinese takeout, as everyone needed to concentrate on what I was supposed to say tomorrow.

“I’ve been doing nothing else and I got nothing.” I tugged at my hair.

“What do you love about Nate?” Neil asked as he sat with my laptop balanced on his knees.

That was easy. There were so many things. “He has a big d…”

“Daire!” My Sunshine Manor family cut me off.

“What?” I asked, mystified.

“You were going to say heart, right?” Martin nodded. “He has a big heart.”

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