Page 4 of Country and Clove
“I’m so glad you love it.” Dahlia’s green eyes sparkled with magic. The Alpha’s mate was wearing a fitted lavender dress that showed off her rapidly growing baby bump. Aria’s pregnancy was recent news, but Dahlia had been pregnant with her twins for several months longer.
“Your mom is so creative and magical,” Aria spoke in a baby voice directly to Dahlia’s stomach. “We’ll take lots of pictures so they can see Auntie Aria’s baby brunch one day.”
“Look at that bump!” Gigi spoke giddily next to Clove. She had always been the more excitable of the two, also the more baby-crazy. Clove and Gigi may have been identical twins, but their personalities couldn’t have been more different.
Dahlia groaned. “I know. The babies are already measuring way ahead.”
“Well, Celestial pregnancies are different. Aspen came full term and was completely healthy at just under seven months,” Nova spoke from behind her. The silver-haired Celestial entered, pushing a baby carriage and walking side by side with Laurie.
“Plus those are Alpha babies. Which means they’re bound to grow bigger and faster than the rest,” Laurie added with a soft smile. The Beta’s wife looked as elegantly beautiful as ever. Her long blonde hair fell in waves down her back, and her soft-blue maxi dress flowed effortlessly behind her.
“Great.” Dahlia frowned. “I’ll have to find a way to fit an XL beach ball somewhere along my short torso.”
“You and Aria are in the same boat. You’re both practically five-foot-nothing,” Nova prodded, eliciting a growl from Aria.
“We can’t all be six-foot-tall, silver-haired, ice goddess supermodels,” Aria snipped.
Nova burst out laughing. “I’m only five-ten, and everyone here is a practical supermodel no matter what your height. I’ve never met a shifter who isn’t drop-dead gorgeous,” Nova said playfully. She sat down at the end of the table.
“True.” Brona took a swig from her champagne flute. The redheaded Chosen witch was one of the few people present who wasn’t a shifter. “It’s honestly unfair.”
“Chosen witches are just as stunning,” Liv added from the doorway, entering hand in hand with Abigail. Her posh, clipped tone was so different from the others here.
Brona rolled her eyes. “I think having a Chosen mate makes you biased.” It was true though, Liv’s Chosen mate was stunning, with her icy-blonde hair and arctic-blue eyes.
“Let’s just agree that all my friends are smoking hot.” Aria raised a glass of orange juice in the air before taking her seat. “To all my gorgeous friends both old and new.” She tossed a warm smile Liv’s way. The two had gotten off on the wrong foot after Liv tried to seduce Aria’s brother and ruin his and Dahlia’s mate bond. In the end, Liv had been a victim of her father’s ulterior motives. Now that she and Abigail were officially a part of the pack, all had been forgiven.
“Cheers.” Gigi raised her glass, smiling along with the others. Clove followed the motion, clinking her glass. She sipped at the bubbly drink, letting the effervescence float over her tongue.
Aria grinned from ear to ear, leaning in conspiratorially. “All right, at least half the table has a mate and more of us are showing up pregnant by the day. Anyone else want to fess up to any new information? Even Leah found a mate!”
The Alpha’s advisor was sitting at the opposite end of the table, looking as if she were trying to blend in with the greenery around her and avoid engaging in this party altogether.
“Bitch,” she muttered.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Aria bit her lip, suppressing a smirk. “Now back to the single ladies.” She was referring to Brona, Gigi, and Clove. The three of them avoided her gaze, silently sipping champagne. “I bet at least one of you has a secret lover, or two. You better tell me now or I’ll have Lark take a little peek inside your brain and give me all the juicy details.”
“Aria!” Laurie looked horrified. “You cannot threaten people with your mate’s mind-reading abilities.”
“I was joking!” Aria defended, but the sly grin on her face said it hadn’t entirely been a joke.
“Let’s change the subject,” Laurie advised. The rest of the women chatted happily, exchanging stories and laughing along with one another. Clove tried to join, but her words just felt forced. Things seemed a little empty lately.
Maybe it was a bout of depression, but Clove’s life felt utterly boring and vastly repetitive each day. She and Gigi worked at their parents’ restaurant. Outside of her shifts at The Coop, Clove spent most of her free time at her grandfather’s ranch. Gigi and Aria occasionally forced her on girls’ nights and brunch outings, too, which kept her from staying completely isolated.
“Oh my god!” Aria cried out. She jumped to her feet. Clove snapped her head around, alarm rising in her chest. “We never got to have a bachelorette party for Dahlia!”
“That’s what you’re screaming about? You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Leah glared at her.
“Well when you plan an entire wedding in under forty-eight hours, the bachelorette party sort of gets thrown out the window.” Dahlia shrugged.
“We’re doing it.” Aria’s eyes gleamed with mischief. She grabbed her cell and disappeared from the room.
Dahlia whined, “Why do I feel like my relaxing evening with Gideon is slipping away?”
“Maybe he could use a break.” Laurie slid her a look. “Lance said Gideon’s been exhausted lately. Evidently, you barely let him sleep.”
Dahlia’s cheeks colored. “He did not say that!” Her phone chimed, and then the sound echoed around the table. Clove checked her phone. A message popped up on the screen.Dahlia’s Belated Bachelorette.
