Page 13 of Rejected Wolf's Secret Baby (Rejected Moons 4)

What if he tried to take her from me? I would die.

I stop the car in front of Dad’s house and steel myself. My family is going to be shocked, and I have to make them understand how important it is to keep Emmy a secret.

I’m not sure exactly how I want to have this conversation—I’ve been thinking about it for hours, and I haven’t come up with anything—but after a moment it becomes clear that I’m not going to get to decide. Kayla is hurrying out of the house, with Dad and Pat following behind her, and they’re going to be at the car in a moment.

I brace myself for the inevitable and lift Emmy out of her car seat. “We’re here, Emmy.”

“Where?”

“Grandpa’s house. Get ready to meet some family.”

Emmy buries her face in my neck. She doesn’t get to know a lot of strangers, and I’m worried this is going to be intense for her.

I see the moment my family registers her presence. My sisters both stop in their tracks. Heartbreakingly, I see a flash of confusion on my dad’s face, like he’s not sure if he was supposed to know I had a baby already.

I take a deep breath and walk over to them. “Hey.”

No one says anything for a moment.

“So,” I say awkwardly, “this is Emmy.”

“Is she…Is she yours?” Kayla asks, just as awkwardly.

I nod.

“You never told us.” It’s half hurt feelings and half accusation.

“I never told anyone,” I say. “I wanted to keep her to myself.”

“Away from us?” Dad asks, looking wounded.

“No,” I say evasively. “It’s not that.” To soften the blow, I add, “Do you want to hold her?”

He holds out his arms and I pass her over. Emmy doesn’t fuss—she never does. She goes willingly.

“Emmy, this is Grandpa,” I tell her. “We’re going to stay here and get to know him for a bit. Won’t that be nice?”

She nods solemnly. She accepts that it will be nice because her mother told her it would. She’s young enough to take what I say at face value.

“Let’s get inside,” Pat suggests, and I’m glad. We’re too exposed out here. There are trees lining the edge of my father’s property, and the nearest house is several yards away, but even so, if someone were to walk by and see her, it would ruin everything.

Dad carries Emmy into the house, and my sisters and I follow. “So?” Kayla demands in a low voice.

“So?”

“Whose is she? Who’s the father?”

Right. The million-dollar question. “Just this guy I was seeing,” I say. “Chad.” It’s almost funny to think of Chad being Emmy’s father. He never showed any particular interest in her. And to be honest, I never wanted him to. I liked that he left her alone and didn’t try to interfere with our bond. I’m not looking for a human man to be Emmy’s father.

“Chad, your boyfriend?”

“Ex-boyfriend. I ended that.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell anyone?” Pat asks. “Because she’s human?”

I’m actually offended. “She isn’thuman.Sheismine, you know.”

“Okay, but you know how it is. The wolf blood doesn’t come out as strong when a child doesn’t get it from both parents,” Pat says.

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