Page 80 of The World She Never Knew Existed

“What’s that?” Clara asked.

“I’m going to have a baby,” Charlie said. “I guess the birth control failed.”

“How do you feel about that?” Clara asked.

“You know, if you had asked me two months ago whether I wanted children, I would have said that I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment yet. My cat and I get along because she mostly takes care of herself. A baby is a huge responsibility,” Charlie said. “Now that I’m pregnant though, I’m excited. I know that I will have to drastically change my life and that my life will no longer be my own, now, but I’m okay with that.”

“Then, congratulations,” Clara said. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you,” Charlie said.

“Does Ethan know that you’re pregnant?”

“No. I’m not going to tell him,” Charlie said.

“What? He has a right to know that he is going to be a father. He also has an obligation to help support the baby,” Clara said.

“Ethan made it perfectly clear on our first date that he wasn’t interested in any kind of serious relationship. He certainly wasn’t interested in having children, at least not right now,” Charlie said.

“It wasn’t like this was planned,” Clara said.

“No, it wasn’t. I was on birth control. But I don’t want to trap Ethan into any kind of relationship or obligation that he isn’t ready for,” Charlie replied. “I love him too much for that.”

“He might change his mind once he knows that he is going to be a father,” Clara argued.

“No. I don’t want to do that to him,” Charlie said. “Promise me that you won’t tell him.”

“I won’t tell him,” Clara said.

“Good,” Charlie said.

“Will the baby be a shifter?” Clara asked.

“Most likely,” Charlie said. “I’m a tiger shifter and Ethan is a bear shifter. The baby will be one or the other. Every once in a while, a baby turns out to be both, but that is very rare.”

“Wow,” Clara said, completely flabbergasted.

Charlie smiled widely and said, “I know. I never thought that I would be a mother, at least not for a long time. I just hope that I’m at least half the mother that you are. You are an incredible mother to Zeke.”

“I’m sure that you will be,” Clara said. “Shall we toast to the occasion with some sparkling water?”

Charlie laughed and said, “Yes.”

She picked up her glass and said, “To new beginnings.”

Later that night, as Clara tried to get comfortable on her bed, she thought about Charlie having Ethan’s baby. She put her hand on her stomach and wondered what it would be like to have Dillon’s baby. She wondered whether it would be a shifter or human.

“Before I think about that, I need to make things right with him,” Clara said.

28

Dillon

“Have you and Charlie been hanging out?” Dillon asked.

“No,” Ethan said, “She’s been focusing all of her attention on Clara. She hasn’t had much time for anything else.”

“That makes sense,” Dillon said.

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