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Remembering the new stash of tinctures and concoctions I had brewed up the other day, I fetched them from my basket and found the nearest open shelf. I didn’t bother using my magic, not when it felt more fulfilling to arrange everything to my liking.
By the time that job was finished, I had moved on to the next one without bothering to take a break. Grabbing a vase, I spread out a handful of fresh flower cuttings and tediously picked the ones I wanted.
I put a handful of lavender sprigs in the middle, then added some orange lilies in the back and purple hydrangeas in the front. I tucked some eucalyptus on the left side, then stopped to examine it.
No, no. eucalyptus in the back. Wild carrot on the left, I said to myself, getting somewhat annoyed that the arrangement didn’t look how I wanted.
It was painstaking, and I knew it, but I wanted it to be perfect.
As I fussed with the flowers, I thought about how I didn’t have a family of my own yet, despite everyone around me seeming well ahead in getting started.
I wondered what it would be like to have my own children, and it made my stomach warm. That pleasantness seemed to cloak me, and I couldn’t help but smile.
It would truly be perfect. To have the opportunity to show my children a gentle yet intentional life that they could run with and make their own. The chance to pass on what I knew and to love them with all of my being.
My fingers paused their movement the moment it clicked in my head. The realization hit me like a wave.
I had never daydreamed about having children before. I certainly never had that warm, fuzzy feeling before, either. And yet, I had spent the last hour thinking about it and fussing over every little thing in the shop.
You smell different.
Shifters had keen senses, which meant they could detect hormonal changes, even if they didn’t always know what it meant.
Something was different. River had to be onto something. She wouldn’t have said anything if that wasn’t the case.
I needed to know.
Dropping what I was doing, I found the nearest mirror hanging on the wall with its frame wrapped in ivy and took a deep breath in.
Closing my eyes, I recalled a spell in my mind and said it once before looking back at myself again.
With my magic coursing through me, I found the answer I never expected to receive.
My aura was tinted with a pink hue, and the reality of it came crashing down all at once.
I was pregnant with Rowan’s baby and several weeks along.
Releasing the spell, I turned away, unable to look at myself as I tried to grapple with the idea.
We had only slept together once, but it seemed that had been enough. We were expecting a baby.
It all felt so surreal, and my mind raced.
Dropping onto one of the stools next to the reading table, I couldn’t think about anything else.
A rush of anxiety flooded my system, aware that I had to tell him and, eventually, everyone else.
To make matters worse, I didn’t know if we could even have a future together. Despite becoming closer since Rowan arrived in Rose Valley, there was no way for me to know what was to become of it or if I’d be left to raise a baby all on my own.
Chapter 17 - Rowan
My phone dinged in my pocket and took my attention away from the television in my hotel room that I had been watching absentmindedly. Checking the screen, I found a new text from Willow. It made my heart squeeze with surprising relief.
I hadn’t heard from her for most of the day, and I was starting to miss her. But the text read exactly how I needed it to.
Come over?
An immediate smile bloomed across my face, and I clicked on the message to send my reply. Just as it was sent off, I stood from my place, snatched up my key card, and left the room behind.
