It was the single most incredible thing to witness, the subtle, barely there shift in Emma’s scent. If we’d been asleep, we would have missed it, but none of us wanted to fall asleep when we could stay awake next to a drowsing Emma, protecting her and talking quietly about our plans for the following weeks.
Troy had been the first to notice, his nostrils flaring wide. Then I’d scented it, too, a sweet undertone to her floral scent that had every protective instinct in me roaring to life.I know it’s too soon to trulyknowyet, what with human pregnancies being so delicate, and Emma for sure won’t want to tell anyoneelse until much later. But hope grows in my chest, a beautiful warmth that has me squeezing her closer to my chest.
“You think we should wake her?” Troy asks quietly. He trudges next to me, his arms full of blankets. “She asked us to.”
I smile down at our sleeping mate. “The moment she wakes, we’ll tell her. But she’ll need her sleep. She’ll need us more now than ever before.”
Troy nods thoughtfully. “When she said we were going to be great fathers… I didn’t think about that before. But now I know I’d kill anyone who tried to hurt Emma or our kids.”
I step in front of him to stop him, then kiss him gently. “I hope you never will. But knowing that she has you by her side will make my life infinitely easier, too.”
“Right?” Sebastian bounces on the balls of his feet, excitement radiating from him. “I feel like I have todosomething. Maybe paint the nursery? I was thinking we could do a forest scene. Or a beach?”
Troy bumps Sebastian’s hip with his. “Not in the middle of the night, babe. But I’ll help you with whatever you choose. After we return from the honeymoon.”
Sebastian smiles sheepishly. “Oh. Right. Yeah, I guess all of that can wait.” Then his eyes go wide, and he stops on the track. “Hey, is it safe for humans to fly while pregnant?”
A spike of worry shoots through me, and judging by Troy’s expression, he hasn’t thought of this either. We take off toward the cabin at a near run and burst through the front door.
“Google it,” I bark at Troy, who’s already searching for his phone. “I’m taking her to bed.”
While Sebastian picks up Emma’s wedding gown and sets in on top of the dresser, I lay Emma down on the pillows and cover her lightly with a sheet. I debate waking her for a shower, since we’re all still sticky from before, but we need to let her rest. Evenif itissafe for her to fly out to Italy tomorrow, she’ll be tired from the trip and jetlagged and…
Troy bursts in, human-shaped and naked, a phone in one hand. His other hand is buried in his hair, and he’s tugging on the blond strands in exasperation. “It says here shecanfly until the last trimester, which is fine, but did you know humans can’t eat seafood when pregnant? I mean, it says some fish might be okay, but clams are a definitive no-no. And raw-milk cheese is bad for them, as is prosciutto!”
“Hey.” I step over to him and grab him by the shoulders to refocus his attention. “Calm down. When have you ever seen Emma eat raw-milk cheese? And I don’t even think she likes clams.”
“But we’re going toItaly,” he groans, his blue eyes wide. “Aren’t they, like, known for eating raw things?”
“I think that’s the French,” Sebastian counters, walking over to peer at Troy’s phone. “I had steak Tartare at a French restaurant once, it was amazing. But we should be fine in Italy, she can eat all the pizza and pasta she wants.”
“We’re going to Italy?”
At Emma’s excited question, we all turn to the bed, and I curse inwardly for ruining the surprise for her. She’s sitting, the sheet pooled around her waist, her brown eyes shining.
I give Sebastian and Troy my most fearsome glare, then sit on the bed next to Emma and brush back her messy hair. “Yeah, we’re going to Italy.”
Emma lets out a little squeak, then throws her arms around my neck. “That’s amazing! Thank you!”
Troy sets down the phone and joins us in bed, nuzzling his cheek against hers. Then Sebastian lands on the pillows next to her and tackles her back, lying on top of her and wrapping her in a big hug.
“Careful!”
I bark the order without thinking, grab Sebastian, and haul him off Emma. He falls on his back and stares up at me, eyes wide, horror clear in his expression. Then he scrambles to his knees and runs his palms over her, frantic.
“Did I hurt you? Emma, talk to me!”
It takes me a moment to realize that Emma is staring at both of us like we’ve lost our heads, and then at Troy, who hauls her into his lap and wraps his thick arms around her.
“Whatis going on?” she demands and bats away Troy who is trying to get her to lie down. “I thought we had this conversation already. Two hours ago, was it?”
I exchange a look with Sebastian, who shrugs, then grins at Emma.
“You’re pregnant, baby,” he tells her, just like that. “So, ah, we Googled some stuff online, and it turns out humans are really fragile when pregnant, so we…”
“What?” Emma’s eyes go wide as saucers, her cheeks draining of color. “How do you know?”
“Your scent. We sensed it the moment it happened,” Troy rumbles. He leans in and kisses her forehead softly. “The most incredible moment of my life.”
