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She met him in the center of the room and gave him a kiss. “Thank you. Emma plans to have me sitting in a chair and only providing moral support. How much trouble can I get into?”
Cade didn’t answer; he just rolled his eyes and laughed.
“Hey,” she swatted his chest playfully, “don’t laugh at me.”
“I can’t help it when you say such outlandish things,” he teased grinning as he caught her wrist and kissed her soundly.
“If you are done picking on me, we should practice the breathing I learned in class. Since you are my focal point, it’s hard to do it without you.”
Cade excitedly led her to the bed. “Good idea. I also read about some relaxation techniques I want to try on you.” “Relaxation techniques? Is that what you’re calling it now?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, woman.” He laughed, but his eyes were glowing with heat. “I’m serious.”
“Why do I not believe you?” she asked as she followed him to the bed.
“Because you want my body,” he teased her playfully. “But truthfully, the books I’m reading are very helpful and I want to try a couple of the suggestions.”
The next morning
Anna chatted with Julia on the dock. The men were getting their boats ready, and they would be leaving in a matter of minutes.
“How badly was the bar damaged, Julia?”
“Everything inside was destroyed except the actual bar and the stage,” Julia said as tears filled her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, hun.” Anna put an arm around Julia’s shoulders.
“Thank you,” she sniffled and stiffened her spine.
“You don’t have to be strong around me, Julia. Cry if you want to.”
“No,” she shook her head, “tears won’t change anything.”
Anna nodded and dropped the subject; she wouldn’t push Julia to express her feelings if she didn’t want to.
“Good morning, cher,” Emma greeted her as she stopped next to her and Julia. “I see Cade let you out of the house.”
“I pointed out I would be safer with five shifter women than home alone. He agreed.” Anna grinned.
“Impressive.” Emma chuckled. “You really have his number.”
“I bow to a master,” Julia laughed, admiration for her mother-in-law growing.
“Thank you, thank you very much,” Anna said in her best Elvis voice as El and Rose joined them.
Thomas saw the last of the women had arrived. “Okay, let’s go.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Cade called back to Thomas.
As the last watercraft in the group, he could take his time. Anna rolled her eyes as he drove their boat barely above an idle. He completely ignored her irritation. He was determined to provide his extremely pregnant mate with a smooth ride. The idea of her going into labor scared the devil out of him. He had learned a lot from the books he’d purchased and even more from online videos, but he would rather have his mate deliver their daughter in a hospital and not on a boat.
The air was fresh and the sun warm. She would concentrate on that rather than Cade’s overprotective tendencies.
Stefan laughed as Cade helped Anna onto the pier. “Nice of you to join us,”
Cade bared his fangs. “You just wait until El is pregnant, and I’ll be the one laughing.”
“Don’t even think it,” Stefan shivered. “Let’s hurry. We need to get to the backyard. Everyone is waiting to start.”
“Okay, we’ll be right there.”
Anna saw that the women were ready to get the show on the road. They stood next to their mates, holding brooms, buckets, and mops. A pang of guilt shot through her. She would be forced to sit while everyone else did all the work. Suddenly, she hated being delegated to a chair.
Anna glanced at Thomas as Julia moved to the edge of the trees. Odd, she swore something colorful and shiny shone in the branches of the tree Julia stood in front of.
She was about to ask Cade about it when Lucas began to speak.
“Before I put you into teams, I’m wondering, does anyone feel we should leave a protection detail behind for the women?”
Cade immediately spoke up. “I would like a couple men left here to protect them.”
