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“This is a lot to process. Maybe we should find some books on pregnancy or something, because I, for one, have no fucking clue what to do,” El said in a sudden panic. “There’s breastfeeding and formula, cribs and bassinets, things to plan, things to figure out. Oh god.”
“Breathe, babe,” Riven ordered his mate. El took measured breaths with wide eyes.
“Do any parents know what they’re doing?” Zath asked. “We’ll figure it out. Get all the right books, take the classes. And we’ve got time to find a new normal before that happens. She’s not even a fourth of the way there, guys.” He always was a problem solver and, apparently, he’d said the right words.
“As long as we get the fuck out of Madison, I’m ready for anything,” I said. “But no one mention food yet.”
“Deal,” Riven said as he led me out of the bathroom. They all talked around me, planning the various things we needed to do before the baby came.
I wasn’t sure how I ended up in this situation, but I’d never stop being grateful. I’d come into this competition ready to take down my rivals. Now I had three more mates and a baby on the way.
Life was strange.
ChapterSixteen
Nyla
Being alone with Lance was strange, yet so easy at the same time. The other guys asked to sit this one out, giving us a chance to talk to Lance’s dad alone. Lance confirmed he was involved in bringing us here but I couldn’t fault him. He knew the truth and my character, and was only looking out for his son.
At the church that day, Calvin was just as heartbroken as I was. He told me then that it wasn’t Lance, that something was wrong, but I was too heartbroken to see it.
“What if he hates me now?” I said as we exited the elevator and walked to Calvin’s door. It felt like the hallway was closing in on me and if Lance hadn’t gripped my hand, grounding me, I might have gone into a full panic. My emotions were always amping up at the smallest things, these pregnancy hormones were wild and I wasn’t that far along yet.
“Don’t be silly, he wouldn’t have brought me here if he hated you. Hell, he blames himself for all this. My parents have always considered you a daughter. They loved you as much as I did from the start,” he said.
Lance knocked sharply on the door. Calvin looked fairly casual today, wearing a tee and sweats when he opened the door. It was out of character and made this a bit easier, he seemed more approachable this way.
The moment he saw our hands clasped together, he rushed over and crushed me in a hug. I’d always thought lions were supposed to be aggressive, but Calvin took family seriously. It was like we hadn’t even missed a day.
“I’m relieved to see you together, I’ve been worried.”
Lance snorted, “I can see that. You look like a mess.” He let his eyes pointedly flicker up to the man’s hair that looked like he’d been pulling it through his fingers.
“Aw, leave him alone,” I protested. “I think he looks comfortable and like a normal dad.”
“See, exactly,” Calvin said before waving us to the balcony. “I was just getting some fresh air and had some breakfast pastries delivered. If you want any, help yourself.” The mention of coffee still made me cringe but my stomach rumbled at the idea of food.
He chuckled and took a seat. I didn’t hesitate to snatch a danish and take my own seat, glancing out over the city. It wasn’t the prettiest of views but it beat our own view of the parking lot.
“Are you guys starving this poor girl?” Calvin questioned as I finished my last bite.
“Of course not,” Lance said. “It’s just been a bit crazy this morning.”
He hummed. “I take it you have some good news for me?” We both glanced up at him, surprised. “You guys were holding hands when you walked in, that’s a bit of a giveaway that things are going in the right direction.”
“Oh yes, that,” I stuttered out.
“Thank you for hearing him out. I always knew you had a big heart,” he said with a soft smile. “That’s why it hurt so much when he left. I never blamed you for leaving how you did. But we sure as hell missed you, Nyla.”
“Thanks,” I said, relieved to hear that. “It was hard. But so was Lance’s experience. I couldn’t really blame him for that. We just figured it’d take time to fix what was broken in the process.”
“That’s understandable. There’s no sense in rushing, you have forever.”
“Well, we also have a pretty big distraction,” Lance muttered. Calvin raised an eyebrow. “Did something else happen? If it’s this fucking competition, I’ll withdraw every single coin I’ve given them and any future competitions will be done for. The way they treated you was absurd. I guarantee that you and Riven’s team are going to lose and I will be having words with the board when this is over.”
His anger on my behalf was appreciated. It was nice to have an outside perspective on the bullshit we’d endured. I felt a bit less crazy with him coming to the same conclusion we had.
“Watch Lacey’s team take the top spot. I don’t know what she has on the judges but it seems she can do no wrong. She even gave false evidence and was not even reprimanded as far as I know.” I launched into the full story, from Riven and El’s encounter, to the audio clip, to the confrontation and poisoning. By the time we finished, he was livid. Lance was, too, although he’d heard it before, but hearing it all at once was harder to reason away.
