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Greenacre land was cut through by a few different streams. He’d picked one that had been rushing in the spring, swollen with early April rains that had turned into May downpours and continued into June drizzles that were just about perpetual. No one could remember such a wet spring, but it had finally dried up when the warmth of summer moved in. Even the wettest ground was no match for the direct heat of the sun.
They were well away from the edge of the woods, back at least half a mile. The river bubbled away happily, the sounds of rushing water over rocks soothing. Even if it was higher than normal and had overflowed its banks right here a few months ago, the water had calmed down to something he considered safe enough for his mate to get near.
“I’m always glowing. That’s what pregnancy does for you.”
January set her hand on the small swell of her belly beneath her long-sleeved shirt. She preferred them because they kept off the bugs. She also preferred leggings as of late, which he had no complaints about. Well, if he did have one complaint, it was that it was hard to leave the house, or too easy to get distracted when he looked at January in those tight pants. They outlined her curves and made it incredibly obvious that she had the loveliest butt.
“I mean you have an extra glow.”
She flushed. “It was a wonderful girls’ morning out. We had coffee at the new shop. There was a reason that we convinced Josephine to leave the clinic for a few hours. She needed a break, but Lily also had some news.” January was way too happy for the news to be anything bad. Still, Tavish tensed, Sam hadn’t said anything. It was Lily’s right to tell the women first, if she chose, but was she going to have a baby? Was Sam going to be a dad again? “She just found out she’s pregnant.” January’s smile was huge. “That makes three of us. Glendy still hasn’t had her baby yet, I’m due in three months, and Lily will be having hers in March. Josephine is going to be busy!”
“Sam must be beside himself.”
“With joy and fear. Lily is so excited. They’ve been trying for another for a while. , Tavish, I’m so excited!”
“It’s a lot of change.”
January was sitting on a large rock at the side of the creek. The boulders lumped up in the area, an unusual sort of rock formation, because it was all flat ground and trees around them. Nature could do wonderful and strange things over time. It had carved out this land for them, given them refuge and life. Now it had given him a mate, and in three months, they’d be welcoming their baby into their family.
They’d found out what they were having as soon as they could. It was a boy, of course. Glendy and Thaddius were also having a boy. He was more than ready to bet that Sam and Lily would have another boy to add to their growing family. Kier’s mate was also six months pregnant, but she kept to herself and her clan, who still weren’t very friendly at all. He’d imagined a great big gathering a long time ago, but so far, it hadn’t happened. He didn’t know what they were having, and Kier didn’t like to talk about his mate’s clan or her life there—since she probably asked him not to, and he respected that. She wasn’t using Josephine as her doctor and Kier didn’t want to comment on that either, except to apologize whenever the topic came up and give them all worried looks he tried to hide.
Tavish only hoped that everything would go well for them. Their clan had their own doctor, but not even Sam could get anything out of old Clarence about it when he’d tried to bring it up a few times. He knew that Sam had hoped that their doctor and Josephine would eventually collaborate so she could learn more about shifter physiology, but it looked like it would be small steps between the clans.
“I hope Kier and Taylee are going to be okay,” January said, apparently thinking along the same lines. She rubbed her belly.
It had just started to swell this past month. It hadn’t popped yet. That was still coming. At six months, she just looked a little bit curvier than she had before. Her breasts were fuller than before. She was always radiant and glowing with happiness.
Even though he’d offered to set her up in Seattle and make sure everything was okay for her there, she’d declined. She’d stayed with Sam and Lily for a few months while they went on dates and got to know each other, but by month four, she was ready to move in with him for good. In the regular world, the accelerated timeline would have been shocking, but not in Greenacre.
“I hope so too.”
“It’s hard, him not being able to talk to you about that. He won’t even tell you if they’re going to live together there or if they’ll be living the way they are now, in their separate places.”
Grief and worry were identical hammer blows struck on the surface of his heart. There was nothing he could do except be there and be the friend he always had been. He knew there wasn’t much Kier could do about the situation either, except keep hoping that all would be well and things would work themselves out somehow.
“I’m sorry.”
January stood up and walked away from the boulders. He followed her onto even ground. She stood looking out over the creek. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. The July evening was warm, but he ran his hands along her arms anyway, like he was warding off a chill. She looked back at him, her smile clearing off the ghostly concerns that shadowed his face.
Was there ever a woman more beautiful in the world?
“You promised me fresh fish for dinner.”
“I did, because you said you had a craving. I can do better than canned tuna.”
“I’m excited to see you do it,” she said happily. “I can’t wait to do this with our son. With our children, should we be blessed to have more than one. I can’t wait to teach him how to love this land like you do. How to be a part of this community and love all the people like I’m starting to. I’m so excited to share absolutely everything, to do all the hard things and the easy things and all the things in between that come with being a mom. I’m most excited to see you as a dad. I’m so excited to see you teach our son what it is to be a shifter. I know it’s more than a decade away, but that first shift, when you can run with your own child through the woods as bears, that’s going to be such an incredible day.”
Her eyes were misty, and it made his throat get hot and his own eyes get a sting behind them. He was just as excited. He’d never thought he’d be a dad. Passing on the things that his own father had taught him felt so out of reach. He’d consigned himself to a life without love, and then January had shown up at the clinic.
“I’ll cherish every minute of every single day that we spend together. Every moment, every memory, every week and month and year,” he promised her. “I’ll do my best to be a good mate and a good father. I’ll teach what I can and the things I don’t know, there’s a community and a wealth of knowledge here. Because you stayed, we’re not alone. We’ll never be alone. We’re always going to be a part of this place.”
“Yes,” she sighed happily, blinking away fresh tears. “I’m so thankful we’re out here. I know that the shifter identity is a secret, but you’ve let my parents and my brother visit, my sister and her family too. We go to Seattle all the time. My family is a part of this place as well. I didn’t have to give them up to choose this.”
“Never. You’ll never have to give them up.”
She turned and kissed him. The woods started to spin because he usually got lightheaded whenever she was near. She was utterly intoxicating, so much so that he sometimes forgot to breathe. He felt like all the happiness that had been contained inside him for a lifetime was rising up and spilling over. Maybe that’s why he felt dizzy. It was with happiness and amazement.
“I love you,” she breathed, her eyes like twin stars even though it wasn’t dark. “I love every bit of you. I love this life. I love how you’ve made me feel and everything you’ve taught me. I love that you make me want things I never knew could exist. I love that you have filled up every part of my life with goodness and happiness and joy.”
