Rebecca's Wolves (Wolf Masters Book 6) (37 page)

It was over. The two-week insanity chasing around a phantom and a real live threat was finally completely over. They would move forward without fear of something always chasing them on their heels.

There was still so much to decide. Their homes were too far apart. The thought of returning to that hospital and resuming her job where she knew most of regular society would dog her made Rebecca cringe.

They would figure it out. They had to. They were a unit now.

One.

Three that became one.

They would survive.

Ten months later…

Rebecca stood on the edge of the deck of their new house, her eyes closed, a smile on her face, the wind blowing her long hair all around. She figured she looked like Medusa, but Miles and Griffen had a thing for her hair. They liked it down and wild, and she tried to please them with it as often as possible.

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, landing on the top of her enormous belly under her swollen breasts.

She didn’t flinch. She’d felt Miles coming up behind her, and she smiled wider as his lips landed on her ear. “Welcome home, love.”

Another body blocked the sun by stepping in front of her and setting both hands on her belly. “You like how it all turned out?”

It was moving-in day. She hadn’t been to the property in over a week. Her mates had insisted she let them put all the finishing touches on the house before she stepped inside for the first time.

She only had a few weeks left before she would give birth.

They had rushed like crazy in the end, arguing constantly with contractors to get the place finished on time so they could move her into the new home before the baby came.

She hadn’t lifted a finger for weeks. She also hadn’t worked for weeks.

Miles and Griffen gave new meaning to the term over-protective in the last few months, increasing their insane requirements as she grew closer to birth.

Now she was finally home.

A peace stole over her even before entering to see all their hard work on the inside. A peace that had slowly filtered into each of them for the last week.

Randal Peaceman had spent nearly a year in jail. His trial was fast approaching, but last week he’d saved the tax payers a bunch of money by committing suicide.

As sad as any suicide was, and though the man was Miles’ grandfather, all three of them were relieved to have his brand of filth out of their lives.

Her peace continued with each passing day. And now she had the gorgeous house to explore.

She wasn’t clairvoyant like Melinda and Mimi, but she seemed to have picked up on many subtle nuances that made her predict with fairly good accuracy what to expect from her mates.

She smiled up at Griffen to find his gaze on her belly. “You can come out any time after tonight, little fellow. Please wait until after the party, though.”

She giggled at the way he always spoke to her belly, sure that the baby was a boy. She didn’t have the heart to tell either man she really didn’t think that was the case. In addition, Melinda agreed with her thinking it was a girl. If Melinda thought it was a girl, it was a girl. The woman had undoubtedly had visions of long curls blowing in the breeze as a giggly toddler chased after butterflies.

Rebecca wasn’t worried. She knew both men would melt no matter what sex the child was, and she had insisted repeatedly that they not find out. She needed at least one surprise, even if it was marginal.

“Let’s go inside, love. Give you the grand tour.” Miles kissed her cheek as he spoke, gently, always treating her as though she were far more fragile than she was. She’d had only six weeks with her men before they realized their
oops
and confronted her, chagrinned.

She doubted they were particularly sorry at any point.

After they told her she was pregnant, they immediately switched from their usual rough and tumble demeanors to something far too gentle for her taste.

No amount of arguing with them that no baby had been harmed in the history of babies through sex would dissuade them.

She was secretly looking forward to giving birth just so she could have her less-restrained mates back. Six weeks was not enough time to enjoy them. She wanted more, and she intended to resume their more creative sex life ASAP.

Miles took one hand and Griffen took the other as they led her inside.

The smile never left her face as they angled her around the house, showing off every aspect of it, including the unbelievably decked-out nursery with all the modern conveniences in the world.

When they finished show and tell, like little boys showing off their bug collection to their teacher, she heard voices coming from the front door.

She rounded the corner to the great room, knowing she would find Mimi and Melinda. Their arms were laden with bags, and Miles and Griffen rushed forward to help them.

Mimi gave up her armload with relief on her face and padded over to Rebecca to kiss her cheek. “You look radiant, child.” She set her hand on Rebecca’s belly, as was her custom, and closed her eyes.

Rebecca always had the sensation that Mimi was communicating with the baby. It gave her peace every time.

When Mimi lifted her head, she smiled brighter. “Tomorrow,” she stated as she walked away.

Rebecca shook her head. Of course. The woman knew everything. Rebecca glanced at her men. They hadn’t heard Mimi. Good. That was one secret Rebecca would rather keep until after the house-warming party.

It was only noon. The party started at five, but anyone would think it was to begin in about thirty minutes the way Melinda ran around, directing everyone and setting up platters that would later hold mountains of food.

There was no doubt the spread would be fabulous.

Everyone they were close to was coming. All of Griffen’s family—courtesy of the fact that ski season had ended again. The many friends of Griffen and Miles. The few friends Rebecca maintained from the hospital in Cambridge, including Marian and Cecelia, and the dozen or so friends from her new job at the hospital in Sojourn.

The transition had been a no-brainer.

Sojourn Hospital had been in desperate need of nurses on the reservation, and Rebecca had been less than eager to continue at Cambridge Hospital. It was so much easier for her on the reservation. Fewer people questioned her arrangement with two men.

“Sit,” Miles commanded, taking her arm and leading her to one of the many plush couches. He glared at her as he picked up her feet and put them on a footstool. “Don’t move.”

She giggled. To do otherwise would be futile.

Melinda finally took a break and came to sit next to Rebecca. “How do you like the place?”

“It’s perfect.” She meant that. It was marvelous. After the disastrous incident at Miles’ home, the men had spent two days arguing and bitching and complaining about their living arrangement. No matter how they sliced it, staying in either Sojourn or Cambridge for the long haul was a crappy idea.

Finally, Mimi had come through for them. Calm as can be, the older shaman put her hands on her hips and glared at the men one afternoon after serving them all lunch. “Stop this. I have the solution.”

Miles had rolled his eyes at his grandmother.

Until she spoke again. “My mate left your mother property on the northwest corner of the reservation. It is many acres. And it belongs to you and Melinda now. You work it out with your sister. Divide it up. You build a home on the land. And you move there. Simple.” The woman had turned and left the room as though she just signed a treaty ending World War III.

Rebecca had laughed. The solution was perfect. The land was halfway between the two towns. Both men would have to commute, but only about twenty minutes in either direction.

A knock at the door shook Rebecca from her memory.

Melinda jumped up. “I’ll get it.”

They weren’t expecting anyone else until five, but Rebecca was growing used to the revolving door of guests in her new life.

Even her parents had come for a visit, and they would come again next month after the baby was born. They wouldn’t ever be privy to the fact that Rebecca’s two men were wolf shifters, but they would be involved in the human aspects of their lives.

It had been difficult to convince them to open their minds to the ménage at first, but after spending time with both Rebecca’s men, they were somewhat won-over and mollified. When they left, they did so far less stressed about the arrangement than when they arrived.

Nope, nothing would surprise her in the way of guests.

A gasp escaped Melinda’s lips before Rebecca could see who was in the doorframe. And then a silent hush fell over the entire front room.

No one moved for many long seconds.

Rebecca dipped her head to one side and then the other, but she still couldn’t see the newcomer.

Mimi was the first to move, gliding across the floor with her arms wide.

Rebecca couldn’t see her face, but she felt the emotion that filled the great room as soon as Mimi wrapped the guest in her arms and pulled her in tight. It was a woman. She was not much bigger than Mimi.

Or Melinda for that matter…

Suddenly Rebecca knew with certainty who the woman was.

“Mom?” Miles asked from across the room.

The woman lifted her face, tears streaming down. “My son.” She turned her head toward Melinda right in front of her. “My daughter.” She pulled an obviously stunned Melinda into her embrace next.

Miles nearly ran across the room to reach the women. He hugged all three of them in his huge arms.

Griffen came up beside Rebecca and took her hand to help her up. “Looks like our celebration just took a turn for the better.”

•●•

Thirty minutes later, Rebecca was still dazed and confused. The women in Miles’ family all talked over each other so rapidly it was hard to follow.

And Joyce hadn’t arrived alone. Her mate was with her. He hung back on the front porch initially, unsure what sort of welcome he might find and allowing his mate to reunite with her family first.

Gene Hamilton was kind and easy-going. He hardly spoke, but his smile attested to the fact he was used to his mate steamrolling through life with her tiny frame and huge heart.

“So, you’ve been living near Gene’s family?” Miles asked. He had his arm around Rebecca where they sat on one of the couches. Griffen was at her other side.

“Yes, son. About a hundred miles west of here.” Joyce sat on a large plush footstool right in front of Miles. She took his free hand and squeezed it for the millionth time. “Twenty-seven years. I can’t believe how tall you are.” A new tear fell onto her cheek, and she wiped it with the wad of tissues she held constantly.

Melinda leaned into her mother from her perch on the footstool with her.

“Nearly three decades and you were so close,” Mimi repeated for the third time. The woman sat in an armchair at an angle that faced everyone.

Joyce nodded. “I couldn’t take the chance. I never wanted to put any of you in harm’s way. As long as any of the six elders who chased me off were still living, I refused to put you in jeopardy. They were deadly serious when they told me and Gene we could either split up or leave the reservation never to return. If either of us was ever seen in the vicinity, they promised to murder all three of you.”

Her voice shook as she sniffled again. “I was pregnant already. And I knew Mimi would take good care of you. After all, she raised me to be a strong, independent woman. It was the toughest decision I’ve ever made, but there was no choice, really. They wouldn’t allow me to even say good-bye. We left with the clothes on our back and barely enough money to make the trip to Gene’s birthplace. When I heard that jackass Randal hung himself in the county jail last week, I knew it was time.”

“I still can’t believe it,” Melinda whispered, running her fingers up and down her mother’s arm. “Grandma knew you were mated and pregnant when you left. She only told us last year.”

Joyce nodded, setting her hand on her mate’s where he stood behind her in a protective stance that made Rebecca smile. He was a good man. She knew it in her heart.