Unexpected Mates

Red Moon Shifters - Book One

Grace Brennan

Copyright 2017 © Grace Brennan

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to, or downloaded from file sharing sites or distributed in any other way via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of Grace Brennan.

Cover Photography & Model: Nathan Hainline.

Cover Design: Wicked Women Designs

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Coming Soon

Prologue

Parker Leighton sat in her car, hands gripping the steering wheel, staring at the worn building in front of her. It was a Friday night in small town Wyoming, which meant Crazy Pete’s, the only bar in town, was hopping tonight. There had been a steady stream of people going in and out, laughing, chatting, and looking like they were having the time of their lives.

The last thing she wanted to do was go in there. She didn’t have a choice, though, if she didn’t want to hear about it from her sister. Tiffany would never forgive Parker if she drove home like she was longing to do.

Parker shivered despite the warm air blowing from the vents. She loved her sister, but Tiffany wasn’t the problem. Tiffany’s friends were, along with the crippling social anxiety Parker always felt around crowds and people she didn’t know. Her phone dinged and she reluctantly looked at the screen, already knowing who it would be.

Where the hell are you? Get to Pete’s. It’s my bachelorette party!

Parker closed her eyes and sighed before putting her phone in her pocket and reluctantly shoving the car door open. A shiver wracked her body and she pulled her flimsy coat around her body tighter. It was March and still freezing, and Parker had been in California for the past six years, so she wasn’t used to cold like this anymore.

She took a deep breath, wishing more than anything that she was still in warm and sunny San Diego. She hadn’t missed the cold. Really, she hadn’t missed much at all of Eagle Creek since she’d escaped for college.

Chiding herself for stalling even more, Parker made her way through the parking lot and walked inside Pete’s. She froze just inside the doorway. Loud country music was blaring from the jukebox and almost every table and barstool was taken, full of people in various stages of sobriety who were talking and laughing.

She spotted her sister just as Tiffany jumped up and made her way over to where Parker was standing. “What took you so long?” Tiffany shouted to be heard over the noise.

Not bothering to answer Tiffany as she was pulled toward a table in the back, Parker concentrated on her breathing, trying to calm herself down. She spotted Tiffany’s friends at the table, but it was the sight of Hannah and Wendy that made Parker’s blood run cold.

For a moment, she was instantly transported back to high school. Plain Parker. Parker the pig. Parker tried to shut out the memories of the names they’d used to call her, but it was hard.

We’re not in high school anymore. We’re grown women now. It’s going to be okay.

Parker had almost convinced herself of that when she heard Wendy say her name to Hannah, and they both started giggling.

Parker sat down stiffly and accepted the margarita Tiffany shoved her way. She took a cautious sip. She wasn’t a drinker, but maybe tonight she’d embrace it. That might be the only way she’d get through the evening.

An hour later, Parker was on the tipsy side, as relaxed as she could be at Pete’s, and ignoring Tiffany’s friends as much as she was able. She was circling her straw slowly through her second drink, trying to space out, when she heard Wendy gasp.

“It’s him. Tyler MacKeltar is here,” Wendy said, her voice excited.

Parker’s head whipped up and she was unable to stop herself from looking around the room. It took no time at all for her to spot him, standing by the bar. Her breath caught in her throat. Tyler looked different, yet still the same, all at once. He was as tall as she remembered him being, but more muscled and tatted up now. Lord, he was huge. Parker was on the shorter side, and she knew he would dwarf her if they were to stand side by side. He was only wearing a t-shirt, despite the colder weather, and the thin material was clinging to him like a second skin. He had tattoos going down both arms, and she watched as he reached a hand up, his biceps bulging as he ran his fingers through his long sandy brown hair.

She was still staring at him, unable to look away, when she heard Hannah and Wendy sniggering. “Looks like porky Parker still has a crush on Tyler.”

Parker flushed and pulled her gaze away from Tyler, glancing at the girls before looking back at her drink. That was her cue to get out of here. She stood up unsteadily and made her way to where Tiffany was standing by the jukebox, giving her a hug and telling her she was heading back to their parent’s house.

She made her way to the door, unable to keep herself from glancing once more in Tyler’s direction as she passed by him. He was  looking right at her, and Parker stumbled as she met his chocolate brown eyes. He shot a hand out, grabbing her arm to steady her, and Parker sucked in a breath as an electric shock moved through her body from the contact.

Unable to meet his gaze, Parker pulled away and  rushed for the door. She went outside and moved toward her car, stopping to take deep breaths of the cold air.

He’d touched her. Tyler MacKeltar had touched her.

“Are you okay?”

Parker jumped and shrieked at the deep voice behind her. Whirling around, she stared open mouthed at Tyler. Shutting her mouth when he cocked an eyebrow, she managed to croak out, “I’m alright.”

He studied her for a moment. “You look familiar.”

“I’m Parker. I grew up around here,” Parker replied, unable to believe her voice was coming out relatively steady and she wasn’t stumbling over her words like she usually did.

She shifted uncomfortably when he continued to gaze at her. “Are you leaving? I mean, are you okay to drive? You seemed pretty unsteady on your feet in there,” Tyler finally said.

Parker fought back her blush. “I haven’t had much to drink. I’m just clumsy.”

The corner of Tyler’s mouth kicked up. “Still, maybe you shouldn’t go just yet. Come sit with me for a bit, sober up some more.”

Parker’s breath caught and she forced herself to nod.

What followed was the most amazing night of her life.

They sat and chatted on a bench outside of Pete’s for a while, before her shivers got the best of her, and then they moved to Tyler’s truck. When she told him that she was for sure sober, he hesitated before leaning over in the truck cab, saying he had to kiss her before she left.

He pulled back after kissing her thoroughly, both of their chests heaving, Parker feeling like her whole body was alive and tingling.

And when he told her he wasn’t ready for the night to end and asked her to leave with him, Parker felt herself agreeing. The whole night feeling like a dream.

She left him sleeping in the early morning hours, walking back to Pete’s to get her car. She needed to get some sleep before she had to be up for her sister’s wedding, and then she was flying home right after the reception.

She hadn’t wanted to come home this weekend, hadn’t wanted to go to Pete’s tonight. But she was so glad she had. It really had been the best night of her life.

Chapter One

Tyler MacKeltar glared at his brother Chase. “I have work to do tonight. I don’t have time to go to Pete’s.”

Chase kicked back in his chair and propped his boots on Ty’s desk. “Come on,” he said, ignoring Tyler’s warning growl. “It’s been months since you’ve gone out. All you do is work.”

Ty sighed, exasperated. “Red Moon is doing better, Chase, but that’s because we’ve all been working so hard. We can’t start slacking now.”

“We also don’t need to burn ourselves out any more than we already have, Ty. Come on, let’s go out. Just for a couple hours.”

Ty looked around the office, taking in all of the worn furnishings, the old and scarred desk, the ancient desktop that he’d turned on fifteen minutes ago and was still waiting on to boot up fully. The farm was finally out of the red, and they weren’t in danger of losing it anymore. But they still had a way to go before they were back to where they’d been before their deadbeat asshole dad pissed their livelihood away.

They’d been working twelve to fourteen hour days for years, but they were getting somewhere. Finally. He didn’t want to take a break when they were making progress. Although the last time they’d gone out had done Ty a world of good.

Or maybe that had been Parker. Beautiful Parker, whose last name he’d never gotten. Beautiful Parker, who he’d never been seen again after that night, although he’d looked. She’d managed to soothe the wolf inside him, and he’d wanted more of that.

It had been four months, though, and he hadn’t found one trace of her. He was starting to think he’d dreamed her.

Not a dream, his wolf piped up inside him.

Abruptly aware of the silence in the room, he looked up to find his brother studying him. “What’s up with you lately, Ty? Sometimes you seem different.”

Resisting the urge to shift uneasily in his seat, Ty shook his head at Chase. “Nothing’s different, pup. All right, let’s go to Pete’s.”

A triumphant grin lit Chase’s face as they both stood up. Normally Ty would have smacked it off Chase’s face, but right now, he wanted to get out of here and turn Chase’s attention away from him. Besides, he thought as they walked outside, maybe tonight would be the night he got lucky and ran into the curvy little human again. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to so badly, except for the fact that that night four months ago had been amazing. He’d slept with his share of women in his lifetime, but none had ever felt like she had. That, and the fact that she had managed to shut his wolf up for the first time in years, was heady stuff.

An hour later, Ty was settled onto a bar stool in his usual spot at the corner of the bar with Chase and Garret, one of their farm hands. He spun the beer bottle on the table before taking a sip. He used to wish he could get drunk like a human. For years, he’d longed to be able to do it. He didn’t now, though, and he wasn’t sure exactly what the change was. He just knew he’d been feeling more solid than he had in a long time.

“Sam called before we left,” Garret said.

Ty looked over at the normally quiet fox shifter. Garret had changed, too. He used to be lively, always with a smile, more like a teenager than a man. Some hard shit had gone down last fall that had forced Garret to grow up fast. Now Garret was quiet and broody, not at all like the Garret he used to be. Ty was happy to see him grow up a bit, but he wished it hadn’t come at the expense of Garret’s naturally happy personality. He was more like Ty now, and that wasn’t anything Ty would wish on anyone.

“What’d he want?” Ty asked. Sam was Garret’s brother and worked at Red Moon, although he lived on Bear Claw Ranch now. He was mated to Kendall Montgomery, one of the owners of the ranch.

“Said Adara had her babies. Twin girls, both dragons.”

Ty absorbed that information, waiting on the jealousy and resentment to hit him. It was there, but it wasn’t overwhelming, which surprised him. He’d hated Jared Montgomery for years, and when Jared mated Adara, the burning resentment had threatened to suffocate Ty. Learning Adara was pregnant had been even worse. Jared had always managed to have it all. First Cassie, who Tyler had loved, then finding another mate when Cassie died. The pregnancy had just been the icing on the shitcake.

Which made it all the more surprising that hearing about the babies’ births didn’t make Tyler want to turn wolf and kill shit.

“Good for them. It was a long shot that she could even get pregnant, and then she not only had twins, but had girls, too? That’s pretty much a miracle,” he said quietly.

Silence met his pronouncement and he looked up to find Garret and Chase both looking at him like he’d suddenly grown a second head. Gripping his beer more tightly and fighting not to sound defensive, Ty said, “What?”

Chase shook his head. “Like I said. Different. You’re almost being nice,” Chase said in disgust.

“I’m not fucking nice,” Ty replied, voice hard. “I don’t like Jared Montgomery, but I have nothing against Adara.”

Shooting him a skeptical look, Chase took a swig of his beer. “Because she’d sooner eat you than look at you. Can’t step a foot wrong with that one.”

Lips quirking involuntarily, Ty fought to hide his amusement. Adara was a dragon shifter, and the first time he’d met her, he’d been in Jared’s face. Adara had threatened to eat him if he didn’t back off. Even drowning in resentment over Jared finding a new mate after Cassie, Ty had been amused. He didn’t doubt she’d do it, either, and Ty had nothing but respect for Adara for that. She was fierce, and he appreciated that quality.

Leaning onto the bar, Ty listened with half an ear to Chase and Garret as he absentmindedly ran his gaze over the bar. Pete’s had been around forever, first established in the 1800’s as a saloon and whorehouse. He honestly didn’t think much had changed since then, either, other than the fact that the upstairs wasn’t open for business anymore. There was a jukebox in the front and pool tables in the back, but everything else looked pretty authentic. His eyes passed over Hannah and Wendy, girls he’d known in high school, and he silently cursed as they headed toward the bar.

It seemed like every time he was here, they were too. He half suspected they lived here. They were making their way toward him, Chase, and Garret, teetering in high heels and wearing the shortest skirts he’d ever seen. Ty supposed they were hot, objectively speaking, but he’d never been attracted to them, and their personalities made it a certainty that he never would.

Vipers, the both of them. They’d been the mean girls in high school, and not much had changed.

He nodded hello to them when they stopped by the bar, but he didn’t speak and continued to let his gaze roam the room. Until Hannah said a name that perked his ears up.

“Ugh, what is Parker doing here? And what the hell is she wearing?”

Wendy giggled. “And look. She’s staring at Ty like a moon struck calf. Or should I say cow?”

Ty wasn’t listening to them, though. Because he’d spotted Parker, standing uncertainly by the door. His breath left his body in a whoosh. She was as gorgeous as he remembered. Loose black curls tumbled over her shoulders, and her pale skin looked creamy even in the harsh light of the bar. He couldn’t see her eyes because of the distance between them, but he knew behind the black frames of the glasses she was wearing that they were a pale, light grayish-blue color. She was wearing leggings and a baggy shirt, but he knew underneath those that she had curves for days, with a generously shaped hourglass body.

He watched as she nervously adjusted her glasses, looking around the bar before her eyes landed on him. She stilled, staring at him, and then seemed to blanch as she took note of the girls standing by him.

Ty wanted to get up and go to her, but his body was frozen and he was still trying desperately to suck much needed oxygen into his body. She was really here, and her presence hit his body like a hurricane, the force of it stunning him to stillness. What was this hold she had on him? He didn’t know, and he suddenly wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

Chapter Two

Parker couldn’t stop staring at Tyler. She told herself to move but she couldn’t get her body to respond to her commands. He was gorgeous, sitting there on the barstool looking at her like she was a cold glass of water and he was a man stuck in the desert.

She’d never had a man look at her like that before, and the fact that Tyler MacKeltar was doing it was blowing her mind. She needed to get it together, though. She needed a clear mind for the night ahead.

Parker finally managed to tear her gaze away from him, and her heart sank like a stone when she saw that Hannah and Wendy were standing next to him. Hannah was smirking at her, and as she watched, Wendy leaned in and said something in Ty’s ear, causing him to tear his gaze from Parker and look at Wendy.

Parker could only imagine what Wendy was saying to him. Parker’s confidence, already almost nonexistent, withered away a little more. There was nothing she wanted to do more at this point than run, but she couldn’t. She’d agonized over the decision to come back to Eagle Creek, and then once she’d made up her mind, she’d driven two days to get here. She was exhausted, mentally and physically, but this had to be done.

Just maybe not now.

Calling herself a coward, Parker steeled herself and moved toward Tyler, nerves threatening to overwhelm her. She’d say hello and then beat a path back to her hotel room, where she could hide in peace.

She took in Hannah and Wendy, looking supermodel gorgeous, both currently alternating between smirks and glares at Parker. Chase and a man Parker didn’t know seemed to be with the group. Chase gave her a wave and she smiled at him in return. Chase had been in her grade in school, and while they’d never been friends, he’d always been friendly. Parker hadn’t run in the same circles as the MacKeltars or her sister and her friends. They’d always been the popular kids, and Parker had been the more than chubby nerd with books as her only friends, besides Tiffany.

Parker reached the bar, trying her best to focus on Ty and ignore the others. She took a deep breath, trying to dispel some of her nerves and not stutter like a fool.

“Hey, Tyler,” she said, her voice coming out so soft, she wasn’t sure if he’d hear her over the jukebox.

“Parker,” Tyler replied, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine. He shot a glance at the others before turning slightly away from them. “I was hoping I’d see you again.”

He had been? Parker felt a flush spreading as her body warmed. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. “I don’t come back to Eagle Creek often.” Shooting a glance at the rest of the group, who all seemed to be avidly trying to listen while pretending they weren’t, Parker moved a little closer to Ty. “I was hoping we could talk sometime soon. Maybe tomorrow?”

Ty studied Parker for a moment while she squirmed. Finally, a small smile spread across his face, changing his features completely. His face was usually set in harsh lines; even when they were in high school, he’d seemed serious and a little bit angry. She’d never seen him smile much, and the softness the smile added to his features was enough to steal her breath.

“I’d like that,” he said. “Maybe we could grab dinner? Let me give you my number, and we’ll set up a time.”

Ignoring the glare she was receiving from Wendy, Parker pulled her phone out of her purse and handed it to Tyler, watching as he put his number in. He called his phone before handing it back. “So I have your number, too.”

Parker put her phone up and gave him a tremulous smile. She’d gotten what she wanted. Time to get out of here. “Thanks, Ty. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Parker turned without looking at the rest of the group, making her way out of the bar. Once outside, she slumped against the wall of the bar, trembling and breathing deeply. That hadn’t been so bad. She would have rather spoken to him without Hannah and Wendy glaring at her the whole time, but she’d done it.

She took a moment to calm her racing heart before she started the walk back to the hotel. It was July and a nice night, still a little on the cool side but she liked it. No one knew she was back in town yet, not even her sister or parents, so she was staying at Eagle Creek’s lone hotel. She let herself back into the room and set her purse on the small table before sitting on the bed.

She hoped Ty kept his word and called her tomorrow, although she was still nervous about seeing him again. That was nothing new, though. People always made her nervous. Except she hadn’t really been, that night four months ago. She still wasn’t sure if it had been the alcohol in her system or just magic in the air, but she’d been able to talk to Ty like she was rarely able to talk to anyone.

Talking wasn’t all they’d done, though.

Flushing with the remembered heat of that night, Parker put a hand on her stomach and took a deep breath. For a long time, that night had felt like a dream. She’d had a major crush on Tyler when she was in school, but he’d never even known she existed until that night in Crazy Pete’s. And then suddenly, it was like all they had been able to see was each other.

Ty had been her first, and he didn’t even know it.

Parker’s phone dinged and she sighed, reaching for her purse. It was probably a work thing. Being a graphic designer allowed her to work from home, which she needed to keep her social anxiety at bay, but it also meant that work followed her everywhere.

She pulled her phone out and froze when she saw it was a text message from Ty. He’d texted her. And he hadn’t even waited until tomorrow, like she’d asked. She took a trembling breath and opened the message.

I’m really glad you came in tonight-Ty

A smile crept over Parker’s face as she leaned against the headboard, getting comfortable.

I’m glad I came, too-Parker

She grimaced as she hit the send button. Couldn’t she say something interesting for once in her life? Her phone dinged again almost immediately.

I’ve been looking for you. I didn’t know your last name-Ty

Parkers breath caught. He’d looked for her later? She felt a glow take her body. They hadn’t spoken of personal stuff, only life in general, so he hadn’t known she didn’t live here anymore. She quickly texted out a reply.

You have? My last name is Leighton-Parker

She stared at the screen, the anticipation making her almost dizzy. She’d slept with Ty, and yet here she was, giddy over texting with him.

Ever since you disappeared from my bed. It’s a small town, but I haven’t caught a glimpse of you-Ty

I’ve been living in California-Parker

There was a long pause after that, and she couldn’t help getting a bit nervous. Maybe—her thought was cut off as her phone dinged again.

Cali, huh? I hope you’re staying longer than a night this visit-Ty

Parker couldn’t help the slow smile that spread across her face at that.

It all depends. Maybe-Parker

On what?-Ty

Parker sighed. It depended on him, but she couldn’t tell him that in a text.

A lot of things-Parker

We’re about to head home and I need to drive. Meet at the diner at 6 tomorrow night?-Ty

That works-Parker

See you then. Don’t disappear on me again-Ty

I won’t. See you tomorrow-Parker

Parker sat the phone down, unable to keep the smile off of her face. It was crazy that she’d had sex with him and still felt this giddy over texts and the prospect of seeing him tomorrow, but she couldn’t help it.

Her smile dimmed as she pushed herself off of the bed and started getting ready to sleep. She just hoped he could accept what she needed to tell him tomorrow. She wanted to keep this feeling for as long as she could.

Chapter Three

Tyler pulled into the diner and parked his truck. He fidgeted with his keys for a moment before blowing out an exasperated breath. He couldn’t believe he was actually feeling nervous. He didn’t think he’d ever felt nervous before in his life. No one would believe it of him, and his brother would laugh his ass off if he could see him now.

Not even asking Cassie to choose him had made him nervous.

Tyler got out of the truck and shut the door, frowning. He’d thought about Cassie without his wolf going mad. That was probably a first. His wolf hadn’t been able to bear the thought of her for years, and yet now he was quiet inside him.

Shaking off the weirdness of that feeling, Tyler headed inside, quickly running his eyes over the diner. Parker wasn’t here yet, but he was about ten minutes early. He headed for a booth in a deserted corner of the diner, wanting as much privacy as he could get. He sat down and waved off the waitress, telling her he was waiting on someone.

He readjusted the menu in front of him, toying with the edges, waiting impatiently for Parker. He wasn’t sure how he felt about all of this. He wanted to see her again, had wanted it for four months, but the strangeness of his reactions was throwing him off.

Ty glanced up as the bell over the door tinkled, and felt his breath stall in his chest. Parker was just walking in, pale cheeks slightly flushed, curls bouncing around her face. She scanned the diner and a soft smile lit upon her face when she saw him. He watched her as she walked toward the booth, sandals clicking on the tile. She was wearing leggings and another baggy shirt and he suddenly longed to rip the clothes from her, to see her body again. He didn’t understand why she covered it up. She was gorgeous.

He stood up as she reached the booth. He had to remind himself to breathe when he got a look at her smile up close, another first for him.

“Hi,” she breathed as she slid into the booth, light colored eyes shining at him from behind her glasses.

Ty cleared his throat as he got back in the booth. “I’m glad you came.”

Parker laughed a bit. “Well, it was my idea.”

Ty grinned. “Yeah, well, you disappeared on me last time, so I wasn’t sure.”

Parker flushed and Ty stared at the pink on her cheeks, entranced.

Entranced?

What the hell was wrong with him?

The waitress came over to their table to get their drink orders, and both of them went ahead and ordered their dinner. Tyler frowned at Parker as the waitress walked away. “Just a salad? You should eat a real meal. Some red meat or something. Keep that figure up.”

Parker stared at him, black eyebrows high on her face. “Um… thanks? I like salad, though.”

Ty shook his head. If she stayed in town for longer this time, he’d make sure she ate some real food. He paused for a moment, surprised at that thought. He’d been telling himself that he just wanted to get her in his bed again, but if that was the case, why was he worrying about what she did or didn’t eat?

Maybe he shouldn’t see her again after tonight. Everything about his reactions to her were making him uncomfortable.

“You okay, Ty?” Parker asked softly.

Forcing a smile, he replied, “I’m fine. So California, huh? What made you decide to go there?”

Parker eyed him for a moment before answering. “I went for college, and just ended up staying after I graduated. When I left here, I couldn’t wait to get out, so I jumped at the chance to stay in San Diego.”

Ty felt warring emotions tighten his chest. She didn’t like it here? Why did that make him sad and relieved, all at once? “So you probably won’t be staying long this visit either, huh?” He asked, fighting to keep any emotion out of his voice.

He must not have succeeded because he saw a flash of disappointment pass through Parker’s eyes. Shit, he thought as they paused the discussion while the waitress sat their orders down. He was screwing this all up. What the hell was the matter with him?

Parker took a sip of her water before picking up her fork, picking at her salad. “I’m a graphic designer and I work from home, actually. I can be gone as long as I want, but I think I’ll end up heading back soon, after all.”

Tyler forced his meatloaf down past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Why did he feel like that was a decision she’d just made, and all because of his reactions in the last few minutes?

He’d just opened his mouth to reply when Wendy and Hannah walked inside, spotting them and headed in their direction. He bit back a groan as they stopped at the booth.

Hannah looked uncomfortable, but Wendy put a hand on Tyler’s shoulder and leaned in. “I was hoping I’d see you today, Ty,” she purred. She caressed his shoulder, uncaring that he was sitting stiffly under her hand. Wendy glanced at Parker, and her tone hardened. “Did you accost poor Ty in here, Parker? You should have let him eat in peace while he waited for me. At least you’re only eating a salad. Just don’t follow that up with a slice of cake, and you might make a little progress.”

Ty scowled at Wendy, but before he could say anything, Parker was opening her wallet and putting some money on the table. “This was a mistake,” she said softly. “Thanks for meeting me here, Ty. I think I’m going to head home, though. You guys enjoy your evening.”

Before he could protest, Parker was out of the booth and heading for the door. Wendy slid into Parker’s side, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. “Now that she’s out of here, we can have some fun. Want to go to Pete’s with me tonight, Ty?”

Ty stared at Wendy in disbelief, as Hannah hovered and shifted uncomfortably. “What the fuck was that, Wendy? You just interrupted my date and ran Parker off.”

Wendy blinked and then laughed, bright pink lipstick shining in the lights from the diner. “Oh, Tyler. That’s hilarious. You don’t have to pretend and play nice, though. Parker’s gone; she won’t hear it. You can tell the truth now.”

Ty angrily gathered up the money Parker had dropped and slid from the booth so he could pay the bill. He needed to catch up with Parker, and he needed to get away from Wendy. His wolf was riled up and in ‘kill shit’ mode, and the way Tyler was feeling, he didn’t even want to control him.

Hannah backed up nervously as Ty stood up. “I wanted to be here, Wendy, and not that it’s any of your business, but it really was a date. A date you crashed and ruined. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from Parker from now on. If I find out you’ve harassed her or talked to her again like you just did, you won’t like the consequences.”

Stalking away, Ty hurried to pay the bill and then rushed to the door. He looked around but couldn’t find Parker, and he was getting nervous as he headed to his truck. Climbing inside, he started the engine and pulled out, not sure where to start looking for her. He didn’t know where her parents lived.

He was passing the hotel when he caught sight of Parker walking to a door. Frowning, he pulled in the parking lot. He thought she said she was going home. Parking, he jumped out of the truck, calling her name. She stiffened and turned in surprise as he jogged over to her.

“You shouldn’t have left. Or at least waited until I paid the bill, and let me leave with you. Why are you here? I thought you were going home.”

Parker studied him for a moment, face inscrutable, before she sighed. “I’m staying here while I’m in town. When I said home, I meant California. I’m going to go home in the morning.”

Ty stiffened as his wolf panicked. He rubbed at his chest, wondering what the hell was wrong with the animal. Maybe the last few years really had broken him.

“I didn’t think you’d been in town that long,” Ty said, fighting to sound normal.

She sighed again and studied him for a few moments before answering. “I haven’t. Look, we need to talk. Will you come inside for a few minutes?”

Frowning, Ty nodded and then followed her into her room. Whatever she wanted to say, it didn’t sound like it would be good. She’d said she wanted to talk when he’d seen her last night, come to think of it, but he’d been so focused on seeing her again that he hadn’t given it much thought.

He walked into the slightly shabby room, unable to keep his mind from flashing back to four months ago, when he and Parker had rented a room exactly like this one in the hotel. His body reacted to the thought, and he fought to push the memories back as Parker turned and gestured for him to sit in the single chair by the bed. He did so, frowning as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, twisting her fingers together nervously.

“What’s up, Parker?”

She glanced up at him, looking like she was fighting with herself, before she took a deep breath and blurted out, “I’m pregnant.”

Parker watched, her stomach a nauseous ball of nerves, as Ty paled, staring at her like he’d just seen ghost.

She frowned as he sat frozen. He didn’t even look like he was breathing. “Ty? Maybe you should put your head between your knees or something.”

That seemed to snap him out of it and he shot to his feet, pacing the small room. “Pregnant? You’re pregnant?” He swallowed hard. “It’s mine?”

Parker fought the hurt that crashed over her at that question. He didn’t know her, not really. He didn’t even know that he had been her first.

“Yes, it’s yours. I have no doubts about that.”

Ty nodded absentmindedly, continuing to pace a path over the worn carpet. The silence stretched out, making Parker more and more uncomfortable. Telling him hadn’t been easy. A big part of her hadn’t even wanted to come back here at all, but she wouldn’t have been able to live with herself if she’d never told him. Plus, there were things she needed to know to raise his child.

“Look, Ty, I don’t expect anything from you. I just thought you should know. Nothing has to change. I’ll go back to California, you can go back to your farm, and things stay the same.”

Tyler stopped pacing and glared at Parker, his chocolate brown eyes darkening to black. “What the hell do you mean, nothing has to change? You’re pregnant, Parker! With my child! Everything will change, and if you think--.”

Tyler abruptly cut himself off as Parker bolted off the bed, making a beeline for the bathroom, her nausea finally getting the best of her. Stress made it worse, as well as lack of food. That’s what she got for skipping lunch and then not eating at the diner. She’d found that she didn’t get sick as often if she ate small meals throughout the day.

Shutting the door, she knelt in front of the toilet, heaving and trying to breathe through it. She jumped when she felt hands gathering her hair back from her face. She hadn’t even heard him follow her in. She fought a blush as her stomach revolted again. This wasn’t exactly how she’d wanted this to go, and she was suddenly grateful that she hadn’t managed to eat anything earlier. How embarrassing would this be if she was actually throwing up?

“You shouldn’t have come in here. You don’t need to see this,” she gasped out just before her stomach heaved again.

“Doesn’t bother me,” Ty replied, holding her thick hair in one big hand and rubbing circles on her back with the other.

After what felt like a small eternity, Parker’s stomach finally settled down and she leaned back. Ty scooted back and leaned against the counter, studying her as she avoided his gaze.

“Sorry about that. It hits unexpectedly sometimes. Well, every time, really.”

Ty waved her words off. “Are you feeling better then?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine now. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Ty shoved up onto his feet and held a hand out to her. “Let’s get out of the bathroom, then.”

Parker hesitated and then placed her hand in his, letting him help her to her feet. They walked back into the room and Parker had just taken her seat when her stomach growled, long and loud. Blushing, she put her hand to her stomach.

“Sorry. I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” she told him, avoiding looking at his face.

“Since breakfast?” Ty rumbled back at her, voice filled with disbelief. “Dammit, Parker, you’re pregnant. You’re eating for two now!”

Parker stole a peek at him, surprised. “I was nervous. It was hard enough to eat breakfast.”

Ty glowered at her for a moment. “I’ll go get you something. Wait, you’re feeling sick. Maybe I can get some crackers or something. Crackers are okay, right?”

“I’m not feeling sick anymore, but I can eat later.”

“The hell you will. You need food now. What sounds good?”

“Pizza!” She blurted enthusiastically, blushing when her voice came out too loud.

Ty smiled at her, a genuine smile that reached his eyes and stole her breath. “Pizza it is, then. I’ll go grab one. What toppings?”

“Just cheese is fine for me,” Parker replied, keeping her voice at normal volume this time.

“I’ll be right back,” Ty said, heading for the door. “And we’ll talk when I get back.”

He left the room without another word, and Parker flopped back onto the bed, filled with nerves again. How would he react when he got back? As hungry as she suddenly was, she couldn’t help hoping he would take his time. She wanted to delay the coming conversation for as long as she could.

Chapter Four

Tyler walked slowly down the street to Eagle Creek’s only pizza joint, mind in turmoil. Parker was pregnant. With his baby. Nothing could have shocked him more. When she’d said she wanted to talk, that had been the last thing on his mind. No, it hadn’t even been on his mind at all.

A baby. A pup.

Shit. How was he going to tell Parker that she carried a wolf shifter baby inside of her? His mind flashed back to Cassie’s reaction when she got pregnant with Jared’s child, and Ty broke out in a cold sweat as fear filled him. He never admitted to fear, but he was admitting it now. It couldn’t be avoided, though. He’d have to tell her eventually.

He pushed all of that out of his mind. He couldn’t think about that right now or he’d go crazy, and he was already on the verge. He opened the door of the pizza joint, going up to the counter to order two pizzas, a cheese for Parker and a pepperoni for himself. He could eat a large pizza by himself, and Parker had been so enthusiastic about the prospect of pizza that he wanted her to have her own.

A smile curved Ty’s lips as he thought about her reaction. He wondered if she was craving pizza. Was it too early for cravings? He didn’t know. He knew less than nothing about pregnancy or expecting women. He guessed he’d find out, though.

His smile disappeared as he remembered her telling him she was going back to California tomorrow. The hell she was. He didn’t know how he felt about having a child, but he knew he wanted to be there. For her and for the pup. He wasn’t going to be a deadbeat like his own father had been.

Tyler felt his wolf stir in his chest, finally coming out of the daze he’d been in since Parker had announced her news. The animal was snarling at the thought of Parker leaving, and not only because she was carrying his pup. Ty felt his eyebrows twitch at the possessiveness the wolf was exhibiting over Parker. What the hell did that mean?

He was distracted from those thoughts when the guy at the counter called his name. He picked up the pizzas and walked back to the hotel, moving faster this time. He didn’t want Parker’s pizza to get cold.

Ty got back to her room in record time, knocking on the door and waiting impatiently while she answered it. She opened the door with a hesitant smile, eyes widening when she saw the two large pizzas in his hands.

“Are we having company?” She asked, letting him in the room.

He put the pizzas on the table and then indicated for her to take the chair so she’d be more comfortable while she ate. He’d take the bed.

“No, one of them is for me. I’m pretty hungry,” he replied.

She flushed as she opened the pizza boxes and then grabbed a slice of cheese. “I’m sorry. You should have eaten while you were at the diner.”

Ty took a bite of his pizza before he answered. “Who could eat with those witches there? Besides, you’d left. Why did you, by the way?”

Parker gave startled laugh when he called Wendy and Hannah witches. “I might have called them something different,” she said with a wry laugh. “I left mostly because they showed up. They’ve never been nice to me, as you could probably see, and I wasn’t in the mood to listen to any more insults. Wendy can get vicious.”

Tyler nodded his agreement, and they ate in silence for a little while before Parker spoke again.

“Plus, you were… different at the diner. You seemed like you didn’t want to be there.”

Tyler swallowed his last bite of pizza hard before looking up at Parker. Her eyes were cast down and she wouldn’t look up and meet his gaze. “Sometimes I… feel things for you, Parker. I’m not always good at handling it, and I’m not sure how soon I’ll get better.”

“Oh,” she replied softly, not saying more and continuing to look down.

Ty sighed. It was time to get into the harder discussion, now that it looked like they were both done eating. “You said you work from home?”

Brow wrinkling, Parker finally looked up to meet his eyes. “Yeah. I can work from anywhere as long as I have my laptop. I don’t have an office I physically go to.”

He took a deep breath. “Then I think you should stay here. In Eagle Creek. At Red Moon, preferably.”

Parker stared at Tyler, knowing her mouth was hanging open but unable to close it. “You want me to stay at Red Moon?”

Tyler’s chocolate brown eyes met hers. “Yes. I want you close.”

Parker’s heart leapt at those words before she reminded herself that he was saying them because of the baby. Not because of her. “Tyler… you don’t have to do this. You will always be welcome in our child’s life, no matter where I live.”

He frowned. “I want to be in our baby’s life, Parker. No,” he said when she started to interrupt. “I wouldn’t really be in it if you lived all the way in California. I wouldn’t get to see the p--baby often at all. Just... stay. Stay at least until we figure this out.”

Parker frowned over the stutter in his voice when he said baby and then dismissed it. “Okay. I’ll stay for a while. But that doesn’t mean I need to stay at Red Moon. I could stay at my parent’s house for a while.”

Ty shook his head, eyes never leaving hers. “I’d rather have you at the farm. We could spend some time together, get to really know each other. We need to do that, anyway, if we’re going to raise a child together. You can have your own room, and we can just get to know each other. Be friends.” He swallowed hard, looking down for a moment before locking gazes with her again. “I need you close. It’s important to me. Please. Stay at Red Moon.”

Parker got lost in his gaze for a moment, pushing aside the disappointment she felt at hearing him say she could have her own bedroom and they’d just be friends. This was about so much more than her and her silly dreams.

Her hand dropped to her belly. This was about their child, and doing what was best for him or her. There was no denying that having both parents around was in the baby’s best interest.

“Okay, Ty. I’ll stay at Red Moon, at least until we figure this out.”

Chapter Five

Parker pulled up to the house at Red Moon, looking around her with interest. She’d never been here before, and her breath had caught as she pulled up the driveway. It was gorgeous out here. The house was a two story traditional white farmhouse with green shutters and a red door, with a large porch gracing the front of it. There was a porch swing on one end, but otherwise it was bare. She could picture some rocking chairs on it, though, to sit and rock while watching the sunset.

There were two towering oak trees on either side of the house, and the lawn stretched for ages. A large barn sat off behind the house, along with a smaller barn and what looked like a pig pen close by. On the other side was a large equipment shed, doors open with an array of farm implements inside that she didn’t know the names of.

She got out of the car, gazing at the land, taking it all in again. There wasn’t much in the way of flowers or decorations, but it really didn’t need it. It was beautiful out here, the forest on one side of the house and the mountains in the distance the perfect backdrop.

Parker jumped as her name was called. Turning, she saw Chase coming toward her from the big barn, a puzzled smile on his face.

“Hey! What are you doing out this way?”

Parker bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to say. Ty obviously hadn’t filled his brother in, and she didn’t know how to respond. “Hey, Chase. How are you?”

Before he could respond, Ty’s deep voice came from the house. Thank God, because that had had the potential to go awkward fast.

“Parker! Glad you made it.” Walking to the car, Ty told his brother, “Parker’s going to be staying here for a while.”

“Um, that’s nice,” Chase answered, clearly confused. “Glad to have you, Parker. What are you going to be doing here?”

When Ty hesitated, looking torn, Parker jumped in. “Oh, I’m staying here so I can get an in depth look at the farm. You know, for the website I’m building.”

Silence met her announcement, Ty’s lips quirking while he shot her a loaded look, and Chase looking at her like she’d suddenly grown an extra head. For some reason, Parker got the idea that he didn’t believe a word she’d said.

“Ooooookay,” Chase drawled out. “I’ll leave y’all to it. Got work to do.”

Giving Parker a salute, he shot his brother a look before turning around and heading back to the barn. Tyler turned to Parker, lips lifted in a full on smile.

“Designing us a website, huh?”

Parker had to remind herself to breathe as she took in Ty’s smile, her whole chest tightening up. “Well, I mean, it could happen,” she forced out. “And you didn’t look like you were going to answer, so…”

Ty shook his head, still smiling a bit. “Yeah, I haven’t told anyone yet. I will soon, though; don’t worry.”

“It’s okay. No rush. Tell them when you’re ready. I haven’t told anyone yet either,” Parker replied.

They stood awkwardly for a moment before Tyler clapped his hands together. “Okay, let me get your bags into the house. We’re going to have a pretty bad storm soon.”

Parker cast a puzzled look at the cloudless blue sky. “We are? I don’t see a cloud in the sky.”

Ty froze for a second before sending her a strained smile. “Um, yeah, that’s what they said on the news earlier. Do you have a lot of bags?”

Parker shook her head. “Only two, in the backseat.”

She moved forward to get her bathroom bag and Ty blocked her. “I’ve got it. You shouldn’t be lifting anything.”

She laughed. “It’s just toiletries, not a bag of bricks, Ty.”

He shook his head stubbornly. “I’ve got it. Are stairs okay? All of the bedrooms are upstairs.”

Parker laughed harder. “Stairs are fine. I promise not to trip.”

Tyler gave her an alarmed look. “That’s not funny. You said you’re clumsy. Maybe we should make you a room downstairs.”

Still chuckling, Parker reached into her car and grabbed her purse. “I’m not that bad, Ty. Besides, I live in an apartment building. I walk up and down three flights of stairs almost daily.”

“That’s a little bit terrifying,” Tyler muttered as he led her inside the house.

Parker was still smiling as they walked into the house. The front door opened up into what looked like an old fashioned sitting room. The furnishings were old and frayed, but the room itself was beautiful and everything looked to be well maintained. There was a big window to the left of the door, letting sunshine pour in, shining off of gleaming hardwood floors that were scuffed but clean, and a staircase to the right.

Tyler cleared his throat, interrupting her perusal, and he sat her bags down by the stairs. “Let me give you a tour of the downstairs before I show you to your room. The less you climb the stairs, the better,” he added under his breath.

Parker smiled slightly as she followed Ty as he walked out of the sitting room and through a wide hallway. They passed a door on the right, and he opened it to show her it was a powder room tucked under the stairway. Another doorway to the left was open, and she peeked her head in when he said it was his office.

“I’m outside most of the morning, overseeing farm hands, crops, livestock, basically all of the farm operations. Then after lunch, I come in here and work for the rest of the day,” he explained.

The room was the same as the sitting room, with mostly old, worn furniture, with an ancient looking desktop computer on an equally ancient desk, but also like the sitting room, it all looked to be taken care of.

They continued on to the back of the house, where there was a kitchen that opened into a large living room area. The living room had a comfy looking couch and chairs, and also the only modern looking furnishing she’d seen in the whole house: a large screen television. Men.

The kitchen was homey, with white cabinets and gleaming counters, the appliances in here older. Standing at the sink was an older woman with graying hair and a warm smile.

“Parker, this is Leah, our cook and housekeeper. Leah, this is Parker. She’s going to be staying here with us for a while.”

Leah came forward with a warm smile, surprising Parker when she pulled her into a hug. “It’s nice to meet you,” Leah said. “It’ll be nice to have another woman in the house for a while!”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Parker replied.

They chatted for a moment more before Ty guided Parker back through the house. “Does Leah know?” She asked him.

Ty shook his head with a smile. “No, she’s just always friendly like that. And she’s been the only woman in the house for years, so I’m sure she really meant that.”

Parker made a mental note to spend some time with the older woman while she was here. They reached the staircase, and Ty grabbed her bags before gesturing for her to go up ahead of him. She walked up the stairs, running her hand along the beautifully carved rail.

“The detail on the wood in this house is amazing!” She enthused.

They got to the top of the stairs and Ty turned to the left. “Thanks. Our great-grandfather built this house and did all the woodwork himself. He was talented.”

“He definitely was,” Parker agreed as Ty opened a door on the right and gestured her inside. Her breath caught as she looked around. It was a beautiful room, with antique furniture. All of the bedding and the curtains over the large window were decorated in pale yellow with sunset orange accents. She’d never stayed in a room so beautiful.

Ty cleared his throat as he set her bags down. “I hope you like the room. Mine is, uh, just across the hall, if you need anything. There’s a bathroom next door to the left. I have some work to do, so I’ll leave you to get settled in. Come downstairs whenever you’re ready.”

Ty left the room, and Parker put a hand on her stomach that was suddenly full of butterflies. His room was across the hall? How was she going to resist that temptation?

Tyler headed into his office, suddenly debating the wisdom of putting Parker in the room across from his. When he’d picked it, he’d only been thinking of how nice the room was. It was the best room in the house, and he wanted Parker to have the best. But how was he going to resist her being so close to him, all night long?

You don’t resist.

Ty blinked in surprise as his wolf spoke inside of him. The animal had sounded so calm, and perfectly sane. He hadn’t sounded like that in years. His wolf was usually a snarling mass inside him, uncontrollable on a good day, in danger of needing put down on most.

He didn’t recognize this wolf. He hadn’t been this relaxed since Ty was a kid and his mom was still alive. When she’d died, taking away any hint of security in Ty and Chase’s lives, his wolf had slowly become unmanageable, only the need to take care of Chase keeping him in check.

Then Chase grew up and Cassie had chosen Jared. What had really sent him over the edge, though, had been Cassie’s death. She had been the only light in an otherwise dark life, and even though she’d chosen Jared, she’d still been there. She’d still been his friend and in his life. When she died, his wolf went insane. Ty felt like he’d been a breath away from being put down for the last four years.

Mending fences with Jared, once one of his best friends, a small bit last year and courtesy of Adara not taking his shit, had helped; but he’d really thought it was only putting off the inevitable.

Then he met Parker and the constant, crushing pressure had eased up a bit. Now here she was, just up the stairs, staying in his home, carrying his pup…

And his wolf was sane, quiet, and at ease in a way Ty couldn’t remember him ever being.

He sucked in a breath as the implications hit him. Could Parker be his mate? His wolf hadn’t spoken the words, but what else could it be? He wasn’t sure there was another explanation, but finding a mate was the last thing he’d expected to happen.

His confusion was replaced with cold, hard fear as he remembered Cassie. Cassie had hated that Jared was a shifter. She wouldn’t even let anyone talk about shifters around her. And when she’d gotten pregnant, she’d freaked out, not wanting to have a shifter baby. She’d started taking foolish risks and Ty knew that Jared wondered if she’d done that on purpose, hoping to lose the baby. That’s how she’d died -- jumping a fence on her horse while she was pregnant.

Ty broke out in a cold sweat. What if Parker reacted the same way? What if she hated what Ty was? What the baby she carried was?

What if, by some miracle, she was okay with it and somehow lost the pup anyway? What if Parker lost her life trying to grow and have his child? Humans were fragile. She could get a papercut and die from infection.

Ty felt like he was going to be sick as he struggled to catch his breath.

How had Jared handled this? Adara was a shifter, true, and a dragon shifter at that, but dragons were hunted and killed often. They’d almost died out and become extinct for that reason alone. And Jared had lost a child before. How had he withstood this agonizing uncertainty?

Ty abruptly stood, sending the desk chair crashing back against the wall. There was only one way to find out.

Chapter Six

Tyler parked his truck in the driveway at Bear Claw Ranch, and then just sat there, clutching the steering wheel. Now that he was here, he was suddenly reluctant to get out. He wanted his questions answered, yes. Wanted to know how Jared had handled all of the uncertainty, how he hadn’t lost his mind with worry.

But Ty had hated Jared for years, and he had let that be known. Even after they’d come to a truce of sorts last year, he’d delighted in giving Jared hell, and it hadn’t all been innocent teasing, as he was sure Jared was aware.

How the hell was he going to approach Jared, of all people, for advice? Maybe he should re-think this.

Jared walked out of the house just then, looking at Ty’s truck in confusion. Ty let out a gust of breath and shoved his door open. Too late to turn back now.

Jared lifted a hand. “Tyler? What’s wrong?”

Ty took a deep breath as he walked up the porch to Jared. “I need to talk to you. In private.”

Jared frowned. “Come on in. We can talk in the office.”

Ty followed Jared in the house, looking around as he did and suddenly feeling nostalgic. Back when he was a kid and teenager, he’d spent almost every hour he wasn’t as school in this house. The last thing he’d ever wanted was to go home, so he’d come over here, dragging Chase with him. Ty, Jared and Jake, Jared’s twin brother, had been thick as thieves back then.

Ty sat down in the chair across the desk as Jared took his spot in his chair. The silence stretched out uncomfortably as Ty fought with what to say.

“What’s going on, Ty? Is there anything wrong?”

“I met a woman a few months ago,” Ty blurted. “I just found out she’s pregnant, and I think she might be my mate.”

Jared blinked, expressionless. Then a slow smile spread across his face, causing the scar on his cheek to catch the light. The scar that Ty had given him when Cassie died.

“Congratulations, man. That’s awesome.”

“How do you do it?” Ty replied quietly.

Jared frowned again. “Do what?”

“After Cassie… how did you get past the fear? Of losing Adara, of losing the babies?”

The confusion on Jared’s face cleared. He fidgeted with the laptop on his desk before answering. “I didn’t, not really. I was a nervous wreck every day of her pregnancy. I just did my best not to show it. Adara didn’t need the added stress of my freak out on top of everything else she was dealing with.”

Ty sighed. “That’s not really the answer I was looking for, man.”

Jared’s lips quirked. “It’s the only one I have to give you.” He looked at the desk in silence for a moment before looking back up, an uncomfortable expression on his face. “Losing Cassie would have been hard enough; losing the baby with her was unbearable. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was scared the whole nine months of Adara’s pregnancy. But it was a totally different situation. Adara is a shifter, and she wasn’t taking risks like Cassie was.”

Ty ran his hand through his hair in agitation. “Parker is human. And she doesn’t know what I am. What if… what if she reacts like Cassie did?”

Jared sighed deeply. “Not every human freaks out. Look at Ellie,” he said, speaking of Jake’s mate. “She took us being shifters very well. Not even a little freak out. Parker could be just like that.”

“What would the odds be, though? I don’t know how to tell her. I don’t even think I want to.”

Jared shook his head. “You have to, Ty. She’s carrying your child, who’s half wolf. You can’t keep it from her.”

Ty shifted, irritated. “I fucking know that,” he said crossly. “I’m just saying I don’t want to tell her, not that I won’t.”

Jared smiled slightly. “Don’t put it off until she’s in labor, either.”

Ty hesitated before speaking again. “Even if she takes it well… Humans are fragile. What if she loses the baby? What if something happens to her while she’s carrying or having it? I’ll lose it. Chase will have to put me down. I don’t know if I can do this shit.”

“I don’t think you have a choice at this point, Ty.”

Ty glared at Jared, fighting the urge to deck him. “No shit, Sherlock. I didn’t really come here to hear you state the damn obvious.”

Jared’s lips quirked up as he shook his head. “Look, the majority of human women have perfectly normal pregnancies. Thousands have healthy babies every day, and they come through it just fine.”

“My luck has never been good when it comes to women, Jared.”

Jared studied Ty for a moment before speaking again. “Parker is different, Ty. She’s not Cassie. Odds are you’re worrying for nothing. I know it’s easier said than done, but try to relax. Parker will pick up on your worry, and it will stress her out. It’s hard work growing a baby, and she needs to focus on that, not on your freak out.”

“I know, Jared. I’m just not sure how I’m going to handle this. It hasn’t even been a day since I found out, and I’m already feeling like I’m going to come out of my skin.”

“Focus on what you’ll have at the end of this journey in just a few short months. You’ll be holding your first child, your pup, in your arms. There’s no other feeling like it in the world.”

Ty sat back in his chair, thinking that over. He was going to be a dad. He couldn’t picture it, but determination filled him. He could do this.

Jared spoke up again. “I think I know what you need. Follow me,” he said, rising from his chair.

Ty followed Jared as he left the office and headed upstairs, puzzled. When Jared walked into a room that was clearly the nursery, Ty froze in the doorway.

There was double the normal furniture, of course, because Jared and Adara had twins. The sheer amount of stuff in the room was overwhelming. He didn’t even know what he’d need for his baby. He thought it was time for a Google search when he got home.

Adara was sitting in a rocking chair, cradling a tiny infant. She looked up, surprise crossing her face when she saw Ty in the doorway. Jared immediately headed to her, leaning in to place a kiss on Adara’s lips before pulling back and touching a big hand to the baby.

“How are my gorgeous girls doing?”

A soft smile graced Adara’s face as she looked to the baby in her arms. “They’re wonderful.” She looked back up, her gaze going to Tyler. “Hey, Ty. What brings you by?”

Jared turned from where he had just picked up the other baby from the crib. “Ty’s going to be a father. I thought it would do him some good to meet the girls and see what’s waiting for him.”

Adara beamed at Ty. “Congratulations, Ty! That’s wonderful. When is she due?”

Ty’s throat tightened as Jared walked closer and he got a glimpse of the baby in his arms. He didn’t actually know when Parker was due, but he knew exactly when she conceived. “She’s four months along.”

“So most likely a November baby, then,” Adara said, beaming. “This is so exciting. Do you want to hold Ava?” She asked, motioning to the baby in Jared’s arms.

Ty put his hands up, alarmed. “No, no, I’m good.”

Jared walked forward with a determined glint in his eye. “Practice, man. You need practice. I know what you’re thinking. You won’t drop her or hurt her.”

Ty swallowed hard as Jared put the baby in his arms. Ava, Adara had said. He looked to her tiny face and felt his breathing stall. He stared at the tiny baby, her weight feeling like nothing in his arms, chest filling with awe. She was beautiful. He touched a finger to her face, sliding it softly across her cheek.

Ava stirred in his arms, yawning and blinking open blue eyes. Ty held his breath, waiting for her to start crying when she noticed that a stranger was holding her, but she didn’t. She wrapped a tiny fist around his finger and seemed to lock gazes with him, blue eyes flickering with dragon pupils for a moment. She was only a couple of weeks old, and yet she seemed to be looking at him with intelligence in her gaze.

He wasn’t sure how long he held the baby. Everything else in the room faded as he zoned out, attention locked on the tiny baby girl in his arms. It hit him for the first time that in around five months, he’d have one of these. Maybe a girl like this one, maybe a boy. He suddenly longed to know what he and Parker were having. Whatever sex the pup was, though, he would love him or her with everything in him.

He might be uncertain about everything else, but there were no doubts about that.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d stood there, gazes locked with baby Ava, but he was jolted out of his daze when his phone went off in his pocket. He looked up to see Jared holding the other baby while Adara smiled at her mate. She looked to Ty and then came forward to take Ava.

“Here, I’ll take her since Jared has Jaylynn. You did very well, Ty. You’re going to make an amazing dad.”

Ty smiled at her as she took Ava, and he took out his phone. It was a text from Parker. Hell, he’d just taken off without a word, and there was no telling how long he’d been gone. It was going to take some getting used to, this having someone in the house that he needed to keep informed.

He looked up. “It’s Parker. I should probably head back to the farm.”

Jared frowned a little. “Her name just hit me. Parker Leighton? Tiffany’s little sister?”

Ty felt himself frowning a little. Parker was Tiffany’s little sister? She had to be, with the last name Leighton. Their family were the only Leightons in town. He felt a little unsettled at the fact that he hadn’t known that. They were having a baby together, but there was still so much they didn’t know about each other.

Not waiting on his reply, Jared went on. “Parker is a sweet girl. I didn’t talk to her much in school, and she was quiet and shy, but she always had a ready smile for everyone.”

Ty shifted, uncomfortable with the fact that Chase and now Jared apparently remembered Parker, but he himself didn’t. He’d been so focused on Cassie back then, though, that he hadn’t really noticed any of the other girls, and someone a couple grades below him, and apparently shy to boot, would never have captured his notice.

“She’s a nice woman. Really… friendly,” Ty finally replied.

Adara lifted an eyebrow. “I hope so. But you’d maybe better work on some better adjectives for when she’s in ear shot. Especially if she’s your mate. Make her feel like you want her, not just that she’s a nice girl and friendly.”

Ty fought an unexpected flush up his neck. He’d never blushed before in his damn life, and he wasn’t starting now.

“Okay, um, I’ll do that. I’d better head back.” He looked to Jared, seriousness written on his face. “Thanks, man.”

Jared inclined his head. “Anytime. Just think about everything I said.”

Ty nodded back and then headed out of the room. It was time to get back to Parker. Who was maybe his mate. And was definitely carrying his baby. How his life had changed, in the blink of an eye.

Parker sat on the porch swing, enjoying the breeze and the sunny day. She wondered where Ty had gotten off to, but she was enjoying just being for a moment. Life was going to change, soon, and as anxious as she was to meet the little person growing inside her, she also wanted to enjoy the time she had before she gave birth. Nothing would be the same after that.

She put a hand to her stomach, where she was already beginning to show. She’d made an appointment with an obstetrician in town this morning and she’d be going in next week. She’d seen one out in California when she first found out she was pregnant, but if she was going to be staying here for a while, she wanted to establish one here.

Who knows? Maybe she’d end up moving back home. She didn’t need to stay in San Diego to work, and she couldn’t deny that no matter what happened between her and Ty, their baby would be better off with both parents present.

Especially considering what her baby was, what Ty was. Parker caressed her stomach, contemplating the fact that her baby was part wolf. She wondered when Ty was going to fess up. She was pretty sure he didn’t know that she was aware of his dual nature.

Parker thought back to the moment she’d seen him change into a wolf. She’d been fifteen, Tyler seventeen. She’d gone to the river and then followed it along, enjoying the spring day and her time alone. She’d always pushed herself in her studies and that Saturday, she’d been determined to take a little break. She had never had many friends and Tiffany had been in the city with her friends, so Parker had taken herself to the river to read. Feeling restless, she’d begun walking, not realizing until she came upon that clearing and seen Ty that she’d wandered onto MacKeltar land.

She’d still been in the woods, hidden by the trees, when Ty had burst into the clearing. He’d been running and was visibly upset when he arrived, leaning over and grabbing his knees, heaving for breath and face strained.

Parker had wanted to go to him, ask him what was wrong, comfort him in some way. But she’d just stood there, frozen and barely able to breathe. Her social anxiety had been crippling in high school, so bad that sometimes she struggled to speak without stuttering over her words. And Tyler had been her high school crush. She hadn’t been able to even look him in the eye when she’d passed him in the halls at school. Approaching him had been beyond her.

A few moments later, he’d hunched over, grabbing his middle, and Parker had thought he was sick, or that something was physically wrong. There had been a smattering of pops echoing in the clearing, and then a black wolf had burst from Tyler’s body.

Parker had watched, stunned to her toes, as Tyler the wolf had shaken his fur out and then bounded away. When she was finally able to make herself move, Parker had stumbled her way back down the river, falling a few times as she walked in a daze.

She’d tried to convince herself that she’d imagined it. That Tyler had never been there and she’d never seen him turn into a wolf in front of her eyes. But clutched in her hand was a piece of his shirt, the shirt that had shredded when he’d turned. A breeze had blown it over to her, and she’d picked it up. She still had that piece of shirt somewhere.

Parker had never told anyone what she’d seen that day. Part of it was because no one would have ever believed it. Everyone already thought Parker was weird, but that would have convinced them she was crazy, as well. The biggest reason she hadn’t said anything, though, was because that was Ty’s secret to tell. She would never do anything to put him at risk, and people knowing he could turn into a wolf was definitely putting him at risk.

Her musings were cut short by the sound of a vehicle coming up the drive. Turning her head in that direction, she saw Tyler’s big black truck pulling into its parking spot. He spotted her as he exited the truck, and he paused for just a second before he headed her way.

“Hey,” he said, reaching the porch swing.

“Hi,” she replied, making room for him to sit down.

Hesitating just a moment, Ty eased down onto the swing next to her. “Sorry I disappeared. I had to run into to town unexpectedly.”

“It’s okay. I’ve been enjoying the down time out here.”

Ty’s gaze dropped to where her hand was caressing her stomach and a look of surprise crossed his face. “Are you showing already?”

Parker looked at him, eyebrows raised. “You can tell?”

The look he shot her, heat in his chocolate brown eyes, warmed her to her toes. “Now that you’re not wearing one of those baggy shirts, yeah. I paid very close attention to your body that night, Parker.”

Parker blushed and turned her head away. She didn’t know if she felt pleasure or embarrassment. This man, this gorgeous man who made her blood heat and her body tingle, had seen her naked. She wasn’t supermodel pretty like Wendy and Hannah, or even like her sister. She was short and chubby, and Ty was definitely out of her league.

Ty cleared his throat. “When are you due? I never asked.”

Parker smiled, rubbing her belly. “November twentieth, they said. I made an appointment at the obstetrician here in town. It’s next week, and you can come with me if you’d like. They’ll probably do an ultrasound. You’ll be able to hear the heartbeat and see the baby.”

Tyler looked at her in surprise, something dark flashing in his eyes, there and gone before Parker could analyze it. “You wouldn’t mind if I went with you?”

Shaking her head, Parker replied, “Not at all. This is your baby, too. You should get to take part in all of it, even this, if you want to.”

A slow smile spread across Ty’s face, and Parker’s breath caught. He was always gorgeous, but when he smiled, it took her breath away.

“I’d like that,” he said huskily, gaze dropping to her lips when her tongue darted out to wet them. He had leaned in, lips a breath away from hers, when she gasped and pulled back.

She put both hands on her stomach, going still and holding her breath. There it was. A flutter inside, like butterfly wings. It was amazing. That was her baby. Her and Ty’s baby.

“What? What is it? Is something wrong?” Ty asked anxiously.

Parker turned to him, grinning so big that her cheeks were touching her glasses. “I felt the baby move. I thought I felt it before, but I wasn’t sure. I am this time, though. I just felt our baby move.”

Ty’s gaze dropped to her stomach, and the yearning in them stole the breath that she’d just gotten back. “What did it feel like?”

Parker pursed her lips, thinking. “It was like a flutter inside me. Like butterfly wings. Stronger than I’ve ever felt it, but still light.” She smiled. “There it was again! Do… do you want to try to feel? I’m not sure you can, but you can try.”

Ty’s eyes immediately shot to hers. “Can I? You wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not,” she said gently. “Anything to do with the baby, Ty, is okay. Nothing is off limits. This is your baby, too.”

Ty had gratitude in his eyes, but he was hesitating, yearning still in his gaze as he looked at her belly. Parker reached over and grabbed his hand, trying her best to ignore the zing of awareness that shot through her body, and placed it on her belly where she’d felt the flutters. His big hand was warm and strong as it rested on her stomach, and tingles were spreading where it rested, making Parker want to squirm.

She felt the flutters again. “There it was! Did you feel it?”

Ty looked disappointed. “No, I didn’t.”

Parker patted his hand. “I didn’t think you would, but don’t worry. You’ll be able to soon.”

Tyler looked reluctant as he pulled his hand away. “I need to get some work done in the office, but it shouldn’t take me long. Lunch will be ready soon and then after that, I’m all yours.”

Ty got up and walked back inside, and Parker fanned herself as she replayed his words. She knew he didn’t mean them in an I’m yours forever kind of way, but her body had reacted to them as if he had, just the same. But she didn’t think he would ever mean them like she wanted him to, and sadness suddenly overwhelmed her. She loved this baby with everything in her already, and she’d never regret getting pregnant and bringing him or her into the world. But she couldn’t deny that this was probably going to end badly for her, either. Her heart was already half lost to Tyler, and she had a feeling that by the time this baby was born, he’d own every corner of it.

Chapter Seven

Tyler was trying to work. He really was. But he kept replaying those moments on the porch swing with Parker. She had looked gut wrenchingly beautiful, her long black curls lifting slightly in the breeze. He thought what he’d heard about pregnant women glowing must be true because her pale, creamy skin had looked like it was. He’d been hard from almost the moment he sat down, and he’d wanted nothing more than to kiss her plump lips.

He’d been so close, too. He shifted in his chair, hardening again just thinking about it.

Then they’d been interrupted. By their baby. She’d felt the pup move. He’d have given anything to feel it with her, but like she said, hopefully soon he’d be able to. And next week, he’d get to hear it. See it. His heart felt like it was swelling in his chest, something he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before.

He was rubbing at the strange feeling when a thought hit him and he froze. What if having the baby inside of her changed her? What if they took blood or something, and were able to tell that what she was carrying wasn’t the average human?

Tyler’s head lowered and he slumped in his chair. One more thing to worry about, on top of what felt like an avalanche of worries, crashing into him on repeat. He’d never been one to worry overmuch about shit, but it looked like this was his life from now on.

Suddenly aware of another presence, he looked up and found Chase in the doorway, studying him intently. His brother sauntered in the room and took a seat in front of the desk.

“So what’s really going on with Parker, Ty? That bullshit excuse about a website doesn’t fly, and I saw you two on the porch. You were awful cozy, touching her and everything. Looked like you were on your way to the bedroom.”

Ty heaved a sigh, looking down and studying his hands. He hadn’t planned on telling his brother yet. Hell, he hadn’t thought about telling anyone at all yet, although he realized how stupid that was. He should have sat his brother down last night, before Parker even got here.

“Ty,” his brother said quietly. “What’s going on? I hope you and your wolf aren’t fucking with Parker. She’s a sweet girl, and half the girls at school were always nasty to her. You saw how Wendy and Hannah were the other night. She doesn’t deserve you screwing with her, too.”

Tyler stiffened, glaring at Chase. “When have I ever fucked with a woman like that, Chase? You know me better than that.”

Chase sighed. “Yes, I know you, Ty. And that means I know you fight your wolf for control every damn day. How am I supposed to know when he finally makes you snap? Although,” Chase said, staring at Ty contemplatively, “you’ve been more relaxed, more settled, the last few months. So I repeat, what the hell is going on?”

Rubbing his hand down his face wearily, Ty eyed his brother for a moment. Might as well get it over with. “Parker is pregnant. With my pup.”

Chase’s mouth popped open as he looked at Ty with shock on his face. “Pregnant? When the hell did that happen?”

“Four months ago. The last time we’d gone to Cocky Pete’s. Parker was there, too, and one thing led to another…” he said, his voice trailing off. “That’s why she came in the other night and asked me if I’d meet her. She wanted to tell me. Yesterday she did.”

“Shit, Ty,” Chase replied. “You’re going to be a dad? Is this why you’ve been so different lately? Wait, you just found out yesterday. That can’t be it.”

Ty didn’t want to go there, but if anyone deserved an explanation, it was his brother. “My wolf has been more settled and quiet since that night four months ago. I think… I wonder if she’s my mate.”

Chase stared. “You think? Isn’t that something you’d know?”

Ty rubbed a hand over his face. “My wolf hasn’t actually said she is. I just don’t see how it could be anything else, though. What else would make my wolf suddenly more sane?”

They talked things through for a few moments, coming no closer to a verdict, before Leah stuck her head in to tell them lunch was ready. Ty stood up and followed his brother to the door, suddenly anxious to see Parker again.

That evening after an excellent dinner and a day spent lazing around and getting no work done, Parker walked around the farm with Ty by her side. He was showing her where everything was on the farm, familiarizing her with everything. They were walking past a cabin where he told her one of his farm hands, Garret, lived, when the door opened and a tall man with reddish brown hair stepped out.

It was the other man from Cocky Pete’s. Parker gave him a strained smile, suddenly feeling the crippling social anxiety come over her. It was strange, feeling it after being so relaxed all day. She felt oddly at ease with Tyler and Chase, but apparently that was as far as it extended.

The man, Garret, seemed to be sober and serious, extending a greeting that was barely polite before turning to Ty to ask about some farm issue. She noticed as they talked though that he kept stealing glances at her belly, and she rubbed it with one hand self-consciously. She’d always had a gently rounded belly, but it was more rounded than ever now, with the baby growing. She couldn’t help but be aware of how instead of looking pregnant right now, she just looked like she was even chubbier than usual.

Garret surprised her, though. Turning to her, he said quietly, “You’re expecting?”

She slanted a look at Ty, noting that he didn’t seem as surprised as she was with the observation. When he just shrugged, she turned back to Garret, replying, “Yes. I’m four months along.”

Looking between her and Tyler, he finally smiled slightly, the first one she’d seen since he’d come outside. “Congrats, you two. I’ll leave you to your night.”

Parker frowned as she watched him walk outside. “How did he know that I was pregnant? Or that it was yours?”

Ty shifted uneasily before he urged her to start walking again. “Well, you are showing. I noticed it now that you’re not wearing one of those baggy shirts. He probably just put two and two together with you suddenly showing up here that it’s mine.”

Parker studied him in silence, sensing there was more to the story, but dropped it when she saw how uncomfortable he was. What he said seemed unlikely, but she supposed it could be true.

Ty finished up his tour and they ended up in front of the porch just as the sun was setting. Parker turned to him to say something, but all thoughts flew from her head when she took note of how Ty was looking at her. His chocolate colored eyes were filled with heat, and she tipped her head back as he moved in closer.

His hands found her hips and Parker’s breath caught as he pulled her in closer. The heat from his body made her shiver, and her blood was warming up. Just from the simple touch of his hands on her and the closeness of their bodies.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you all day,” Tyler said huskily. “It’s been hell trying to resist you, and I don’t think I can anymore. You’re so damn beautiful, Parker. Tell me you want this.”

Parker swallowed hard, lost in his eyes. “I want this,” she breathed.

Ty leaned in slowly, his breath wafting across her lips as he hesitated for a moment more, drawing out the anticipation, before he leaned in and placed his lips on hers.

Finally. She’d been wanting this, longed to feel his mouth on hers again, for four months. She’d spent countless hours reliving the feel of his lips, and even more hours daydreaming of it happening again.

And now it was, and it was even better than she remembered. Her whole body felt alive in a way it hadn’t in months, in a way it only had one other time in her life. Ty’s tongue brushed her lips, and Parker moaned at the feel of it as she opened up and let him inside. His tongue brushed hers gently before tangling with hers and becoming more aggressive.

Her whole body was on fire, threatening to incinerate her. She’d never imagined a kiss could make her feel like this, but Ty’s did. She felt it, and his hands, on every part of her body, and she shifted her thighs together, hoping to ease the ache that his kiss had brought on.

She brushed up closer to him and Ty’s hands began to roam her body, leaving trails of heat in their wake. One hand moved around to touch her stomach and he suddenly paused. Wrenching his mouth away from hers, he set her away from him, breathing heavily.

“I’m sorry,” he panted. “But I can’t do this. I have to go.”

Bolting away from her, he went inside the house like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels. Parker stood there, breathing heavily, struggling to control the hurt she felt as his dismal and the way he had ran.

What had just happened?

Everything had been fine. More than fine, it had been the most amazing kiss of her life. It had gotten more intense, his hands moving, and then…

He’d touched her belly.

Parker felt her shoulders droop at that realization. The extra padding on her belly had probably turned him off, maybe even disgusted him.

She could understand that. There had been times when she herself had felt disgusted when she looked at her body in the mirror.

But this extra fluff on her belly was because of the baby. He knew that. He was the one who’d helped her look like this.

Then, maybe that’s what had turned him off. He’d remembered that she was pregnant. Maybe the thought of her carrying a baby, even if it was his, grossed him out.

Parker fought to feel anger, struggled to feed the tiny spark of it she felt deep inside. But as she headed inside, head down and posture defeated, all she could feel was a crushing hurt. In the end, it didn’t matter why he’d rejected her. Only that he had.

Chapter Eight

When Parker woke up the next morning, the hurt from the night before was still there, but she was also filled with determination. She wasn’t here to try for anything more with Tyler. It didn’t matter how much she wanted it, how much she longed to truly be his. She was here so they could get to know each other. She was here to give her child a shot at having both parents.

She showered and dressed before grabbing her laptop and heading downstairs. Tyler had said he oversaw the outer operations of the farm in the morning, so she wouldn’t run into him. She’d grab some breakfast and then get some work done.

She paused in the sitting room, setting her laptop on a table before looking out the window. An angry thunderstorm had broken out just as she’d gone inside yesterday, and this morning, everything was shiny and still wet, washed clean from the rain. She loved storms, and it had soothed the hurt inside of her a little last night.

Ty had been right about the storm, and she was glad he had been. Ty’s rejection of her still hurt, but she felt like the storm had washed her clean, too. Reminded her of why she was really here. Her hand dropped to her belly. The precious life she was growing was the reason. Nothing else mattered.

Turning away from the window, Parker headed into the kitchen, shyly greeting Leah when she got there. Leah directed her to the counter, where pancakes and bacon were waiting, and Parker filled a plate while Leah poured her a glass of orange juice after she passed on coffee.

Parker sat at the table to eat, smiling a bit uncomfortably at Leah as the older lady sat down across from her with a cup of coffee for herself. She’d never been very comfortable eating while others weren’t, but she couldn’t tell her no.

“How are you liking the farm so far?” Leah asked her.

Parker smiled as she swallowed a bite. “It’s beautiful. I think I’m going to enjoy my time here very much.” Parker hesitated for a moment, feeling fairly certain that Ty hadn’t told anyone about the pregnancy yet. “It’s going to look stunning on the website.”

Leah snorted before taking a sip of her coffee. “And when are you due?”

Parker felt her eyebrows raise. “Ty told you?”

“No, but I can tell. You have that look about you. And I had six babies myself, so it’s a look I know well.”

“Oh, wow, six?” Parker shook her head as she smiled. “I can’t imagine doing this six times.”

Leah chuckled. “I couldn’t either, when I had my first. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Those babies are the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, I guess they’re not babies anymore. All grown up, and all of them living somewhere else now. I wish I saw them more, but we all talk on the phone fairly often.”

Parker chatted with Leah more about babies and pregnancy while she finished her breakfast, staying to talk after she was finished. Leah had a lot of experience and was full of valuable advice, everything coated in humor and laughter. Parker had a feeling they could get pretty close if she stayed long.

Leah finished off her coffee and stood with a sigh. “I reckon I ought to get back to work. And I’m probably keeping you from that website you’re designing,” she said with a wink thrown Parker’s way.

Parker laughed as she stood up. She offered to wash her dishes, but Leah shooed her away with a joke about trying to take her job, and Parker headed back to the sitting room. She sat down and opened her laptop to work, but her eyes kept straying to the window.

She sighed and rubbed her head, frustrated that she couldn’t focus. She didn’t have anything pressing at the moment and had scheduled it like this for a reason while she took her trip, but she did still have deadlines she wouldn’t mind getting ahead of.

She slumped back in her chair, looking around the room, taking in again the old and worn furnishings. She wondered if Red Moon was struggling a bit financially or if Ty and Chase just put everything back into the farm operations. She thought back to the ancient desktop computer on Ty’s desk. It was probably more of a financial struggle, because she couldn’t see Ty not updating that since it had to make dealing with farm work difficult.

Parker sat up as a thought hit her. She might be able to help. Maybe she really could build a website for Red Moon. Website’s really weren’t what she did, but she was experienced in them from building her own. She just needed to know exactly what Red Moon did: what crops they grew, what animals they raised, and what animals they sold. She’d grown up in a ranching and farming community, but she’d grown up in town. Her dad was a banker and her mom was a teacher. She didn’t know much about farms, but she could learn.

Feeling excited, Parker closed her laptop and headed outside. She’d just take a look around until she waited for Ty to get back to the house. She would put her idea to him then and ask him questions about what they offered here then.

Parker wondered around for a moment, not sure where to start. She walked to the equipment shed and peeked inside quickly before moving on. She had no idea what most of that did, so it was best to leave it alone until she had Ty or Chase with her.

Tucking her hands in the pockets of her shorts, Parker strolled slowly around, taking everything in. She passed a pen with goats inside and smiled at their playfulness. She’d never been around animals other than house pets, but she was enjoying the change. When she got to the pig pen, she stopped and then climbed on the bottom rung to get a better look.

The pig inside was huge, and Parker assumed it was a female, since there were some piglets nearby. They were the cutest things she’d ever seen, playing in the mud and having a grand old time. Momma pig wasn’t exactly cute, but her size was impressive.

Parker looked around, wondering what all pigs ate. She’d heard people say slop a lot, but was that all, or did they get fed some type of pig food or something? And did they sell the piglets? She’d like to put them on the website. Cuteness like that needed shared.

“What the hell are you doing, Parker?”

Letting out a shriek of surprise at the sound of Ty’s voice right behind her, Parker jumped and found her foot slipping. Clutching onto the post, she wobbled as Ty came up behind her, grabbing her to stop her from falling before easing her to the ground.

Parker let off a shaky laugh, fighting off embarrassment as Ty stepped back, keeping his hands on her arms.

“Seriously Parker, what the hell? You shouldn’t be climbing on shit! You’re pregnant, in case you’ve forgotten. I don’t know, maybe you have. Not eating, trying to carry shit, climbing and almost falling and breaking your pretty neck.”

Parker studied Ty’s face, frowning slightly. She’d wanted to laugh at his rant, but the urge went away when she saw the genuine worry on his face. “Ty. Take a breath. It’s okay. I don’t normally skip meals. I mean, look at me. Do I look like I don’t get enough to eat? I don’t carry anything heavy. I just wanted to carry my bathroom bag, which wouldn’t hurt me or the baby. I’m not fragile, and carrying stuff like that won’t hurt either of us. As for climbing, I was less than a foot off of the ground. And I would have been fine. The only reason I lost my footing was because I didn’t hear you approach and you startled me. Even if I’d fallen, the only thing that would have been hurt was my ego. It wouldn’t have been much of a fall. The baby and I are fine, and we’re going to stay that way.”

Ty searched her eyes for a moment before sighing and pulling away to run a hand through his hair. “Okay. I probably overreacted, but I worry about you. Worrying isn’t something I’m used to doing, so I don’t always handle it well.” He shot her a look under hooded eyes, and she felt a zing go through her body, practically feeling that look down to her toes. “And look at you? I have looked at you, Parker. Every inch of you, and I can’t stop looking. You’re gorgeous, and if you don’t realize that, or haven’t noticed the effect you have on me, you’re not as smart as I thought you were. Now why were you looking at Franny?”

Parker blinked, mouth opening and closing like a fish, taken aback both by his comment about how she looked, and the sudden change in conversation. He thought she was gorgeous? And she had an effect on him? She couldn’t keep up with him. One minute he was basically running from her and the next, he was telling her how gorgeous she was.

And Franny? Who was Franny? Parker looked around, still disoriented, and realized he must be talking about the pig. “Franny is the pig?” She asked, wanting to make sure.

“Yeah, the sow. Big old gal,” he said affectionately, going to stand by the pig pen.

Parker fought to keep the amusement off of her face as she moved to stand by him. Big muscled tatted up bad boy, who loved his pig? Her amusement faded, replaced by warmth. Something about that combination was making her heart melt.

“Sounds like you like Franny a lot,” she replied, moving to stand next to him at the fence.

“Yeah, well,” Ty said, clearing his throat and shifting uncomfortably. “I’ve raised her since she was a piglet. She was the runt of her litter that no one thought would make it. I hand fed her and everything. She ended up being the best of them. We almost lost her last year, and we would have if Kendall hadn’t come to save her.”

Parker felt her eyes narrowing as she heard the affection in his tone when he talked about Kendall. This felt a whole lot like jealousy, but who was she to get jealous over who Ty liked? She might be having Tyler’s baby, but she and Ty weren’t together. He could like who he wanted.

Didn’t mean she had to like it, though.

“Kendall?” She asked, fighting to keep the emotion out of her voice. Going by the amused glance Ty shot her, she didn’t succeed.

“Yeah, Kendall Montgomery? You know who she is, right? Y’all are fairly close in age.”

Parker nodded. She knew who he was talking about, although it didn’t make her feel any better. Kendall was very pretty, if she remembered right. Kendall was really nice, too, she thought, feeling slightly guilty about sending dagger thoughts the other woman’s way. “We never talked much, but I remember who she is.”

“She’s a vet now. When Franny here was poisoned last year, Kendall left her family’s ranch to stay here and save her.” Ty sent her another look, amusement still dancing in his dark gaze. “That’s when she fell for Sam. Sam is Garret’s brother. They’re mat—married now. Sam lives on Bear Claw Ranch with her.”

Parker pretended to study Franny so she could avoid the knowing in Ty’s eyes, wondering over the stutter on his words when he said married. Maybe it was stuff about his dual nature he was almost letting slip. She needed to pay closer attention; maybe then she could figure some of it out.

“Franny was poisoned?”

Tyler sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. One of the women who worked closely to Sam with the animals had a crush on him. She thought poisoning the livestock was a good way to get his attention,” he added wryly.

Parker shook her head. Women like that gave her whole gender a bad name, and perpetuated the crazy women stereotype. Although in her case, maybe she really had been crazy to do something like that.

“I’m glad it all turned out okay,” she said quietly.

“Speaking of Sam, that’s him over there,” Ty said, nodding to the big barn.

A huge redheaded man, almost as big as Ty, was carrying a large bag of feed over his shoulder as he headed to the barn. He saw them and nodded, lips curved up in a grin. Parker raised a hand in a wave as Ty nodded back at him.

She was instantly relieved when Sam didn’t look as if he was going to come over. She was doing so well, holding her own with Ty, and even managing to resemble a normal person with Chase, but her reaction to Garret last night had proven that her social skills were still sadly lacking. And selfishly, she didn’t want anything, or anyone, to interrupt the flow she was managing with Ty.

Ty turned away from the fence, motioning for her to walk with him, and Parker hurried to follow before Sam changed his mind and headed over. She snuck a peek at Ty, wondering if he was moving them because he wanted to be alone with her as much as she wanted to be alone with him. It wasn’t likely, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility either, she supposed.

“You never did tell me why you were watching Franny,” Ty said.

“Oh! So I was thinking,” Parker began excitedly, “that I really could build that website for Red Moon. That way I wouldn’t be fibbing to Chase or anyone else about why I’m here.”

Ty sent her a surprised look, putting his palm to the small of her back to guide her around some rocks on the ground. “I told Chase yesterday, actually. I’m not sure what we’d even do with a website.”

Suppressing a shiver at his touch, Parker gestured wildly with her hands as she spoke. “Advertise! A website would get the farm’s name out there and potentially bring in more customers. I don’t know a lot about farming, but I’m sure you sell your crops and animals and such. Red Moon would have a larger reach, and if you hit the right target audience, the benefits could be a boon financially.”

Ty shook his head as he rubbed his jaw. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything about building a website”

“Luckily, I do. It’s not really something I do, but I built my own, and it’s pretty successful. I know what I’m doing. I have my camera with me and I can take some photos for the graphics. I just need you to talk me through everything you offer here. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“What about running it? Who will do that? It sounds like a full time job, and I don’t have time to do that. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Parker waved a hand. “Oh, I can do that. It’s not really a full time job, especially in the beginning. You need to build up the website traffic before you spend a whole lot of time at it. Getting it designed and up and running is the hard part at first.”

Ty halted and Parker turned to him in question. He had that intense look on his face, and his eyes had darkened. “You’ll be here to run it, Parker?”

Her breath stalled in her chest. The look in his eyes said he wanted her to be, but… “I mean, yeah. For a while, at least. And you know, I don’t have to physically be here to run the website.” Parker watched him closely, and noticed that his face dropped slightly as he looked at the ground, shielding his eyes from her. Testing out a theory, she said, “I can always take new pictures of things when I visit with the baby.”

Ty’s gaze snapped back up to meet hers, black eyes narrowed as he glared at her. She absently wondered if the color change was from his shifter nature or if they’d do that anyway. “Fuck, Parker. Are you going to make me say it so soon? I don’t want you to go home, okay?”

Parker’s heart stopped in her chest and then began beating again in a furious rhythm. Those words, coming out of his sculpted mouth… They were potent. The experiment on the whole had been a bust, though. She still didn’t know if he wanted her to stay because of the baby or because he wanted her. Or both. She figured it had been stupid to try to find out, especially this soon, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself from trying. His ‘pull her close and then push her away’ actions were confusing, and she wanted to be on clearer ground.

She couldn’t ignore the other truth, though. She wanted him, just as much as she wanted to know where they stood.

She watched as he lifted his hand to touch her, before he clenched his fist and drop it back to his side. Parker squeezed her eyes shut in frustration for a moment before looking at him as he spoke again.

“This website? It would require a lot of time at your laptop, right?”

Parker cracked a genuine smile. “You mean keep me out of trouble? Sitting in a chair, not doing much of anything, like a pregnant lady should?”

Ty chuckled, his eyes returning to their chocolate color as his smile reached them. “That’s basically what I’m asking.”

“Yes, I’m sure it will keep me out of trouble. It’ll keep me busy, at least.”

Ty hesitated for a moment, searching her eyes. “And give us one more reason to spend time together,” he said softly, almost to himself. “Okay, Parker. Go for it. I have to get back to work. I’m not done with my morning rounds yet. Just, promise me, if you start taking pictures this morning, you won’t go scaling walls or toting bricks around, alright?”

She smiled at that. “I promise not to perform super hero-like acts while I’m photographing.”

“Good,” he replied with one last lingering glance before he turned and headed away.

Parker fanned herself as she watched him. He looked just as good going as he did coming. She just wished she could figure him out and know for sure what he wanted.

Chapter Nine

Ty walked toward the house from the fields, moving slow, trying to clear his head. His head hadn’t been in his work all morning, even before his run in with Parker; after that, he’d been good for nothing. She was all he could think about.

And the pup was only part of it.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. He knew he was confusing her, but he was confused himself. His reactions to her were never what he thought they would be. Everything about her was unexpected, from the baby to his wolf’s reactions to her. He was unsure of how to handle it.

Ty wanted her; he knew that much. Wanted her with a passionate intensity that stole his breath. He wanted more than anything to explore the possibility of her being his mate.

Two things were stopping him, though. Or at least making him hesitate.

What if she wasn’t his mate? What if his wolf was more broken than he thought and just confused? They could both get hurt. Ty didn’t care much about hurting himself. He’d spent most of his life being hurt in one way or another and he was used to it.

But he would never in a million years want to hurt Parker. He’d do anything possible to avoid hurting her in any way. It would kill him to see that happy light she usually had in her eyes fade or see the pretty smile she always wore go away. It was the last thing he wanted to do.

We’ll never hurt her.

Ty cursed and kicked at the ground. That. That right there. His wolf says shit like that, with an idiotic grin on his dumb wolfy face, but he was never clear. Ty wanted his damn animal to tell him why they’d never hurt her. Why he was so much saner while she was around. Not just saner, but downright content around her.

Shouldn’t his wolf be telling him that Parker was his mate, if she truly was? Shouldn’t he be urging Ty to pursue her? Demanding that he claim her?

Ty willed his wolf to speak more, to say the words, but he was silent inside of him. Tyler groaned in frustration.

His animal’s reactions and lack of fucking telling him what was going on were only adding to the pressure of all of the concerns weighing him down.

Which brought him to the second reason he was hesitating.

What if he hurt her? He wanted to be with her, in every way, but she was pregnant, and he was so much bigger than she was. She was tiny, whether she believed she was or not. That bullshit he’d heard her say about being chubby and the vipers Wendy and Hannah’s words to her were absolutely insane. All of them were certifiable.

Everything about her was gorgeous. From her raven black curls, stunning eyes and creamy skin, to her generously shaped body. Even those black framed glasses she wore were sexy as fuck. Yes, she was curvy, but it just made her look like a goddess, far above mere mortals like Wendy or Hannah.

Curvy and short. So much smaller than he was. She barely reached his chin. He towered over her, and he had to be almost twice as wide as she was. He was heavily muscled, and she was so delicate.

Add in his shifter strength, and he could break her without even trying. He hadn’t hurt her that one night back in March; at least he didn’t think he had, but she was carrying his pup now. Maybe having sex during pregnancy was a normal occurrence for humans, and nothing ever went wrong. But they weren’t shifters with inhuman strength, either.

So many things could go wrong with the pregnancy. There was so much that could happen to Parker, with her fragile human body, and so many things that could harm the baby. He refused to be one of them.

As much as he longed to take her to his bed, no matter how badly his body yearned for her and ached to feel her against him again, he was going to stand strong.

They would do what he’d invited her to do to begin with. They’d talk, go slow, get to know each other. There was still so much he didn’t know about her, when he wanted to know everything about her. And maybe by the time she had their pup, he’d know whether they were mated and meant to be. Or whether they weren’t.

Ty sighed heavily and nodded at Chase as he passed the equipment shed where his brother was tinkering on something. “Chase. Everything looks good. I’m going in to shower.”

Chase waggled his eyebrows. “Want to look and smell good for your ladylove, huh?”

“Fuck off,” Tyler said as he walked in toward the house.

“Only if you answer me one thing, big brother. Why the hell was Parker asking me what pigs eat?”

Ty grinned to himself as he let himself in the house. For being born and bred in a ranching and farming community, Parker sure was a city girl.

Tyler sat back in his desk chair, impatiently waiting on the old desktop computer to boot up. He had the finances to deal with today and paychecks to pay out to the farm hands. All of them had direct deposit, which made things easier in a way, but trying to do payroll on the dinosaur in front of him could be a nightmare.

Letting his mind wander once more while he waited, he thought back to lunch. Parker had just been coming in the house when he’d gone downstairs after his shower. She’d been slightly flushed, ponytail bobbing with the force of her enthusiasm as she talked about the photos she’d taken of the farm.

She’d been rocking the hell out of those shorts and the flowy, low cut tank top she’d been wearing, too.

Ty shifted uncomfortably in his chair, adjusting himself in his jeans. He couldn’t allow himself to think about how delicious she looked, wouldn’t let himself go there. It would only make this harder.

Pun intended, he thought this a wry smile.

It had only been him, Parker, and Leah for lunch. He’d been surprised at how comfortable and at ease Parker was with Leah as he listened to them banter back and forth. He’d finally taken his head out of his own ass and paid attention to how Parker was around people. He remembered how she’d been so uncomfortable at Crazy Pete’s, both times they’d seen each other there. How she’d been around Wendy, Hannah, and even Garret.

She was shy and a little bit awkward, but he thought it was cute. And it filled him with a weird sense of pride, because she wasn’t like that with him. She was open and herself with him in a way she wasn’t usually with others, and he selfishly wanted to keep it that way.

Which was part of the reason he’d gotten her away from Sam. He didn’t want her uncomfortable and they’d been talking openly. He hadn’t wanted to ruin it.

He’d never admit it out loud, but he hadn’t wanted Sam around her himself, either. Sam was a great guy and he’d never say anything to upset or offend Parker, but he was a handsome, charming bastard. At least the ladies seemed to think so, and Ty wasn’t taking any chances with Parker.

The computer finally booted up and Ty opened the spreadsheet program, settling in to wait once again while it all loaded. He rubbed his full stomach, thinking again about lunch. The food had been good, but the best part had been seeing Parker relaxed and happy, a smile on her face like she was enjoying her time here.

It had maybe been the best lunch he’d ever had in his life.

Sighing, he decided to get something to drink while he waited for his program to load. He knew from experience that if he tried to rush it and start before it was done, it would go to hell fast. He walked from the room and then paused as he caught sight of Parker. She was in the sitting room, all scrunched up on a chair, laptop balanced on her knees. She couldn’t be comfortable like that.

“Hey,” he said, walking into the room. “What are you up to?”

Parker looked up at him, a mischievous smile on her face. “I’m just sitting in my chair, doing approved activities.”

“Smartass,” Tyler replied as his lips quirked up. “You know what I meant.”

“I downloaded the photos I took of the farm. I’m just going through them, seeing if there’s anything I like or anything I need to reshoot.”

Ty’s eyebrows raised. “You’ve already downloaded all of the pictures you took this morning?”

“Well yeah. It doesn’t take that long.”

He eyed her laptop, wondering how powerful it was. How new it was. She’d done what it would take hours for him to do on his computer, and she’d done it in the time it had taken his to just turn on. Impressive. And a little humbling. A lot of shit needed fixing or replaced on the farm, and his computer was high on the list. The farm had been in danger of going under for so long, though, that he hadn’t wanted to replace something that technically still worked. Their finances were slowly righting themselves now, and he was hopeful he would get off of the need list and onto the want list soon.

Forcing his thoughts away from that rabbit hole, Ty cleared his throat. “That position doesn’t look very comfortable.”

Parker smiled at him, and the sight struck him right in the chest, like it always did. “I sit like this at home, so it’s all good. This chair is actually pretty comfy.”

“Alright then. If you’d like to join me in the office, though, you’re welcome to. My desk is huge. There’s plenty of room for you and your laptop.”

Parker stilled for a moment before her smile widened. “Really? I wouldn’t be bothering you?”

“Of course not. Besides, we wanted to get to know each other better, right? And you need to know stuff about the farm. You can ask me whatever you want as you need to.”

She shut her laptop and stood up, stretching. She cringed a bit, and Ty made to rush forward but she waved him off. “It’s nothing. Just a twinge in my back. I get back spasms, have had them since I hurt my back when I was a teenager. They’ve become a little stronger and more frequent as I get further along, but they’re nothing, I promise.”

Ty frowned but nodded and stepped back. Back spasms didn’t sound like nothing to him, but he was trying hard not to hover. He’d done so much of that already since she’d been there that he was surprised she hadn’t run all the way back to California by now.

“I’m going to grab something to drink, and then I’ll meet you in the office. Do you want anything?”

“A glass of sweet tea would be great,” she replied softly.

He nodded as he turned and headed toward the kitchen. Quickly filling two glasses with ice, he poured the tea before rushing to head back, ignoring Leah’s knowing look as he did so. Leah always thought she knew everything, and knew everything best, but she’d been like a mother to him and Chase after their own mother died, so he let her have her moments. Besides, nine times out of ten, she was right.

He walked into the office and his breath stalled in his chest when he saw Parker with a chair pulled up to a corner of the huge desk. She had her laptop open and she was intently studying what was probably the images she’d taken of the farm. With those black glasses, she definitely had the sexy librarian look down. Now he just needed to see her looking exactly as she did now but with a book in her hand. In his bed. Waiting on him.

Shaking himself out of those thoughts, he sat her glass by her side before sitting down in his chair with his own. His spreadsheet was finally finished loading, but he found himself continually sneaking peeks at Parker instead of focusing on his work.

He forced himself to concentrate, but it hadn’t been long before his eyes drifted over to her again. This time she caught him.

“I know you’re busy, but do you want to see the images I have so far?”

“I’d like that,” he replied, moving his chair around the side so he was sitting next to her.

It took him a moment to focus on what she was showing him. He could feel the heat from her body seeping into his, smell the tangy lemon scent of her body wash, and the sound of her musical voice was washing over him, although he wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what she was saying. He just loved the sound of her voice. Everything about her was invading his senses, and he lifted a hand to rub at the ache in his chest that being so close to her had brought on.

“Ty? You okay?”

Jerking his attention to the screen, Ty muttered, “Sorry. Go ahead.”

Parker clicked on an icon of the farmhouse, and Tyler straightened in his seat. It was a stunning picture, with the angle of the sun hitting the house just right. He sat in silence as she clicked through several more pictures, each more eye catching than the last. She even had one of him walking in from the fields.

She cleared her throat. “Well? You’re awfully quiet. It’s okay if you don’t like them, I can take others—.”

Ty hushed her. “Parker, these are amazing. They look like they were done by a professional photographer.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, a blush warming up the pale creaminess of her skin. “It’s been a hobby since I was a kid. I do it when I need to take a break or de-stress. Do you have any notes or anything you don’t want on the website?”

He shook his head. “They’re all great. I completely trust your judgement, Parker. Use whichever ones you’d like, now and later.”

Parker grinned and Ty’s chest tightened as his gaze dropped to her lips. Lush and full, they were an invitation that he was having a harder and harder time resisting. He felt himself leaning toward her, drawn like a magnet, before he caught himself. Pulling back, he tried to make it look like he was in the process of standing up. He knew he had confused her a few times, with his words and with his actions. He didn’t want to do that again, and he had to stand firm on not taking it to the next level again. Her safety, and the safety of the pup, always came first.

Even if resisting her was the hardest thing he’d ever done.

They spent a couple of hours working together, mostly in an easy silence, only speaking occasionally. Even though things were quiet, Ty enjoyed it. He spent a lot of his afternoons locked away in here by himself, and having someone in the room with him was actually nice. The fact that it was Parker made all the difference, though.

He was just finishing up payroll when Parker stood and stretched. He couldn’t help giving her a thorough once over, lingering on her generous curves. He’d never get enough of looking at her body.

“I think I’m going to go walk around for a bit and stretch my back out before dinner.”

“Do you need me to go with you? I can finish this later.”

Parker waved a hand. “No, you finish up your work for the day, and we can maybe hang out after dinner? I don’t want you to interrupt your normal routine for me while I’m here. I promise I can walk around the house without hurting myself.”

Ty smiled wryly at her. “I’m not sure of that, but we’ll see. I’ll see you at dinner.”

Parker gave him another breathtaking smile before heading out of the room. He was still sitting motionless, staring after her and lost in thought, when his brother walked into the room.

“Still mooning after Parker like a moon struck calf, I see,” Chase said as he pulled the chair Parker had been using back around the desk.

“Go fuck yourself,” Ty muttered as he turned back to his computer.

“That’s a physical impossibility, big brother,” Chase replied with a grin.

“Then I guess you’ll stay a virgin forever, pup. What do you want?”

“I just came in to tell you I won’t be at dinner tonight. You can make puppy eyes at Parker all night without worrying anyone will see you.”

Ty looked up from his computer, narrowing his eyes at Chase. “You’re going over to the Anderson’s place again, aren’t you?’

Chase rolled his eyes. “Don’t start with me over this again, Ty. You know I go to support Ian.”

“At fights. Shifter fights.”

“What’s your point, Tyler?”

“Something is going to go bad at one of those, Chase. I don’t want you in the crossfire.”

“Nothing’s going to happen. They’re organized. I wish you would go with me to one, so you could see for yourself,” Chase replied, getting defensive.

“No thanks. I don’t want anything to do with that shit, and neither should you. It’s basically shifter exploitation.”

Chase tensed up. “Don’t be a dumbass, Ty. How can it be exploitation if no one but the fighters know they’re shifters? And you’ve always loved a good fight. At least you used to. When the hell did you turn into such a pussy?”

Ty surged out of his chair and leaned across the desk. “Say that to me again, pup.”

Chase got out of his own chair, mimicking Ty’s pose. “Don’t be a p--.”

The sound of a throat clearing had them jerking away from each other. They both looked to see Leah standing in the doorway, hands propped on her hips.

“Now, boys. There have been a lot of fights between y’all in this room. A lot of fights in this house. I can’t count the amount of furniture you two have broken over the years. I never minded it much because boys will be boys, and I know it’s how you two get your frustrations with each other out. But do you really want Parker to come in here and find you two brawling like teenagers, instead of the grown ass men you are?”

Both of them shook their heads and Leah nodded, satisfied, before she left the room. Ty shifted for a moment, clenching his hands into fists and finally heaving a sigh.

“Look, Chase. I don’t approve of these fights, and I would rather you didn’t go. But you’re a grown man. You can make your own choices. Just try to stay out of trouble.”

Chase hooked his hands on his hips as he shook his head. “You’ll never understand it if you don’t give the fights a try. They’re not what you think they are. Yeah, they can get rowdy, but they’re controlled. And you’ll never bend on Ian if you don’t see it for yourself.”

“I’ve always liked Ian. You know that. Still doesn’t mean I can let him and his fight club shifters stay here. Especially not with Parker here and expecting a baby. I can’t bring that kind of trouble around her.”

“Then they don’t have to stay in the house. They can stay at the old place over across the river. It’s just sitting there empty anyhow, and this is a good, easy income. You’re always bitching about how we need to work harder to bring more money in. And I’m sure you could use more, with the pup and all.”

Ty laughed but there was little amusement in it. “You call them your friends, yet you’d put them in that shit hole? It’s still a no, Chase. But I’ll think about going to one of the fights with you to see what it’s all about. If it all checks out, I’ll at least promise to stay off your ass about it.”

Chase nodded before walking out, saying that he’d see him in the morning. Ty wearily rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. He worried about his little brother, even about Ian. Eagle Creek wasn’t exactly a hotbed of crime, but they had some, and who knew what all the fighters were mixed up in?

Ian had been a good kid, but time changed people. If Ian had gone dark, Ty didn’t want him taking Chase with him.

He’d been weighed down with concerns before. They’d been just a few months away from losing Red Moon when their dad had finally done them all a favor and kicked the bucket. He’d been twenty, and he’d spent the last eight years working his ass off to save the farm and get them to where they were today.

During that time, he’d dealt with losing Cassie. First to Jared, and then to death. Most of the time, he hadn’t thought he would make it long enough to leave the ranch in decent enough shape for Chase. Because after Cassie’s death, he’d been a breath away from needing put down.

The night he met Parker had felt like the first time he could take a deep breath in years. He’d still been sure that it was just a matter of time before his wolf needed ending, but he’d felt like Parker had given him more time to get the farm in order.

That’s around the time that the worry started, too. First it was worry over Chase, because Ian had come back to town with his fighters. Ty had been handling that, though.

Then Parker blew back into his life, shaking his cool with her pregnancy, and now it felt like all he did was worry. And he didn’t know how to handle it. How to handle any of this.

Before, his biggest concern had been for a piece of property, and the money to keep and run it. Now, his concerns were people. Chase, Parker… the pup. They were so much more important than this land or money. How was he going to keep them all safe? His wolf wouldn’t be able to handle another loss.

He needed to find some time to shift, to go wolf for a bit and work through some of his emotions. And his wolf didn’t seem particularly concerned about any of this, so even if he worked through nothing, he would at least get some much needed peace.

Chapter Ten

Parker took a deep breath as she pulled onto the street her parents lived on. She’d been putting this off for months, but she needed to tell them about the pregnancy. Especially since she was back in town. They’d be concerned and hurt if they found out she was back and hadn’t told them. Eagle Creek was a small town. There was no hope that they wouldn’t find out.

Yesterday had been her first full day at Red Moon, and she’d enjoyed herself. The farm was beautiful, and everyone was friendly, even though Tyler, Chase, and Leah were the only ones she could be around so far without her shyness kicking in. She’d worried when Chase hadn’t come to dinner last night, but Ty had said he was out with friends. Parker didn’t want to run Chase out of his home.

Her time with Ty had been a bit of a revelation, too. They’d worked in ease with each other yesterday afternoon and then enjoyed a peaceful dinner before sitting down to watch a movie. Very little movie watching had happened though, because they’d spent the whole time talking. They got along really well, and had a surprising amount in common.

Even if their relationship never progressed past this point, she felt like they would be great friends. And that was what mattered, for the baby. Having parents who were good friends was the next best thing to having parents that were truly together. Everything was looking up.

She pulled into her parent’s driveway and stared at the modest home she’d grown up in. It was a Sunday, and both cars were here, so she wouldn’t be able to put this off anymore. Her parents had always been supportive, but who could say how they’d react to her news?

Blowing out a breath, she shoved her car door open and walked to the door before knocking on it. A few moments later, her mom opened the door with a polite smile that froze when she saw it was Parker at the door.

“Parker? Honey, what are you doing here? Did we know you were coming? What am I saying, of course we didn’t. That’s not something we’d forget. Robert, Parker’s here!” She hollered as she pulled Parker into the house.

Her mom pulled her into a hug, enveloping Parker in her arms and a cloud of Chanel. For a moment, Parker fought tears as she was instantly transported back to her childhood again, when everything was simple and uncomplicated. She was pulled back into the present when her father walked into the hallway.

“Parker? What are you doing here? Did we know you were coming?”

“Of course not, Robert. We wouldn’t forget something like that,” Janelle scolded, disregarding the fact that she’d just asked the same thing moments before. “Come on, dear, let’s go sit in the living room and talk. I’m sure you didn’t come all the way from California just to catch up.”

A few minutes later, they were all sitting in the living room, glasses of tea her mom had fetched in their hands. The silence stretched out and Parker felt herself getting more uncomfortable as she fought with how and where to start.

“Do you have luggage you need me to bring in,” her dad said, starting to put his glass down so he could rise.

“No, no. Don’t worry about it,” Parker said, omitting that all of her luggage was at Tyler’s farm. “Mom, Dad… I need to tell you something.”

Her mom instantly jumped up. “I knew it! You’re sick. Why else would you show up here without a phone call first? Don’t worry honey, whatever it is, we’ll get you well again,” she said, pacing in front of her chair. “Tell us straight. How bad is it?”

“Mom!” Parker said loudly, interrupting her. “I’m not sick! I swear. Not sick, not dying. I’m perfectly healthy. Calm down.”

Her mom sank back down in her chair with a puzzled frown. “Then what else would bring you all the way out here, that you couldn’t tell us on the phone?”

“Are you gay, Parker? It’s okay, you can tell us. I’ve always suspected you were. There won’t be judgements here,” her dad asked.

“Now that’s a horrible thing to say, Robert,” her mom scolded. “Not about the judgements. Of course we wouldn’t judge. We’d love Parker no matter what. But you suspected? How did you suspect something like that and not tell me?”

Parker sighed and rubbed her forehead as her parents went back and forth. Her dad had always thought she was gay? How had he come to that conclusion? She’d never had boyfriends, true, but she’d hardly ever brought friends that were girls over, either.

She exhaled heavily and looked up at her parents. She had to get this out before they came up with more craziness.

“Mom. Dad.” Taking a deep breath, she blurted, “I’m pregnant.”

Silence reigned over the room. Her mom was frozen and her dad had a deeply surprised look on his face.

Her dad was the first to break the silence. “So you’re not gay, then?” He asked, a wealth of shock in his voice. “Although I suppose you don’t have to be straight to have a baby. You and your partner could have found a sperm donor.”

Parker shook her head in exasperation. Her dad sure was holding on to his belief that she was a lesbian. “No, Dad, I’m not gay. Totally straight.”

“Hmph,” her dad grunted. “Guess I’ll have to readjust years worth of thinking, then.”

Her mom finally seemed to come out of the daze she’d been in. “Oh, get over it, Rob. Parker… you’re going to have a baby? Where’s the father? He didn’t want to come to Wyoming with you? He shouldn’t have let you drive so far on your own. How far along are you?”

Parker twisted her fingers together. “I’m four, almost five, months along. The father… he doesn’t live in California. He lives here in Eagle Creek.”

“Eagle Creek? Four months ago? So it happened the weekend of Tiffany’s wedding. I didn’t see you with anyone at the wedding. Who is it?” Her mother said rapid fire.

“He didn’t come to the wedding. It happened the night of the bachelorette party. I ran into an old friend at Pete’s,” Parker explained, stretching the truth. They didn’t need to know Ty hadn’t remembered her from school. “You guys probably know who he is. Tyler MacKeltar.”

“Tyler MacKeltar? The one who owns that farm, Blue Moon? Strange name for a farm,” her mom muttered. “He was a… nice boy.”

“It’s Red Moon, honey,” her dad said. “Nice boy isn’t exactly how I remember him. Hoodlum is more like it. I haven’t heard much about him lately, but I’m sure that hasn’t changed. He’s got all those tattoos, and I’m sure he’s on steroids or something. Have you seen how big he is?”

Parker laughed. “Dad, he’s not on steroids. He owns a farm, remember? He does a lot of manual labor. Besides, I have a tattoo, and I’m not a hoodlum.”

“A very tasteful rose on your ankle, dear. Not a bunch of skulls. Although I don’t see anything wrong with his. They’re sexy,” her mom replied.

“Janelle!” Her dad exclaimed as Parker looked at her mom in surprise.

“What? It’s true. Tyler is a very good looking young man. Well done, Parker.”

Parker burst out laughing, some of her tension easing even as her dad glowered at his wife.

“I don’t want you guys to get the wrong impression. There’s not a wedding imminent or anything. I just told Ty I was pregnant this week when I got here, and we’re taking it slow, getting to know each other better before the baby is born. We’re not jumping into anything just because I’m pregnant.”

“I think that’s wise,” her dad grumbled as her mom swatted him on the arm. “What? It is. I’m not too sure of him, no matter how ‘sexy’ you think he is, Janelle.”

“Would you feel like that if it was Gordon? Don’t judge a book by its cover, Robert.”

Parker wrinkled her nose at the mention of Gordon. He was the son of her dad’s bank manager and a sniveling, pretentious little weasel. He had been even back in elementary school.

“At least we know he’d be good for her. He’s a good man with a great job,” her dad retorted.

Parker held her hands up as her mom opened her mouth to reply. “It doesn’t matter what kind of man Gordon is. I’m having Ty’s baby, and no matter what happens between us, he’ll always be in my life. Even in yours. He’s your grandchild’s father. I love you, Daddy, but you’re going to have to get used to that.”

“Are you staying in town, Parker?” Her mother asked as her dad sat back in his chair, grumbling under his breath.

“For the foreseeable future, yes. It’s possible I may move back here. I don’t need to stay in San Diego to work, and I have the baby to think of now. Everything is kind of up in the air right now, though. Ty and I have a lot to work through.”

“I think having both parents close would be best for the baby, and your father and I would be absolutely thrilled to have you close again. I’d love to be able to get my hands on that baby whenever I wanted, too,” her mom said. “I agree, though, that you need to work through this with Tyler. It’s a big change, and more than anything, we want you to be happy.”

Her dad sighed. “Your mom is right. Your happiness, and the happiness and well being of the baby, are what matters the most. If you say Tyler is a good man… well, I’ll believe you for now, but I reserve the right to change my mind whenever I want. Can I go get your bags, now that we’ve worked that out?”

Parker shifted on her chair. “I’m staying at Red Moon. Now don’t look like that, Daddy. You just said you were going to give Ty a chance. Besides, I’m back home to try to get to know Ty better. I can’t do that very well if I’m here all the time.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” her mom said with a quelling glance at her father. “You should bring Tyler to dinner sometime soon, Parker. Let us get to know our grandbaby’s daddy. Maybe then your father will chill out,” she added pointedly.

“I’ll ask when he’s free,” Parker promised, inwardly sighing. Coming here for dinner was probably the last thing Ty would want to do, but she thought it was a necessary evil. Her dad was going to be uptight about Ty until he got to know him better.

“You do that. You should tell Tiffany soon, too. She’ll be hurt if she hears about your pregnancy from someone else.”

Parker agreed, and they spent another thirty minutes or so catching up before Parker left with a promise to call and visit often.

She got in her car and then just sat for a moment. That had gone better than she’d ever imagined it would, even with her dad’s reluctance toward Ty. Now she just needed to tell her sister, but she wasn’t near as nervous about that as she had been about her parents.

Putting the car in drive, she backed out of the driveway and headed back to Red Moon with a smile on her face. Everything seemed to be working out.

Parker pulled her car to a stop at the farm and killed the engine before getting out. She waved at Chase, who was coming out of the equipment shed, as she walked to the house. She took a deep breath of the pure country air, as she always did, before she let herself inside. After living in the city for so long, she couldn’t get enough of the clean air here. Something else she’d missed about home, and something she’d never even known she’d missed until she was here.

She paused inside the door, taking in the delicious smell of dinner permeating the air, a bit surprised at the sense of homecoming she felt. She’d only been here for a few days and yet this place felt like hers already. That was dangerous thinking, though. Even if she did move back home, the odds were heavily in favor of her not living here.

She was trying to push away the sudden sadness that had swamped her at that thought when Ty came out of the office. Her breath caught as she saw him. He was big, powerful, and was looking more gorgeous than a man had a right to. She still sometimes had trouble believing she was here because she’d had sex with him. Him! Her childhood crush and a man most women would give their right arms to sleep with.

It had felt like a dream afterward, when she’d gone back to California. It wasn’t until she’d found out that she was pregnant that it had suddenly become very real. Sometimes, though, even with the pregnancy, it was hard to believe.

Ty spotted her and walked over. “Hey, Parker. How did it go?”

“Pretty well. Better than I thought it would, although my dad thinks you’re a hoodlum.”

Ty laughed, his deep baritone washing over her and giving her goosebumps. “He’s not wrong. I used to be a bit of one, but I like to think I’ve grown up now.”

“I think it’s all the tattoos that give off that impression now,” Parker responded with a smile. “I had to remind him that I have a tattoo myself, so if that makes you a hoodlum, so am I.”

Ty’s eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “You have a tattoo? How did I not know this?”

Parker turned her leg to the side and gestured at it. “It’s just a small rose. Most people don’t notice it.”

Ty studied the rose on her ankle before his eyes slowly came back up, tracing her bare legs. When his eyes met hers, Parker couldn’t stop the shiver that wracked her body at the heat in his gaze. “Still, I paid thorough attention to that gorgeous body of yours that night. I thought I had seen everything, but then again, I wasn’t paying too much attention to your ankles. Much better places for me to focus my attention.”

Parker couldn’t tear her eyes from his. She shifted a bit as she felt her nipples pucker and an ache start deep in her core. She watched as his eyes dropped to her lips, and her own did the same to his. He had full lips, the lower one slightly fuller, and she had the sudden urge to nip it, hard. She felt herself leaning toward him and felt nothing but relief when he did the same. She needed his lips on hers. Needed it with an intensity that stole what was left of her breath.

She jumped when she heard Chase calling Tyler’s name from somewhere in the house. Cursing Chase’s rotten timing as Ty pulled back and looked the other way, Parker struggled to control her breathing. She was going to combust if something didn’t give soon. And if it was this bad after only a few days, how in the world was she going to survive here for so long?

Ty turned back to her, studying her face as he did so. “I better go see what he wants. I wanted to let you know that I have some stuff on the farm that I need to check out after dinner, so I’ll be out of the house for a couple hours tonight.”

Parker nodded her understanding, not trusting her voice enough to speak, and watched as he turned to find his brother. Feeling unsettled by the depth of her emotions, she went to get her laptop. Maybe doing some work would help her get her mind off of things. She’d heard pregnant women were hormonal and felt things strongly. She hoped that was the case, because if this need, this yearning, she felt for Ty was real and how she truly felt… She wouldn’t recover when she had to walk away. And it sure seemed like she would have to, because Ty couldn’t seem to make up his mind about what he really wanted from her.

Chapter Eleven

Tyler walked outside after dinner, breathing deeply of the night air. Tonight he was giving his wolf his body. He’d needed it before tonight, but after he’d almost kissed Parker again, he was desperate to shift and let the wolf take over.

He stalked toward the woods, head down. He was beginning to seriously doubt his ability to keep away from Parker, to resist her. It didn’t help that he didn’t want to, not in the least. The only thing stopping him was the worry that if he took it further, he would hurt her or the baby. Because there was no doubt in his mind that if he kissed her, it would end with her in his bed.

Ty reached the woods and pulled his shirt off before easing the zipper of his jeans down. Just the thought of kissing Parker, the thought of her in his bed, was enough to make him hard. Breath hissing out of his body, he got the zipper the rest of the way down, and then hurried to shuck his boots and his jeans. He hunched inward, and the sound of his bones breaking echoed off the trees as a blinding flash of pain shot through his body. It all happened in the blink of an eye and a moment later, his massive black wolf was shaking out his fur.

His ears perked up and he listened with hearing that was even better than it was in his human form as the wolf turned its huge head and gazed back to the house. Back to where Parker was. Apparently, the longing he felt for her was just as potent in either form.

Giving his head a shake, Ty turned around and took off at a run, streaking through the woods. He made it to the river before he slowed down, and then he took his time, sniffing his way along the bank until he came to the clearing. He sat for a moment, looking up at the sky.

Everything was always clearer in his wolf form. More simplistic. He had instincts, he had needs like hunger, but there wasn’t the bombardment of emotions, weighed down with human concerns.

As a wolf, everything was clear.

And what was the clearest of all was that he wanted Parker. All of her. The wolf thought Ty was stupid for holding back, an idiot for putting off what he thought was inevitable. Parker was theirs. The pup was theirs. Take her and keep her.

Huffing a sigh, Ty stood up, thinking he would run for a little longer before he headed back to the house. Turning for the woods, he stilled as he scented the air, his hackles raising as he scanned the surroundings.

That smell didn’t belong here. Didn’t belong on the farm, on his property, and sure as hell didn’t belong so close to Parker and his pup. He inhaled deeply, confirming his first instincts were right. There was another wolf shifter around. The scent was different than that of a normal wild wolf. This one was a female. He didn’t know any female wolf shifters, and that only made his hackles raise more.

He couldn’t allow an unknown wolf shifter around his little family.

Lowering his nose to the ground, he found the scent trail and began following it. Hitting a dead end a few minutes later when the trail ended at the water’s edge, he growled low in his throat in frustration before turning around and following it back the other way. Through the woods, winding in every direction, before it led him back to the woods around the house. His eyes narrowed at how close to the house the trail was, and he continued tracking it as it led him in a large circle around the house. It never left the woods, so whoever it was hadn’t come closer to the house, but that wasn’t much of a consolation. Anywhere on the property would have been too close.

He threw back his head and howled in frustration. This wolf shifter had to know what they were, and it was watching them. Coming onto their property from the river, where they couldn’t track without leaving MacKeltar land. Ty and Chase never left Red Moon in their wolf forms. They couldn’t attract attention, and huge wolves, much larger than a normal wolf, would attract the wrong kind of attention if they were seen.

Chase came jogging into the woods a few moments later. “You shouldn’t howl this close to the house. You’ll scare Parker.”

Shit. He hadn’t even thought of that. Ty quickly shifted back to human form, immediately telling Chase what he’d found. “The trail ends at the river, where we can’t track it further,” he finished.

“Another wolf?  A female? You’re sure about this?” Chase asked.

Ty shot him a look. “You think I would mistake something like that?”

“Shit. We’ve never had an unknown shifter here before. I don’t like this, at all. If they were here for a good reason, they would have talked to us.” Chase started pulling his clothes off. “I’m going to check it out, take in the scent so I’ll recognize it again.”

“Be careful. I’m going to go check on Parker. I don’t like that this shifter shows up just when Parker gets here.”

Chase nodded and shifted into his light brown wolf, nose down to catch the scent as he walked away. Ty turned to get his clothes and then dressed before he made his way back to the house, moving at a fast clip. He felt anxious and he knew he wouldn’t calm until he laid his eyes on Parker and reassured himself and his wolf that she was okay.

Parker finished washing her face, studying her reflection as she patted it dry with a towel. She wondered what Ty saw when he looked at her. He obviously found her attractive, and although she tried hard to see what he did, she didn’t understand it. She was still just plain old Parker. With a sigh, she put her glasses back on before opening the door and stepping out. She turned toward her room but paused when she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs.

Turning, she saw Ty reaching the top of the stairs. He hesitated when he saw her, a look of relief crossing his features that confused her.

“Hey, Ty. You get finished up outside?”

He didn’t answer, just walked forward and didn’t stop until he was almost touching her. She looked up, frowning a little, and was just opening her mouth to ask him what was wrong when he lowered his head and took her mouth with his.

Her breath left her body in a whoosh as he backed her up against the wall, plastering his body to hers. She lifted up on her tiptoes, one of her arms wrapping around his neck while she rested her other hand on his cheek so she could feel his jaw working.

He caressed her lips with his for a moment before sweeping his tongue into her mouth to duel with hers. Parker moaned as her arm tightened around his neck and she arched more body more firmly into his. Her blood was heating quickly and she could feel herself getting wet just from his kiss alone.

He’d had this effect on her four months ago, too. Full blown, instant need, right from the start.

Ty rolled his hips, rubbing his already hard length against her belly as his kiss got more aggressive. Tangling a hand in her hair, he guided her away from the wall and walked her a few steps down the hall and into his room. He kicked the door shut with his foot and then pushed her up against the bedroom wall, intensifying the kiss even more.

He licked at her mouth, seeming intent on tasting every inch of it, before he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. He nipped it as he released it, trailing his lips across her jaw to her ear. He worked his way to her ear, where he treated it to a nip that sent lightning spreading through her body from the contact. He continued the nipping and sucking down her neck, and Parker gasped as she felt her body light up.

She tugged on his hair and he returned his mouth to hers, kissing her aggressively as his hand cupped her hips and tugged her snugly against him. Well, as snug as he could get with her growing belly between them. She took the initiative and returned the nipping kisses he’d given her. That lower lip of his had taunted her for days, and now she finally had access to it.

Ty groaned as she licked at it, and she could feel the vibration of it down to her toes. Rubbing against him, trying to relieve some of the ache she felt, Parker tugged at his hair as he tangled his tongue with hers again.

He suddenly ripped his mouth from hers and pulled away, cursing softly as he paced away from her. Chest heaving for breath, Parker leaned against the wall, body feeling bereft of the touch of him against her.

Chest heaving like hers, Ty ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “I can’t do this.”

Indignation filling her, Parker willed strength into her limbs as she straightened from the wall. “What the fuck, Tyler?” Ignoring his look of surprise at her language, she ranted on. “You keep doing this. Coming onto me and then pulling away. Every time. I want you, bad, but I’m not the one initiating this. You are. You pull me close one moment and then push me away the next. Make up your damn mind already!”

The room echoed with her words. Ty looked like he was struggling for words, opening and closing his mouth. Parker’s shoulders drooped as just as suddenly as her anger had appeared, it drained out of her and hurt and sadness took its place.

“Maybe staying here wasn’t such a good idea. I can go stay at my parent’s house. We can still get to know each other, and it would stop all of this.” She moved toward the door, placing her hand on the knob but not opening it yet. Back still to him, she said, “You know, if you don’t want to touch me… If the sight of my growing belly disgusts you, you don’t have to touch me. You don’t have to kiss me. No matter how much I’ve wanted it, I never asked for it. And my belly is only going to get bigger. Maybe you should get used to that.”

Parker twisted the knob, frowning when it wouldn’t open. Looking up, she saw that Ty was there, one big arm on the door, holding it shut. He could sure move fast when he wanted to. Maybe that was a wolf thing.

“Is that what you think, Parker? That you disgust me? That your belly disgusts me?” He crowded into her, pushing the impressive erection he still sported into her back. “Does that feel like disgust to you? How could you think that?” He backed up from the door and Parker turned around to look at him.

“What else am I supposed to think, Ty? You kiss me and then pull away. And it’s usually after you’ve felt my body against yours. That first time was after you’d touched my belly with your hand.”

Ty shook his head. “Parker, no. It’s not that. Never that. You’ve always been gorgeous, but the sight of you, belly swelling with my baby… it just makes you even more beautiful. More potent. I like it. More than you can imagine.”

Parker felt relief filling her. He didn’t think she was gross. She frowned as confusion set in. “Then what is it, Ty? Why do you keep pulling away, when we both want you to keep going?”

He exhaled heavily, closing his eyes tight for a moment. “Come sit down with me and we’ll talk. Talking about emotional shit has never been a strong suit of mine, but I obviously owe you an explanation.”

Emotional shit? Well now she was even more curious. Parker walked to his bed and sat down, finally looking around her as she did so. Ty’s room was as masculine as he was, all browns and navy blues, and stark. There were no decorations, no pictures on the walls. Just furniture. The bed dipped as Ty sat down, and Parker turned sideways to face him.

“Okay, so… it’s.. well…” Ty groaned, running his hands through his hair and tugging on the strands in frustration.

“What is it, Ty? You know you can tell me anything,” she said softly.

Ty sighed. “I think I need to give you some backstory so you understand why I feel this way.”

“Okay. Go on.”

“I’ve never talked about this before, so bear with me. Do you remember Cassie Larson?”

“I remember her. She was always one of the nicer girls in school, even though she was one of the popular crowd. She dated Jared Montgomery.”

One side of Ty’s mouth kicked up in a half smile. “Yeah, that sounds like her. Me, Cassie and Jared were close. Best friends. And yeah, she was with Jared, but I… Well, I loved her, too.”

Parker sucked in a breath. That, she hadn’t known. She was going up against some steep competition, even though she knew Cassie had passed away three or four years ago. Cassie had been everything Parker wasn’t. Gregarious and outgoing, she’d had an effervescent personality and had never met a stranger. Not to mention, she’d been beautiful, unlike Parker, who had always been on the plain side. Cassie had been curvy, too, but she’d had pleasing curves, not like Parker’s overblown ones, what most would call on the chubby side.

Oh yeah. She couldn’t compete with that.

“She chose Jared, of course,” Ty continued. “I never really thought she’d choose me, but I had to try. I never held it against either of them, though. They loved each other, and I wanted them to be happy.” He paused for a moment before taking a breath and then carrying on. “About four years ago, Cassie became pregnant. And then… she died. The baby died. Both of them, gone in the blink of an eye.”

Parker sucked in a breath. She’d forgotten that part, that Cassie had been pregnant when she died. This explained so much about Ty’s overreactions when he thought she was doing too much.

“I’m sure you’ve probably pieced together some shit,” Ty said. She snapped her eyes to him and saw that he was wearing a wry smile. “Why I flip my shit when I think you’re doing something that could hurt you or the baby. Hu—pregnant women are fragile. You could get hurt or lose the baby so easily. So much could happen.”

Parker reached over and laid her hand on his clenched fist. “There’s always a risk, but the likelihood is actually very small, Ty. I don’t take risks. The things you’ve worried about me doing are nothing. I would never, ever, do anything that might harm this baby.” Her other hand went to her belly and she watched as Ty’s eyes followed the movement. “I love him or her already. I’d die for this baby.”

His eyes snapped to hers. “Don’t say that. Neither one of you are going to die.”

Parker winced. She hadn’t meant to say it like that, not just after learning of his love for Cassie and her passing away while she was pregnant. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I said that, but you see what I’m getting at here.”

Ty sighed. “I know. And I know you’re not going to take any risks. Rationally, I know the odds of you getting hurt or losing the baby are slim. I just can’t help but worry you will, constantly. So I overreact when I see something as little as being half a foot off the ground while you look at the pigs.”

They were both quiet for a moment as Parker thought. So much made sense now. She would try not to get so exasperated with him in the future when he freaked out again. And he would freak out again. She’d bet anything he would.

She thought his reluctance to get intimate again made sense now, too, and she tried to push away the sense of loss she felt. She’d never really had him to lose in the first place.

“So what you’re saying is that you still love Cassie. That’s why you don’t want to take things further between us again.”

Ty’s head whipped around as he looked at her in surprise. “What? No. I mean, a part of me will always love Cassie. But I accepted that she wasn’t mine, would never be mine, a long time ago. It hurt when I saw her and Jared together, sure, but I had made my peace with it. For the most part,” he added wryly. “I did almost kill Jared when she died. I thought it was his fault, that if she had been with me, that never would have happened. I was arrogant in my belief of that. I thought I would have taken better care of her. I’m learning now, after being with you for the last few days, that he did his best. That he was more hurt by her passing than I was. You couldn’t have told me that four years ago, though. Or even a year ago. I’ve spent so much time being hurt and bitter and furious with Jared. Anyway, that’s beside the point. What I was trying to say was that yes, a part of me will always love her. She was my best friend for going on fifteen years. I’ve realized, though, that for a while, even before she died, my love for her was that of a friend. Not a lover, or wannabe lover.”

Parker took that in, relief and confusion warring inside her. Relief to know that she wasn’t in true competition with a perfect ghost, and confusion because she still wasn’t sure what was stopping him.

“You say you don’t know how to talk about your emotions, but you’re doing a pretty good job right now,” she said jokingly, trying to relieve a bit of the tension in the room.

He huffed a laugh. “You’re not feeling it from this side of the room.”

Parker smiled. “Okay, so, Cassie’s not it. Why the hesitation, then?”

Ty rubbed a hand over his face. “Because I don’t want to hurt you. Ever, Parker. You’re too important.”

Parker’s heart warmed even as she frowned. “Hurt me how? Because you don’t want a commitment?”

“No, that’s not it, not really. If I was ever going to commit to a woman, it would be you. I mean… physically. I don’t want to hurt you or the baby.”

“By having sex?” Parker asked, half in disbelief.

“I’m a lot bigger than you are, Parker. And even stronger than I look. I could do it unthinkingly. I could get too rough. I’m not a gentleman or gentle by nature, and I could get too rough by accident.”

“You did just fine last time.”

“You weren’t pregnant last time. What’s that they say about pregnant women? That they’re in a delicate condition? Delicate things need treated with delicacy, and I’m not sure I’m capable of that.”

Parker snorted. “That’s bullshit, Ty. I’m not delicate. You’re not going to hurt me or the baby if we have sex. I don’t need you to be gentle, but even if I did, I know you could be. You would never do anything that might hurt me, whether I was pregnant or not.”

“You don’t understand--.”

Parker put her hand on his mouth, cutting him off. “I understand the kind of man you are, Ty. The kind of man who worries over whether I eat, the kind of man that won’t even let me carry a bag of toiletries inside, is never going to do something that might hurt me, baby or not.”

Ty reached up, grabbing her hand and placing a lingering, scorching kiss in her palm, before lowering it to his lap and not letting it go. “You really believe that? You have that much faith in me?”

“Of course I do, Ty,” she said softly. “I just wish you had that much faith in yourself.”

Ty looked at her for a moment, a struggle going on in his eyes that she wasn’t sure she understood. Finally, he reached up and slowly removed her glasses. Parker’s breath hitched as he leaned past her to set them on the bedside table. Straightening up, he framed her face with his hands and searched her eyes before leaning in and ever so slowly sipping at her lips.

The feel of his hands gently cupping her face and his lips softly brushing hers made Parker’s heart melt. He kept the kiss slow and soft for long moments, and even through the sweetest sensations she’d ever known, Parker felt her body coming alive with tingles. This man’s touch, his kisses, were magical. Every time so far had been, and every time, it only felt more so.

He increased the intensity and pressure of the kiss in slow increments, and Parker felt her blood boiling hotter when every sweep of his tongue against her lips. She opened for him, letting him in as her hands reached up and tangled in his hair.

The slow pace was driving her insane, but it was the sweetest torture she’d ever known.

He lifted his mouth from hers, placing tender kisses down her jaw and back again before he pulled back to look into her eyes.

“Are you sure about this, Parker? This feels important to me, and I need to know you feel it, too. That you’re sure you want to do this, even knowing that.”

Parker’s heart stopped for a moment as she searched his eyes. That he thought this was big too was huge, and almost unbelievable. It seemed like he really did want her, and for more than just the baby she carried.

“I’m absolutely sure, Tyler. I feel it too, and I’m sure.”

A flash of relief, followed by triumph, flashed through his eyes before he lowered his mouth to hers again. This kiss was still gentle, but the softness was gone, replaced with a heated intensity that stole her breath. He kissed and licked and nipped, and Parker did her best to participate but it was more like she was just holding on for the ride as he ravished her mouth.

He eased her back onto the bed, following her down and lying beside her, his body big and hot against hers. He trailed his mouth back across her jaw and then down her throat as he slid one large hand up her waist. Her breath caught as his hand reached the underside of her breast, and then she moaned, half in disappointment that he didn’t go higher, and half in pleasure as he licked at her neck.

Ty nipped her throat as his hand slid back down to her waist, and she could feel him smile against her neck. He knew he was driving her insane, the ass. Not willing to let him be the only one playing, she pushed him back a bit and reached for the hem of his shirt. She felt herself blushing, but she couldn’t help it. She’d never tried to undress a man before, even during their last time together.

Luckily, Ty either didn’t notice her blush or wasn’t going to comment on it. Accommodating her, he sat up and pulled his t-shirt off. Parker stared, riveted at the sight of his muscular chest, as he tossed the shirt over the side of the bed. Before he could settle over her again, Parker brought her hands to his shoulders, sliding them down his impressive pecs before moving them over his washboard abs. He had more tattoos on his chest, and another on his side, and she wanted to trace every one of them with her tongue. She’d never seen a man look like this other than in movies or underwear ads. She hadn’t even thought that a normal man could look like this.

As normal as he could be when he turned into a wolf occasionally, she thought wryly. Then again, maybe that was part of why he looked the way he did.

Her fingers reached low, brushing against the edge of his jeans, and she secretly smiled when he hissed out a breath and his hips involuntarily jerked forward. The fact that her touch could pull that reaction from him was heady stuff, and she brushed her fingers under the waistband of his jeans just to feel it again. This time, he let out a strangled groan, and satisfied, she trailed her fingers back up again.

“Alright,” Ty said gruffly, catching her hands. “That’s enough of that torture for now.”

“Don’t like it when the tables are turned, do you?”

He brought one of her hands to her mouth, nipping the pads of her fingertips one by one, before lowering it again. “You’ll be the one who doesn’t like it when this ends too quickly. I’d like to at least be out of my jeans when that happens.”

Parker felt her eyebrows raise. “I have that kind of effect on you?”

He leaned in to kiss her lips before pulling back. “Of course you do. Since the moment I saw you in Pete’s four months ago.”

Parker knew her smile was a cross between smug and surprised, but she couldn’t help either feeling. She never would have guessed that the effect she had on him was as potent as the effect he had on her. Her-- short, chubby, plain Parker Leighton.

Her musings were cut short by Ty reaching for the hem of her shirt, and she couldn’t stop herself from stiffening. He hadn’t seen her body in almost five months, and even then, it had been relatively dark in the room, the only light coming from the streetlights outside. There was a lamp on the dresser that was turned on in his bedroom, and her body… She’d been chubby then, but she was even more filled out now. Her breasts, already large, had just gotten bigger; her belly was rounder with his child. He might not have been disgusted by feeling her body against his, but she couldn’t help thinking the sight of it would turn him off.

“Hey,” he said softly, noticing her hesitation. “What’s going through that pretty head of yours?”

She could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks, but she couldn’t stop it any more than she could answer him. Even if she wanted to, her throat has closed up tight. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head and forcing herself to speak.

“Nothing,” she finally croaked.

“Do you want to stop?”

Eyes shooting open at that, Parker shook her head more vehemently. “No! Don’t stop. It’s fine. I’m fine. Promise.”

Ty didn’t look like he believed her, but he drew her up slightly so that he could pull her shirt off. Parker eased back down, unable to keep her eyes from closing. At least she had on her good bra tonight.

The silence was stretching on, making Parker more and more uncomfortable, when she heard a gust of breath leave Ty. “Parker,” he breathed. “You are so gorgeous.”

Did he just say she was gorgeous?

Parker slowly opened her eyes, not sure she’d heard him right. He was staring at her body with a dazed look on his face, and the look in his eyes was almost… reverent?

He reached a hand down, slowly trailing it over her shoulder, leaving a trail of fire in his wake, before tracing a finger down her bra strap. He followed it to the edge of her purple and lace bra, following the edge along her breast. She sucked in a trembling breath at the feel of him against her skin.

“Are you bigger here than you were before?” He asked, swallowing hard.

Fighting down the embarrassment she felt over her even larger than normal bust size, Parker nodded. “They’ll get even bigger than this at the end of the pregnancy,” she admitted.

He must have caught something in her tone because he frowned and looked up at her face. “Parker? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

He continued to study her for a moment before realization dawned in his eyes. “Parker, baby. How many times do I have to tell you how beautiful you are? Everything about you. Don’t be uncomfortable. Not with me. I’ll never think you’re anything less than stunning.”

Parker was mesmerized by the sincerity that shown through his eyes, and the conviction in his voice. He really meant that. She thought maybe he always had, but it was just now becoming clear to her. No matter how anyone else saw her, no matter how she saw herself, Ty loved the way she looked. He didn’t mind her curves or her larger than average breasts. He didn’t mind that her belly wasn’t flat. And he didn’t think she was plain; he thought she was beautiful.

Warmth filled her chest as she nodded at him. “You really feel that way, don’t you? I can’t promise that I’ll overcome all of my insecurities at once, or even very quickly, but I’ll try.”

Deciding to show him that she really meant that, Parker sat up and reached behind her, unsnapping her bra and flinging it off of the bed before laying back down. She had to fight the urge cover her breasts up, but she managed it, and she was happy she had when she saw the lustful look in his eyes as he took her in.

“That’s my girl,” he said in a voice gone gravelly, before he leaned down and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth.

Parker gasped and arched her back and heat speared through her body. He filled his hands with her breasts as he lavished attention on her nipple and Parker couldn’t stop the high pitched moan that erupted from her throat.

Her breasts were so damn sensitive now! She almost couldn’t handle the sensations shooting through her body as he switched his attention to her other nipple, rolling the bud around with his tongue before he bit down gently.

She had to be soaking her panties right now. She could feel the moisture building up and she shifted her thighs together, hoping to ease the ache that was quickly building to an unbearable point.

Ty let her nipple fall out of his mouth, lifting up and kissing her passionately. Pulling back, he said, “I wanted to do this slow and gentle. I’m still going to do my damnedest to be gentle, but baby, I don’t think I can go slow anymore.”

Parker smiled at him as she caressed the nape of his neck. “I don’t need slow, Ty. I don’t even need gentle. I just need you.”

The warm chocolate of Ty’s eyes darkened to black as he nipped at her lips again. “You can’t talk me out of gentle, Parker. But slow is out the window.”

With that, Ty pulled back and shimmied out of his jeans, revealing his thick length to her eyes. Her insides clenched as she took in the size of him. She knew he’d fit, even though staring at his thick, long length was intimidating. More than that though, she knew the feel of him inside her, knew what he could do, and knew the way he could make her feel when he was rocking into her. She didn’t want to wait any longer. She needed him now.

Ty came back over her, hooking his fingers into her sleep pants and tugging at them, along with her underwear. Too full of the anxious need to have him inside of her to care about baring more of herself to him, Parker lifted her hips to help him tug the rest of her clothes off.

He pulled them off, throwing them over the side of the bed without looking, and ran his eyes up her legs to her center. She couldn’t stop her legs from parting slightly, knowing she was glistening from her desire. Her insides clenched more when he licked his lips, looking for all the world  like he would start to eat her alive at any moment. He finally pulled his eyes away and leaned up to kiss her again.

“I feel like I’ve spent the last four months waiting on this moment, Parker,” he said against her lips. “I just wanted you to know that. I wanted you to know that I’ve never wanted a woman like I want you. Never constantly thought about a woman like I think about you. You, us… this is important, sweetheart. It’s big.”

Parker’s heart stuttered and then melted at that declaration. She’d dreamed of hearing words like that fall from Ty’s lips, but she’d never, ever imagined that it would really happen. It wasn’t a declaration of love, or even a commitment, but it was more than enough for her.

Ty trailed his hand slowly down from her collarbone, never taking his eyes from hers. His fingers left fire in their wake as he dragged them between her breasts and down to her stomach where his hand paused its descent. Flattening his hand out and cupping her belly, he closed his eyes and she heard his breath catch. He opened his eyes again as he pulled back and looked to where his hand was resting.

“Parker…” he said, voice hoarse and trailing off. She understood though. She felt the same way when she touched her belly.

He scooted down the bed, trailing kisses down the same path his hand had taken, pausing to plant a few lingering kisses on her belly. His hand continued on, delving between her legs and sucking the breath from her body.

His fingers parted her folds, instantly finding her swollen nub, and oh my God, she was more sensitive there, too. Parker couldn’t stop her hips from rising to meet his fingers as her body writhed on the bed. He dragged his fingertip in a slow circle around her clit before applying more pressure. He rubbed hard and fast around her clit as he leaned up and sucked her nipple into his mouth.

She was going up in flames, destined to be incinerated at any moment. She’d never felt anything like this before in her life, even that night four months ago. Her fingers tangled in the long strands of his hair, and she knew she was pulling on them hard, but she couldn’t stop herself. She needed to come, now. He hadn’t been touching her long, but she already didn’t know how much more she could handle.

She’d been yearning for his touch again forever, and it was potent. Almost too much, on her sensitive body.

He dipped down, easing two fingers inside her, causing her to moan, before he pulled them back to her clit. She felt empty after feeling him inside her, even if it was just for a moment, but he doubled his efforts on her nub, and within moments, she was flying apart. She shook and trembled as her body clenched, and she came so hard, she thought she would black out.

Panting, she slowly drifted back down to find Ty smiling at her with a look of smugness mixed with pain. He hadn’t gotten any relief yet. As relaxed as her body was now, she knew they were just getting started, and the thought instantly had her core heating up again.

“What happened to going fast?”

Ty leaned in and sipped at her lips. “I don’t care how badly I need to be inside you, if I don’t make you come first, I’m not much of a man.”

“How about making me come while you’re inside? I need you inside of me. Now, Tyler.”

Ty growled low in his throat as he positioned himself over her, nudging her entrance with his thick cock. “Making you come while I’m buried inside you is a given, sweetheart. Every time. But that’s only the main course. I had to give you an appetizer first.”

Leaning on his forearms, Ty kept his eyes locked with hers as he slowly pushed into her. Her breath caught and her eyes rolled back in her head as she felt herself stretching and giving way for him. God, the feel of him inside her… he was barely in, but she felt it clear to her toes.

“No, don’t close those pretty eyes. I want to look into them as I have you. I need to see you.”

Parker slowly opened her eyes and forced them not to close again as she locked gazes with him. His eyes were full black, barely even discernable from his pupil, heated and intense. He pushed into her a little more and then paused, clenching his jaw. It felt amazing, but she needed more, and she needed it now.

She pushed up a little bit, trying to move things along, but he wouldn’t move. “Tyler…” she groaned.

Ty cursed through clenched teeth. “Slow, Parker. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Giving all of yourself to me is not going to hurt me, Ty. I need you inside me, all the way inside, now. Before my body explodes from want.” She knew she was pleading with him at this point but she didn’t even care. “Now move.”

Ty muttered “Fuck it,” under his breath before in one smooth move, he pushed all the way inside her.

He froze once he was seated to the hilt, and Parker couldn’t stop her eyes from sliding closed again for a moment as she took in the feeling of having him fully inside her again. She felt stretched full, almost to the point of uncomfortableness but it felt good. No, good was an understatement. It felt amazing. The feelings racing through her body were indescribable.

And her heart felt as full as her body.

She managed to open her eyes and immediately locked eyes with him again, and the emotion in his stole what little breath she had left.

“You feel so fucking good, Parker. So right. Like home.”

He began to move after that, slowly pulling out before pushing back in just as slow. The pull and drag was sweet torture as her every nerve ending felt engulfed in flames that each thrust just added more fuel to.

She wrapped her legs around his waist for leverage and began moving with him, and it wasn’t long before the bed was rocking with the force of his thrusts. The sound of their bodies slapping together was the sweetest noise she’d ever heard, and she dropped one of her legs as he leaned up and wrapped an arm around the thigh of the other.

The new position changed the angle of his thrusts and Parker threw her head back as she moaned low and long. “Oh, God, Tyler. That. That right there. Don’t ever stop.”

“Never,” he gritted out as he increased the speed.

The headboard was banging against the wall and Parker was louder than she’d ever thought she could be. She hoped like hell that no one was in the rooms around them because she had no intention of quieting down.

His cock hit that spot inside her again, the one that lit her up inside and made her eyes roll back in her head. She dug her fingers into his back, uncaring of whether she drew blood or not, and urged him on. She was so close. So… close…

She felt the breath whoosh out of her, and she froze as sensation after sensation crashed through her body. She clenched down on his cock, over and over, and was only vaguely aware of Ty cursing and then freezing. She felt him pulsing inside her, coating her in warmth, and it only pushed her higher.

She was flying and drowning all at once.

She floated slowly back down, unaware of how much time had passed. She and Ty were both still panting, their chests heaving in perfect sync, and his head was buried in her neck. She slowly unwrapped her legs from his waist and let them fall, limp, to the bed.

She was a boneless heap.

Her fingers were tangled in his hair, and she didn’t even remember putting them there. The last she remembered, her hands were busy using her fingernails to gouge holes into Ty’s back. She slowly untangled her fingers, and then just ran her fingers through his hair, slightly damp with sweat, as their breathing calmed.

Ty finally pulled back as almost unnoticeable tremors began to run through his arms. So there was a limit to his strength.

He leaned down and kissed her lips softly, lingering for a long moment, before pulling back to search her eyes.

“Parker, baby… I have no words for that. That was amazing. And well worth a four-month wait.”

He pulled gently out of her before collapsing to the bed and pulling her into his arms. Parker snuggled up to him, uncaring that they were slightly sweaty. She stroked his chest as her heart finally settled into its normal rhythm.

“Almost five.”

She felt him kiss her head. “Almost five?”

“It’s been almost five months. Five very long months.”

He felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled. “Amen to that, sweetheart. But the wait was worth it, and we don’t have to do that again. Ever.”

Parker smiled as she snuggled in even closer. She’d never get enough of him saying stuff like that, and her heart warmed to think she might never have to.

Tyler stroked Parker’s fingers with his own as they rested on his chest. He felt drained, emotionally and physically. When he’d come in from tracking the rogue wolf shifter, all he’d wanted to do was lay eyes on Parker again. See for himself that she was alright. He’d never intended to do more than that, but when he came up the stairs and saw her standing there, face freshly scrubbed, looking soft and adorable in her pajamas and clearly getting ready for bed, he hadn’t been able to help himself.

He hadn’t intended to talk about Cassie or his fears, either, but how could he not tell her what was really going through his mind at that point? She’d looked so dejected and so fucking hurt, and he couldn’t just let her go on thinking she disgusted him, or that he didn’t burn for her with the intensity of a thousand suns.

He wasn’t even being dramatic with that thought. That’s what it felt like.

How could she not realize how she looked? How beautiful she was, especially when she smiled and her light colored eyes twinkled at him? How alluring her deliciously curved body was?

She’d had a lifetime of people looking down on her and making her feel inferior because of her body type. People like Wendy and Hannah. He would skin them alive, let his wolf have them, if they ever made Parker feel like she was less than them again simply because of her body type. He didn’t even care that they were girls or humans. They wouldn’t get away with hurting her again, Wendy especially. She was the worst of the two, and from their interactions at the diner, she was definitely the one out to make Parker feel low about herself.

And there Parker was, outshining all of them. With her personality, her caring nature, her wit, and yes, that delectable body. One that pregnancy just made even more attractive. She was absolutely irresistible, and it was heady stuff to know that a woman like Parker was carrying his pup.

It felt disloyal to Cassie’s memory, but he was suddenly fiercely glad for the first time in his life that she’d chosen Jared. If she hadn’t, if she’d chosen Ty, he never would have met Parker. He never would have had what he had now. Sweet, beautiful Parker who didn’t see herself the way the sane half of the world did. And his pup, who he was sure that he already loved more than life itself. He’d do anything for them.

“What are you thinking about so intently?” Parker asked, raising a hand and smoothing her finger over the slight furrow between his eyes.

He captured her hand and placed a lingering kiss on her palm. “About how five months can feel like forever long and no time at all, all at once.”

“For me as well,” she replied softly. “I should have come back sooner, but I didn’t realize I was pregnant until I was almost three months along. And then I had things to take care of before I could. The honest truth, though, is that I was scared. Scared of seeing you again, scared of how you’d react. Just scared in general.”

Ty angled his head down to look at her, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “You were scared to see me again?”

He felt Parker’s sigh against his chest. “I’m not great with people, even on my best day. I don’t always react like a normal person does. It’s hard to be around others. Which is why I chose a job that I could work from home to do. I was able to be around you easily in March, but who knew if that was a fluke or not? And maybe you wouldn’t want to see me again. Maybe I’d been a one night stand and you never had any real interest, and I’d just been a warm body. Then there I am, showing up pregnant and asking to talk. I had a lot of worries over coming back here again.”

He frowned. “You were never just a warm body to me, sweetheart. I looked for you every time I went into town after that night. I wanted to see you again. I didn’t even get your last name that night. Hell, if I’d known you were Tiffany’s sister, I would have tracked her down to find you.”

She laughed wryly. “Me and Tiffany are so different, you couldn’t have realized. I didn’t exactly run in the same circles as my sister, or you. I had such a crush on you back in high school, but you never even knew I existed.”

Ty felt his eyebrows raise. “You had a crush on me?”

“Uh, yeah,” she said, her cheeks heating in a blush. “A pretty big one.”

“I wish I’d known that then.”

“I never would have told you. I couldn’t even look you in the eye when I passed you in the hall. My social anxiety was off the charts then, even worse than it is now.”

Ty was quiet for a moment. “It doesn’t matter, I guess. I wasn’t in the best place then, so maybe it was for the best. We’re here together now. That’s what matters.” He slid his hand down to her stomach. “And we have this beautiful life now. It’s okay that you waited to tell me. You could have not told me at all. I’m not upset, Parker. Not in the least.”

“I’m glad. Did you know you were my first?”

Ty froze. “You’re first? You were a virgin?” He felt her blush and nod against his chest. “Shit. I didn’t know that. And I just fucked you in a hotel room, like it was any old day.”

Parker leaned up and kissed him, shaking her head as she pulled back. “It wasn’t just any old day. It was the most amazing night of my life, Ty. I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. And it gave us this precious baby.”

Ty slid out from under her, placing a tender kiss on her lips before scooting down the bed. He gazed at her belly, rubbing his palms over it, before placing kiss on the swell of her belly and resting his cheek against it.

They laid like that for long moments. Parker smoothed his hair from his face as Ty closed his eyes, just listening and feeling for a moment.

His pup was so close to him right now. Right under his cheek. He felt his heart swelling with tenderness. He wondered what they were going to have. A strong little male wolf cub, already fierce? Or a little girl pup, just as fierce, but delicate and beautiful like her mother? He honestly didn’t care what sex the baby was, but he suddenly longed to have a little female wolf cub, with the long black curls and light bluish gray eyes of her mother.

Maybe… Maybe one day he could have that, even if this pup was a boy. Maybe he’d get to keep Parker, forever.

Wolf, he thought. Tell me that Parker is our mate. Tell me she’s destined to be with us forever.

Nothing. Nothing but his wolf sighing in the satisfaction of the moment. He was infuriatingly quiet, and now Ty was more sure than ever that he really was broken. Shouldn’t he be telling Ty what to do? Telling him if Parker was theirs or not?

Deliberately trying to push back the rapidly encroaching frustration that threatened to disrupt the quiet peacefulness of the moment, Ty turned his head and placed another long, lingering kiss on Parker’s belly. He froze as he felt the barest of bumps against his lips. Was that…?

“Ty?” Parker asked, fingers stilling in his hair. “Did… did you feel that, too?”

He pulled back, placing his hand where his lips had been. Sensing what he was trying to do, Parker reached down and moved his hand slightly, pushing his palm harder into her belly.

There it was again. Just the slightest of bumps, barely there, and the most incredible thing he’d ever felt in his life.

He looked up with a grin. “That was the baby, wasn’t it?”

“Yes!” Parker replied, a breathtaking smile on her face. “I never thought you would feel it this soon. Everything I’ve read says it’s still too early yet. This baby has his Daddy’s strength.”

The feelings coursing through Ty were indescribable. Tenderness, affection, awe. For both the pup and its mother. He frowned as he realized what she’d said. He shouldn’t be feeling it yet? Strong like him? Shit. This obviously wasn’t normal, and what if the baby was too strong and hurt Parker?

Would the fucking worries ever stop piling up? He’d need to call Jared again tomorrow. See if he had any answers. He couldn’t stand the thought of anything hurting Parker.

“Ty? What’s wrong?” Parker asked, putting a hand on his cheek.

He forced a grin and shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just can’t believe I felt the baby, is all.”

He surged up and kissed her hard, hoping to distract her. He ended up distracting them both. He always lost all train of thought when his lips met hers, and all he could do was drown in sensations. He swiped his tongue over her lips, groaning when she let him and tangled her tongue with his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer as they both threatened to go up in flames.

Parker pulled back and looked at him, full lips swollen and glistening from his kiss. “We’ve had an appetizer and a main course. Is it time for dessert yet?”

Ty chuckled as his dick thumped. He swooped back in and let his kiss be his answer.

Chapter Twelve

Ty kissed Parker on the lips before heading out of the house the next morning. He’d come back to the house to sit down with her for breakfast. He normally ate much earlier, but he’d held off today, wanting to eat with her when she woke up. He just couldn’t go all morning without seeing her, and he knew Parker was planning on having lunch with her sister today.

He’d gotten up that morning and crept out of the room to shower and dress. After going back in to put his boots on, he’d stood by the bed, just watching her sleep, chest tight with emotion that he wasn’t sure he understood. She’d been breathtaking, her face relaxed and mouth slightly open as she breathed deeply in her sleep. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but farm work waited for no one.

And Chase was right. The need for money was even more pressing with a baby on the way. He’d seen all the stuff Jared and Adara had for their babies, and although he and Parker wouldn’t need as much, they still needed a lot.

Speaking of Jared, it was time to make that phone call. Ty walked over by the barn, where he could get good service and still keep an eye on the house. He didn’t want Parker overhearing this conversation. He pulled out his phone and dialed Jared’s cell, impatiently waiting as it rang.

“Jared Montgomery.”

“Jared, it’s Tyler. Listen, I have some news, and I need to ask you some questions if you have a minute.”

“Hey, Ty. What’s up?”

“I was out for a run last night as a wolf and I ran across a scent. It was a shifter, a female wolf. She was all over our woods and had gone in a circle around the house and the barns, but she never left the tree line. I tracked the scent but she cut through the river. Do you know of any wolf shifters in the area?”

“A female wolf? No. I only know one other wolf in the area right now, besides you and Chase. Carter Evans, one of Ian Barrister’s fighters. He’s a male, though, not a female.”

Ty huffed an exasperated breath. “Don’t tell me you go to those damn shifter fights, too.”

Jared laughed. “Don’t be a stick in the mud, Ty. Chase told me you were uptight about the fights, but I didn’t believe him. I don’t go to all of them, but I’ve been to a few. They’re entertaining, and probably not at all what you’re imagining them to be.”

“Whatever, man. There aren’t any females on that crew, or any of the other crews?”

“Just one, in Ian’s, but she’s not a wolf.”

Ty rubbed a hand over his face. “Shit. I didn’t think it would be that easy, though. Do me a favor and have everyone on Bear Claw be on the lookout, alright? She didn’t cross over the river on your land, but it can’t hurt to check around.”

“Absolutely. I don’t like the idea of an unknown shifter hanging around so close, either. You said you had some questions, too?”

“Yeah, about Parker’s pregnancy. Or rather, Adara’s. Parker has a doctor’s appointment this week. Should I be worried? About bloodwork and shit? She said she’s been to one, back in California, and I figure it was okay since she hasn’t been snatched by the government or some shit. But it’s still got me worried.”

“I think you’re good to go there. Adara didn’t see an O.B., though. We went to Oregon a few times for ultrasounds and stuff, at a shifter friendly facility, and then had a midwife deliver the baby. Parker isn’t a shifter, though, so I don’t think going to Oregon will be necessary. I have a buddy whose mate is a human, and nothing ever showed in her blood work, so you’re good there. I’ll give you the name of the midwife, though. That might be a good idea, because the baby will be different, and it would be best if a hospital isn’t testing its blood, just to be safe.”

Ty sighed, half relieved and half still worried. Hiring a midwife would take some explaining, although he supposed he needed to tell Parker the truth soon, anyway. He’d put it off forever if he could, but her having his pup put a time limit on telling her what he was. What the baby she carried was.

“Thanks, man. One more question. I felt the pup move last night. Parker said it was early for me to feel it moving. Is the baby going to be too strong for her? Hurt her because of it?”

“Shifter babies do tend to be a bit stronger than a normal human baby, and movement is felt early. Adara was around that far along when we felt the twins move. Remember I said I had that friend with a human mate? She’s gone through three successful pregnancies. She felt the babies move early with all three, and they never hurt her. Toward the end, some of the kicks and stuff can be pretty powerful, but that’s true for human pregnancies too, from what I understand. And my friend’s mate is just fine. She wouldn’t have gone through three pregnancies if they’d hurt her too much, and her mate never would have let her.”

Ty blew out a relieved breath. “Thanks, Jared. There’s a lot of shit to worry about.”

“Yeah, there is,” Jared agreed. “But there’s also a lot of amazing shit, too. Tell me you weren’t in complete awe when you felt your pup move.”

A smile crept over Ty’s face. “It was awesome. I don’t even have the words for it.”

“It gets even better. Wait until you hear the heartbeat or see it moving on that screen. I’ll be honest with you, man, the worry never goes away, not really. But there are so many amazing moments like those that make up for it, and it’ll all be worth it in the end.”

Ty cleared his throat. “Listen, Jared. I really do appreciate all of this. I’ve been a dick to you since Cassie died. Hell, I probably would have tried to kill you that one day if Jake hadn’t pulled me off. It would have been understandable if you refused to talk to me about any of this.”

The line was silent for a moment before Jared spoke again, voice gruff. “Don’t mention it, Ty. I know you were hurting when Cassie died. You loved her, too. I never held it against you, and I’m not going to start now. Seriously don’t worry about it anymore. It’s in the past.”

They talked for a while more, about ranch and farm stuff, both of them uncomfortable with talking about their emotions. When Ty finally hung up, he smiled and relaxed a little, for the first time in a week. There was still stuff to worry about, but for now at least, it all felt like it would work out. The pregnancy, anyway, as long as nothing happened to Parker. Telling her what he was… that could go either way. And he still wasn’t sure that he could tell her yet, because she could run or react like Cassie had.

Parker was smiling as she pulled up to the diner. She hadn’t seen Tiffany since her sister’s wedding, and she was excited to see her. They were closer now that they were adults. It wasn’t that they’d fought or not gotten along when they were younger; they just hadn’t had much of anything in common.

Tiffany had always been popular, with a ton of friends. Tall, blonde and athletic, she’d been a cheerleader and the star of the girls basketball team. Parker had been… well, Parker. Polar opposites in looks and temperament, with her nose always buried in a book. They’d had very little to talk about or ways to relate to each other back then.

They hadn’t really started to grow closer until Parker moved away for college. Since then, they spoke often on the phone, and had found more in common. Her sister was her best friend.

Parker entered the diner, jumping when she heard a squeal. She turned just in time for Tiffany to throw her arms around her in a hug.

“Oh, Parker girl, it’s so good to see you! When did you get to town? And why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

Tiffany led her to a booth in the back as she chattered away, never pausing long enough for Parker to actually answer her. Parker slid into the booth, noting that her sister had already ordered them drinks.

“Well?” Her sister demanded.

“Oh, are you actually going to let me get a word in edgewise?” Parker replied laughingly.

Tiffany threw a balled up napkin at her. “When did you get here?”

“Almost a week ago.”

“And you’re just now calling me?” Tiffany asked in disbelief.

“Well, I had some stuff to get straightened out first,” Parker hedged, still not sure how she should start, or if she should just blurt it out like she’d done with their parents and Ty.

“What in the world would you need straightened out before you called me?”

“You know Tyler MacKeltar?”

Tiffany wrinkled her brow. “Of course, yeah, I know who he is. What does he have to do with anything?” She asked, picking up her glass to take a sip of tea.

Parker took in a deep breath. “I’m pregnant. With his baby.”

Tiffany choked on her drink, spewing tea across the table. “Shit. Sorry!”

Parker laughed, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at her shirt before using it to clean up the table. “It’s okay. Lesson learned, don’t tell anyone while they have food or drink in their mouth.”

Tiffany finished mopping up her side of the table and then looked up, shock still in her eyes. “You’re having Tyler MacKeltar’s baby? Ty? Big, tatted up, gorgeous, Red Moon Ty?”

“Geez, is that so unbelievable? Or did you think I was a lesbian, like Dad did?” Parker said with a wry laugh.

“Wait, what? Dad thought you were a lesbian?” Tiffany shook her head and waved a hand. “We’ll get back to that later. I’m more interested in Ty. No, it’s not that shocking, I just didn’t even realize you knew him.”

“I didn’t, not really. I ran into him the night of your bachelorette party.” Parker proceeded to fill her sister in on what had happened that night and since. “So I’m staying at Red Moon for now. We’ve been getting to know each other more.”

“Getting to know each other more in all ways, I hope,” her sister replied, waggling her eyebrows.

“Shut up, Tiff,” Parker said, laughing as she blushed. “But as of last night… yes.”

“A baby,” Tiffany sighed. “And with Ty… You lucky, lucky girl. I think half the girls in town would kill to have his baby.”

Parker smiled softly, looking down at the straw wrapper she was twisting around her fingers. “I’m excited, Tiff. This isn’t exactly how I saw my life going, but I wouldn’t change a bit of it.”

Tiffany reached across the table and laid a hand over Parker’s. “I’m happy for you, Parker. Just be careful. Don’t go giving away all of your heart until you know you have his.”

“I know,” Parker reassured her sister, although she was afraid the warning had come too late. “I’m being careful. It’s all new. Really new, and I’m not getting my hopes up.”

Tiffany sighed. “She’s my friend, so I hate to say this, but watch yourself with Wendy. She’s been after Tyler since we were teenagers. She’s not going to be happy about this at all, and she can be nasty when she’s crossed.”

“Oh, I know,” Parker said wryly. “I’ve already had a run in with her, twice now, with Ty. The things she said were nothing new, though. I’ve heard them all before.”

“Wait, from Wendy? She’s been mean to you before?”

Parker looked down, going quiet. She’d never told her sister about the way Wendy had always taunted her, or the things she’d said. She hadn’t meant to today.

“Parker,” Tiffany said louder, waiting until Parker met her eyes before speaking again. “Tell me. Was Wendy mean to you before she saw you with Ty?”

“She’s always said things that weren’t nice, Tiffany. She was no different than most of the girls in school, just a little louder and more consistent than they were with it.”

Tiffany sat back in her booth with a huff, frown growing darker by the second. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me, Parker? I could have said something. Done something.”

Parker shook her head. “I didn’t need my big sister fighting my battles. I still don’t,” she said with a pointed look at her sister. “I thought it was best to just ignore it. And that’s my plan now. To ignore her. She only has as much power as I give her.”

“I could have at least stopped being friends with her. Hell, I’m still friends with her. That shit stops now, though. I never want to be friends with someone that hurts you, Parker, and you let me walk around doing just that for years.”

Parker sighed. She hadn’t thought of it like that. “I’m sorry, Tiff. I’ll tell you in the future if you’re friends with someone like that again.”

“You do that.”

They ordered their lunch, and spent the rest of their time talking babies as they ate. When they were finished, Tiffany gave her another hug. “I really am happy for you, lil sis. Call me when you get done with your doctor’s appointment.”

“I will. Love you, Tiff.”

Parker got in her car and headed back to the farm, smiling the whole way. Her parents and sister’s unconditional support meant the world to her. She had them in her corner always, and she was coming to believe that she had Ty there, as well. Life was definitely coming together.

Chapter Thirteen

Parker blew out a nervous breath as she checked out her reflection in the mirror. Today was the day. She had her doctor’s appointment in an hour, and Ty would be with her.

She was excited about that. Ty was so into everything to do with the baby, and she couldn’t wait to share this with him. There was some nervousness. There always was, when it had to do with the baby. She was anxious to hear the heartbeat, anxious to see that tiny image on the screen, to know that the baby was good and progressing like it should be. She had a feeling she would be watching Ty the whole time to catch his reactions, though.

The past few days had been borderline magical, even in their simplicity. Ty had moved her things into his room, and waking up in his bed every morning after being loved to exhaustion the night before was still awe inducing, even if she didn’t get to wake up in his arms. He was always up with the dawn to get a start on the farm, but one day, she hoped they could wake up together.

Her mornings were spent either getting a head start on some of her deadlines or exploring the farm. She never went far, but it seemed like everywhere she turned, there was something new or different to see. Ty would come home from lunch, and she spent her afternoons in his office with him while they quietly worked. She’d learned a lot about the farm operations as she worked on designing the website. The most surprising of which being just how much it cost to keep the farm running.

After dinner, she and Ty would take walks or just hang out watching movies or talking. Mostly talking, because they’d yet to watch something past the first thirty minutes without getting into conversations that lasted longer than the movie did. And her nights… Her nights were in Ty’s bed. Which was magic of its own.

They’d had dinner at her parent’s house the night before, and she thought that had gone fairly well, too. Her dad had glowered at Ty for a while, but Ty had been polite and engaging, and by the end of the night, her dad was smiling and laughing along with the rest of them. Ty was a charmer when he wanted to be, and he’d charmed the socks right off of her mom, too. When she and Ty had left, her parents had been on the porch, relaxed and smiling as they waved them off.

Ty had also felt the baby a few more times. She’d Googled it, and while it was rare, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility for him to feel it so soon. She wondered, though, if it had to do with the baby being part wolf. She wanted to ask Ty if he thought so, but he still hadn’t fessed up. She wondered what the hold up was. Maybe she could drop some hints, or maybe let on that she knew. Anything to get him to open up to her.

Being able to turn into a wolf was a huge part of his life, and she wanted to be a part of that. She wanted to be a part of every aspect of his life. And there were so many questions she had about the baby and what to expect. She was trying to be patient, because they had time before the baby was born and she needed to know those things, but patience about this was hard.

Ty poked his head in the door, interrupting her musings. Poor guy looked as nervous as she felt.

“You about ready, Parker?”

Parker smiled at him as she walked over, going up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “Everything’s going to be just fine, Ty. Breathe.”

He gave her a half smile as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Tell me you weren’t like this before your first appointment. Besides, I can tell you’re nervous, too.”

“Maybe a little,” Parker admitted. “Mostly excited, though. I can’t wait for you to experience this, too.”

Ty took a deep breath and stepped back. “Let’s go do this, then.”

The drive to town was mostly in silence, with Ty holding her hand the whole ride. They pulled up at the obstetrician’s office, and he told her not to move before running around the truck to open her door and help her out. He held her hand again as they walked in and went up to the check-in desk.

Parker inhaled sharply when the receptionist glanced up. It was Hannah. Probably one of the last people Parker had expected to see. Hannah’s eyes widened as she took in Parker and Ty, still holding hands.

“Hey, Parker. Tyler. Can I help you?”

Parker cleared her throat, clutching Ty’s hand a little tighter. “I have an appointment with Dr. Green.”

“Of course. Sign in right there and I’ll get all your paperwork ready. This is your first visit here, right?”

“The first since I was a teenager,” Parker said softly.

Hannah found the right stack of papers, handing them to Parker with a clipboard and pen. “Just fill those out and bring them back up here when you’re done. I’ll get you all checked in.”

Parker gave her a strained smile and accepted the packet. She followed Ty to a pair of empty seats, and filled out the paperwork quickly. She gave it back to Hannah and sat down again with a soft sigh.

“Was that too awkward for you? We can find another doctor after this appointment. I don’t mind driving to another town when you need to see the doctor,” Ty said with a frown in Hannah’s direction.

“Oh no,” Parker reassured him quickly, smiling at him as her heart warmed. Was he planning on going to all of her appointments with her? That was sweet. “Hannah has never been much of a problem. Sure, she’s said some stuff before, but nothing that half the girls in town haven’t. It’s Wendy that’s always been the bigger problem.”

“Hmmm,” Ty muttered, not looking like he believed her.

She was just about to reassure him again when her name was called. Giving him another smile instead, she said, “This is it. Let’s go.”

They were quickly ushered into an exam room, where the nurse spent a few moments getting vitals and taking blood. She had barely left the room when Dr. Green came back in.

“Parker! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. You look lovely, dear,” the white haired doctor beamed. She quickly sat down, grabbing Parker’s chart. “And you’re almost twenty weeks pregnant, I see. Congratulations! Do my eyes deceive me, or is that Tyler MacKeltar lurking in the corner? You the daddy, boy?”

Parker watched in amusement as Ty shifted uncomfortably as he answered in the affirmative. The doctor spent a few more minutes getting all of the details before she turned back to Ty.

“This is the part of the visit where I have to get personal with your lady here, Ty. Why don’t you give us some privacy for this part, and you can come back in for the good stuff. Come on, I’ll walk you out so Parker here can get changed.”

Parker couldn’t help smiling as Ty sent her a disgruntled look before following the doctor out. Things were about to get interesting.

Ty paced the hallway, waiting on the doctor to tell him he could go back in. He didn’t necessarily want to be in there for that part of the visit, but he felt anxious being out of the room, just the same.

He looked up as someone entered the hallway and felt his eyes narrowing when he saw that it was Hannah. She looked up and noticed him, her footsteps faltering before she took a deep breath and closer. “Tyler.”

“There isn’t going to be a problem, is there, Hannah?”

Eyes widening, Hannah shook her head. “No! Look, Ty, the one you have to worry about is Wendy, honestly. I just moved back to town not too long ago, and the last thing I want is trouble here. Or for trouble to follow me.”

Ty’s frown intensified as he heard her mutter the last part under her breath, too low for a human to hear. His shifter hearing picked up on it with ease. Deciding to let it go, he just nodded to her as she hurried away.

The door to Parker’s room opened and the doctor came out. “All finished up. She’s getting dressed now, and then we can get to the fun part. Everything was fine in the physical examination, so you can stop looking so worried.”

Ty forced the frown from his face, a bit unsettled by the friendly doctor. Most humans were always a little naturally wary of him, but not this little lady.

Parker opened the door, gesturing them back in, and it was all Ty could do not to run the doctor over to get to her. She took his hand and squeezed it, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Alright, Parker, lay down on the exam table there, and show me your belly. Ty, you can sit in that chair next to her. Let’s see and hear that little one, yeah?”

Parker settled on the table, doing as the doctor instructed. Ty sat next to Parker and grabbed her hand again. The doctor turned the light out and squirted goo on her belly before putting an instrument against it. She rolled it around her a moment before sighing in satisfaction.

Ty stilled as a fast, tiny heartbeat filled the room. He snapped his gaze to Parker’s face, knowing his own was full of awe. She smiled softly at him as she squeezed his hand.

“There’s the heartbeat. And… there’s your baby.”

Ty jerked his gaze to the screen, taking in the tiny shape of the baby. He could see the heart beating, could count the little ribs if he wanted to.

That was his pup. His and Parker’s.

He looked at Parker in time to see her looking to him, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears. He could hear the doctor checking the baby out, remarking aloud that everything was fine, but he had a hard time tearing his gaze from Parker’s.

The moment spun out and it was if time stood still. Nothing in his life had ever meant as much as this, and nothing would ever mean as much to him as Parker and the pup whose heartbeat was still filling the room. He’d never thought about being a dad, about having a pup of his own, but he couldn’t imagine his life any different than it was right now, and he never wanted to.

He tore his eyes away from Parker’s and looked back at the screen, full of the image of his child. Parker’s child. He realized that he was clutching Parker’s hand too hard and eased up his hold, staring at the screen in awe.

“Do you want to know the sex of the baby?” The doctor asked.

“It’s not too soon for that?” Parker asked, a tremble in her voice.

“Sometimes we can’t tell, but every now and then we can, if the baby is positioned just right. Your baby is giving me the perfect view,” the doctor explained.

Ty looked at Parker. She was looking at him with a smile and a question in her eyes, and he gave her a slight nod.

Taking a deep breath, Parker said, “Yes. We want to know, please.”

The doctor smiled at them before pointing at the screen. “Look right there. Congratulations, you’re having a boy!”

Ty was vaguely aware of Parker giving a watery laugh and thanking the doctor, but he was in one of those timeless moments again.

Their pup was a boy. He would be a strong little wolf cub, and Ty would be the best father to him. He hadn’t had a good example growing up, but thanks to his father, he knew exactly what not to do.

Ty had been picturing a little girl, but he suddenly couldn’t imagine this pup as anything other than a boy. He looked at Parker, imaging a boy with her coloring. He would be a handsome lad. And if Ty had anything to say about it, he and Parker would have that little girl someday, too. Whether his wolf was ever on board or not.

The rest of the appointment passed in a blur. The doctor gave them images of the ultrasound and Parker made a follow up appointment before they left. They walked out of the office in silence, both of them lost in their own little worlds. They had just reached the truck when Parker suddenly squealed and jumped into his arms.

“A boy, Tyler. We’re having a little boy!”

Ty laughed and hugged her close for a moment. Pulling back slightly, he gave her a tender kiss. “Thank you, Parker. When you came back to town, I never in a million years thought that we would be right here today, but I can’t imagine anything different.” He dropped a hand to her belly. “This little guy… He’s everything. Thank you.”

Parker laughed softly as her eyes filled with tears again. “Lord, I’m a watering pot today. You’re as much to thank for him as I am, Ty. It took both of us. So thank you for giving him to me.”

Ty dropped another kiss on her lips before opening the truck door. “Let’s go to Cheyenne and celebrate. I’ll take you to lunch, and then we can stop by a store on our way back.”

Ty pulled up to the farmhouse and cut the engine. He looked to the passenger seat where Parker was leaned up against the window and smiled. She’d dozed off right before they got back to town, and he hated to wake her up. It had been an eventful day for her. For both of them, really, but she especially needed her rest.

She stirred and blinked her eyes open, staring blankly at the house before she turned to him with a sleepy smile. “Have we been here long?”

“We just got here. You should go on inside and lay down before dinner. Take a nap.”

“I should help you carry some of this stuff inside. I still can’t believe how much baby stuff you bought today.”

“It was all stuff we’re going to need. You can’t deny that,” he replied with a rueful grin.

“Maybe so, but that’s a lot of stuff on one trip,” she said, trying to suppress another yawn.

“Come on, let’s get you inside, so you can lay down. And no, I don’t need your help carrying anything in. I’ve got this.”

Parker grinned as she opened her door. “How did I know you’d say that?”

Ty walked her inside and up the stairs, seeing her settled in before he headed back out. Once on the porch, he stopped for a moment to simply take in everything that had happened already today.

A boy.

He pulled the ultrasound picture out of his wallet, staring at the image. That was his boy right there. Half him, half Parker, and wholly perfect.

He heard a whistle and looked up to see his brother looking in the back of his truck. “What did you do, big brother? Buy the store out?”

“You sound like Parker. It’s all stuff we’re going to need,” he said as his brother walked up the porch steps.

“So how did it go at the appointment? I was worrying a little since you were gone for so long, but I see you were out spending all of the farm’s savings.”

Ty shoved his brother as Chase stopped next to him. “I bought it with my savings, ass.”

“You know I’m screwing with you. So? How’d it go?”

Ty handed his brother the ultrasound picture, watching in amusement as Chase held it up and turned it this way and that, squinting hard. “What the hell is this, Ty?”

“That’s the baby. It’s a boy,” Ty said, unable to keep the quiet pride out of his voice.

“No shit? You’re having a boy? Congrats, brother.” Chase said as he clapped Ty hard on the back. “I’ve got a nephew on the way.”

Ty turned the picture around in Chase’s hand and pointed. “That’s the head.”

“Ooohhh,” Chase drawled. “It makes more sense now.” He studied it for a moment longer before handing it back. “Seeing that makes it real, ya know? I’m going to be an uncle.”

Ty nodded as he put the picture back in his wallet. “It definitely makes it real. How’d everything go today?”

Chase got serious as his face took on a grim set. “Everything with the farm is fine. I went for a run at lunch, though. Caught a fresh trail of that wolf’s.” He put a hand on Ty’s arm as he made to take off. “Hold up, Ty. I tracked it and she was gone. Back over through the river again. She’s gone.”

Ty growled in frustration as his wolf sat up inside of him, hackles raised and a snarl on his lips. “We need to fucking find her. I’ve got too much to lose now, and I can’t stand the thought of an unknown shifter and danger around Parker and the baby.”

“I know, Ty. I feel the same sense of urgency. But there’s nothing you can do right now. I say we cross the river tonight and track her. Wait until it gets dark and there’s less chance of being seen.”

Ty hooked his hands on his hips. “It’s going to storm soon, Chase. Any scent trail will be washed away by the time it gets dark.”

Chase cursed, glaring at the cloudless blue sky and not questioning Ty’s assessment. Every shifter had a special gift, something they were especially good at. Ty’s wasn’t really a skill, but he knew what the weather was going to do. Sun, rain, snow. He knew it all, without fail, even accurately figuring out the weather patterns months in advance. It was part of how he’d managed to keep the farm from going totally under. Knowing the weather made planting crops, harvesting, all of that, easier, and they never lost their crops like some farms did.

“Shit. I’m going to call in Ian. No,” Chase said, holding up a hand, “hear me out. I’m going to call him and some of his shifters in to run the property. They won’t get close to the house or Parker. But neither one of us can afford to stop our work so we can monitor and track. Even if we could, there are only two of us, three if you include Garret. I wouldn’t want to ask Sam, what with him being newly mated. We can’t cover it around the clock without sleep.”

“And this gives you a chance to prove that Ian and his crew are trustworthy and should stay here.”

Chase grinned, although the worry still shown through his eyes. “Just a fringe benefit.”

Ty exhaled heavily. “Alright. Call them in. But I don’t want to see them anywhere near the house.”

“You won’t. Now come on, let’s get all this baby shit inside. Don’t want it ruined if it’s going to rain. I’ll even help you clear out a room for the nursery and get the furniture set up.”

Ty shoved Chase as they headed down the stairs. “Like I’d trust you to put together the crib my pup is going to sleep in.”

“If I can fix a tractor, I can put together a crib.”

Ty and Chase continued to give each other shit as they carried the boxes and bags inside, but Ty’s mind was still on the unknown shifter. He and his wolf were salivating over catching whoever was stupid enough to come close to his pregnant mate.

Mate? Ty stopped for a moment, confused. Had that come from him or his wolf?

He willed his wolf to speak to him, but he was quiet. Cursing in frustration, Ty decided it didn’t really matter. He said Parker was his mate, so she was. Case closed.

Only there was a part of him that thought it wasn’t closed. How could he know for sure, if his wolf wouldn’t speak to him? Would he be able to give Parker the kind of commitment she deserved, the kind she’d get from a shifter who was less fucked up, if he didn’t have that instinct? He just didn’t know. And the not knowing was tearing him to shreds.

Chapter Fourteen

Parker smiled from the doorway as she watched Ty and Chase try to put baby furniture together. There seemed like there was more cursing than working going on. It had taken the boys all last night to clean out the room she’d chosen. The location hadn’t been hard, even with five unoccupied bedrooms to choose from. It was the room next to Ty’s. It hadn’t been used in forever though, acting more as a catch all for junk over the years, so it had taken a while to empty it out.

She’d spent most of the morning cleaning it thoroughly. Years of dust had accumulated, and it had taken some elbow grease and a lot of sneezes, but she’d gotten it pristine. It was perfect, though, the walls a light blue that glowed now that they, and the large window, were clean. Apparently, it had last been used as a nursery when Chase was born, so the basics were right. It just needed furniture and some finishing touches to make it a real nursery.

Ty and Chase had come in about an hour before lunch, when it started to rain, just like Ty had said it would. She still found that odd. The weatherman hadn’t said anything about rain or storms today, and this was the second time Ty had accurately predicted the weather. Normally, she explained away stuff like this with his wolf side, but she still hadn’t been able to make a connection between the two.

Chase cursed, flinging the instruction manual for the changing table he was assembling aside in frustration. “This shit is in another language. I don’t know what that is, but it ain’t English. I don’t need it, anyhow.”

Ty grabbed the manual and shoved it back in Chase’s direction. “What happened to you saying you’ve fixed tractors before so this will be a piece of cake? And you’re using the damn instruction manual. Anything my kid lays on, or even touches, will be put together exactly how the manual says.”

Parker laughed although she silently agreed with Ty. She wasn’t approving anything that was put together without the instructions.

“Yeah, yuck it up over there,” Chase muttered as he snatched the manual from Ty. “I don’t see you in here, trying read this shit.”

Ty looked up from the crib he was trying to scowl into submission and smiled at her, his chocolate brown eyes warming her from the inside out. “Do you want me to grab you a chair so you can be comfortable?”

Parker shook her head. Rubbing her belly, she said, “No, I’m fine. I was actually thinking about heading to the kitchen. Someone mentioned cake earlier, and now I want some.”

“Are you having a craving? Want me to run to the bakery in town and pick you something up?”

Chase kicked Ty’s boot. “You’re just fucking trying to get out of putting this shit together.”

Ty scowled at his brother and Parker held up her hands quickly. “No, no, it’s okay. If it gets bad and I can’t find anything in the kitchen, I can run to town myself.”

Ty cast a glance at the window. “If you go, wait until it stops raining. Please.”

Parker smiled at him warmly. He was worried, but he didn’t freak out about her leaving. He asked, kind of. That was progress. “I will, I promise.”

She leaned against the doorway, listening as Chase gave Tyler hell for saying ‘please’. She hoped she got to keep this, forever. She prayed that shopping for furniture with Ty and him asking her to pick the room she wanted for a nursery meant he wanted her to stay, but they hadn’t talked about her staying permanently yet. She wanted it so bad she couldn’t stand it.

Getting to stay with Ty, in this beautiful old farmhouse, with their baby, would be a dream come true. She couldn’t imagine a better life for herself, or her son, than being in this place, surrounded by family, and sheltered in Ty’s arms. She let out a sigh as she felt the baby nudge her belly in seeming agreement. She couldn’t bring herself to ask Ty what he wanted, so she could only hope he would bring it up and put her out of her misery.

“So, Parker,” Chase said, bringing her attention back to them. “Do you have a lot of stuff to bring here? Cuz if so, we’re going to have to clean out more of these rooms. Should have done that a while ago, anyway.”

Parker straightened up from the doorway, looking to Ty to see him frozen and staring at the page in front of him. He didn’t even look like he was breathing while he waited for her answer.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Parker decided it was time to put herself out there. She couldn’t keep waiting around for others to decide her fate. It was time for her to be brave and go for what she wanted. In a roundabout way.

“No, not really. I just have a small one bedroom apartment. Are you volunteering to go move my stuff? Because if so, I’m gonna need you to get my cat.”

Ty finally moved, looking at her in surprise. “You have a cat?”

Chase snorted, not looking up from his work. “You didn’t even know your woman had a cat? Lame.”

Ty locked gazes with her, a question in his chocolate eyes. She smiled back at him, hoping the answer was in hers.

“Chase,” Ty said, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “Why don’t you take a break?”

Chase finally looked up, his eyes going back and forth between the two of them. Putting the instruction manual down, he got up and walked past her, saying he had to check on some stuff outside and he’d be back later.

Smart man.

Parker walked further into the room as Ty stood up. He met her halfway and took her hand.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” He asked huskily.

She searched his eyes for any hint that she wasn’t misreading him. “I don’t know. I can’t really invite myself. It would be rude.”

Ty closed his eyes briefly before cupping her cheek. “I want to ask you. I want you to stay, more than I’ve wanted anything before in my life. It means more than you know that you’re willing to. But there are still some things… There’s still shit you don’t know about me. I can’t in good conscious ask you to stay without telling you everything first.”

Parker swallowed, leaning into his hand. “So tell me, Ty. Whatever it is, it won’t affect my decision to stay. Hell, I was considering moving back here from that first day, before we ever got close again.”

Ty dropped his hand, cursing as he started to pace the strip of floor that didn’t have boxes and pieces of furniture littering it. He ran his hands through his hair in agitation, stopping in the middle of room to hook his hands onto his hips. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before muttering “Fuck!” under his breath.

He shook his head, an apology in his dark eyes as he looked at her. “I just can’t right now. I will, though. Soon. I promise. I’m sorry, Parker.”

Parker suppressed a sigh, moving to where Ty stood stiffly. She went up on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s okay, Ty. Tell me when you’re ready. Just remember that it doesn’t matter what it is. It won’t change my mind about moving here, or being with you. Unless,” she joked, hoping to lighten the mood, “you have another family stashed somewhere, or there’s someone else you want to make a family with. That would make it a hard no for me.”

Ty laughed as he wrapped his arms around her, although his eyes were still torn. “No, it’s nothing like that. You’re all I want. All I need.” He moved one of his hands around, cupping her belly. “You and this pu—baby. That will never change.”

Parker smiled as he leaned down to take her mouth in a kiss. It started out soft, gentle, and Parker thought maybe that was all he’d intended, but it quickly caught fire. He moved his hand around from her stomach to her ass, pulling her hips into his. Parker moaned as she felt him, already hard, pushing into her stomach.

She loved how she affected him so quickly, just as much as she loved how fast he affected her. She didn’t think she’d ever get enough of this feeling. On one side, it made her feel desirable and loved; on the other, she felt strong and empowered. She still couldn’t get over that she had this kind of effect on this big, gorgeous man.

She pulled back breathlessly from his kiss, never taking her eyes off of him as she pulled her shirt up and off her head. She bit back a smile at his groan, loving how his eyes were full on black now. He immediately reached a hand up, cupping her breast, and even through her bra, the sensations made Parker’s eyes roll closed. He teased her nipple for a moment through the lace before he reached around her to unsnap it with a flick of his fingers.

She opened heavy lidded eyes, watching as he stepped back to pull off the tight black t-shirt he’d been wearing. As soon as he was free, she moved forward, putting her hands on his chest and sliding them slowly down. She trailed her fingers down his abs, watching in fascination as his abs constricted as she touched him, and hooked her fingers into the waistband of his jeans. She looked up into his eyes, smiling in satisfaction at the glazed look in them, before popping the button open and easing the zipper down.

She sucked in a breath as his hard length was revealed, and damned if her mouth didn’t water at the sight. She pushed his jeans down his thighs before she reached in and palmed his thick, hard length, barely aware of his breath hissing in his throat or the strained curse he gritted out.

All of her attention was on his hard cock, hot in her hand and straining toward her like it wanted her as much as she wanted it. She tightened her hand, squeezing him from base to tip, pausing to rub the precum over the fat head, before working her hand back down again. She shifted, rubbing her thighs together, already wet and incredibly turned on, just from touching him.

Ty clenched his hands into fists as she played, but when she made to drop to her knees, he stopped her. “No,” he gritted out in a gravelly voice. “It’ll all be over if you put your mouth on me, and I want to come inside you. Let’s go to the bedroom.”

Parker flashed him a mischievous look as she stepped out of her shorts. She turned around, bracing herself on the dresser, the only piece of furniture they’d left in the room after cleaning everything else out. Feeling bolder than she ever had in her life, she looked over her shoulder as she pushed her ass out.

“Who needs a bed?” She asked him huskily.

He stared mesmerized at her ass for a moment before shaking himself out of the daze he was in. Singeing her with the heat in his black eyes, he shoved his pants down further as he positioned himself behind her. He reached a hand around her, sliding his fingers inside of her and brushing her sensitive clit, and Parker couldn’t help the moan that erupted from her throat.

“You’re so fucking wet, and I’ve barely even touched you,” he breathed in her ear, causing shivery tingles to race up and down her spine. He ran his fingers around her swollen nub a few times and she moaned and arched her back, pushing back into him.

Ty moved his hand and she could feel him bending his knees and lining up with her. He wrapped an arm around her hips and without warning, pushed inside her, burying himself fully in one thrust.

They both froze. Parker squeezed her eyes shut, drowning in sensation, vaguely away of the slight tremor in Ty’s hands where they were clutching her waist.

“Fuck, Parker. Every time, I think it can’t get better than the last, but it always does,” Ty said, his voice hoarse.

Ty pulled almost all the way out and pushed back inside her forcefully. She could tell he was trying to be gentle, but his control was slipping, and she loved that. No matter how many times she’d told him she wasn’t made of china, he’d still been holding back.

He wasn’t now, and she reveled in it.

Bodies slapping together, they moved with each other, faster and harder. Parker’s entire body felt like a livewire, lit up and ready to blow at any moment. She wasn’t going to last long this time.

She panted as Ty increased the speed and force of his thrusts. One of his hands rested on top of hers where she was clutching the dresser, and his other reached around her, delving between her legs. One touch of his fingers was all it took, and she was flying apart, moaning his name as she clenched hard around him.

Ty groaned, leaning his body over hers as he took the tendon on her neck between his teeth, biting down hard enough for her to feel it, but not hard enough to break the skin.

He stiffened, pulsing inside of her. She could feel warmth coating her insides as he thrust a few more times before coming to a stop. She shivered as aftershocks wracked her body and Ty groaned.

“Fuck, Parker,” he panted as he leaned his forehead against her shoulder.

She smiled as she tried to catch her breath, chest still heaving and little electric shocks still dancing over her skin. “I told you, you don’t have to be so gentle with me all the time.”

Ty kissed her shoulder softly before he pulled gently out of her, turning her around in his arms and wrapping her up tight. “I just didn’t want to hurt you.”

“I know,” she said softly, smoothing her hands over his strong back. “But you didn’t, and you won’t. That was exactly what I needed.”

“It’s what I needed, too,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to her hair.

They stood like that for a few more moments as their breathing finished evening out. Parker pulled back, reluctant to leave his arms, but not willing to stand around naked for much longer. “I’m going to go get dressed before Chase gets back.”

Ty smiled, smacking her ass before letting her go. “Probably a good idea. I’d hate to have to kill my little brother.”

Grabbing her clothes up, Parker shot a look out the window. “It looks like the sun is coming back out. I’m going to run to town if I can’t find what I’m looking for in the kitchen.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go for you? I don’t mind.”

“I got this one, but I promise, when I have a craving at two in the morning, I’ll let you do the honors,” Parker replied teasingly.

Ty stopped her as she started to walk out of the room, giving her a soft kiss before looking into her eyes. “It would be an honor, Parker. Remember that.”

Parker watched as he grabbed his shirt, pulling it on before looking at the cribs pieces scattered around. She couldn’t have kept the grin off her face if she tried. Ty was pretty irresistible, and was it any wonder she was losing her heart to him so quickly?

Parker walked out of the store, carrying several bags. Leah had offered to make her a cake, but it was her night off and Parker hadn’t wanted to put her through the trouble. She’d also decided she really wanted ice cream, so she’d hopped in the car and driven into town.

She’d gone on a bit of a spending spree, grabbing up the fixings for tacos and some other food. The craving for tacos had hit when she’d passed some salsa, and that was it. Tacos and cake with ice cream for dinner, it was.

She had been really glad she’d gone to the store when she’d passed a display of stuffed animals. Front and center had been the most adorable little wolf, and she’d had to get him. She stopped on the mostly empty sidewalk and pulled him out of the bag, stroking the little face.

He was perfect, with a plush black body and bright blue eyes. Of course, their baby most likely wouldn’t have blue eyes; Ty’s were brown, and hers were more gray than blue. She knew Ty’s wolf was black, though. She couldn’t imagine anything better to put in the nursery.

And maybe she could use it to get Ty talking. Show it to him, maybe get a conversation going where he could tell her the truth about what he was. Ty didn’t seem the type to keep secrets, so she couldn’t imagine what was holding him back. Something clearly was, though.

She was pretty sure his wolf nature was what was holding him back from asking her to stay at Red Moon, too. While she appreciated the fact that he wanted her to know everything before he asked her, she was anxious to have it set in stone. She wanted her stuff there, wanted to be able to call it her home, instead of it just feeling in her heart that it was.

She missed her cat, too. She hadn’t been joking about having one. Her neighbor was watching the large Maine Coon for her while she was gone, but Parker was anxious to get her settled in at the farm. She’d had Shania, or Fluff Butt as she called her, since Shania was a tiny kitten, and this was by far the longest she’d ever been away from her.

Parker looked up with a start when someone bumped into her. The wolf fell from her hands and she watched as Hannah bent over to pick the stuffed animal up.

“I’m so sorry!” Hannah said as she dusted the toy off. “I think he’s okay. The ground wasn’t wet where he landed.”

Parker smiled, trying to put Hannah at ease because she looked nervous. Hannah had never been the nicest to her, but she by far hadn’t been the cruelest, and Parker didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

“It’s okay, Hannah. No harm done.”

Hannah looked torn, clutching the little wolf in her hands. “This is cute. It must be for the baby. Look, Parker, I... I just wanted to say I’m sorry for how I’ve acted in the past. There’s no excuse for my behavior, in the past or when you first came back to town. It probably makes me sound weak, but sometimes it’s hard to cross others who are more powerful, or go against the grain.”

“It’s really okay, Hannah. You never said anything that I hadn’t heard before, anyway.”

Hannah shook her head, a look of sadness passing over her pretty features. “No, it’s not okay. It makes me sad that the things I said were said to you by others, too. I just want you to know, I can’t stop what anyone else says, but I won’t participate again. And I won’t tell anyone about the baby. Let Ty know that, too--.”

Hannah’s words abruptly stopped and panic flitted across her pretty features. Parker turned slightly sideways, following Hannah’s gaze to Wendy, who was just walking up behind her.

“What are you doing talking to porky Parker, Hannah? You know you’ll sully your reputation if you’re seen talking to her. Mine, too, since we’re friends. And what were you saying about a baby and Ty?” Her heavily made up eyes narrowed as she took Parker in, hardening as she zeroed in on Parker’s stomach. Face cold, she threw her head back with a dark laugh. “Oh, that’s rich! I thought you were just packing on more fat, but you’re pregnant, aren’t you Parker? What, did you get Ty drunk so you could trap him? Because we all know that’s the only way he’d be with the likes of you. It’ll never work, you know. He’ll be back in my bed before you can even pop that brat out.”

“Oh, fuck off, Wendy,” Parker snapped, losing her patience. Hannah’s eyes widened comically as she jerked her eyes to Parker. “Is your life really so sad and pathetic that you have to spend all your time being a bitch and trying to make everyone as miserable as you are? You seriously need some help. You’re not fooling me with all that talk of Ty, either. I know he hasn’t slept with you, and he never will. He has better taste than that.”

“Who do you think you are, you fat heffer?” Wendy seethed, voice steeped in rage. “You’ll regret talking to me like that.”

“I seriously doubt it. It felt too good. Run along, Wendy. This conversation is done.”

Wendy glared daggers at Parker. “Come on, Hannah, let’s go. Now!”

Parker watched as Hannah lowered her eyes, seeming to wilt into herself for a moment before she straightened her spine and looked up with determination on her face. “No.”

“What?” Wendy asked in astonishment. “Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. I said we’re leaving, now.”

“I heard you just fine, Wendy, and the answer is the same. I’m not finished talking to Parker, and I’m a grown woman. I’m not going to follow your orders, at least not anymore. We’re not in high school anymore, Wen. Maybe it’s time to grow up already.”

Wendy fumed, the fury twisting her pretty features and turning them as ugly as her words always were. “You’re gonna regret that, too, Hannah. Mark my words.”

Turning, Wendy stalked back down the street. Silence reigned over Parker and Hannah, and Parker watched as Hannah took a deep breath, her shoulders drooping and her eyes closing as she blew the breath back out.

“I’m sorry about that. I’m proud of you for sticking up to her, if that’s what you really wanted, but I’m sorry it came to that.”

Hannah laughed softly. “It’s been coming for a long time, and I wanted it, I was just too much of a coward to do it before. I still probably wouldn’t have gotten up the nerve to do it, if you hadn’t done it first. So thanks. It was awesome, finally seeing Wendy get what was coming to her, and I loved that it came from you. She’s been tormenting you since we were kids.”

Parker laughed with Hannah. “It felt good to finally speak up, but Hannah, listen. People only have as much power over us as we give them. Stop giving Wendy that power over you, and you’ll do just fine.”

Hannah smiled at her as she handed Parker the little wolf.  “I’m really glad I ran into you today, Parker.”

“I am, too. I hope we’ll see each other around more.”

“Me, too,” Hannah said with a smile as she walked to the parking lot.

Parker watched her go, absentmindedly running her thumb over the stuffed animal in her hand in a petting motion. That confrontation had probably been the last thing she’d expected to happen when she came into town, but she was glad it had. It felt good to finally stand up for herself, and not just sit, frozen and tongue tied, as Wendy said nasty things to her. She had a feeling it had been really good for Hannah, too. She’d never realized that Hannah felt as intimidated and threatened by Wendy as she did until today, and the look in Hannah’s eyes…

Hannah had secrets. Painful ones, too, going by the look in her eyes. Parker hoped she would come to her if she needed a friend. Hannah had looked like she needed one, and who knew how long it had been since she’d had someone be that for her? Lord knew, Wendy for sure had never been one.

Parker felt something drip on her toe and looked down with a curse. She’d forgotten about the ice cream, and she was suddenly aware of how heavy her bags were. She rushed to get to the car so she could get back to the farm. Back to home.

Chapter Fifteen

Tyler smiled as he watched Parker. She was humming as she cleaned up the dinner mess. It was Leah’s night off, so he and Parker had thrown together the taco meal she’d brought home with her from the store. His contribution had pretty much been limited to chopping vegetables, but he’d had a good time, watching her as she cooked. They had ended up being the best tacos he’d ever had, and he thought he might enjoy the benefits of her pregnancy cravings as much as she did.

She filled him in on her run in with Hannah and Wendy as she washed dishes. He rinsed and dried as she went, not commenting much on what had happened. He disliked Wendy even more than he had before, and that was saying something. The way she talked to Parker, trying to hurt her by insinuating that he’d been sleeping with her, was something else.

His wolf growled inside him at the thought of someone trying to hurt Parker. He wanted to go into kill shit mode, but Ty was holding him back. Parker had stood up for herself today, and that was huge. He was so fucking proud of her. He knew how hard it was for her to speak in even a normal conversation, so her speaking up for herself during a confrontation was huge.

As much as he wanted to stomp and growl, he’d hold himself in check, because he’d be damned if he took anything away from Parker’s triumphant moment.

He walked around her to put some dishes away and stepped up behind her as he came back, placing a kiss on the nape of her neck. “You’re an amazing woman, you know that?”

She giggled and flicked soapy water off her fingers at him. “Hush. I was only doing what I should have done years ago. I think you deserve the thanks for that. You give me the strength to be better. To be me.”

Ty’s throat tightened as he shook his head at her. This amazing, beautiful woman was all his. Sometimes he still couldn’t believe it. “No. That was all you, baby.”

Parker handed him the last of the clean dishes before rinsing her hands off. “I found something when I was at the store tonight. Hold on and I’ll go get it.”

Parker dried her hands and he watched her as she hurried away, curvy backside swaying as she walked. He felt his dick stir and he turned quickly back around. He couldn’t get enough of her, but he needed to slow down and let her get some rest. If he could have his way, though, he’d never let her out of his bed.

He was drying off the last plate when she came back in the room. “I found this little guy at the store today and I couldn’t resist. I think he’s perfect for our little boy. What do you think?”

Ty turned, the plate still in his hand, prepared to tell her loved it, whatever it was. She was standing just inside the kitchen with a small, black stuffed wolf in her hand, and he felt the plate slip from his suddenly nerveless fingers as he stared at it.

He jumped slightly as the plate crashed to the floor, breaking apart as it landed. “Shit,” he cursed. “No, don’t come closer, Parker. You don’t have shoes on. You could get cut. I’ll get it cleaned up.”

Ty picked up the bigger pieces before getting the broom and dustpan to sweep up the smaller shards. The whole time, his mind was going a hundred miles a minute. Was she trying to tell him something with that stuffed animal? It was even black, like his wolf. Or was it just a coincidence?

It had to be a coincidence. He’d been careful not to shift around her. She was also still here. If she’d seen him running around as a wolf, or if she really knew, she’d be long gone, right? How could a human, who knew nothing of the supernatural that walked among the population, not freak out over that?

He didn’t care how Ellie, Jake’s mate, had taken it the news. Maybe she wasn’t normal, or didn’t have reactions like most sane humans would. Cassie’s reaction had to be closer to true. And that scared the shit out of Ty. He wouldn’t be able to handle losing Parker, much less their pup.

They were everything to him. They were his life now.

Won’t lose them. Ever, his wolf growled, a snarling mass inside him at the thought of Parker leaving.

Ty waited hopefully for his wolf to say Parker was his mate, but the crazy fucker was quiet again. He was going to go mad if he didn’t know the truth soon.

“Are you okay? Do you not like it? We don’t have to use it, if you don’t want to.”

Parker’s soft voice, full of worry, cut through his thoughts. Ty stood and emptied the dustpan before putting the broom away, avoiding her eyes.

“No, it’s okay,” he said, finally looking her way. She was standing there, worry in her eyes, clutching the wolf to her chest. His heart clenched at the sight. “I was just making sure I got it all. I love the wolf. Go ahead and put it in the nursery. I just remembered something I have to do in the fields. I’ll be back in soon.”

He kissed her forehead and then walked out the back door quickly, not wanting to answer any more questions. He felt like a complete ass, but he just wasn’t sure he could handle any more inquiries. He sure as shit couldn’t tell her what was going through his mind right now.

He thought about calling Jared, but nixed the idea. Ty had talked to Jared more since Parker had shown up than he willingly had in years. Besides, he’d already talked to him about this, and he knew what he’d say. That Parker wasn’t Cassie and would have different reactions. Half of that was true. Parker was nothing like Cassie, and Ty thanked God for it every day. He’d loved Cassie, but it hadn’t been anything like this.

Parker wasn’t like anyone else he’d ever met. She soothed his wolf in a way even Cassie never had. He reacted different to Parker, thought different about her. She was his world, and he hadn’t felt like this for Cassie. He hadn’t thought he could love anyone more than he loved Cassie, but he had been dead wrong on that.

Cassie hadn’t been for him. She hadn’t even been for Jared. And she definitely hadn’t been meant for the supernatural world, was never cut out for it.

Although she wasn’t like Cassie in any way possible, Ty was very much worried that Parker wasn’t meant for his world, either. And he was man enough to admit that thought terrified him more than anything ever had.

Striding to the woods, Ty decided to go wolf for a while, try to get away from the gut churning emotion in his middle. He’d try to catch the new scent again, track the wolf shifter that was in his woods. For the unknown shifter’s sake, he almost hoped he didn’t find her. He was dangerously close to kill shit mode tonight.

Parker sighed as she played with the melted ice cream in her bowl. Her big idea with the stuffed animal had failed spectacularly. Not only that, it seemed to have run Ty off. He’d been gone for over an hour now, and she was trying to keep occupied as she waited on him. She’d had a piece of the chocolate cake she’d been craving and half a bowl of ice cream as she tried to watch her favorite show, Gilmore Girls. She couldn’t concentrate on it, though. All she could think about was Ty, and his reaction to the wolf.

What was so hard about telling her? Maybe it was because she’d known about it for so long, but she didn’t feel like him turning into a wolf was a big deal. Maybe it was, though. Maybe she was abnormal for thinking that it was so natural.

She thought back to when she’d first learned of it. She’d been shocked, but she’d never been terrified of him. Disbelieving at first, sure. Convinced she’d been imagining things, that she was going crazy. She looked down at the scrap of shirt laying on the couch beside her and smiled. It was a piece of the shirt Ty had been wearing when he’d turned into a wolf. She’d found it, tucked deep inside her suitcase, when she moved her stuff to Ty’s room. She hadn’t even realized she had it with her.

She put her bowl down and picked up the scrap, rubbing it with her fingers as she thought back to that day. Okay, maybe she hadn’t reacted well when she’d first seen him, remembering the scrapes and bruises that had been on her hands and knees from her flight home through the woods. By the next morning, though, she’d been fine.

Maybe it was because she’d grown up as weird and on the odd side, but things that were different didn’t faze her. Ty was Ty, and it didn’t matter that he could turn into a massive wolf whenever he wanted to. The animal was just another aspect of him to love.

Parker’s fingers stilled as that thought washed over her. Love? She smiled as her chest warmed. The thought, the feeling, was so real, and so right. Yes, she loved him. This wasn’t the crush of her teenage years, or the infatuation she’d felt five months ago for grown up Ty. This was the love a woman had for a man. She’d do anything, including lay down her life, for him.

Her hand dropped to her belly when she felt a nudge, and she caressed the spot where her baby was making his presence known. She’d do anything for this little boy, too. Half her, half Ty, yet still uniquely himself.

She had everything she’d ever wanted, every dream and hope and yearning, right here on this farm. She just needed Ty to talk to her, tell her what he was, so they could get on with living their life together.

She looked up as Chase came in the room, still dirty and looking like he’d just come in from work. “Hey, Chase. There are leftovers in the fridge. We had tacos tonight.”

“Thanks,” he replied with an easy grin. “I’ll go wash up and then make a plate.” His eyes widened as they fell on the little wolf toy, sitting on the coffee table. His whiskey colored gaze shot to hers. “Did Ty give you that?”

Parker shook her head as she watched him closely. “I bought it at the store today. I thought it was perfect for the baby. Ty’s reaction to it was… intense,” she said carefully.

Chase cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her eyes. “Oh, you know, maybe he was just having a bad day. Where is my big brother?”

Parker sighed, already feeling bad about trying to get any answers or reactions from Chase. This was Ty’s secret to tell. “He said he had to check on something in the fields. He’s been out for a while, so he’ll probably be back in soon.”

“Alright then. I’m gonna go grab a shower so I can eat. I’m starving. Let him know I’m looking for him.”

“I will,” Parker responded as she watched him practically sprint from the room. She hadn’t meant to make him uncomfortable, but her impatience had gotten the better of her.

She’d been staring at the television for a while, not really paying attention to the show, when the back door opened and Ty walked in, looking disheveled. He smiled at her, giving her a kiss and sitting beside her, and apologized for being gone so long. Parker snuggled into his side, both of them silent for a few minutes. It looked like he wasn’t going to explain tonight and Parker was done pushing. He would tell her when he was ready.

Chapter Sixteen

Tyler walked through the fields the next morning, checking the crops as he did his rounds. He didn’t really need to be this thorough, but he was hoping the walk would clear his head. He needed to get his shit together. He knew he’d worried Parker last night, and that was unacceptable. She didn’t need to be stressing over him.

He had to suck it up and tell her that he was a shifter. That he could turn into a wolf. That supernatural beings were real.

How the fuck was he going to tell her this shit?

He saw Garret working on one of the sprinkler systems and walked over to see how things were going. And yeah, for a distraction from his thoughts.

Garret looked up and nodded at him. “Still haven’t told her yet, have you?”

Ty stared at him in surprise for a moment before his eyes narrowed. “I hate when you do that shit.”

Garret shrugged. “Sorry. You were loud.”

Ty growled in his throat. “I don’t know how to tell her, man. I don’t want her to run.”

Garret stared at him for a moment, his light gray eyes intense and penetrating. Ty fought off a shiver. Garret was so different than how he’d been even a year ago, and while Ty was glad he’d finally seemed to grow up, this new version of Garret was a little unsettling.

“I think you should give her some credit. There’s a good chance she’ll surprise you.” With those cryptic words, the fox shifter turned and strode quickly toward the woods.

“What the hell does that mean? Do you know something? Garret!” Ty boomed, voice echoing. Garret didn’t even slow down, just disappeared into the woods. “Fuck!”

Ty let out a string of curse words as he turned to finish his inspection of the fields. Trust Garret to drop shit like that and then leave.

What had he meant by that? Would Parker truly be accepting of his world, of what he really was?

Suddenly exhausted of the constant back and forth in his thoughts and emotions, and more than ready to put this uncertainty behind him, Tyler resolved to tell Parker the truth tonight. Determination filled him, and relief as well, to get this out in the open. It was time. He was ready. He only hoped Parker was.

His cell rang and Tyler pulled it from his pocket, answering without looking at the screen. “Tyler MacKeltar.”

“Ty,” Chase said urgently. “Get your ass to the house. Ian just called. He’s been tracking the wolf shifter, and she’s back on the property and headed toward the house. I’m on my way back from town, so I’m not close.”

Ty cursed as he flung his phone down and instantly let his wolf have his body, uncaring that he ruined his clothes. They were replaceable. Parker and the pup weren’t.

He took off as soon as all four paws hit the ground, streaking through the woods like lightning. Making it back to the house in record time, he skidded in the lawn, razor sharp claws digging into the dirt to stop his forward motion, and took in the situation.

A massive orange and black striped tiger was pacing in front of pig pen. A cream colored wolf was cowering against the corner of the fence and the barn, alternating between whines and snarls. She was scared, but defiant, and desperate to get free. She lunged to the side, but the tiger followed, hissing and snarling, pushing her back into place.

The sound of the front door opening hit his ears, and Ty turned his head to see Parker coming down the front steps. She had her camera in her hand and was looking down and fiddling with it, not seeing the commotion in front of her. The cream wolf snarled and Parker looked up, shock filling her eyes as the camera fell unheeded to the ground.

Heart stopping and his chest filling with fear, Tyler shot toward her, intent on getting between her and the other shifters.

Protect mate, his wolf growled.

Ty almost stumbled over his dinner plate sized feet. Mate? His wolf was finally calling Parker his mate? Shaking himself free of distracting thoughts but unable to stop the relief that flooded him with his wolf’s revelation, Ty resolved to get back to that once Parker and their pup were safe. His animal’s timing definitely needed work.

Just barely catching a glimpse of the shock on her face as he passed her, Ty skidded to a stop in front of her, placing himself between her and the cream wolf.

“Tyler?”

Ty couldn’t stop his head from whipping toward Parker at her whisper. She knew it was him? How did she know that?

And she was looking at him with awe in her eyes. Not fear.

Hope filled his chest as Ty gave her a loaded look, full of meaning. He hoped she could read the reassurance, the love, in his eyes, but he couldn’t take the time to find out. He had to protect her from the unknown shifter right now.

He looked forward to see the wolf hunched in the corner, head down and posture defeated. She knew she was outnumbered, with no hope of escape, now. The tiger disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving a big man with long black hair in his place. Ian.

“I ran across her scent and followed her here. She was just inside the woods, staring at the house, not moving. I don’t think she meant to, but she saw me coming and panicked. I chased her and cornered here, where we’ve been since. She’s tried to get free and leave, but she hasn’t tried to attack. I’m not sure what to make of her.”

Ty studied the wolf as she huddled into herself. He needed answers but he didn’t want to shift and leave Parker unprotected. He wasn’t sure he could trust her safety to anyone but himself.

The female wolf suddenly lunged up, a snarl in her throat. Ty shot forward, growling long and low in his throat, tensed to attack.

“Ty, stop! Now!”

Ty watched from the corner of his eye as Garret crept forward, arms held out in front of himself. Ty snarled at Garret for stopping him. He wanted this over, and his pregnant mate out of danger. Now.

“Ty, don’t attack. You’ll regret tearing her throat out, I promise you that.”

Ty growled, not so sure of that, but he reluctantly backed down. Garret’s shifter talent was powerful, and when he spoke, they all tended to listen.

Garret gave him a satisfied nod, motioning for Ian to back off, too. “Hey there, pretty wolf. It’s okay. They won’t hurt you, I promise.” Ty growled low at that, and Garret shot him a quelling look. “Can you shift for us? You’re safe.”

The cream wolf whined as her eyes darted between Garret and Ty. Ty huffed a sigh and backed toward Parker, sitting in front of her and trying to appear less aggressive. He started when he felt Parker brush her fingers through his fur and rest her hand on his back. He turned his head slightly to look at her, and she gave him a soft smile, appearing calm and collected.

Mate, his wolf sighed.

Yeah, they were definitely coming back to that.

Garret took a couple more steps toward the wolf. She allowed it, but tried to back into the fence when Chase approached the group in his human form. Chase stopped by Ty, watching.

“What the hell is going on?” Chase said in a low voice.

Garret hushed him. “Come on, pretty wolf. Change back.”

The wolf just watched them all warily, whining in the back of her throat.

Garret sighed. “Are you in there, Kelsey? Come on. Shift back. Wolf, let Kelsey come on out. You’re safe.”

Kelsey? Who the hell was Kelsey?

The wolf watched them for a moment before a smattering of bones popping rang out. A moment later, there was a girl huddled on her knees where the wolf had just been. Girl, woman, Ty couldn’t tell. She was skinny and dirty, hair matted with dirt and even a few twigs as it hung in front of her face, concealing her from them. He wasn’t sure, but he thought maybe it would be a light brown when it was clean, kind of like his own.

“Do you know this girl, Garret?” Chase asked, voice puzzled. “Kelsey, was it?”

Garret shook his head. “I don’t know her, but you guys will.”

What the hell? Chase and Ty exchanged puzzled looks while Garret shrugged out of his shirt, approaching the girl slowly and laying it in front of her. He told her to put it on in a hushed voice before he stepped back.

A long moment later, the girl reached a trembling hand out and grabbed the shirt, pulling it over herself awkwardly before she shakily stood up. The shirt devoured her small frame, the sleeves hanging halfway down her forearms and the hem almost hitting her knees. She took a breath before looking up at them, pushing the hair off of her face with a hand that still trembled.

Ty inhaled sharply as he caught a glimpse of her face. He heard Chase curse under his breath, and Ty knew he saw it, too.

Kelsey was a delicate, much more feminine, version of his dad.

That’s why Garret said he would regret it if he killed the wolf. She was his sister.

Parker’s hand tightened in his fur as she leaned into his side. “Ty, she looks just like you.”

Garret reached out a hand to Kelsey, but she flinched away from him, her wary brown gaze shooting between them all. Parker stepped forward and Ty stiffened, blocking her with his head and nudging her back.

Parker grabbed his face and looked him in the eyes, showing no fear. “Ty, if I’m not mistaken, that girl right there is your sister. And she’s terrified right now. All of you big brutes watching her every move probably isn’t helping. Let me go to her. Let me help her. She looks like she’s starving. She needs food, clothes, a shower. She hasn’t tried to hurt me. She hasn’t tried to hurt any of us.”

Ty debated for a quick second before shifting back to his human form. There were enough shifters present to stop the wolf… his sister… if she tried anything. As soon as he was standing on two legs again, he pulled Parker into his arms and held her tight for a moment before pulling back to look into her eyes.

“I don’t want you hurt.”

Parker stretched up and kissed him. “I won’t be. She’s not aggressive, just scared. Let me do this. You can stay close while I get her settled. Just stay out of sight.”

Ty looked at Kelsey, who was hunched into herself, staring at the ground. She was still trembling, and he had to admit that everything Parker had said was true. And they couldn’t stand around here forever without doing something,

“Okay. But I’m staying close, and I have sensitive hearing. I’ll be there before you can even finish calling for me.”

Parker smiled at him. “It’ll be okay,” she said, starting to move toward Kelsey.

Ty pulled her back to a stop, tugging her around to look at him. “Parker. You’re not scared? Or disgusted?” She looked at him with a question in her eyes and Ty gestured to himself. “Of me. You didn’t run. You’re still here.”

She shook her head, smiling softly at him. “Of course not, Ty. Besides, I already knew.”

Ty stood, stunned, as Parker walked slowly toward his sister, speaking softly. She already knew? How? He rubbed at his chest, where his wolf was alert but silent and content in his chest.

Shit. How many surprises could one man take in a day?

Parker sat at the table with Kelsey, watching as the girl ate slowly. Or maybe calling her a woman was accurate. She couldn’t be more than a few years younger than Parker. Kelsey was freshly washed, wearing some of Parker’s clothes. The leggings and shirt were still far too big, but they were clean, and Kelsey had seemed happy with them.

Kelsey still hadn’t spoken a word, to any of them, but the wariness had faded from her eyes just a bit. Parker thought she must have been starving, and she wondered when the last time the girl had eaten. She was eating a bowl of soup, going slowly but clearly wanting to wolf it down. Pun not intended, Parker thought with a secret smile that was tinged in sadness.

Kelsey was holding her spoon in one hand and clutching a dinner roll in the other, almost as if she were scared someone would take it. Parker reached out slowly and nudged the plate of rolls toward her. “There are plenty. Eat however many you like.”

Kelsey looked at her with a cross of suspicion and nervousness in her dark brown eyes, so like Tyler’s. Parker felt her heart break a little more for Kelsey as she gave her the most reassuring smile she could muster. Kelsey slowly raised the roll to her mouth and tore off a bite before quickly going back to the soup.

Parker studied her as she ate. Kelsey had light brown hair like Ty’s, just a shade lighter and more blonde, and eyes just a shade darker than his, bordering on black. Her facial features were a mix of Ty and Chase, but she was completely feminine. She didn’t have the brother’s towering height, just a touch taller than Parker, and she was skin and bones. But she was clearly a MacKeltar. That much was obvious to anyone with eyes.

Parker saw Ty turn his head just a tad to check on them from where he was sitting on the couch, pretending to watch television. She felt a small smile stretch her lips. He’d been hovering the whole afternoon, just a few steps away as she’d gotten Kelsey settled. She knew this was hard for him. He worried so much over her safety, and their baby’s, but he was doing so well tonight. Not speaking or intrusive, just there.

Parker caressed her baby bump, which was rapidly growing. The baby was measuring big, and her belly was reflecting that, but Parker didn’t mind. She’d assumed she’d have a big little boy, because his daddy was big, and she loved being able to see physical evidence that their baby was growing strong inside of her.

She let her mind wander as she waited for Kelsey to eat her fill. When she’d walked outside earlier to see a massive tiger growling at a much smaller cream wolf, she’d freaked out. She wouldn’t lie about that. It wasn’t often that you walked outside to find humongous animals looking like they were about to brawl in your front yard. Then Tyler’s black wolf came bounding in front of her and she’d instantly relaxed. She’d still been worried over Ty, but she knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her; and he was so massive in size, that she knew he could hold his own if it came to that.

His wolf was beautiful. He was pitch black, with no markings at all, with eyes just as black. He’d stood proud, his head just as tall as she was, on paws the size of her head. She’d felt no fear. It was Tyler, and she’d seen him, shining through the wolf’s eyes.

She knew she’d surprised him when she said she’d already known what he was. But now there was nothing to hold him back. He knew that she knew. Once they talked, they could get everything straightened out and in the open.

And then they could begin their life together.

The sound of a spoon hitting a bowl jerked Parker from her thoughts, and she looked up to see that Kelsey had finished her dinner, and was sitting with her head down, staring at her lap.

“Are you still hungry? Would you like some dessert, cake or ice cream maybe?” Parker asked her softly. Leah looked up from where she was cleaning up, ready to fix another plate but Kelsey shook her head. “Okay, then. Would you like to lay down and get some rest?”

Kelsey looked up and nodded, gratitude and wariness waring in her eyes. Parker stood and Kelsey followed suit. Parker led her up the stairs and to one of the rooms on the other side of the house from hers and Ty’s. The room was next to Chase’s, where he could keep an eye on her if she needed anything, he said.

Parker thought they just wanted to make sure Kelsey didn’t leave.

Parker opened the door, gesturing Kelsey through. It wasn’t as pretty as the room Parker had occupied when she first came here, where Parker had wanted to put Kelsey, but it was still nice. It was clean and safe from the elements, which Parker supposed was all that mattered. She had a feeling that Kelsey had been sleeping outside for far too long.

Kelsey came inside and Parker started to turn to go back out when Kelsey’s whisper stopped her. It was low and scratchy from disuse, and Parker had to strain to hear her.

“Thank you.”

Parker smiled at Kelsey, pleased. “You’re very welcome, Kelsey. Please, don’t hesitate to ask if you need or want something. No matter what it is.”

Kelsey nodded, looking down at her hands. “You’re my brother’s… Ty’s… mate?”

Parker nodded, eyebrows raised in surprise. She hadn’t expected Kelsey to say more, and she wasn’t sure exactly what ‘mate’ meant, but if it meant her being Ty’s, then she absolutely was. “Yes, I am.”

Kelsey nodded, gesturing with one hand to Parker’s middle. “Congratulations. And thank you again.”

Parker watched as Kelsey turned away, apparently finished talking. Parker walked out of the room, shutting the door softly behind her, not in the least bit surprised to see Ty down the hall, leaning against the bannister of the stairs.

“She all settled in?”

Parker nodded, walking toward him. “Yeah, she’s all good.”

“Good. Are you hungry?” Ty asked, taking her hands in his.

“No, I’m fine for now. You?”

Ty shook his head, lacing the fingers of one hand with hers and tugging her to their bedroom. Once inside, he shut the door and then pushed her up against it, taking her mouth in a scorching kiss. When he finally pulled back, they were both breathing heavily and his erection was pushing into her stomach.

“No more of that,” he said, leading her to sit on the bed. “Talking first. Loving later.”

Parker laughed as she sat. “And you think putting us together on a bed is going to accomplish that?”

“Good point,” Ty said wryly. “But I want answers first. Such as how long you’ve known I’m a wolf shifter?”

“Is that what you call it? Shifting. It fits,” she mused. “I’ve known since I was fifteen.”

Ty looked at her, incredulous. “Since you were fifteen? Seriously?”

“Yeah. I saw you shift one day.” Parker proceeded to fill him in on what led her to the clearing that day, seeing him shift and fleeing right after. She got up and rummaged through her underwear drawer, coming back with the scrap of shirt she’d kept all these years. She handed it to him as she sat back down. “It was windy that day, and that blew over to me. I picked it up before I ran home. I knew I’d kept it, but I didn’t realize I had it with me until I moved my stuff in here. I found it in a pocket of my suitcase.”

Ty sat quietly for a moment, fingering the old scrap of his shirt. “I think I remember that day. I was pissed at my dad again, and then Jared came over, full of his plans to tell Cassie what he was and ask her to be his mate. I told him I was going to fight for her, and we argued. After he left, I ran to the river and then went wolf. I stayed that way for almost three days before I changed back.” He looked at her. “So all this time, you’ve known? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Parker sighed. “Because it wasn’t my secret to tell. I wanted you to come to me, to trust me with it. I didn’t want to force it from you.”

Ty rubbed his head wearily before scooting closer to her and taking her hand in his. “I wanted to tell you. More than anything, but I was scared. I didn’t know how you would react, and I couldn’t bear it if you ran. I need you.” He dropped a hand to her belly. “I need him. I need you both, and I didn’t want to see you run.”

Parker laced her fingers with his. “You didn’t trust me enough to know I wouldn’t do that? Don’t you know me well enough to know I wouldn’t run?” Parker asked, unable to keep the hurt out of her tone.

“Parker, no, I trust you. Please believe that. I do. It’s me I don’t trust.” He looked up and sighed when he saw the confusion on her face. “I didn’t trust that I was good enough. That I would be enough to make you stay, even in the face of something like that. This is what I didn’t tell you about Cassie. She hated what Jared is. She called him unnatural.

“Jared didn’t tell her what I was. He only told her about himself. I guess I just spilled his secret, since you probably didn’t know about them,” he said ruefully. “The Montgomerys are grizzly shifters. When Cassie turned eighteen, Jared told her what he was and explained to her about shifters. He told her that she was his mate, and that he wanted to claim her. She freaked out and disappeared for a few days. When she came back, she told him she loved him and would be with him, but only if he never talked about being a shifter in front of her again. She said he was a freak of nature. And if Cassie, his best friend since he was five, who he’d been with for years, could react that way… how would you react? You and I connected five months ago, but it was brief. We only started really getting to know each other a couple of weeks ago. I just… I couldn’t trust that I would be enough to keep you, when Jared barely held onto Cassie, even after all that time.”

Parker tightened her fingers around his and lifted her other hand to his cheek. “Oh, Ty.”

“There’s more,” he said, interrupting her when she would have said more. “They managed to be mostly happy for a few years while Jared hid his true nature, but then she got pregnant. She freaked out again. She was carrying a bear shifter. A cub. And she wanted nothing to do with it; she didn’t want it. She thought shifters were abominations. She was taking stupid risks, doing things pregnant women shouldn’t do. Jared thinks she was doing it on purpose, hoping to lose the baby. She was out horseback riding one day, when she was almost as far along as you are now. And she tried to jump a fence that was too high for the horse. She broke her neck.”

Parker pulled her hand away from her mouth, sure that her eyes were the size of half dollars right now. “Oh God. So much makes sense now, Ty. I can’t even imagine what Jared went through, or what you went through, for that matter. That’s why it makes you so nervous when I do more than you think I should. I can see now, too, why you would put off telling me the truth for as long as you could.”

Ty closed his eyes briefly as he shook his head. “I didn’t know how to tell you in a way that didn’t scare you. Jared tried to tell me that maybe Cassie’s reaction had been an aberration. He said that Ellie, Jake’s mate, had hardly blinked an eye when she found out about shifters. I couldn’t make myself take the chance, though. How could I be so lucky to have you accept it? And so I kept putting it off, putting myself through hell, torturing myself with all the ways you’d react badly… and here you’ve known the whole time.”

“You could have avoided that if you would have just told me. You would have had to eventually anyway, Ty. This baby is part wolf. I even tried to push the conversation with that stuffed wolf last night, but you ran instead of fessing up the truth.”

Ty laughed ruefully. “I even wondered if you were trying to tell me something with that, but I brushed it off as a coincidence. I know I would have had to tell you sooner rather than later, but I kept putting it off. I wanted to keep you as long as I could. I had decided this morning that I would tonight, though. I was determined. I needed to put the uncertainty behind us.”

Parker squeezed his hand. “You should have listened to Jared. He sounds like he gives good advice. I’m not Cassie. We’re different people, with different reactions. I’m glad you were going to tell me tonight, though.”

Ty put a hand to her cheek. “You’re right, you’re not Cassie. You’re so much more, Parker. I wouldn’t have been able to bear it if I disgusted or scared you. I was just being a chickenshit, and I knew that, but I couldn’t stop.”

“It’s okay. It’s done now. Just trust me for now on, okay? Nothing is going to make me run. You’re stuck with me.”

He leaned in and kissed her, slow and sweet. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Ty sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “What a day it’s been.”

“Yeah, agreed. Kelsey… She’s your sister, isn’t she? Judging by your and Chase’s reactions, you didn’t know about her.”

Ty exhaled heavily. “We had no clue. If we had, she never would have been out there, alone and hungry, for God knows how long. I hope she talks to us soon. It’s hard, not having answers.”

“Give her time. She came to the farm on her own, even if she didn’t expect to get caught today. She’s scared, though. You and Chase are going to have to be patient with her.” Parker paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to word the next question she wanted to ask. “Did you know your father was having an affair? Kelsey had to have been born before your mother passed away.”

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “The word affair implies a form of commitment, and my dad wasn’t committed to anyone but himself. He slept around on my mom, sure. He lived for his own pleasures. Gambling, whoring, even drinking. It takes a shit ton of alcohol to get a shifter drunk, but he managed it a few times. He was a poor excuse for a man, and anything he could throw money away on, he did. He’d almost pissed away the farm before he died. Me and Chase inherited it just in time to save it. A month more under my dad, and we’d have lost it. It’s taken a lot of years of slaving away to get to where we are today, but we’re finally making some progress. Even turning a profit these days, although it’s a small one.”

“You guys did good. If you were that close to losing it, I think you’ve done well to be back to making even a small profit so soon.”

“We can’t totally take the credit for that. Our shifter talents helped a lot. Had we gotten different ones, we might not have been able to save it, no matter how hard we worked.”

“Shifter talents?” Parker asked, looking at him in question.

“Yeah. Every shifter has something they’re especially good at. Like Jake, over on Bear Claw. He can fix anything mechanical. His sister Kendall, the vet, can tell what animals are feeling, and can heal them. Chase’s is a gift for management. He always knows the best way to get things done, the best ways to manage the farm. By rights, he should be the one stuck inside at a desk for half the day, but he refuses. He gets claustrophobic if he’s forced indoors for long stretches of time.”

“What’s your talent?” Parker asked curiously.

“Weather,” Ty replied with a rueful grin. “I always know what the weather is going to do, and I can sense it months in advance. It makes planting and harvesting the crops easy. We never lose any now, not like we did when our dad was running things.”

“That’s why you always know when it’s going to rain!” Parker exclaimed. “I knew that weather channel excuse was bullshit.”

He laughed. “You almost caught me a couple times on that. I’m not used to censoring what I say so much.”

“So our baby will have some sort of special gift?” Parker asked, caressing the swell of her belly.

Ty leaned over and put his hand next to hers, smiling when he felt the baby move under his palm. “He sure will. There’s no telling what it’ll be, and it likely won’t become evident until he’s somewhere between five and ten years old, but he’ll have one.”

“I have so many questions about this whole shifter business, but I’m really curious about one thing right now. You mentioned that Jared told Cassie she was his mate, and that he wanted to claim her. What does all that mean?”

“Every shifter has a person that’s meant to be theirs. Who’s perfect for them in every way. We call that person our mate. Shifters want nothing more than for our mates to be happy, well cared for, and safe. We’d do anything for them. Kill for them, die for them. Anything. A shifter’s mate is everything to them.”

“Oh,” Parker said softly, looking at her hands. What did it mean that Ty hadn’t called her his mate before? Was it possible that she wasn’t that person for him? She felt her heart crack at the thought.

“Look at me, Parker.” Ty waited until her eyes reluctantly met hers before he continued. “My wolf… he’s broken. I can’t remember the last time he felt right. When my mother was still alive, probably. When she passed away, every hint of security and affection I’d had in this life went with her. I focused on trying to protect Chase from our father, but I had no one to protect me anymore. I channeled all of that into Cassie. When she chose Jared, my wolf broke a little more, and when she died, the last little bit of sanity he had left went with her. I’ve just been trying to get through every day, one day at a time, working to get the farm in the best shape possible for my little brother before I needed put down.”

Parker nodded, keeping her head down as she looked at the fingers she was twisting together. Hearing this hurt, but she needed to know where she stood.

Ty touched her cheek. “Don’t look like that. I’m not finished yet. I’ve already told you that I didn’t love Cassie like that anymore, but she was my best friend. Losing her felt like losing everything good left in my life. My wolf has been a snarling mess, uncontrollable on a good day, insane on most. Until you. That first night at Crazy Pete’s… I followed you outside because when our eyes met in the bar, he went quiet inside of me, for the first time in longer than I could remember. I wanted more of that. I didn’t expect what happened between us that night, but I could never regret it. It was the best night of my life. My animal was calmer after that, saner. And then you walked back into my life a couple of week ago. Told me you were pregnant, let me get to know you, and the change in him was remarkable. I haven’t had to fight so much for control, and for the first time in years, I felt like I was going to make it.

“I still didn’t know for sure, though. My wolf was content, but he’s still on the broken side. I’m not sure that will ever change. He was completely silent, and I begged and pleaded with him to talk to me, tell me what you really were to us, but he wouldn’t. So I decided that you were mine and it didn’t matter if he never spoke to the words to me. And it truly doesn’t, Parker. You’re my mate. I feel it in here,” he said, putting a hand to his chest, “and have from the beginning. I chose you, in every way I could choose. But today, when I thought you were in danger, the wolf finally talked to me. Called you our mate. Let me know that both sides of my nature adore you. Every part of me chooses every part of you, Parker. You’re my mate.”

Parker looked at Ty through a sheen of tears. She couldn’t imagine ever hearing anything sweeter. He’d chosen her. She was sure that she would have felt just as special if his wolf had spoken to him from the start. But there was something about knowing that Ty the man had chosen her, that he had been determined to have her regardless of how his wolf felt, that hit her like a sledgehammer, right in the heart.

She couldn’t deny, though, that having his wolf confirm it for him finally brought a measure of relief. She wouldn’t have handled that well, knowing that there was possibly another woman out there that the wolf could choose over her.

“Tyler… I choose you, too. I don’t have an animal, but every part of me chooses every part of you, as well. I love you.”

She heard his breath catch and he looked away for a moment, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched it. He turned back, cupping her cheek. “My wolf and I both love you, Parker. We adore you, and the pup you’re carrying. I’d like to claim you one day, but you’ll have to think hard about that. We’d have to do it after you gave birth, and I’d have to bite you. My bite will change you, though. You’d become a wolf shifter, like me.” She opened her mouth to reply and he put a finger to her lips to hush her. “Don’t answer me now. Think about this long and hard, throughout this pregnancy and longer, if you need to. Ask questions, take your time. There’s no rush, and I need you to know that I don’t need you to become a wolf. I will love you forever, regardless if I’ve claimed you or not. Being a human or a wolf won’t ever change that.”

Parker kissed his fingertip. “I’ll think hard about it, Ty. I promise.”

Ty smiled at her, his gorgeous chocolate brown eyes full of love and the promise of a lifetime together. “There is something I’d like an answer to sooner rather than later, though.”

Parker watched, puzzled, as Ty took a deep breath before standing up. He reached into his pocket for something and then dropped to his knees on the floor in front of her. He opened his palm and Parker gasped and covered her mouth with trembling hands when she saw the ring sitting in his palm.

“I ran into town and picked this up the other day, after I decided that I didn’t care what my wolf wanted. I love you, Parker. I want you in my life forever, and while I honestly don’t care if you ever become a shifter, I want you in the human tradition. I want you to have my last name. I want everyone to know that you’re mine, and I’m yours. Will you marry me?”

Parker blinked the tears from her eyes as he held the ring up. It was modest, with a white gold band, and two small diamonds nestled on either side of a slightly larger princess cut diamond. It was gorgeous. She took a deep breath, and held out her hand, fingers trembling like mad, so he could slide it on. “Of course I’ll marry you, Ty. Yes. A thousand times, yes!”

Ty gave her a breathtaking grin as he slid the ring onto her finger. He surged up from the floor, kissing her passionately as they fell back onto the bed together.

Today had been eventful and a little bit crazy. Seeing Ty’s wolf, an unknown sister showing up, a long, heartfelt conversation. Then declarations of love, and now a marriage proposal.

When she’d made the decision to come back home and tell Ty about the baby, she never would have been able to guess that it would end in love and marriage. Her imagination hadn’t been good enough for her to even dream this up. But she couldn’t imagine her life going any other way now. She had everything she’d ever wanted, right here in Ty’s arms.

Chapter Seventeen

Ty walked down to the kitchen, intent on grabbing up leftovers from dinner for him and Parker. Neither one of them had eaten after all the craziness of the day, and Parker especially needed to eat.

He lifted a hand in greeting to Chase as he walked to the fridge. His brother was sitting at the counter, eating his own meal. “How’s Parker? Is she taking the whole shifter thing well?”

Ty grinned wryly as he pulled bowls from the fridge. “She’s fine. Apparently, she already knew I was a shifter. I guess she saw me shift once years ago, when we were teenagers.”

“No shit?” Chase said before throwing his head back on a laugh. “You were worrying like a little old woman for nothing.”

“Don’t be a dick, pup. I’ll remind you of this moment when your wolf picks a human for a mate.”

“My wolf will have the good sense to pick a shifter.”

Ty snorted. “Don’t count on it. How’s Kelsey? Have you heard or seen her since she went to bed?”

Chase sobered and shook his head. “I heard her moving around in her room for a while, but it’s been quiet here lately. When do you think she’ll talk to us, tell us what happened to her?”

Ty sighed as he made up two plates. “I don’t know. Parker said to give her some time and not push her. So that’s what we’ll do. She looks like she’s had it hard enough without us scaring her more.”

“I think she’d been living in the woods for a while,” Chase said, pushing the food around on his plate. “I hate to think of when she’d even eaten a decent meal last.”

They were both quiet after that, lost in their own thoughts. Ty warmed up the plates of food as he put the leftovers in the fridge. He paused before he left again, looking at his brother seriously.

“Look. I think it’s clear that Kelsey wouldn’t have hurt Parker, or any of us. But we might not have known that, and we might not have managed to catch her, if it hadn’t been for Ian. Our sister is upstairs, safe, warm and fed right now, because of him. I figure I owe him. Him and his crew can stay in the old place, as long as they stay away from the farmhouse and don’t get in the way of running the farm. I don’t know his other shifters, so make that clear. I trust Ian, though, so if he trusts them… I’ll let them stay. I won’t even charge them rent on that dump. But I don’t want any trouble. Not from them or anyone they know.”

Chase nodded. “There won’t be. Ian won’t accept charity, though. He’ll pay rent, whether you want it or not.”

Ty inclined his head. “Either way. As long as there’s no trouble,” he reiterated, as he began walking out of the kitchen.

“Hey, does this mean you’ll come to a fight?” Chase called.

“Why don’t you hold your breath while you wait and see?”

Ty made his way to the stairs, grinning as he heard Chase’s muttered, “Fucker”.

He took the stairs two at a time, ready to see Parker again. He hadn’t even been away from her for ten minutes, and he was already anxious to get back to her.

Mate.

Yes, she definitely was, Ty thought as he agreed with his wolf. He’d imagined a lot of different scenarios since Parker had come back into his life, envisioned what he had thought was every possible ending. Every ending but this one. One where his wolf finally spoke up and confirmed that Parker was his true mate. One where Parker accepted what he was wholeheartedly and unconditionally.

He juggled the plates and opened the door to his bedroom. Their bedroom. His breath caught as he saw Parker, reclining on the bed while she caressed the swell of her belly. She looked over and smiled at him, and Ty felt his heart swell in his chest.

She was his. He had his own little family now. Beautiful Parker and their precious son, who was nestled safe under her heart, growing big and strong. He’d never thought he would have this, never even imagined it could be possible. Everything about her had been unexpected.

Ty smiled at Parker, pouring all of the love he felt for her into his eyes, as he shut the door and walked into his own little slice of happily ever after.

THE END

Coming Soon

Temporary Mates

Book Two in the Red Moon Shifters Series

Don’t miss out on the series that started it all!

Bear Claw Shifters is a three book series with beloved characters that show up in Red Moon.

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