Chapter Six
Eira swung the door open and Tatum walked past her into the house. She wasn’t trying to be rude or inconsiderate; she just wanted to put as much distance between her and Jett as possible. On the drive over, he was starting to get to her. Though his apology sounded sincere, it still didn’t change the fact that her most prized possession was totalled. Pair that with the guilt she was starting to feel for treating Jett the way she did after he saved her life had her stomach in knots.
“What happened? Why did Jett drop you off? And why do you look so upset? Did he say something to you? Because I’ll put a hurtin’ on him if he did.”
Tatum plopped herself on the sofa. “There was an accident at the hotel…”
Eira’s eyes widened as her hand clutched her throat. “Oh my God is everyone okay? I have to call Adonis.”
Tatum raised her hand to still Eira before she worried herself to death. After all, she was expecting twins any day now. She didn’t need any added stress in her life. “Adonis is fine. Everyone is fine. Lightning struck a tree in front of the hotel and a humongous branch fell and almost flattened me…”
“I think I need to sit down.”
“I’m so sorry love. I’m an idiot. Let me help you.” Tatum stood and assisted Eira onto the cushion next to her.
“Okay, now you can finish the story.”
“Well, first I almost ran that jerk over…”
“What jerk?”
“Jett.”
“How?”
“He ran right in front of me when I was on my bike. Then the lightning struck and he pushed me out of the way…”
“Aww, he saved your life. I think I’m gonna cry.” Eira swiped a tear away from the corner of her eye. “Sorry, hormones.”
“No aww, if he didn’t jump in front of me my bike it would still be here.”
“Yeah, and you wouldn’t be.”
Tatum opened her mouth to speak, then clamped it shut again. “I’m such a shit.”
“Why?”
“I was so mean to him.”
“Pfft. Don’t even give it a second thought. He’s not that sensitive and he can be a bit of jerk himself.”
“But…”
“I don’t want to hear another thing about it. You are going with me to my sonogram appointment and we’re going to forget all about today. Then we’re going to come back here and pig out in front of the T.V. and catch up. Now, help me up.”
“Shouldn’t Adonis go with you?”
“He’s seen them plenty of times. Plus, he has to work late anyway. I can use a girl’s day out before these two are born.”
Tatum was exhausted, but the excitement of seeing the twins on screen was amazing. She’d never really had a girlfriend before. She was a tomboy most of her life, so none of the little girls really wanted to play with her. When she met Eira while she was on vacation last year, they’d become fast friends. Both had similar upbringings, and both had jobs where they had to prove themselves constantly since the careers they chose were male dominated. She never had to explain to Eira how she felt because Eira had gone through similar situations herself.
“So, when are you due?”
“About a year ago.”
Tatum laughed. “That bad huh?”
“It’s not bad. I love being pregnant. The only bad part is everyone thinks I’m an invalid. I mean seriously, I can take care of myself. I wish people wouldn’t treat me so differently.”
“But you are. Right now, you are carrying twins; shifter twins at that. It can’t be easy. We just want you to be as rested and healthy as you can be. I’m sure Adonis and your dad go overboard, but that’s only because they care so much about you. You’re lucky you know. Not many people are as blessed as you are.”
“I know, I know. It’s just so frustrating not being able to do the things you really want to do.”
“I can understand that. Just remember this is only temporary.”
“You’re right. New subject! Let’s talk about you.”
Tatum glanced at Eira in the passenger seat, arching a brow. “What about me?”
“I think it’s time we find you your own guy.”
“What about Jasper?”
“Ew, gross. He’s my best friend, definitely not!”
“Okay, fine. Then how about we call Gerri Wilder?”
“Why?”
“I think you need a strong, alpha, shifter in your life.”
“I don’t know Eira. I’m not ready for a relationship now. I doubt I’m ready to be someone’s mate.”
“Why not?”
Tatum sighed. “I’m not happy with my job. I’m getting so sick of…”
“Girl, you do not need to go into any explanations on my behalf. I get it. You know I do. Move here.”
“What?!”
“You heard me, move here.”
“I can’t just pick up and leave…”
“Sure you can. What’s holding you back? Nothing has you tied down there.”
“I can’t just quit my job.”
“Yes, you can. I’ll call Speed Demon’s and work something out so you can work there. They can always use a stellar mechanic. On the plus side, there are other female workers there and everyone is treated equally.”
“I don’t know Eira…”
“You don’t have to know. I’m making the decision for you. Besides, I can use a girlfriend out here. I’m surrounded by men all day. Most of which act like little boys. Believe me you’d be doing me a favor.”
The thought of moving close to Eira was very appealing. She would do anything to be treated the same as a man in her profession. It just all seemed to good to be true. She would definitely give it some serious thought though. A final decision needed to be made; preferably before Eira started making calls on her behalf.
Tatum turned her head for a quick second. “Eira…”
Eira swung her arm out to Tatum. “Look out!”
Slamming on the brakes, Tatum swerved and came to a dead stop. Right in front of her stood a huge, black wolf. She sat there frozen, eyes wide, and out of breath from the fear of almost crashing into it. When the panic cleared her brain, her first thought was of Eira. “Oh my God, are you okay.?”
Eira, with her hand over her heart replied with a head nod. Then she added, “You almost ran over Jett.”
Tatum’s shocked expression quickly switched to one of anger. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” She jumped out of the car and slammed the door behind her. “Do you want to get killed?! Are you looking to seriously injure someone else?!” She screamed at large shifter in front of her, not giving a care in the world that he could rip her to shreds if he wanted to. Jett took a few, slow steps toward her, gave her a low growl, then bolted back into the woods.
When Tatum slid back into the driver’s seat, her heart was still pounding. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. That was a scare, wasn’t it.”
“Jett is an asshole.”
“He can be sometimes. But, I don’t think he’s doing it on purpose now.”
“He’s actually a great guy.”
“He’s going to wind up a dead guy if he keeps jumping in front of moving vehicles.”
The rest of the drive to the doctor’s office was uneventful, thank goodness. When they got there, they sat and waited for to be called into the ultrasound room. Eira had one woman ahead of her, so they both looked through the magazines on the table to pass some time. Tatum threw the magazine she was flipping through back on the table and slumped in her seat. She closed her eyes, hoping to rest for the next few minutes, but Eira had other plans for her.
Eira tapped on her shoulder, handing Tatum her cell phone. “Here.”
“Why are you giving me that?”
“To call Gerri Wilder.”
Tatum straightened in her chair. “What on earth for?”
“So you don’t spend the rest of your life alone. So you can have sex on regular basis. Shall I go on?”
“I do not need help finding a boyfriend.”
“No, you’ve had plenty of those, but have they worked out for you?”
“Well, no.”
“My point exactly. I think it’s time to start thinking outside the box and call PDA. Look what Gerri’s done for me.”
“I don’t know Eira…”
“Just do it. She knows what she’s doing. So many couples here at White Mountain have benefitted from her help.”
Tatum reluctantly snatched the phone out of Eira’s hand. What could it hurt? If everything worked out as planned, she’d find the man who was meant just for her. Since Eira had pulled up Gerri’s number, all she had to do was press the call button. Her thumb hovered over the little green button until her brain took over and pushed it.
“Paranormal Dating Agency. This is Gerri speaking. How can I help you Tatum?”
“Hi Ger...wait a second. How do you know who this is?”
“Dear, I know everything. Now, what can I do for you?”
“I don’t know if you can do anything for me.” Tatum glanced over at Eira, who waved at her to keep talking into the phone. “I’m actually looking for…”
“A mate. That special someone who you share your innermost secrets and desires with. A shifter who will be devoted to only you and your happiness. What you need is an alpha. A secure man who won’t be threatened by your independence and strong will. I have just the shifter for you. Are you opposed to a kind of...a blind date?”
“Sure. What harm could it do?”
“You won’t know anything about him. Not his occupation, his age, or anything. Not even his name.”
“Okay.”
“What I’ll do is give all the info to Eira and both she and Adonis will accompany you and your date for dinner so you won’t feel too uncomfortable.”
“Okay, sounds good. Thank you Gerri.”
“Don’t thank me just yet.”
Tatum tried to respond, but Gerri had already hung up. What an odd thing to say. A nervous feeling began to churn in Tatum’s stomach and she was starting to question whether Gerri Wilder knew what she was doing. She contemplated on calling Gerri back and cancel the whole thing entirely, but Eira was being called to the back so there was no time.
Eira walked ahead of Tatum to the room, then stepped aside to introduce her to the doctor. “Tatum, this is Dr. Theodore Drake. Everyone calls him Teddy.”
The doctor extended his hand to Tatum and chuckled as he faced Eira. “No, everyone does not call me Teddy. That’s only you Eira.”
“Hey, you couldn’t get a more perfect name since you’re a bear Theodore.” Eira responded in a sarcastic tone.
“I promise not to call you Teddy.” Tatum interjected.
Theodore smiled. “I don’t mind, really.” He dropped her hand and took Eira by the elbow. “Let’s get you checked out. Have you been resting as I have prescribed?”
“Yes, unfortunately.” Eira made herself comfortable on the examination table and Dr. Drake squeezed some clear gel on her belly. “How much longer Doc?”
“Should be another week, then you’ll be on your feet again before you know it.”
Eira let out a relieved breath. “Thank God. There is no way I can go much longer without being able to fly.”
Theodore rolled the wand from the sonogram machine over Eira’s stomach taking measurements and then pressed a button, filling the room with loud swishing sounds. Tatum glanced over at the screen. “What’s that sound?”
“It’s the baby’s heartbeat. Well, one of them anyway.” The doctor replied. “Eira, did you change your mind about not knowing the sex of the twins?”
Tatum interrupted excitedly. “You know what they are?”
Drake nodded. “I do, but Eira didn’t want to know.”
“I still haven’t changed my mind. Adonis and I decided we want to be surprised. As long as they are healthy, that’s all that matter to us.”
“Can I know?!” Tatum shrieked.
Eira shrugged. “I don’t care, just keep it to yourself. I’m serious. I don’t want to know until they’re born. Okay, Tatum?”
“Okay, okay.” Tatum leaned closer to the doctor as Eira covered her ears. Drake whispered the sex of the babies and a huge smile split Tatum’s face. “Aww, that’s so cute!”
“Tatum! I’m not kidding. Do not tell anyone.”
“Oh my God Eira. I said okay. I won’t tell a soul.”