Chapter 19
Jessica
Jessica woke up feeling refreshed. The twins slept through the night with no bathroom breaks, or wanting a sip of water. They were probably exhausted from playing yesterday. Regardless, Jessica was glad for the sleep. After the nights she has had with Michael, a good night sleep is what she needed. After breakfast, the twins were watching cartoons when they fell asleep on the couch.
Jessica’s surprised they are taking a nap this early. She will take advantage of it while she can. She had plenty of time to take a shower, and get ready before Alexander comes over. Taking the baby monitor from the twin’s room, she placed it in the living room, and turned it on. Bringing the receiver with her, Jessica went to take a shower.
She isn’t one to wear a bunch of makeup. When you work with animals, some of the friendlier ones tend to lick your face. Better to hardly wear any than have a bare spot half the day. Today is different; she wants to look nice for Alexander. He had told her to get some rest that means he could tell she was tired. Even with a good night sleep, the dark circles are still under her eyes.
After her shower, Jessica checked on the twins before going to her room. She began going through her clothes trying to find the cleanest one. When you have twins, clothes tend to get stains. Finally settling for a green t-shirt, she slipped it on, along with a pair of good fitting jeans. Grabbing everything in her hair and makeup arsenal she headed back to the bathroom.
Thirty minutes later there was a knock on the front door. She knew Alexander was at the door. She applied a small amount of hairspray just to keep the stray hairs down. Another knock sounded, not wanting to wake the kids to that, Jessica took off for the front door.
“Shh,” Jessica mouthed holding her finger to her lips, and pointed at the couch.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize they were taking a nap already.” Alexander said peeking in at the twins. “Shall I come back in a little while?”
“Oh no, it’s time for them to wake up. I just didn’t want them scared awake. It takes a little time for Madison to calm down.” Jessica explained. “Please, come in.”
“Thanks.” Alexander came in. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks. I figured if I’m going to be around adults I might as well look like one.” Jessica laughed, then immediately wanted to take her words back.
“No one would think any less of you, even if you show up in sweats with curlers in your hair.”
“Wouldn’t that be a sight?” Jessica turned and walked inside.
Jessica isn’t sure if he realized her awkward moment, and was trying to make her feel better or what. It’s not really working either. It made her feel as though she isn’t attractive so why try. Damn insecurities. He looks at her in ways that make her tingle. His eyes say they like what they see, but that’s not what his mouth is saying.
“Children it’s time to wake up!” Jessica said in an excited voice to get the twins moving a little faster.
Madison walked straight out of the living room and to the bathroom without even noticing anyone is here. Michael on the other hand sat straight up and looked back at Alexander. Rubbing his eyes a couple of times, he focused in on Alexander.
“Zan!” Michael shouted climbing off the couch. “You here.”
“Hey buddy!” Alexander picked Michael up, throwing him in the air a little, and catching him.
Jessica’s heart skipped a beat, even though she knew he wouldn’t drop Michael. She loved the way Michael’s face lit up. Madison came running in, she ran up to Alexander then shied away and latched onto Jessica’s leg.
“Come on,” Michael waved at Madison to come up where he is. Madison shook her head. Although she did manage to let go of Jessica.
“Kids come here. I want to talk to you, real quick.” Jessica says walking over to the couch.
Alexander put Michael down but Michael didn’t want to let go. Instead, he took hold of one of Alexander’s fingers and pulled him to the couch too. When Michael had Alexander in front of the couch, Michael gave him a little push. Alexander dramatically sat down beside Jessica, making the twins start laughing. It was a good way of putting them in a happy mood, Jessica thought.
“I know you met Mr. Alexander yesterday. Do you want to know who he really is?” Jessica asked.
“Dad,” Michael said without missing a beat. That got Jessica’s attention.
“How do you know that?” She asked him.
Michael breathed in a deep breath. “Smell,” he said simply. “And wolfie.”
“Wolfie?” Jessica doesn’t know wolfie.
“My wolfie.”
“Oh, your wolf?” Alexander clarified, and Michael nodded.
“How did your wolf tell you?” Jessica asked, but Michael shrugged his shoulders so she looked to Alexander for answers.
“Our wolves can talk to us in our minds. Sometimes you only catch a word or two, then sometimes they don’t shut up.” Alexander started laughing. “You should ask Bri about her wolf.”
“Why?”
“Bri didn’t get along with her wolf at first.” He explained.
“And now?”
“I’m not sure. She hasn’t been a shifter long.” Alexander shrugged. “You’ll have to ask her. Everyone is different. I think born shifters have it easier because our wolves have always been with us.”
Jessica nodded in understanding while planning a little girls chat. It would be easier to talk to someone who doesn’t cloud your mind every time they are around. The closer Alexander is to her, the more intense the feeling is. Jessica couldn’t explain it, it’s like she couldn’t get close enough to him. She wants to close the distance between them, until Madison tapped her knee breaking her train of thought.
“Billy has daddy.” Madison informed her. Billy is their friend from daycare. It was his party they went to a couple of days ago.
“Yes, just like Billy. Mr. Roberts is Billy’s dad, and Mr. Alexander is your dad.” Jessica explained.
You can see the concentration on Madison’s face as she takes in everything. Michael had apparently accepted it already, and is completely fine with it. Finally, Madison nodded slowly, and looked up at Alexander. Smiling, she went over to him and gave him a hug.
“You come to party. I show you.” Madison said sweetly.
“Next party, I’m there.” Alexander says making the twins happy as they both hugged him again.
Jessica is relieved this is going well. She hopes the twins understand what is going on. They are smart and very observant. They know about daddies, most of their friends from daycare have mommies and daddies. The twins have never asked about theirs. Since he was never there from the beginning, they didn’t know they were really missing one.
“Dad, come see!” Michael had got excited, and wanted to show Alexander something.
He pulled on Alexander’s finger until he got up and followed Michael to the bedroom. Jessica followed, curious as to what her son is doing.
“Train, my train,” Michael said holding up one of the trains he got from the thrift shop. “Come play!”
Alexander was about to sit down to play but Jessica stopped him.
“Michael, you can play with your trains later. It’s time for a cookout. Don’t you want hamburgers and hotdogs? I bet they have chips too.”
“Oh, there’s always chips.” Alexander stated.
Michael jumped up ready to go. Jessica finished packing the twins a bag. She even put the medicine cookies in the bag just in case they are needed. Once everything was ready, it’s time to go. The twins were so excited they jumped and danced the whole way to the car. All Jessica had to do was open the car door and the twins climbed into their seats. Jessica locked one in, while Alexander secured the other. He isn’t as fast as her, but at least he didn’t give up.
On the way to Abby, and Bri’s cabin the twins asked if they could listen to their cd. When Alexander immediately said sure, Jessica looked over at him and grinned. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into. He caught her look and scrunched his eyebrows in question.
“Prepare yourself.” She smiled pressing the cd button.
She turned the volume up and sat back. The moment the chipmunks began to sing so did the twins. They would sing together then one would sing as the other danced while catching their breath. Back and forth this happened the whole ride. It would get to a song they didn’t care for, cry out for it to be changed to the next one, and the singing continued.
“Will they do this the whole ride?” Alexander asks.
“Yep,” she smiled.
“Remind me to rethink that next time.” He insists.
“You’ll get used to it.”
They arrived in half the time it took to get to Sebastian and Makenna’s place. It too had a long drive. Instead of being on the edge of the mountain, this cabin was set beautifully on the edge of a small lake. Jessica doesn’t really like being this close to the water with the twins but it’s better than the cliffs. Getting out of the car, she took in the surroundings. She is sure Michael is going to ask to play outside. The yard here is massive compared to back home at the town house. The twins seem to be amazed also. Michael’s eyes lit up when he saw the lake.
“Swim?” He asked Alexander pointing at the lake. Jessica was thankful Alexander looked at her for an answer. She shook her head lightly.
“Not today, maybe another day.” Alexander answered.
Michael was about to start pouting when the front door of the cabin opened, and Abby came out to greet them. Michael quickly changed his attitude.
“Hey y’all!” Abby greeted.
“Hi Abby!” Jessica said. Madison waved and Michael climbed down out of Alexander arms so he could run up to Abby, and give her a hug.
“Come on in. The guys are getting the grill ready.” Abby informed them.
After walking inside with Abby, Alexander excused himself to help the guys. Jessica wondered briefly if he is going to stay out there the whole time. To her surprise, he was only out there for a minute before coming back in.
“How about I take the twins outside with me for a little bit? Caleb turned the temperature down on the hot tub. I promise to keep an eye on them.” Alexander asked.
Jessica is a little nervous. She always has an eye on them. Alexander is their father, so she should let him have some responsibility. Since she brought extra clothes for them, Jessica agreed as long as he is right there. At least in a hot tub they can stand up, and be above water.
“Just double check the temperature before they get in.” Jessica warned him.
“I will keep them safe.” He promised.
When the twins realized she agreed they started jumping, and shouting with excitement. After warning them not to fight or push each other under, she watched as they followed their dad outside. Before the door closed Caleb came in, grabbed the tray of hamburgers, and walked out giving Bri a kiss on his way.
“They are adorable.” Abby commented.
“Thanks.” Bri said smiling.
“I was talking about the twins.” Abby cut her eyes over at Bri.
“Oh, well you’re timing sucked then.” Bri laughed. Jessica can see these two have been friends a long time.
“So, when are you moving out here?” Abby asked. The question surprised Jessica.
“Abby!” Bri hissed. “That’s none of our business.”
“It’s okay.” Jessica assured her, it isn’t as bad as Sebastian asking her intentions. “I haven’t even given it a thought. All of this is just too new. Michael is what’s important.”
“You’ll be out here soon.” Abby insisted.
“Why is that?”
“You’ll see. It happens when you aren’t looking.” Abby replied.
“What does?” Jessica asked.
“Love,” Abby said smiling. “It kept us here, too.”
“I’m here for the twins, not for love.” Jessica told them. “I don’t know if you know this but we only spent one night together.”
“For shifters, that’s all it takes.” Abby laughed.
“What do you mean?” Jessica asked curiously.
“Shifters have what you call mates and fated mates. Fated mates are destined to be together. No matter how hard you fight it, in the end you’ll be together.” Bri explained.
Jessica took in what Bri had said, but it doesn’t make a difference because her and Alexander aren’t fated mates. She isn’t fighting anything. Alexander is a handsome man and the father of her children. He just doesn’t seem to have any interest in her anymore. It’s probably her weight, she thought. She was a toothpick back when they were together. Now she weighs a good 40 pounds more. Jessica didn’t mind. She thinks she looks better with the added weight. Maybe he’s only attracted to skinny girls. Jessica put those thoughts aside. It doesn’t matter what he thinks, she told herself.
“I don’t think that will be a problem.” Jessica commented. “How did you become a shifter?” She asked looking at Bri. The moment Bri grimaced Jessica wanted to take the question back.
“My story isn’t as happy as Abby’s.” Bri began. “There’s a few ways to become a shifter. Most natural way of course is being born with it. If a fated mate is human, then they will shift after the mating like Abby did, or you’re bitten by an enraged shifter like I was.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“It’s okay. This is all new to us too. Our first time shifting was this past weekend.” Bri said.
“I don’t think I will ever get use to Michael shifting. It just doesn’t seem natural for a body to change like that.” Jessica said.
“Hurts like crazy too.” Abby commented, but Bri nudged her before she was able to say anything else.
“I can imagine. Michael screamed the first time, but it doesn’t seem to bother him anymore. Scared the hell out of me. Next thing I know Michael is nowhere to be found. I saw him as a little wolf, and couldn’t believe it was even him.”
“I would have sworn I was going crazy.” Abby laughed.
“Bri, since you were bitten, are you and Caleb fated mates?” Jessica asked.
“Caleb and I were together back in college. We were dating when he was bitten. He ran off so I wouldn’t find out.” She began to explain.
“He couldn’t resist, and called you?”
“No,” Bri laughed. “Abby and I came up here on vacation. I had no idea he worked here. We fought it at first, but we were just meant to be.”
“What about you?” Jessica asked Abby.
“Jayden and I had sex. It was over from there.” Abby laughed.
“I don’t get it.”
“We are fated mates, but we didn’t know it. We lusted after each other until we had a night alone. I found out the next day that if fated mates have sex and during that you get bitten by your mate, then the next full moon you’ll shift whether you want to or not.” Abby explained.
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“Shocked us too.” Abby declared.
“They should call this place Fated Resort.” Jessica laughed.
To think they both found the person they were meant to be with at the same place, and at the same time; it amazes her. Most people don’t find their soul mates. If there are soul mates, she thought. Jessica hasn’t given it much thought. Especially since the twins were born, she hasn’t had time to even think about dating.
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Abby laughed. “Chloe would like to play match maker. She’d love the chance to hook more shifters together.”
“She didn’t seem to be too happy that I am here. Does she have a thing for Alexander?”
“Oh, no!” Bri said. “Chloe is like Alexander’s sister. They have known each other most of Chloe and Logan’s life. She probably smelled shifter on you, and thought you were with another pack.”
“Are there a lot of packs around here?”
“Not that we know of.” Abby answered. “That’s probably a question better left to Alexander. After all, we have only been here a few weeks. We still don’t know all about this world.”
Jessica decided to keep the rest of her questions to herself until she can talk more with Alexander. One thing is for sure, she won’t be sleeping with Alexander. She doubts they are mates but if all it takes is one roll in the sheets with one bite then she won’t risk it. Jayden came in, jolting her from her thoughts. He went straight down the hall, and came back with towels.
“Is everything okay?” Jessica asked. She got up to follow him out anyway.
“Yeah, we’re just getting the little ones out.”
“And they are okay with this?” Jessica asked not believing she hasn’t heard the twins complaining yet.
“Yeah, hamburgers are done.” Jayden opened the back door. “Michael is ready to eat.”
“Oh, I bet.” She wonders how many times Michael has asked if they are done yet.
When she came outside, the view before her is photo worthy. Madison is out on the edge of the hot tub, holding on to Alexander’s hands. Michael stood at the other side with Caleb. Alexander was telling them to ‘shake it off,’ while the twins were shaking and dancing. Not really accomplishing anything, but the twins were having fun. Jessica was able to get her phone out and snap a few pictures before they helped the twins down. As Jayden gave Alexander and Caleb the towels, Madison noticed she came out.
“Mommy!” Madison squealed.
“Hey sweetie,” Jessica walked over to Madison to see if Alexander needed her help. “Need some help? You know you didn’t have to put them in with all their clothes on.”
“I’m new at this. Give me a break.” He smiled. She loves the way he smiles. Michael smiles the same way.
“Okay,” she said taking the towel from Alexander. “I’ll take Madison, and you can take Michael. Just wring his clothes out, and lay them over the rail for now. I have more clothes in my bag inside.”
“Deal.” He took the towel from Caleb.
Caleb and Jayden went to the grill to pull the burgers off. Jessica positioned the towel so that Madison will have some privacy to strip her clothes off. Alexander followed her lead, and did the same for Michael. Once Madison had her clothes off Jessica wrapped the towel around her. After she wrung the clothes out, she laid them on the porch rail. When both the twins were wrapped in towels Jessica and Alexander took them inside to get dressed.