Etti

Etti brooded over her pasta at her favorite Italian restaurant. Grey was watching her quietly from his side of their booth.

“He’s right you know?” Etti finally said, stabbing at her dinner. “I can’t ride my motorcycle once I have the baby.”

“Etti . . .” Grey started.

“I know, okay. I can’t ride it now either. But how am I supposed to get to work?”

“Maybe you don’t have to work if I can get a job?” Grey offered.

“What? I’m not giving up the Painted Wolf! It’s not just a job! That place has been my life! I built it. I own it!”

Grey raised his hands in surrender. “Babe, I’m not suggesting you give up the shop. But maybe for the next few weeks you let Marc and Wes pitch in a little more.”

Etti snorted. “I can’t count on Wes when he’s being like this. And it’s not fair to Marc. Besides it takes more than two people to run the place.”

“Then let’s hire someone.”

“Yeah, because tattoo artists willing to work on shifters just grow on trees!”

Grey sighed and took a large gulp of his beer.

“Grey, I know you’re trying to help, but the Painted Wolf isn’t in the financial situation to take on anymore employees. I can barely afford Wes and Marc as it is. Plus, that shop is my baby.”

Grey’s eyebrows shot up. “What about the baby you’re having now, Etti? She has to come first or this isn’t going to work.”

“I know that!” Etti squeaked, tears already burning the back of her eyes.

Grey slid into her side of the booth and put his arms around her. “Babe, I’m sorry. We’ll figure it out. I don’t want you to have to give anything up. We just might have to compromise on a few things. Like maybe a car instead of a motorcycle.”

“How are we going to afford a car, an apartment and a baby?”

“Maybe we can find an apartment close to the Painted Wolf?”

A light flickered in Etti’s mind. When she’d signed the lease for the Painted Wolf, she met with the building owner in his offices directly above the shop. He’d since moved to a better part of town—probably because he was charging Etti entirely too much rent for her shop—but that meant the unit upstairs might be vacant. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before. The space wasn’t large, but it had a kitchen, bathroom and if she remembered correctly two offices and a meeting room.

“I think I might now the perfect place,” Etti said grabbing her cell phone.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Hold on, I need to make a phone call.”

* * *

Etti was beaming when she came back inside the restaurant after making a call to her landlord. She threw her arms around Grey and squealed. “You are a genius!”

“I am?”

“Yes. I’d totally forgotten about the office space above the Painted Wolf until you suggested living nearby. I called my landlord and it’s available. He agreed to lease it to me for half price since I already have the space below it. Apparently no one wanted to lease it after the crime scene the hunt created in my shop.”

“Well at least the hunt was good for something,” Grey joked. “That’s fantastic, babe. When can we move in?”

“Now! The keys are in the lock box. He gave me the code.”

“See, look at us, solving problems.”

“Don’t get too excited. It’s not the Ritz or anything.”

“It’s above your shop and it’s ours,” Grey said. “That’s all that matters. Plus, I like the idea of having Wes and Marc around to watch out for you.”

“Please. I love those boys, but Wes acts like a child and Marc can’t even beat me at arm wrestling.”

Grey laughed. “I know you can take care of yourself, babe. I remember how fearless you were with Derik and the hunt. You could probably kick my ass now that you’re a shifter.”

“And don’t you forget it!” she teased.

“I won’t. I just like the idea of having them around. They love my girls almost as much as I do.”

Etti raised her eyebrows. “And you’re okay with other males loving your mate as much as you do?”

“I said almost.” Grey replied. “And you know what I mean.”

“Maybe we should go check out our new place and you can show me what you mean.”

Grey pulled Etti closer in the booth and slid a hand up her thigh. “I’ll show you exactly what I mean.”

Her throat dried up at his words and she wiggled her ass impatiently on the squeaky leather booth as desire pooled quickly at her core.

“Finish your dinner first,” he whispered. “You’re gonna need your strength for what I have planned.”

Etti scarfed down her meal with renewed appetite. Today she’d seen her baby for the first time, gotten properly engaged and solved their living situation—which she couldn’t wait to go christen with her sexy mate. Maybe she could handle this engaged/motherhood thing after all.