Chapter Nine
Several months passed without anything remarkable to mark the passage of time. Lori’s morning sickness passed without much fanfare, and Lori soon found herself with much more energy than she anticipated. The old house that Clifford had moved them to in order to protect them soon proved to be far too constrictive. Considering that there had been no further threats made, he and Tristen both agreed to return to the fourplex. Lori was grateful, because it gave her actual space to be in alone while Clifford was at work.
She was about to go crazy with boredom, though. So, she signed up for a couple of online courses. One was fashion design, the other learning Italian. She also started writing a romance novel and decided to crochet a baby blanket.
And of course, there was the shopping, too, since her waist was rapidly disappearing as her stomach rounded out like a basketball.
“As if plus-size clothing isn’t difficult enough to find.” Lori sighed one day as she, Tristen and Serena were out shopping. “I’d love to be able to just walk into a maternity store and come out with some cute outfits. Instead of having to look for clothes two sizes too big with the plans to tailor it to my size later.”
Serena laughed. “Are you kidding me? We’ve only been shopping for an hour and you’ve already got what, half a dozen outfits? You can sew, which is more than I can do. I can’t tailor clothes to me. These things usually end up with me crying in the dressing room.”
Tristen made a strangled noise in his throat and shook his head, but didn’t speak.
“I guess.” Lori shrugged.
It had been a little annoying how surprised the Boones had been when they learned she could sew. It wasn’t like it was difficult, and honestly, it was a vital skill to looking cute on a budget. It had given her the idea to start looking into some sort of fashion job, though. It would be really fun to be able to provide other curvy gals with cute clothes, too. And pants with actual pockets.
“You’re not your usual happy self,” Serena noted as they continued on. “What’s up?”
Lori shrugged again. Her hand rested on her stomach. “I guess I’m just disappointed with how much weight I’ve been gaining.”
Serena snorted. “You’re having a baby. Of course you’re going to gain weight.”
“I’ve also been jogging on the treadmill every day. Lots of plus-sized gals lose weight while they’re pregnant. I was hoping I’d get a little skinnier.”
“You’re too concerned with your weight,” Tristen told her, shaking his head. “I don’t understand human women.”
Serena playfully pushed his arm. “Don’t pretend like it’s only humans. Shifter women are built curvy but we’re bombarded by the same messages, that big women are undesirable. When was the last time you saw mainstream TV or movies have an actual fat woman whose storyline wasn’t all about her weight and how it made her so depressed?”
Tristen shook his head. “I don’t watch TV.”
“Of course, you don’t.” Serena giggled.
Lori glanced between the two of them, her eyes widening. That certainly wasn’t what she was expecting. Were they flirting with each other? It didn’t seem like they should be, but on the other hand, she was getting some definite flirty vibes. She frowned at Tristen, noting the grey hairs he sported. While he was certainly a man who took care of himself, he was easily twice as old as Serena. Lori had had her forays into older man territory herself, it was natural for girls to seek out experienced men, but it had always ended badly.
She’d have to keep an eye on the situation. Make sure it didn’t get worse…
“It’s fine for you,” Lori continued, trying to ignore the strong flirting vibes going on. She poked Serena in the side so she knew she was being addressed, rather than Tristen. “You’re curvy in the right way. Big boobs, big butt. Your stomach is pretty flat there. Your proportions are all right. I’ve always struggled with a pudgy belly.”
Tristen made another noise in his throat. He was clearly uncomfortable with the conversation, but Lori didn’t feel like letting that stop her. In fact, it made the whole thing a bit… amusing. The big muscly bear shrugged. “Look, I don’t see what the problem is. You’re both knockouts. Bears like curves on their women.”
Serena burst into giggles. Yep. She had it bad.
“The problem isn’t what men like and don’t like,” Lori said. “Although there is a lot of attitude from men out there that isn’t exactly the best. But regardless of that, it’s how plus-sized women are treated by society. Especially the clothing industry. It’s getting better, but so often all you can find is these bold, giant patterns and the really floofy, poofy clothes. And don’t even get me started on swimsuits!”
Tristen nodded at her. “Alright. I won’t. I suppose I just don’t know the trials unique to women.”
“Maybe I’ll have to educate you.” Serena moved closer and brushed her hip against Tristen’s. “And you can educate me on men’s issues.”
Lori quickly grabbed a couple of dresses off the shelf. How had she missed this before? Maybe it was the mothering instincts getting her, but she needed to put a stop to this. Tristen was too old and too much of her uncle’s friend for anything to happen, and Serena was going to get herself embarrassed and hurt. “Serena, can you come help me with the zippers?”
Serena arched her brow at the dresses. “Aren’t those a bit fancy?”
“Clifford is a big-time lawyer. What if he gets invited to a party and I need to go with him? Or if the matriarch comes over for dinner?” Lori waved the two dresses around. “I’m going to need something to wear, aren’t I?”
“I guess.”
Lori nodded and jerked her head toward the dressing rooms. They left Tristen outside of them and entered the small room. Serena inspected the two dresses, holding them up to her own body as she hummed. Lori’s mouth was dry as she contemplated the younger woman. How would Jasmine handle this?
“So… You’re getting along well with Tristen.”
Serena’s face turned beet red. “I… I…”
“You like him.” Lori wanted to smile and tease, but she couldn’t make herself. She tugged at the ends of her black hair and shook her head. “It’s written all over your face. You’re falling head over heels for him. Aren’t you?”
Serena ducked her head. “So, what if I am?”
“Serena…”
“You sound like Aunt Natasha when you say my name like that.”
Lori flinched. “Jeez, you had to say that, didn’t you? Look. It’s clear that you’ve got a crush. And that’s okay. Looking at men who have experience and know what they want is natural. But the thing is, the kind of men who look back? The ones that will get involved with a woman who is half their age, who doesn’t have the experience to deal with the new and exciting world opened up to them… the ones that will date a barely-twenty-year-old when they’re forty or fifty… they’re just looking for a pretty little sex doll that they can control.”
Serena’s jaw dropped. The flush in her face paled, then her tones went red again. Her jaw snapped up and she clenched her fists. Lori braced herself, but to her surprise Serena didn’t give her a barrage of reasons why Tristen wasn’t like that. Instead, she blew out a deep breath, visibly calming, and looked Lori in the eye.
“When you say that… are you speaking from experience?”
Lori flinched. “Yeah. I am. It never ends well.”
“I see.” Serena’s chin fell to her chest.
She appeared in such deep thought that Lori almost wanted to take it back. There was no reason to believe that Tristen would be one of those awful men, like the ones Lori had hated when she was Serena’s age. Besides that, Clifford and Natasha were far more attentive relatives and friends than she ever had.
Lori couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t as though she never had anybody in her life looking out for her. The problem was, she ignored Jasmine most of the time. “I always got so mad at my sister for interfering. For driving off men showing interest in me. Now I recognize that most of them were creepers, but it didn’t help at the time. I’m not trying to make you feel bad. It’s just… well… I don’t want to see you get hurt, the way I did.”
“I can appreciate that. But since you’re sticking your nose in my hypothetical love life…” Serena looked up with a glint in her eye and Lori tensed. “Don’t think I haven’t been hearing your marathons with my uncle at all hours of the night. You two are like bunnies in heat, and I have to say it’s a little disturbing.”
Lori covered her face. It felt like it was about to burst into flame. “I didn’t realize we were so loud.”
“You are. So? How do you feel about my uncle?”
This wasn’t something she wanted to discuss, but on the other hand, it wasn’t as though there was anybody else she could talk to about it. And as Serena said, she was the one who started it. Lori sighed as she lowered her hands. “I like him. And I’m in over my head.”
To her surprise, Serena beamed. She clapped her hands and jumped up and down. With a satisfied grin, she nodded. “Well, then. That’s something to put in the scrapbook, isn’t it? I thought that there was more than sex going on between the two of you. Grandma owes me fifty bucks.”
They were betting on her and Clifford’s love life? Lori’s jaw dropped. And apparently, Serena was betting on them… what? Having deepening feelings for one another? “Don’t get too excited about winning your fifty dollars.”
“Why not? You like him, you admitted it yourself.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’m pregnant and hormonal. These things have a way of messing with your mind.”
Serena only smirked at her.
For some reason, that made annoyance claw its way up Lori’s throat. “I’ve never had a relationship that’s lasted more than a few months. I like Clifford, but that doesn’t mean that what’s between us is more than just sex. He’s a nice guy but I can’t see myself living with him for the rest of my life.”
“I bet you haven’t let yourself even consider it.”
It was the truth, but Lori was too proud to admit it.
Serena shrugged, still grinning. “It doesn’t matter. It’s clear that the two of you are destined to be together. When mates meet one another, they always find a way to be together. It’s not like you’ve got the worst problems to overcome, after all.”
“Whoa!” Lori held up her hands. “Nobody said anything about being mates.”
“You don’t need to say it for it to be true.”
Lori grabbed one of the dresses and stepped behind a curtain. Her hands trembled as she stripped off her clothes and pulled on the dress. It fit too snugly around her middle and she pulled it off again. Unbidden, Jasmine came to her mind. Or more specifically, the way Jasmine and Eneko acted around one another. They were so disgustingly cute that at times Lori was angry about it.
Eneko was perhaps the gentlest man she’d ever met, but he was willing to go all-out battle mode for Jasmine’s sake. And the kids, Luken and Maite, adored her so much. More than once Lori looked at them and wished that she could have that. The destined mate that would make her feel like she was the worthiest woman in the world.
And moreover, she wanted that with Clifford.
Her eyes flooded with tears as she dressed. When she stepped from behind the curtain, she left the dress crumpled on the floor. “It’s too small. I’m done shopping. I just want to go home.”
Lori left the dressing room as Serena stared at her. Tristen stood when he saw her. The bored expression on his face morphed to worry, but Lori ignored him, too. She was just overly emotional. Once she went home and had a nap, she’d feel a lot better. And she wouldn’t think about this whole mate thing–it was ridiculous and she wasn’t going to waste any more thoughts on it.
She was human. Humans didn’t have mates. They fell in love. And men like Clifford didn’t fall in love with casual flings.