Chapter 19
“Check it out, Daddy,” Jilly said as she lifted her tablet and turned it out toward the scenery. It was a week before Thanksgiving, and they were in the Feather Ridge Campgrounds in Tennessee. Earlier that morning, she and her mates had taken the SUV and driven to the Smoky Mountains to hang out for the day. The view was spectacular.
“Wow,” John said as she panned the tablet around and then turned it to face herself. She sat down in the passenger seat of the SUV. Wyked and Fate were exploring the area nearby. She could hear them occasionally chuck pinecones at each other and then curse.
“It’s so pretty here,” she said. “I love the mountains.”
“I saw the blog post yesterday. How’s the clippings garden coming?”
She’d written a blog post for her the family’s website and posted pictures of the plants they’d clipped. “They survived the night, so that’s a good thing. Tomorrow we’re going to a farm so Dionne can get fresh goat’s milk for this soap she makes and sells at an indoor farmers market in Texas. I’ll get to help make the soap.”
“Do you get to milk the goats, too?” he asked with a chuckle.
She wrinkled her nose. “No thanks. I don’t mind petting a goat, but I don’t want to touch anything’s nipples.”
He laughed harder and she joined in.
Wyked and Fate came back to the SUV laughing. “Hey, John,” Fate said. “How’s Ashland?”
“Great. How’s Tennessee?”
Wyked ran his hand through his hair and dislodged pine needles. “Messy.”
“Now that the boys are here,” Jilly said, “we have some news.”
“Oh?” John asked, his brow rising with interest.
She glanced at her mates and they nodded with smiles.
“I’m pregnant!”
“Jilly, that’s wonderful!” John said. “Congratulations to all of you.”
He leaned back and called for the rest of the family, who joined him. “Tell the news again, honey.”
Jilly waved at James, Rue, Dom, and Henry. “I’m pregnant.”
They cheered and congratulated them.
“Do you know when you’re due yet?” Rue asked.
“I’m four weeks’ pregnant, so I’ll be due in the middle of June, give or take.”
“Oh, you’ll be home!” James said. “That’s great.”
“Feel free to name him or her after your favorite brother,” Henry said.
“Hey!” Dom said. “There’s no way you’re the favorite. I made her that awesome sculpture. And what if it’s a girl?”
“Henrietta,” Henry said.
Jilly stuck out her tongue. “Um, pass.”
“See, I’m the favorite,” Dom said. “And Domino works for a girl’s name or a boy’s name.”
“Oh gosh,” Jilly said with a laugh. “Let’s just wait and see what we’re having first, and then we will pick a name.”
“We’re so happy for you,” John said.
“Thanks, Daddy.”
The other family members said goodbye, leaving her and John alone. “How’s the studying going?”
“Good,” she said. “The other day one of the young panthers was sharpening a knife and it slipped off the whetstone and he got a bad cut on his leg. I made a healing poultice and fixed him right up.”
“That’s wonderful!”
“Yeah, I still get nervous that I’m not working fast enough or that I don’t know enough, but it’s getting better. I’m getting really good at making what Hanai calls medicine cabinet staples – pain relievers, burn ointments, and anti-itch creams.”
“Sounds like things are really coming together for you, and that’s wonderful.”
“How’s the police station? Everything quiet in Ashland?”
He nodded. “It’s all good here. Ashland gets quiet in the fall and winter. It’s like all the troublemakers take a break and store up their energy until summer.”
She laughed. “Was King like that?”
“Definitely.”
“Treasure said she got her paperwork, so she’s officially a Fallon.”
“Yes. The bear den helped out with that. You know I’m not a fan of doing things that aren’t legal, but it was really the only way to let her live a full life.”
“I know,” Jilly said. The bear den, led by the pride’s good friend Don Pope, had connections to people who could make government documents and identification that were undetectable as fakes. Treasure had a birth certificate and social security card, and Rhett and Lisa had adoption papers that listed them as her legal guardians.
“How are Holden and Jackson?” she asked.
John shook his head. “They’re going crazy. They keep hoping that Honor will show up, the way that you did with Wyked and Fate.”
“I think she will. It’s hard to ignore the change when the curse is broken.”
“Melody’s worried the females locked her up because she’s different, the way they did with her.”
“That’s a good bet. She may have been able to hide the change for a while, but it got harder for me to be away from my mates every day. Honor’s smart and determined, and if she is locked up, she’ll figure out a way to get free, I’m sure.”
“I think so, too.”
“Do you think that the goddess that cursed our people is still alive?”
His brows rose. “I don’t know. Do goddesses and gods die?”
“I have no idea.”
He hummed. “I do remember hearing that when gods and goddesses lose their worshippers, they kind of just fade away into nothing. I don’t know if that’s an actual death, though. Why?”
“Well, if she were alive, I’d like to give her a punch in the nose for the curse.”
“I think we all would,” he said with a laugh.
They spent another fifteen minutes talking about Tennessee and the holidays, and she promised to send him a bar of soap when it was ready. When she ended the call, she closed the tablet case and sighed, leaning her head back on the seat.
“Are you okay?” Fate asked.
She opened her eyes and smiled at her mates, who both stood in the open door and looked at her in worry.
“Yes. I was just thinking that technology is really wonderful. Twenty years ago, I would be looking for a pay phone to call Dad, and we’d be worrying about long distance charges.” She tapped her fingernail on the tablet case. “I get to see him and my family whenever I want. I miss them all a lot, but it’s comforting to know I can just reach out and send them a text or video chat. The distance doesn’t seem so far.”
Wyked leaned in and kissed her. “I’m sure your dad feels the same way.”
Her stomach took that moment to growl and both of them laughed. “Want to drive up over the mountain and into North Carolina and find something to eat?” Fate asked.
“Oh, yes.”
“What’s our little cub feel like eating?” Wyked asked.
“French toast.”
“Sound good to me,” Fate said.
Jilly stayed in the second row while Wyked drove and Fate talked about the project the clan was working on for the campground. They were helping to rebuild the office and common area that had been damaged during a wind storm in October. They’d told her that they always found work wherever they stayed, whether it was at the campgrounds or in the nearby towns, and they were right. As soon as they showed up, the owners had been thrilled to see them and put the whole clan right to work.
Fate turned to look at her. “Do you have names you’re thinking about?”
She smiled. “Not really. Melody and Scarlett talked about how they had these baby names they loved when they were growing up, and how they couldn’t wait to have kids. But I don’t have those memories.”
Wyked glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Because of the venom?”
“Yeah. Females didn’t name their offspring.”
“But you’re not like them anymore, so you can name our kids whatever you like,” Fate said. “I didn’t mean to make you sad. I was just curious if you’d given it any thought.”
“I’m not sad,” she promised, leaning forward to kiss him. “When Henry said we should name our baby after him, I was thinking that I didn’t have any thoughts on names.”
“I’ve always thought Wyked was a particularly handsome name,” he said.
“You would,” Fate said, rolling his eyes.
Jilly smiled. “I think the perfect name will come to us at some point. I’m just glad that we get to welcome our baby into such a great family.”
“Sounds good to us,” Fate said.
Wyked parked, and they headed into the restaurant for french toast. When their plates were empty and their bellies full, Jilly hooked her arms through both of her mates’ arms as they stepped out into the crisp afternoon. She looked across the street and smiled.
“I think that’s pretty fortunate,” she said.
“What is?” Wyked asked.
She pointed to the baby store in the strip mall.
Fate grinned. “Want to look around?”
“Yes!”
They walked to the store and the owners, an older couple with graying hair and kind smiles, greeted them.
“Shopping for yourself or someone else?” the woman asked.
“Me,” Jilly said. “It’s our first.”
“Oh, how wonderful. Congratulations.”
“I’m only a month along.”
“Every day is precious,” she said, handing them a piece of paper with the week’s sales. “Let us know if you need anything.”
Jilly turned to face her mates. “I want to get something.”
“Sure,” Wyked said.
“But nothing big. Mom said the clan would throw us a baby shower in a few months.”
They moved through the store, walking up and down every aisle. She’d never seen so many bottles and pacifiers.
She stopped in front of a display of baby blankets. They were all different sizes and colors, from modern black and white with bold patterns, to the classic pastels and cartoon characters. Her gaze fell on a blanket with baby woodland animals printed on the front of the soft fabric. It was lined on the back with fuzzy light gray fabric.
Cavorting in the various scenes were baby owls, deer, wolves, and bears. She looked at each scene and smiled when she saw two black kittens like her panther mates, and a mountain lion cub, batting at flowers with their tails curled in curiosity.
“Hey, that’s neat,” Fate said, coming to stand next to her.
“The two of us and you,” Wyked said, running his thumb under the scene with the cats.
“I love it,” she said, giving the blanket a squeeze. It was perfectly soft and just right for their little cub, whether he or she was a panther or a lion.
“Then let’s get it for our little one,” Fate said.
After paying for the blanket, Wyked took the bag from the owner and the trio left. They took their time driving back to the campground, Jilly sitting in the front with Fate as he drove, and Wyked sitting in the second row, leaning forward to join in the conversation. When they reached the campground, they went right into the RV and Jilly took the blanket from the bag and clipped off the price tag, and then she walked into the second bedroom. There were two twin beds folded into one wall so that the main space was empty. A small closet was along the other wall.
Eventually, there would be a crib in the room, and she envisioned a rocking chair set by the window so she could look outside when she was in here.
She opened the closet door and set the blanket on the shelf. Sliding the door closed, she turned to her mates and smiled. “You gave me everything I didn’t know I wanted.”
She took their hands and pressed them to her stomach and they both purred softly. “I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for seeking me out that day and claiming me. You changed my life. You saved me when I didn’t know I needed saving. How do I thank you for giving me the world?”
Fate pressed his forehead against hers, his hand massaging her neck lightly. “You saved us, too, Jilly.”
“I think we’re all equally thankful for each other,” Wyked said.
They enveloped her in a hug, and she blinked away the happy tears. She didn’t even know the girl she’d been before Wyked and Fate marked her as theirs three years ago, but she loved the girl she was now.
A mate.
A wife.
A soon-to-be mother.
With two loving males by her side and a protective clan at her back.
Her life was better than she’d ever imagined it could be, and she couldn’t wait to see what the future held.