Chapter Twenty
Emelise
By Wednesday afternoon, Emelise had invited everyone except Izzy and Lexi to the cookout. Since she’d been wanting to check in on the other woman anyway, this was the perfect opportunity to do so. She pulled up outside of the house and couldn’t suppress the smile that flitted across her face. After she’d told Caine about Izzy and her daughter, and the rundown condition of the house they lived in, he’d taken it upon himself to fix it up. He’d paid for all of the repairs himself under the condition it be done anonymously. Too bad for him, Eme felt his generosity deserved to be acknowledged and fully intended on letting Izzy know he was behind it. She made her way to the door and knocked.
“Hello, Emelise. What brings you by?”
Emelise smiled warmly at her, “Hey, Izzy. Well, two things, really. First, I wanted to invite you to a cookout. It’s in the bayou, at the community compound my fiance calls home.” At the look Izzy gave her she laughed. “It’s not that kind of compound. It’s not a cult. You know that shifter’s exist, right?” At her nod she continued. “That’s why their community is out in the bayou. They, we, are shifters.” She waited for the other woman to freak out.
“Oh. That makes sense. Man, the look on your face. It’s priceless. One of my closest friends when I was growing up was a shifter. I know they’re no more dangerous than humans. There are good people and there are bad people, species has nothing to do with it.”
“Well. All righty, then. So, anyway, the cookout is this Saturday. You don’t have to bring anything but you and Lexi. She’ll have kids around her own age to play with.”
“It sounds like fun. How, exactly, will we get out there, though?”
“I’ll give you directions to the private boat dock where we’ll have someone waiting to bring people out to the compound. My best friend, Lily, and several others will be there, too.”
“Okay. Thank you for the invitation, Emelise.”
“Well, I’d like to think we’re friends, or becoming friends, at least.”
“I’d like that too. I don’t have a huge social circle.” She paused a moment before she continued. “What was the other reason you stopped by?”
“Well... I’ll probably get in trouble for this... well not really trouble but he’ll probably growl at me but whatever. He’ll get over it. Sorry, rambling. Have you wondered who was behind all the sudden repairs?”
Izzy frowned a little. “Yes, actually.”
“After I met you, I was talking with my fiance and I mentioned how rundown the place looked. He took it upon himself to hire people to come take care of it but he’s the kind of man who doesn’t need a lot of attention and he didn’t want you to feel obligated to him in some way, so he wanted it to remain anonymous. I, however, think his generosity deserves some recognition.”
“That was really sweet of him to do that. I’m...a little overwhelmed by his generosity, if I’m going to be completely honest. Some of the things they fixed were things that...put Lexi at risk because they were fire hazards. I am really grateful to him. Would he really get mad at you if I thanked him for doing it?”
“No, not really. Like I said, he’ll just growl at me as if he’s bothered by it. He’s a teddy bear. Well, figuratively speaking since he’s a leopard shifter.” They both laughed at that. “I should get out of here. I’ve got some things to take care of. I’m really looking forward to having you over on Saturday. I think you’ll hit it off with Lily and I know Lexi will have a blast with the other kids.”
“She doesn’t really have any playmates around here so I know she’s going to love it.” Izzy walked her to the door. “See you Saturday.”
“See you Saturday.” Eme made her way to her car and waved one last time before she climbed in and headed to the club. Sometimes, juggling her business and her home life got a little crazy and she could only imagine how much worse it was going to get when she and Caine started having kids. Maybe she needed to hire a second manager. She’d have to give it some serious thought.
Saturday morning found Emelise in a flurry of activity. Everyone who’d been invited to the cookout was coming. There was so much to do to get everything ready. She was feeling a little off-kilter for some odd reason- a little queasy if she was completely honest with herself- but she chalked it up to nerves. She wanted the day to be perfect. Hailey was going to meet her new family and she wanted the little girl to feel welcomed and loved. She already had Emelise and Caine wrapped around her little finger and there was no doubt in Eme’s mind that, by the end of the day, she’d have the rest of the family wrapped around it too.
“You’re lookin’ a little green dis mornin’.” Mia had come to help with the food and was eyeing her cousin closely.
“I’m not sure what’s going on. I feel a little...off. I’m queasy and I’ve never felt like that before.”
Mia turned and really looked at her. “Hey, Eme, when was da last time you had a period?”
Emelise frowned at her. “Why are you asking me that?”
“Just answer da question.”
Eme stopped what she was doing and thought back. Her cycle was always on time. It was like clockwork. Her eyes widened and her face paled. “Oh, shit. The clock’s broken.”
Mia arched a brow. “Come wit’ me. When I thought I was pregnant I got a couple pregnancy tests. I have an unopened one you can use.”
Emelise followed her on autopilot. This was so not part of her plan. She and Caine were always careful. Weren’t they? Was there a time they’d made love without protection? Gods, she couldn’t remember.
Once they were in her home, Mia led Emelise down the hall to the bathroom. “Da test is in da cabinet over da sink. I’ll wait out here for you.”
Ten minutes later Emelise sat there on the floor of the bathroom staring at the little plastic test strip in her hand. Two lines. Well, fuck. Things just got a whole lot more complicated. It also explained why she’d been feeling unusually emotional.
“Eme? You okay in dere?”
Emelise closed her eyes at her cousin’s question. Having a baby right now wasn’t in her plans. She and Caine had only just gotten engaged. They hadn’t even discussed marriage beyond his proposal. How was she going to tell him about the pregnancy? “Honestly? I don’t know.” Her voice shook a little and she winced.
Mia opened the door and peeked in. “I know gettin’ pregnant before you’re ready can be a little...scary, but you know Caine loves you, right?”
“Yeah, I know that. He wouldn’t have asked me to marry him if he didn’t. This just wasn’t part of my plans. Not yet anyway. Fuck. I don’t even know how it happened. I mean, I thought we were careful but there must have been a night when we weren’t.”
“Not necessarily. Sometimes condoms have holes in dem, even if dey’re brand new. It can happen. Dat might be da case here.”
Emelise got up from where she’d been sitting and groaned. “I guess it doesn’t really matter how it happened. Fact is, I’m pregnant. Ready or not, there’s no changing things now.”
“Dat’s da spirit.” Mia flashed her a smile. “Come on, we’ve got a cookout to finish settin’ up. You can tink about how you’re gonna tell Caine he’s gonna be a Papa again while we get it done.”
Emelise laughed a little at that. “True. My little life crisis doesn’t change the fact in just a couple of hours we’re going to have a lot of hungry shifters looking for food.” Pushing the pregnancy to the back of her mind she followed Mia back outside and focused on the task at hand. Later. She would deal with the news of her pregnancy later.
Caine
Their guests were beginning to arrive for the cookout but Caine couldn’t focus on them. Something was bothering his mate. He could see it in the tension in her shoulders, the way she kept pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, and the way her hands shook every now and then. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to know what was wrong and fix it. He headed to where she was finishing setting up the long table they’d brought out for the food to sit on. Once he was at her side he gently gripped her arm. “We need to talk.”
Emelise let him lead her away from the table and their guests. “What’s wrong?”
“You tell me, cher. You’re tense, your hands keep shakin’ and if you chew on your lip anymore you’re gonna make it bleed.”
Emelise stared at him for several minutes before she sighed. “Let’s go inside. Mia’s keeping an eye on Hailey and...I’d rather not have an audience for this.”
Caine frowned but he ushered her into their home. The second he closed the door behind them he pulled her into his arms. “Whatever it is, Angel, you can tell me.”
“Do you remember a few nights ago, when Hailey was whimpering in her sleep and I brought her into our room with us so she felt safe? Do you remember our conversation?”
Caine thought back to the night earlier in the week that she was referring to. “We said quite a few tings,” he started. One particular piece of their conversation stood out and he stared at her. His hand went to her still flat stomach and he cocked a brow. “Are you sayin’ what I tink you are?”
“If what you’re thinking is that I’m telling you, in a roundabout way, that I’m pregnant, then...yeah.”
A smile lit up his face as he picked her up and spun her around. “You just made me da happiest man alive, Angel.”
All her worry seemed to fade away at the sheer joy on his face. “So you’re happy about it? I mean, we’re not even married yet, Hailey just came to live with us...there’s so much going on in our lives right now.”
Caine set her on her feet and took her face in his hands. “I am beyond happy, Angel. I’m over da moon wit’ joy. Da woman I love is carryin’ my child, how could I not be happy about dat?”
“I’m scared, Caine. What if you change your mind? What if this, what we have, doesn’t work out? I don’t want to raise our child alone. I don’t want to end up alone like my Mama.”
“Dat is never goin’ to happen, Angel. You’re mine and dere isn’t a force on dis earth dat would make me let you go. I’d walk through da fires of hell for you.”
“Promise?” There was a quaver in her voice.
“Promise.” He kissed her tenderly and wrapped her up in his arms. “I’ll let you decide when you want to share da news. As much as I want to roar it to da heavens, I want you to be comfortable wit’ our family, our Pard, knowin’ about da baby.”
Emelise gave him a warm smile. “Thank you.”
“Your happiness is all dat matters to me, Angel. You, dat little girl out dere, and da son or daughter you’re carryin’ are my entire world.” He’d give up the Pard if it was asked of him, as long as he had her by his side.
“How do you always know just what to say to put my mind at ease?”
He flashed her a wicked grin. “Because I know you, Angel.” After another kiss he escorted her back outside where the cookout was just getting under way.
Beau
Beau Lafluer watched his younger sister with her mate and once again he felt a pang of envy. That pang increased when he looked to his Alpha and cousin. Against all odds, they’d found each other and, although he was happy for them, a little part of him still envied their connection. He’d been seriously considering petitioning another Pard for permission to meet some of their unmated females to see if he could find his mate. The downside to that would be having to leave his family, and home, for good to join whatever Pard his mate happened to be part of.
As the cookout got under way he pushed the troubling thoughts from his mind. Today was about family and friends coming together for some fun. There would be time enough for him to come to a decision later. As Lily and Declan arrived, along with the rest of their Pack, his gaze was drawn to the unfamiliar woman with them. She was holding the hand of a dark haired little girl that was no doubt her daughter. His gaze raked over her. Whoever she was, she was beautiful.
“Izzy! You made it!”
Emelise’s voice reached his ears and he arched a brow. So the woman’s name was Izzy. Hmm, was it short for Isabel, Isabella, or Isadora? Only one way to find out. He made a beeline for his cousin and the woman she was greeting. “Are you gonna introduce your friend to da rest of us, cher?”
Eme turned to him and gave him a funny look. “Hey, Beau. Oh, yeah, sorry. Izzy, this is my cousin, Beau. Beau, Izzy Catalini and her adorable daughter, Lexi.”
As he closed the distance between them and reached for her hand he caught a hint of her scent. It hit him like a ton of bricks. He was suddenly hard as a rock and his cat was growling for release. To say he was stunned by his reaction to her was putting it mildly. She was human, as far as he could tell, and yet his leopard was acting as if she was their mate. What. The. Fuck? “Charmed, cher,” he murmured and lifted her hand to his lips.
Izzy
The moment he took her hand in his, Izzy felt a jolt of electricity that left her flustered. Looking into his eyes she felt as though she could get lost there. It took her several seconds to realize he’d spoken. Her cheeks flushed with heat and she gave him an embarrassed smile. “Um, it’s nice to meet you, too.” Her voice came out in a breathless whisper.
“What’s Izzy short for, cher?”
“Isabella.” She’d replied without hesitation, something she never did. What was wrong with her?
“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Dere will be music later, I hope you’ll save me a dance.” He winked at her before he let go of her hand.
Izzy swallowed at the sense of loss she felt when he stopped touching her. “Of course.”Eme looked between them before she spoke again. “Let me introduce you to everyone else,” she said and steered Izzy away from Beau.
By the time they’d gotten to Caine, Izzy was feeling more like herself and less like a wanton hussy. That was the way she’d felt while Beau was holding her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” She had an internal debate with herself over thanking him for his generosity before her upbringing won out. “Please don’t be upset with Emelise but, she told me about what you did and I wanted to thank you for your generosity.”
Caine mock glared at his mate. “Dere’s no need to thank me, cher. You and dat little angel of yours have had a hard time of tings. Her Papa should be da one taken care of dem, but some men, dey just aren’t cut out to be Papas. You just focus on taken care of yourself and dat little girl.”
Izzy looked over to where her daughter was already playing with some of the other children. “She’s my world.”
“Dat’s as it should be. If you need anyting, you be sure to let us know. We’ve been blessed and we take care of dose who are important to us, be dey family or friend.”
Izzy felt herself blushing at his words. “I’ll try to remember that. Thank you.”
Emelise looped arms with her. “Come on, let me show you around.” Once they were away from Caine she tipped her head. “Okay, dish. I saw the way you and Beau were looking at each other. What was that all about?”
Izzy swallowed. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure. I swear I felt a jolt of electricity when he touched my hand. It was...okay, don’t think me weird but, it was kind of...hot.”
Eme stopped and studied her. “Let me ask you a question, Izzy. Is there any chance you might have some shifter blood in you?”
Izzy gave her a puzzled look. “Not...that I know of. I mean, I don’t really know that much about my parents. They died when I was a baby and I was raised by a guardian. Why?”
“Because, girl, what you’re describing is the way a shifter feels when he or she meets their mate.”
Izzy stared at her. “Really? That’s crazy, isn’t it? I mean, can a shifter’s mate be human?”
Emelise shrugged. “If there isn’t any shifter in your blood then it looks like it can be. Don’t worry too much about it. Today, just have fun, okay?”
“Sure.” Her mind was already puzzling over it though. She was going to have to dig into her family’s past, something she’d been reluctant to do, in order to find out more about her parents and her ancestors.
Emelise
Emelise made her way back to Caine’s side once she’d introduced Izzy to everyone. Music was playing, people were laughing, and the kids were running around chasing each other. She was almost knocked off her feet when Hailey ran into her and wrapped her arms around her legs. “Hailey? Pumpkin?” She could hear the little girl’s sniffling. She scooped her up and was instantly worried when Hailey buried her face in her shoulder.
“I miss my Mama,” she whispered.
“Oh, sweet pea. I know you do.” Her arms tightened around her gently.
Caine happened to look up at that exact moment and frowned. “What is it?” He, too, heard his daughter’s soft cries and growled. “What happened?”
“Don’t be growling at me. Hailey’s missing her Mama.” Before Caine could respond, the mother of one of the boys Hailey was playing with, approached them.
“Alpha, Emelise.” She inclined her head at them. “Jared has something he’d like to say.”
The little boy looked up at his Alpha and swallowed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make her cry.” He looked on the verge of tears himself.
Emelise turned to Caine. “Why don’t you take Miss Hailey inside, get her a Popsicle while she calms down.”
Caine took his daughter into his arms, gave his mate a look, and went into their home.
Emelise knelt so she was eye level with the boy. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“We was all talkin’ and playin’ and...I asked her where her Mama was. Cuz we know da Alpha is her Papa. I didn’t know it would make her cry, honest!”
“It’s okay. I know you didn’t.” She stood back up and raised her voice. “I need all of the kids gathered up and brought over here for a moment. There’s something I need to say and I don’t want to have to chase them all down one at a time.” It took several minutes before they were all standing in front of Emelise. “I know y’all are probably wondering the same thing Jared is. Where is Hailey’s Mama? Well, you see, her Mama got really sick and recently passed away. Caine didn’t know about Hailey until just this week or she would have spent time here before now. The reason she started crying was because she’s sad. I know you didn’t mean to upset her, Jared. It’s okay. When she comes back out you can tell her how sorry you are that you made her cry. I just want all of you to understand, she’s a very sad little girl right now so if she starts to get upset about something, I want y’all to promise me you will try to make her feel better. Can you do that?”
“Her Mama died?” Jared’s face scrunched up. “Dat’s so sad. I don’t tink I’d ever stop cryin’ if my Mama died.” Several other kids echoed his words. “I promise, Miss Eme, I won’t do no’ting to make her cry again and I’ll make sure no one else does, either.”
Emelise ruffled his hair. “Thank you, Jared. You’re a good boy. Your Mama should be real proud of you.”
He beamed at her praise. “Thank you!”
By the time Caine brought a much calmer Hailey back outside the kids were back to playing tag. As soon as he saw them, Jared ran over to stand in front of his Alpha. “I’m real sorry, Hailey. I didn’t mean to make you cry. Do you wanna play tag wit’ us?”
Hailey gave him a shy smile. Her earlier upset was all but forgotten. “Can I?” she asked, looking up at Caine.
“A’course you can. Y’all stay inside da fence. No goin’ out to pester da gators, you hear.”
A chorus of “Yes, Alpha,” echoed through the compound.
“He’s a good boy.” Eme slipped her arm around Caine’s waist. “He didn’t know Hailey lost her Mama and he asked where she was. I made sure they all knew her Mama passed away and that makes her a very sad little girl. I don’t think they’ll be saying something to upset her again.”
Caine kissed her temple. “I should have known you’d take care of dat. It hurts seein’ her so upset.”
“I know. We’ll help her heal, though. It’s just going to take time. I have a question for you, babe.” When he cocked a brow at her she continued. “What’s the likelihood that a shifter could find their mate in a human?”
“Not very. Why?”
“I think Izzy and Beau may be mates but if it’s not likely for a human to be a shifter’s mate, then somewhere in her family’s past, someone hooked up with a shifter but the baby didn’t have outward signs.”
“Interestin’. Did you ask her about it?”
“Yeah, she says as far as she knows no one was but her parents died when she was a baby and she really doesn’t know much about them.”
“Could have been kept quiet dependin’ on when it was. Dere was a time when da world didn’t even know we existed. Food’s ready, let’s get someting to eat.”
“Gods, yes. I’m starving.”
Caine chuckled at that. As the food was laid out, all the kids were brought in from the game of tag, plates were filled, and everyone took a seat at one of the many tables. Looking over the gathering, he couldn’t help but smile.
Emelise spotted his smile and arched a brow. “What's that smile for?”
“Dis gathering. Dere was a time, not so long ago, when this wouldn’t have been possible. Not wit' Zachary as Alpha. Dere wouldn't have been enough food to go around, and some of our guests never would have been allowed here.”
“Have I told you lately how glad I am that bastard is dead?”
“Dat makes two of us, Angel,” Caine said before he helped her get a plate of food and found a spot for them to sit.
Emelise waited until everyone was sitting with plates in front of them before she stood up. “I need everyone’s attention for just a minute. Then you can get to stuffing your faces with all this delicious food.” Laughter and chuckles greeted her comment. “Caine and I have something to share. Well, actually, two things.” She smiled warmly at him before she continued. “First, a few days ago, Caine proposed and I said yes. I know some of you already know because certain people were present during the proposal, but I wanted to let all of our family and friends know at once.” She waited until their cheers died down before she shared the rest of their news. “Also, I just discovered, earlier today, that I am pregnant. We’re going to have a baby.”
More cheers and shouts of ‘Congratulations!’ echoed across the bayou. There were even a few roars from some of the Pard. Their Alpha and his mate were expecting. This truly was a day of celebration.
Later that night, after everyone had gone home, after the leftovers were dispersed between the guests, everything was cleaned up, and Hailey was sound asleep in her bed, Emelise lay curled in Caine’s arms. Her hand rested on her stomach. “I still can’t believe we’re going to have a baby. I just wish my Mama was here to meet her first grandchild.”
Caine’s arms tightened around her. “I know, Angel. She’s watchin’ over you, though. Wherever she’s at, she’s watchin’ and she’s happy for you.”
“I’d like to think so. She didn’t want me coming to New Orleans, but I’d like to think she’d be happy for me if she was here right now.” She yawned and smiled sheepishly. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Angel. Get some sleep. You’ve had a long day.” He nuzzled her and caressed her side.
“Mm, so have you.” Her eyes were heavy and after a moment she stopped fighting and let sleep drag her under.