Unexpected Mates

He left the room without another word, and Parker flopped back onto the bed, filled with nerves again. How would he react when he got back? As hungry as she suddenly was, she couldn’t help hoping he would take his time. She wanted to delay the coming conversation for as long as she could.

Chapter Four

Tyler walked slowly down the street to Eagle Creek’s only pizza joint, mind in turmoil. Parker was pregnant. With his baby. Nothing could have shocked him more. When she’d said she wanted to talk, that had been the last thing on his mind. No, it hadn’t even been on his mind at all.

A baby. A pup.

Shit. How was he going to tell Parker that she carried a wolf shifter baby inside of her? His mind flashed back to Cassie’s reaction when she got pregnant with Jared’s child, and Ty broke out in a cold sweat as fear filled him. He never admitted to fear, but he was admitting it now. It couldn’t be avoided, though. He’d have to tell her eventually.

He pushed all of that out of his mind. He couldn’t think about that right now or he’d go crazy, and he was already on the verge. He opened the door of the pizza joint, going up to the counter to order two pizzas, a cheese for Parker and a pepperoni for himself. He could eat a large pizza by himself, and Parker had been so enthusiastic about the prospect of pizza that he wanted her to have her own.

A smile curved Ty’s lips as he thought about her reaction. He wondered if she was craving pizza. Was it too early for cravings? He didn’t know. He knew less than nothing about pregnancy or expecting women. He guessed he’d find out, though.

His smile disappeared as he remembered her telling him she was going back to California tomorrow. The hell she was. He didn’t know how he felt about having a child, but he knew he wanted to be there. For her and for the pup. He wasn’t going to be a deadbeat like his own father had been.

Tyler felt his wolf stir in his chest, finally coming out of the daze he’d been in since Parker had announced her news. The animal was snarling at the thought of Parker leaving, and not only because she was carrying his pup. Ty felt his eyebrows twitch at the possessiveness the wolf was exhibiting over Parker. What the hell did that mean?

He was distracted from those thoughts when the guy at the counter called his name. He picked up the pizzas and walked back to the hotel, moving faster this time. He didn’t want Parker’s pizza to get cold.

Ty got back to her room in record time, knocking on the door and waiting impatiently while she answered it. She opened the door with a hesitant smile, eyes widening when she saw the two large pizzas in his hands.

“Are we having company?” She asked, letting him in the room.

He put the pizzas on the table and then indicated for her to take the chair so she’d be more comfortable while she ate. He’d take the bed.

“No, one of them is for me. I’m pretty hungry,” he replied.

She flushed as she opened the pizza boxes and then grabbed a slice of cheese. “I’m sorry. You should have eaten while you were at the diner.”

Ty took a bite of his pizza before he answered. “Who could eat with those witches there? Besides, you’d left. Why did you, by the way?”

Parker gave startled laugh when he called Wendy and Hannah witches. “I might have called them something different,” she said with a wry laugh. “I left mostly because they showed up. They’ve never been nice to me, as you could probably see, and I wasn’t in the mood to listen to any more insults. Wendy can get vicious.”

Tyler nodded his agreement, and they ate in silence for a little while before Parker spoke again.

“Plus, you were… different at the diner. You seemed like you didn’t want to be there.”

Tyler swallowed his last bite of pizza hard before looking up at Parker. Her eyes were cast down and she wouldn’t look up and meet his gaze. “Sometimes I… feel things for you, Parker. I’m not always good at handling it, and I’m not sure how soon I’ll get better.”

“Oh,” she replied softly, not saying more and continuing to look down.

Ty sighed. It was time to get into the harder discussion, now that it looked like they were both done eating. “You said you work from home?”

Brow wrinkling, Parker finally looked up to meet his eyes. “Yeah. I can work from anywhere as long as I have my laptop. I don’t have an office I physically go to.”

He took a deep breath. “Then I think you should stay here. In Eagle Creek. At Red Moon, preferably.”

Parker stared at Tyler, knowing her mouth was hanging open but unable to close it. “You want me to stay at Red Moon?”

Tyler’s chocolate brown eyes met hers. “Yes. I want you close.”

Parker’s heart leapt at those words before she reminded herself that he was saying them because of the baby. Not because of her. “Tyler… you don’t have to do this. You will always be welcome in our child’s life, no matter where I live.”

He frowned. “I want to be in our baby’s life, Parker. No,” he said when she started to interrupt. “I wouldn’t really be in it if you lived all the way in California. I wouldn’t get to see the p--baby often at all. Just... stay. Stay at least until we figure this out.”

Parker frowned over the stutter in his voice when he said baby and then dismissed it. “Okay. I’ll stay for a while. But that doesn’t mean I need to stay at Red Moon. I could stay at my parent’s house for a while.”

Ty shook his head, eyes never leaving hers. “I’d rather have you at the farm. We could spend some time together, get to really know each other. We need to do that, anyway, if we’re going to raise a child together. You can have your own room, and we can just get to know each other. Be friends.” He swallowed hard, looking down for a moment before locking gazes with her again. “I need you close. It’s important to me. Please. Stay at Red Moon.”