Unexpected Mates

“Getting to know each other more in all ways, I hope,” her sister replied, waggling her eyebrows.

“Shut up, Tiff,” Parker said, laughing as she blushed. “But as of last night… yes.”

“A baby,” Tiffany sighed. “And with Ty… You lucky, lucky girl. I think half the girls in town would kill to have his baby.”

Parker smiled softly, looking down at the straw wrapper she was twisting around her fingers. “I’m excited, Tiff. This isn’t exactly how I saw my life going, but I wouldn’t change a bit of it.”

Tiffany reached across the table and laid a hand over Parker’s. “I’m happy for you, Parker. Just be careful. Don’t go giving away all of your heart until you know you have his.”

“I know,” Parker reassured her sister, although she was afraid the warning had come too late. “I’m being careful. It’s all new. Really new, and I’m not getting my hopes up.”

Tiffany sighed. “She’s my friend, so I hate to say this, but watch yourself with Wendy. She’s been after Tyler since we were teenagers. She’s not going to be happy about this at all, and she can be nasty when she’s crossed.”

“Oh, I know,” Parker said wryly. “I’ve already had a run in with her, twice now, with Ty. The things she said were nothing new, though. I’ve heard them all before.”

“Wait, from Wendy? She’s been mean to you before?”

Parker looked down, going quiet. She’d never told her sister about the way Wendy had always taunted her, or the things she’d said. She hadn’t meant to today.

“Parker,” Tiffany said louder, waiting until Parker met her eyes before speaking again. “Tell me. Was Wendy mean to you before she saw you with Ty?”

“She’s always said things that weren’t nice, Tiffany. She was no different than most of the girls in school, just a little louder and more consistent than they were with it.”

Tiffany sat back in her booth with a huff, frown growing darker by the second. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me, Parker? I could have said something. Done something.”

Parker shook her head. “I didn’t need my big sister fighting my battles. I still don’t,” she said with a pointed look at her sister. “I thought it was best to just ignore it. And that’s my plan now. To ignore her. She only has as much power as I give her.”

“I could have at least stopped being friends with her. Hell, I’m still friends with her. That shit stops now, though. I never want to be friends with someone that hurts you, Parker, and you let me walk around doing just that for years.”

Parker sighed. She hadn’t thought of it like that. “I’m sorry, Tiff. I’ll tell you in the future if you’re friends with someone like that again.”

“You do that.”

They ordered their lunch, and spent the rest of their time talking babies as they ate. When they were finished, Tiffany gave her another hug. “I really am happy for you, lil sis. Call me when you get done with your doctor’s appointment.”

“I will. Love you, Tiff.”

Parker got in her car and headed back to the farm, smiling the whole way. Her parents and sister’s unconditional support meant the world to her. She had them in her corner always, and she was coming to believe that she had Ty there, as well. Life was definitely coming together.

Chapter Thirteen

Parker blew out a nervous breath as she checked out her reflection in the mirror. Today was the day. She had her doctor’s appointment in an hour, and Ty would be with her.

She was excited about that. Ty was so into everything to do with the baby, and she couldn’t wait to share this with him. There was some nervousness. There always was, when it had to do with the baby. She was anxious to hear the heartbeat, anxious to see that tiny image on the screen, to know that the baby was good and progressing like it should be. She had a feeling she would be watching Ty the whole time to catch his reactions, though.

The past few days had been borderline magical, even in their simplicity. Ty had moved her things into his room, and waking up in his bed every morning after being loved to exhaustion the night before was still awe inducing, even if she didn’t get to wake up in his arms. He was always up with the dawn to get a start on the farm, but one day, she hoped they could wake up together.

Her mornings were spent either getting a head start on some of her deadlines or exploring the farm. She never went far, but it seemed like everywhere she turned, there was something new or different to see. Ty would come home from lunch, and she spent her afternoons in his office with him while they quietly worked. She’d learned a lot about the farm operations as she worked on designing the website. The most surprising of which being just how much it cost to keep the farm running.

After dinner, she and Ty would take walks or just hang out watching movies or talking. Mostly talking, because they’d yet to watch something past the first thirty minutes without getting into conversations that lasted longer than the movie did. And her n

ights… Her nights were in Ty’s bed. Which was magic of its own.

They’d had dinner at her parent’s house the night before, and she thought that had gone fairly well, too. Her dad had glowered at Ty for a while, but Ty had been polite and engaging, and by the end of the night, her dad was smiling and laughing along with the rest of them. Ty was a charmer when he wanted to be, and he’d charmed the socks right off of her mom, too. When she and Ty had left, her parents had been on the porch, relaxed and smiling as they waved them off.

Ty had also felt the baby a few more times. She’d Googled it, and while it was rare, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility for him to feel it so soon. She wondered, though, if it had to do with the baby being part wolf. She wanted to ask Ty if he thought so, but he still hadn’t fessed up. She wondered what the hold up was. Maybe she could drop some hints, or maybe let on that she knew. Anything to get him to open up to her.

Being able to turn into a wolf was a huge part of his life, and she wanted to be a part of that. She wanted to be a part of every aspect of his life. And there were so many questions she had about the baby and what to expect. She was trying to be patient, because they had time before the baby was born and she needed to know those things, but patience about this was hard.