Alpha's Vow (Shifter Ops 2)

I find my voice. “I know. I have one in my online shopping cart. Lance, what are you doing here?”

He straightens. His blond hair is mussed and his face looks leaner, almost gaunt. He dips his head to catch my eyes, looking a little uncertain. But his eyes flare when they catch mine.

“Delivering your new car seats.” He prowls up the driveway, sexy as ever. He stops a few feet away, his hands outstretched, forearms and biceps taut and quivering a little, as if he wants to reach out and pull me into his arms. I kind of wish he would. I didn't realize how amazing it would feel to see him. Lance is more than my baby-daddy. He might be it for me.

“I had to see you,” he says. His voice is raspy, like he hasn't had a drink of water in a long time. “You look good.”

“Thanks,” I whisper. I realize I have my hands on my belly and drop them to my sides. “What is this?” I nod to the minivan.

“Your new ride.” The corner of his mouth turns up as he gives the car a rueful smile. “Isn't she pretty?”

“She's big.”

He chuckles. “Not exactly my dream ride, either, but it's what you need. And if you like it, I'm going to buy one for me, too.”

“What!”

Behind me, the front door closes. My mom leaving me to my fate. I don’t care.

“Lance, you can't do that.” I take a few steps and now I'm the one leaning forward, my body tense and vibrating, ready to leap into Lance’s arms.

“Already done,” he says gently. He takes a step forward. Hesitates. “I know I'm not what you would choose,” he says, “but I want you to know that I choose you. Charlie, I choose you over everything.”

Tears prick my eyes. “So what does that mean?”

“Here’s your new minivan. Stroller. Car seats.” He gestures to each in turn. “Did you know the fire department will teach you how to put car seats in? I stopped at six fire departments, and now I'm a pro.” He sounds proud. “And look…” He walks around the car and pushes a button. The trunk door glides open and my mouth gapes wider. Stacked in the back are boxes and boxes of diapers. All types. All sizes. Each box has pictures of chubby, happy babies and toddlers crawling on the sides. “And I got wipes.” Lances reaches in and pats the row of boxes in the back. “In bulk. Apparently, we're going to need a lot of them.” He shrugs his broad shoulders.

“You got a minivan.” I still can't wrap my head around it. I have a panicky thought. “Lance you didn't… You didn't sell the Ducati, did you?”

Now both corners of his mouth turn up. “I would have, baby. I left it in Taos. Put it in storage. Figured you might want to ride again someday.” He steps closer, wheeling the stroller to the side so there’s nothing but a few feet of air between us. “But if not, Charlie, it's okay. I can give it up. I can give up anything. The only thing I can't live without on this planet is you.”

I stare at him, heart pounding. The world narrows and all I see is Lance’s beautiful face.

A loud honk makes me jump. A black BMW convertible has pulled up to the curb. Out pops a woman wearing a blush pink pantsuit and a broad smile. “Hello!” She waves, pulling off her oversized Ray-Bans. “I'm Amy. It’s so nice to meet you! Lance? And you must be Charlie!” The sun glints off her extra white teeth, blinding me. “I’m your new realtor!” She splays her hands like she’s expecting confetti to fall from the sky.

“Um…” I stare at Lance.

“Hey, Amy. Thanks for coming out.” Lance nods to her.

“Of course! I have, like, five homes for us to see today.” Amy digs a folder out of her huge purse and waves it at us. “Are you guys ready to go?”

What? I mouth to Lance. I feel like I’ve been dropped into a prime time family sitcom. The only thing missing is my parents popping out the front door to a laugh track.

“Yeah,” Lance says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Can you give us a moment?”

“Of course,” Pantsuit Amy chirps, and pivots on her nude pumps. She heads back down the driveway, pulling out her phone.

“A realtor, Lance?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d better get a move on settling into a place nearby. Was hoping you’d come look at some places with me. Give me your opinion. Oh, and,” he ducks into the front seat and grabs a sheet of paper, “here's a list of the best places to give birth.” He hands me the printout. “There are some hospitals on there and OB-GYNs. But also a birthing center that came highly recommended. Kylie helped me make the list.” He swipes a hand over his forehead, eyeing me. “I know you’re doing your own research, but I wanted to help.”