Authors: Ava Walsh
Selina couldn’t sit still. She paced through the house. She walked all the hallways, entered all the rooms and waited for the hand to slowly go around the clock. She needed to tell Michael, but she didn’t want to do it over the phone. It needed to be done in person. But the excitement was killing her. She wanted to run to his office and tell him, but she forced herself to wait.
Finally, she heard his car enter the driveway, and she raced towards the entrance to the garage. Michael’s face lit up in a huge smile when she ran to greet him. She hit him at a run, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him hard.
“Not that I mind, but what is this for?” he asked, when she finally released him.
“Come on,” Selina said, pulling his hand and taking him through the house and to the living room. “Sit down,” she said, pushing him back onto the couch, “and prepare yourself.”
“For what?” he asked.
“So, I know we didn’t plan this and that we’ve been very, very careful, but sometimes accidents happen and sometimes those are happy accidents.” He looked confused and then a dawning realization came over his face.
“I’m pregnant,” she said, showing him the test.
He looked at it and then back at her, then back at the test and back at her. “How?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, with a shrug. “None of the contraceptives are one hundred percent effective. Are you mad?”
“No!” he said. “I’m just surprised and happy. Very happy, and surprised,” he pulled her into a hug and then kissed her deeply, but she could tell that something was off. He didn’t look happy, he looked troubled. He pulled away from her and walked aimlessly into the house.
Selina’s heart fell as she watched him go. He was mad. He was unhappy. He didn’t want to have a baby with her. She didn’t know what to do. Should she follow him? Or did he need space? It felt like her entire world was crashing down around her. Roofs were caving in, walls crumbling to dust. Her happiness was falling apart.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice weak. But he had the hearing of a wolf and he turned around in the doorway.
“Nowhere,” he said shaking his head as if he were trying to clear a thought. But he didn’t come back. He stayed far away from her. “There’s just a lot to think about and plan for.” He sounded distant and far away. It was the opposite of what she wanted. She wanted him close to her. She wanted to be wrapped up in his arms.
He turned and walked down the hallway and she followed him, keeping a distance between them.
“Tell me what’s wrong!” she called out to him. “You can talk to me.”
He turned and looked at her. He opened his mouth, then closed it again and shook his head from side to side. “I am happy, Selina, I am. I love you, you know that. I want to have a family with you. But....I’m not normal. I’m not a normal man and I don’t know if I can have normal children. There’s something growing inside of you and I put it there and now it might hurt you.”
“It won’t hurt me,” she said, rushing up to him and taking his hands. “I feel fine. Well, fine apart from wanting to barf all the time. But that’s normal. There’s nothing strange or dangerous going on. I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow and I’m sure he’ll tell us that everything is fine.”
“Everything’s fine now,” he said. “But who knows what will happen as this keeps going. What’s going to happen to you on the full moon? What if it changes inside you?”
He was right. There was no way to know what would happen. They just had to work their way through it. “Maybe nothing will happen. You were bitten, so we don’t even know if the whole werewolf thing can be passed from father to child. Maybe the baby will be completely normal. You shouldn’t worry if you don’t have to.”
“That’s easy to say,” he said. “But I do worry about you. I worry about you all the time. I worry about something happening to you, someone attacking you. The world is so dangerous and you’re so sweet and delicate.”
“Stop,” she said, putting her palm against his cheek. “This is a good thing that’s happening. Come with me.” She tugged his hand and guided him back into the living room. She sat down on the couch and pulled him down, letting his head rest in her lap. She ran her hands up and down his back. She could feel his heart pounding, he was tense, but slowly getting more relaxed under her attentions.
“We can turn the bedroom next to ours into a nursery,” he said, and a broad smile came over Selina’s face.
“A little baby,” Selina said. “It’ll run through the halls and ride a bike through the yard. It’ll be wonderful.”
He sat up and turned towards her, “I didn’t mean to ruin this for you,” he said. “I’m very happy and I’m going to be there for you every step of the way. Whatever you need, a private hospital room, a doula, anything you want.”
“I just want you,” she said. She cupped his chin and then leaned over and kissed him. His lips parted and her tongue touched his, and a spark of electricity shivered up and down her back.
“You have that,” he said. “I’ve been thinking,” he said as he swept her hair off her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her neck. “I’m gonna let Lois go as my personal assistant.”
“Really?” Selina asked.
“Yes,” he said. “I know that you two don’t like each other and it makes things complicated between you and my mother. I don’t want there to be any stress in your life anymore. I’m going to move her over to shipping. It’ll actually be a promotion for her and I think everyone will be happy.”
“Don’t you need an assistant?” she asked.
“I can hire anyone to mail letters and make dinner reservations,” he replied. “I didn’t even have an assistant until my mother forced Lois on me.”
“So, you can hire someone old and ugly?” Selina asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
“I would hire the world’s oldest and ugliest man if it would make you happy.”
“I love you so much,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him down onto the couch with her. He laughed and quickly moved between her legs. She lay back on the couch and he ran his hands over her body, feeling the curve of her hips, the swell of her breasts.
“I would do anything for you,” he said.
Shipping routes, international codes, clients that needed to be coddled, Michael had no patience or interest in any of them. All he could think about was Selina and the baby inside of her. He couldn’t stop imagining every horrible thing that could happen. In his nightmares, it ripped Selina apart from the inside out.
“Good morning, boss,” Lois said.
Michael nodded at her as she came around to his side of the desk and put a cup of coffee down. She took her time, leaning over slowly, her meager cleavage right in his line of sight. He wanted to tell her not to bother. She wasn’t his type at all. Lois nibbled on lettuce and chugged black coffee. She was constantly talking about how many calories were in this and that. He wanted to tell her that he wanted a woman who looked like a woman. He wanted curves he could hold onto; breasts he could lose himself in.
“Good morning, Lois. Why don’t you have a seat?” He gestured to the other side of the desk, and she nodded and sat down.
“You have been doing an excellent job,” he said, and it was true. She was organized and efficient. If she would stop throwing herself at him then she would have been the perfect assistant. But he was getting tired of ignoring her advances and he cared about Selina far more than he cared about Lois.
“I think,” he continued. “That you deserve a better position than my personal assistant. A job has opened up down in receivables. They need a tariffs and regulations assistant. The woman in charge down there, Marie, handles all of our international deals. You wouldn’t be her personal assistant; you would be her professional assistant. You would have a lot more responsibility, but the pay and hours would be better and it would open up a world of opportunities for your future career.”
As he spoke Lois seemed in a daze. She stared at him as if she couldn’t understand a word he was saying.
“You’re firing me?” she asked. Her dark-lined eyes were wide, and he could see the glimmer of a tear resting on her lower lashes.
“No, exactly the opposite. I’m promoting you,” he said.
“But I won’t be your assistant anymore,” she said, and one tear fell down her cheek. It was strange. This wasn’t how Selina cried. When she broke down her entire face crumpled up, her eyes went red and her entire body shuddered. Lois’ tears were too perfect. They were almost cinematic, like this was the final scene in a movie.
Then he understood. She wasn't really crying. She was too in control. This was just an act. He should have done this a lot sooner. He should never have let his mother bully him into a hiring her.
“I don’t understand,” she said, letting the single tear track down her cheek without touching it. “Did I do something wrong? Was I doing a bad job?”
“No,” he said. “You did an excellent job. It’s why I’m promoting you.”
“But then I won’t see you every day anymore. I don’t want another job. I like the job I have. I like working for you.” She pursed her lips together and leaned forward. He had the feeling she was trying to hit on him, but she was going about it all wrong. “If I’m doing anything wrong, you just have to tell me. That’s all.” She stood up, straightening her dress and slowly coming over to his side of the desk. “I’ll do anything to keep my job.” This last sentence came out a breathy whisper. She planted both hands on his desk and leaned over, her face only inches from his.
“Unfortunately, Lois,” he said looking away from her and pushing his chair back. “My decision is final. You can either take the job in shipping or leave. I’ll need your answer by the end of the day.”
She stood up straight and crossed her arms, actually stomping her foot on the ground. “Why?” she demanded. “I mean, don’t I look good next to you in all those photos?” She gestured to a framed newspaper article on the wall. She was in it almost by accident; she happened to be standing next to him when they took the photo. She was the one who had the photo framed.
“That’s not important,” he said. “And besides, if anyone was going to be in those photos with me, it would be Selina.”
She rolled her eyes, sighed loudly, and shook her head. “I can’t believe this is happening. I did everything right,” she hissed.
“Again, this is a promotion. This is a good thing. If you cared at all about your professional life you would take it.”
“I don’t care about my professional life,” she said. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“Well, then I can’t help you. You have until the end of the day to make your decision.”
She didn’t say anything. Instead, she spun around and stomped out of the room. Michael let out a huge sigh once she was gone. Selina had been right about Lois, but then again, Selina was right about most things. He should have trusted her sooner.
Two hours later his phone rang and he grumbled when he saw his mother’s number. He debated not answering, but he knew if he did that she would just show up, which would be even worse.
“Hello, mother,” he said into the phone.
“How could you fire Lois?”
“I didn’t fire Lois,” he said, the exasperation clear in his voice. “I promoted her. Why can’t anyone understand that? This is the best possible thing for her. It’s great for her career.”
“She’s not a career woman,” Evelyn said. She had never sounded haughtier. Michael frowned into the phone, wondering if he ever sounded like that. He hoped not. He needed to be better about how his mother talked to Selina. He couldn’t let anyone stress her out anymore. “She is not a woman meant to work. This job was just for her to...” she stopped as if her words had got ahead of her.
“For her to what?” he asked. “Find a husband? I have a girlfriend and I still do. Things are serious between me and Selina, mom. I’m going to ask her to marry me. I don’t need your help or your permission. I need you to butt out of my love life.”
“I’m only trying to help,” she said.
“You’re only trying to help yourself,” he said. “Now I have to go. I can’t spend all day debating the career of my personal assistant.” He slammed the phone down. Why were the easiest things sometimes so complicated?
He was stressed and angry now. That was bad. That woke the wolf inside of him. It made him want to transform and run wild. But it was the middle of the afternoon and he was in downtown Seattle. There was no chance for a wild run. He needed Selina. She always knew how to calm him down.
He checked the company IM and saw that she still wasn’t here. They had gone to the doctor this morning. It was just as she predicted. The doctor said everything was fine, the baby was normal and healthy. But it was still early. There was still plenty of time for anything to change.
She wanted to go to the bookstore after to browse the selection of baby books. She had told him he didn’t need to come, and he had dropped her off and then driven to work. She must still be looking over everything. He thought about calling her but decided against it. She was a woman who appreciated her space.
He wished there was someone he could ask about the baby. He used to dream about a werewolf secret society. A place where all of his questions would be answered. He had spent forever searching for something like that. A collection of people like him. But he had never found one. It was bad enough when it had been just him, but in some ways the isolation was worse now. He had pulled Selina into this werewolf life with him.
He pulled up the most recent financials from the last quarter and allowed himself to get lost in the figures. Numbers were so much easier than people. They were solid and stable. They worked in predictable patterns. He lost himself in the complex figures, letting the hours slip by.