Authors: Lola Kidd
“What about this one?” Rachel came out of the master bathroom to show Gwen her outfit.
The tigress shook her head and made a face. “Your uniform is sexier than that.”
“I don’t want to be sexy. I want to look nice,” Rachel insisted.
Gwen laughed. “You can look both. Now, get out the door. I gotta go.”
Rachel peeked inside the walk-in closet Gwen shared with Dom. They were talking about turning one of the rooms into a closet and she could see why—the small closet was packed to the max. There were clothes and shoes everywhere. Dom didn’t seem like a clothes horse, but his suits hung in neat rows across half the closet. There were so many navy, black and grey blazers, too. And the shoes! His sneaker collection rivaled Gwen’s pumps.
“Yes, I know we have a problem,” Gwen said, coming out of the bathroom. “I’m trying to convince Dom to put his place on the market too. Mine sold so fast, and this place is a lot nicer than what I had.”
“You want to buy a new house just for more closet space?” Rachel asked incredulously.
“We’re going to need a lot more space once the babies come.”
Rachel turned to Gwen, mouth open. “Babies?”
“Damn.” Gwen smiled and patted her belly. “That was supposed to be a secret. Don’t tell anyone else yet. Dom wants us to make the big announcement together.”
Rachel hugged her best friend tight. “I’m so happy for you! You two are definitely going to need a new house. This bachelor pad is way too small for four.”
“Try telling that to Dom,” Gwen moaned. “Instead of getting rid of his two-seater, he’s going to buy something new and keep his car. He’s so excited about all of this, but he wants our lives to stay almost the same.”
“He’ll come around,” Rachel assured her.
Gwen clapped her hands. “Let’s keep this fashion show going! More outfits.”
Rachel dutifully took the next option into the bathroom to change. Twins! Gwen was so lucky. While she was happy for her friend, Rachel couldn’t help but feel anxiety about her date. There were babies everywhere around town, and Clint was sure to want to get started on kids right away. She’d looked up adoptions on the internet the night before and knew that it would take longer for them to get a child. Shifter children were the hardest to place and would likely be the easiest for them to adopt. But since Clint was a shifter himself, it would still take a while. Shifters always had to jump through extra hoops when it came to the adoption process.
She liked the idea of taking in an orphaned shifter child. There were so many who needed a good home and Rachel knew she’d make a great mom. The trouble was, she wasn’t sure if Clint would be excited about the idea. It would be much easier for him to find someone else to marry and not have to worry about adopting. The government would have to comb through their lives to make sure they were fit to be parents. Maybe that wasn’t something Clint would be interested in doing.
“What’s wrong?” Gwen asked when Rachel came out in tight jeans and a flowing top. “It isn’t that bad. I think this one is a real option.”
The urge to talk got the best of Rachel and the words came tumbling out before she could stop herself. “I should have mentioned this earlier, but I really don’t think I can date Clint. I…I can’t have children, and he wants a family. There’s no way this can work.”
As soon as she said it out loud for the first time, Rachel burst into tears. It was so out of character for her that Gwen just stood and stared for a moment. She always kept everything bottled up inside and hated burdening anyone else with her problems. But this one was too much.
“Oh, honey.” Gwen hugged Rachel and rocked her back and forth. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been going on and on for months about my baby and how awful pregnancy is. I’ll keep my big mouth shut from here on out.”
“No, I don’t mind.” Rachel hiccupped from crying so hard. “I like hearing about how the pregnancy is going. I’m just as excited as you about these cubs. That’s why I didn’t want to tell anyone sooner. I didn’t want to rain on anyone’s parade.”
They sat down on the bed but Gwen kept her arm around Rachel. “How long have you known?”
“A couple of years. I was having a few problems, and Dr. Dennison did some tests.” Rachel’s explanation was punctuated by multiple hiccups. By the end, she’d stopped crying. “I never imagined this would happen.”
Gwen brushed tears from her eyes. “It’ll be okay, Rachel. Clint is a good man. He’s not going to turn you away because of this.”
“I don’t know. It seems really unfair that he’s going to have to give up having his own child because of me.”
“According to LK Brides, you’re his mate. If they’re right, that means something big. It’s not like it is for humans finding their life partner. You can ignore the pull for years, decades even, but you’ll come back to your mate. It’s too hard to stay away.”
“You and Dom did a good job.”
“Dom and I are both pigheaded.” Gwen laughed. “Clint’s not like Dom at all. He’s like Frank. Could you imagine Frank leaving Amy just because they’d have to adopt?”
“No,” Rachel said. The town’s superstar baker was the sweetest man. He was also good friends with Clint. It didn’t sound like something any of Clint’s married friends would do. Still, Rachel was nervous. “Don’t tell anyone about this, okay?”
“Oh, great. Secrets. Can I tell Dom?”
Rachel considered it and then shook her head. “Not yet. I want to tell Clint first, and Dom likes to talk.”
“Okay.” Gwen crossed her heart. “I won’t tell a soul. Now try on that dress. I think that’s going to be the winner.”
***
Clint was nervous. Rachel was five minutes late. Had she changed her mind? She’d sounded a little strange when she’d agreed to dinner at his house. Maybe she hadn’t really wanted to go out with him, but the pressure of having an LK match had made her say yes. She couldn’t possibly like him. She’d said no the first time he’d asked her out.
He hadn’t even cooked the food himself. He’d gotten carry-out from the new Chinese place in town. It was run by a nice Australian couple and Clint was sure Rachel would appreciate something different. He’d even gotten a set of Asian dishes especially for the meal. Everything was set up on the black and red small plates ready to serve. He wasn’t going to have the stomach to eat all the food all by himself.
Just when he was ready to dump the whole meal in the trash, his doorbell rang. He almost ripped the door off the hinges, he opened it so fast.
“Sorry I’m late.” Rachel twisted her hands awkwardly. “I lost track of time while I was getting ready.”
“No problem. You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
Clint hoped she couldn’t see him sweat. He was very glad to see her. And wow, she looked so different. Even when he saw her around town, she didn’t usually dress like this. She was wearing a deep green dress and a small amount of makeup. Nothing flashy, but enough to bring out her already stunning beauty. He didn’t think he’d be able to stop staring at her while they ate.
“I got Chinese.” He showed her into the dining room, where he’d turned down the lights and lit a whole army of candles. Even though she was a little late, they were all still burning strong.
“From the new place in town?” Rachel asked. “I’ve been dying to go there, but I’ve been so busy at work I haven’t gotten a chance.”
“That’s the one.” Clint held out her chair for her and pushed her in. He had picked right! The night was off to a great start.
“I heard it’s run by an Australian.”
“It is. Very nice couple.”
“That’s wild! Australians making Chinese food. Who would have ever guessed we’d see that in Sunset Falls?”
Clint laughed. “I guess it is a little strange, now that you mention it. The food is all great. I got us a few dishes to try. I got chicken, pork, beef, and seafood. I didn’t know what you like.”
“I’ll eat them all! This all smells so good.”
They served themselves their first plate. Rachel tried one of the spring rolls. “Wow, this is really good. Great choice, Clint. I’m glad I finally got to try them out. They’re going on my order list.”
“Do you eat out often?”
“I always order in for dinner on Saturdays. The morning shifts on the weekend are insane and I’m always too tired to cook.”
He nodded. “I’ve been there. I don’t know how you do it. If it ever got that busy at the store, I think I’d close for a week to recover.”
“It was hard at first. Now, I’m a seasoned pro. It’s still tiring but I know I can handle it.”
“You started waitressing right out of high school, didn’t you?”
She took a sip of wine. “I did. I was waitressing at a big restaurant near the Nevada border at first. Then I moved around for a year or two. I was at Two Wolves before they opened, though. When I saw the building going up, I went right down and applied.”
“Lucky for them they got such an experienced server to help them start.”
“It’s been really nice. I’m lucky to work with such great boys. They’ve really grown into the role. I was nervous at first, but they’ve proven to be great men.”
“And alphas,” Clint agreed. “They’ve got most of their young men working for my project and they’re helping out themselves too.”
“How’s that going? I saw that you fixed up Miss Perkins’ fence really nice. She’s been raving about it to all her friends. I hope you’re ready to do every little old lady’s fence in town.”
Clint laughed. “I would love to! Dom’s put in an application to get state money for the project, and the mayor let us use funds for a project he had in mind last year. I have more money than I have projects right now.”
“Not that many sign-ups?”
“No, we’ve had a lot. Enough to keep us busy through next summer. James’ assistant Maria did a great job with the funding, is all. If Dom’s grants come through too, we’ll be in business for years.”
“Wow. That’s a whole second job for you,” Rachel said admiringly.
“I have a lot of spare time. I don’t need to be at the store eight hours a day. I like giving hours to my other employees.”
They talked about their jobs for a little longer before the conversation moved to their younger years over dessert.
“You didn’t know me in high school!” Rachel laughed. “I was in elementary school when you were a freshman.”
Clint blushed. “I noticed you. I had already graduated, but I saw your picture from the homecoming dance in the paper. I made sure to take notice after that.”
It was Rachel’s turn to blush. “Shut up. I was no looker back then.”
“You were then and you are now. You’re a beautiful woman, Rachel.”
“Thank you.” She looked at her food. “I’m glad I came tonight. I’m having a really nice time.”
“Me, too.” Clint smiled.
Things were going better than he could have hoped for. He was going to have to let LK use his store as a location in their advertising campaign. Olivia and the company had managed to convince his mate to go on a date with him. Now, if he didn’t screw it up, there was a real chance that he’d be married before the year was up. By this time next year, he could be holding his very own fawn in his arms. The possibility sent shivers up Clint’s spine.
Clint had bought a ring, even though it was probably too early. They’d only been dating five weeks, but he couldn’t wait. He’d actually ordered the ring after their second week together, because he knew she was his mate. He loved Rachel and wanted to be with her forever. It seemed like she loved him too. They hadn’t said it out loud to each other yet, but he had a feeling. They had dinner together most nights. On the weekends, Clint did volunteer work while Rachel worked and napped. Then they would go out to dinner. They’d been trying new places each week.
It had been a glorious spring. They were so compatible that Clint could see no reason for them to ever break up. Since he was so sure, he had sent out for the ring. He’d gotten it from the same jeweler that Dom used. The ring was probably a little bigger than what Rachel would have preferred, but Clint didn’t care. They were only doing this once, and he wanted to go big for once in his life. Whenever she waited on a table, that ring was going to blind the diners.
He only had one small problem. When was he supposed to ask her? No time seemed right. Clint had been carrying the ring around in his pocket for a week already. It seemed rude to interrupt her while she was telling a story to ask her. In the middle of dinner wasn’t very romantic either. At the rate things were going, he was never going to ask her.
On top of his wonderful relationship, he was working overtime for his volunteer program. The representatives from
American Shifters Weekly
would be in town over the weekend. Clint and his team had gotten a lot of work done along the route the mayor was going to bring the group. Owen had convinced his pride brothers to do some landscaping with teens from the pride and pack. Sunset Falls hadn’t looked so nice in decades. Clint was proud of the way his town had come together and he hoped it would pay off.
He was waiting for Rachel to get off work so he could say hello before he went out to do one last job.
“I have a ladies’ night this weekend,” she told him when she came to pick up an order. “Some of the LK brides are getting together Saturday night.”
“Oh, really? Does this mean you and I aren’t going to be doing dinner?”
“We can do dinner a little early. Ladies’ night doesn’t start until nine. Want to order in Chinese again? I really liked their food.”
“Sounds great. I have to go.” Clint held up a menu in front of their faces as he kissed Rachel goodbye.
“Painting today, right?”
“That’s right. I’ll call you before I go to bed.”
Clint left the restaurant feeling good and with a plan in mind. He had to ask her soon. She was being invited to a Brides night and she wasn’t a bride yet. This would be the perfect time to make it official.
The rest of the week was a blur for him. It felt like he was a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Having a plan made him even more impatient than usual. On Saturday he got everything ready before he went to paint one last fence. He was going to recreate their first date. For dessert, he’d picked up bite-sized cakes from his friend Frank’s bakery. When he got back from his day, he lit all the candles like the first time and put Rachel’s ring on her cake in the back of the refrigerator. It was risky. She might go digging through his fridge looking for something to eat, but he couldn’t risk doing it later. He would be too nervous and would screw it up somehow.
This time Rachel came right inside. Clint had wanted to give her a key but she wouldn’t take it. Instead, he’d left the door unlocked when he knew she was coming over.
“This all looks familiar.” She put her finger next to her mouth. “This is our first date, isn’t it?”
Clint nodded. “It sure is. I wanted to get another use out of these dishes.”
“You bought these just for me?”
“I did. I wanted everything to be special. They don’t match any of my other stuff, though. I don’t get to use them very often.”
“That’s so wasteful,” she scolded. “We’re going to start using these all the time. I love the pattern and you don’t have to only eat Asian food off of them.”
“They have a dragon on them,” Clint argued. “Eating meatloaf off a dragon plate is just crazy.”
“I’d never make meatloaf, and you don’t cook,” Rachel said, straight-faced.
“Guess Two Wolves would have ruined that for you, huh?”
“There’s no point in making it when our cooks use the best recipe in town.”
Clint held out her chair for her to sit down, then they served themselves. They both talked about their day. The new waitress had settled in nicely and was starting to really get into the swing of it. Rachel was very happy they’d been able to convince the girl to stay. She was going to enroll in the community college in town next fall, though. It had been the twins’ wife Jackie’s idea. Rachel found the whole thing strange since Jackie herself hated going to college.
Clint listened as best he could and laughed in the right places. Mostly, he watched how much she was eating.
His stomach was in knots and he was eating as little as possible. He pushed his food around his plate and pretended to eat until Rachel was done.
“Dessert?”
“Sure. Did you get those ice cream sandwiches from Frank’s?”
“I thought we’d try something new.” Clint disappeared into the kitchen and brought out the little cakes. He stopped at the kitchen door to take a breath and steady his hands. He didn’t want Rachel to know how nervous he was.
He set her cake down in front of her. It took a moment to notice the ring.
“These are so cute! Look at these decorations. Frank really outdid…” She picked the ring up off the cake and Frank got down on one knee next to her. “Clint. What is this?”
He took the ring from her. “It’s an engagement ring. Rachel Drummond, will you make me the happiest man in Sunset Falls and marry me?”
Rachel bit her lips. “Maybe?”
***
Rachel had never been so grateful for a girls’ night in her whole life. She couldn’t get away from Clint’s fast enough. If she’d been a shifter, she would have just turned into an animal and ran. She didn’t just feel awful, she was embarrassed. Instead of talking to him like an adult, she’d fled. She’d always laughed at the women in movies who did that kind of thing. Whenever her friends asked for advice, she always told them to take the path that would cause the least amount of drama. Then when they did the opposite, she’d shake her head and tut at them.
How the mighty had fallen! She understood why people did stupid things in relationships. Doing the right thing was too hard. She needed to get up her courage and tell Clint the truth. A pep talk from the brides would do the trick. Rachel couldn’t believe what a coward she was being, but she couldn’t agree to marry Clint before she told him she couldn’t have children. She’d wanted to tell him right away but the timing was never right. She hadn’t expected him to ask her to marry him so quickly, either. She’d thought she’d have at least three months.
Everything had been going so great. They hadn’t had sex yet. Well, not
sex
sex, but Rachel thought it was romantic that Clint wanted to wait. If she said yes, the first time they made love could be on their wedding night. It was silly, but the thought made her smile. She just had to tell him her secret first.
When she got to Molly and Kellan’s house, all the other ladies were there.
“Rachel!” Molly greeted her with a hug over her very large baby bump. “I’m so glad you came. Everyone, Rachel is here.”
She was passed around the room as everyone congratulated her on the new relationship. “Thanks, guys.”
“Isn’t LK the best?” Jackie asked. “I knew it had potential, but I had no idea it would be this spot on.”
Rachel nodded. “Yeah.”
“Sit,” Molly commanded, pushing Rachel onto an open spot on the couch. Everyone looked at her expectantly. “We all got together tonight to talk about the upcoming LK ads they’re going to shoot in town. We wanted to know if you and Clint were interested in being in them. Well, if you were interested. If you say yes, Clint will go along with it too.”
The ladies laughed. Rachel exchanged glances with Gwen before answering. “See, I don’t know if we’re the kind of couple you want to have in an ad. We’re not even married yet.”
“It’ll only be a matter of time,” Amy Franklin assured her. “It never takes long. Plus, you two have known each other for ages. It’s even better than Dom and Gwen’s story.”
“Very true,” Gwen said. “You two are steady and true. It would be a really nice story for the campaign.”
“When will this thing start shooting?” Rachel asked.
“At the end of summer,” Erin Brooks said. “About a year after I first came. By then, we’ll know if we made ASW’s list too.”
“Why are you getting together so early, then?”
“Olivia asked us if we had any ideas,” Erin explained. “Plus, it’s nice to have a ladies’ night every now and then.”
“We’d love it if you’d join us at our monthly meetings,” Molly added.
“That’s so nice,” Rachel said. “I’d love to. If Clint and I stay together, anyway.”
Molly laughed. “There’s no way you two aren’t right for each other.”
Rachel tilted her head. “There could be reasons.”
The room was silent as everyone thought about Rachel’s cryptic statement. Then Gwen cleared her throat. “I think Rachel is just feeling nervous. It is still a new relationship.”
That was enough to appease everyone, and the conversation quickly turned to baby Jacob and the milestones he’d hit. His proud parents weren’t sure if he was a shifter yet, but it was likely. There hadn’t been a single non-shifting baby born to the Brooks Pride.
Erin was worried about his first shift. Gwen told the story of her first shift and how it had freaked out her human mother. Living in a town with a big shifter population, it hadn’t occurred to Rachel to be afraid of a baby shifting. It just happened. As long as you didn’t let the kid run into traffic, it was no big deal.
By the time they finished speculating who would be the next LK bachelor to be matched, Rachel was totally relaxed. She felt bad for leaving Clint hanging, but she would fix it. She didn’t need a pep talk. Hearing all the ladies talking about their lives, she realized that it would be alright. Everyone had problems, and hers were no worse than anyone else’s. If Clint said he didn’t want to be with her anymore, she’d get over it. Not for a long time, but she would.
“You okay?” Gwen asked her as they hugged goodbye at the end of the evening.
“I will be,” Rachel promised.
“I know you haven’t told Clint yet, but you need to just rip that Band-Aid off. It won’t be nearly as bad as you think.”
Rachel smiled. “I know. Thanks for inviting me tonight.”
“You’re one of us now. You belong here.”
Rachel took her phone out when she got in her car. She texted Clint to see if he was awake. He got back to her immediately and said he was still up.
It was now or never. She was going to tell him and get it over with once and for all.