Tasha

One year later...

“You were wonderful!”

I rushed into Wanda’s arms and despite the fact that I was gross and sweaty, she picked me up into her arms and swung me around in a circle, my feet leaving the ground and swinging behind me.

“I can’t believe this was your first rock concert,” I said as my feet returned to the ground.

“It’s my first anything concert,” Wanda said. “It’s not like Bach and Vivaldi are around to go on tour.”

“Your first concert, and maybe my last.”

Wanda picked up on the wistfulness in my voice. “Aw Princess, you can always think about touring again after the baby is born. But for now, you need to take care of your health.”

I pressed my hand against the tiny little being growing in my belly. “No way, this kid is going to be half bear, so you know he’s going to be a handful.”

“Or she,” Wanda reminded me.

When Wanda and I had first decided to try to have a baby, we’d spent a lot of time combing over donor catalogs, looking for the right male to be our baby’s biological father. Then Yuri volunteered to help us out.

He’d come out as gay a few weeks after Wanda and I got together, after he literally bumped into his fated mate while on a stakeout. Brian was a wolf shifter who was the perfect match for our friend. When they’d offered to help us get pregnant, I’d burst into tears. I loved knowing our baby would have two sets of parents who loved him. Or her.

In the meantime, I was going to focus on songwriting and small venue shows that would allow me to focus my attention on my new job: being a mom. I couldn’t wait. Growing up the way I did, it was almost inconceivable to me that I’d want to have a child. But after a year of mated bliss, I was more than ready for the challenge.

“They’re calling for an encore,” Chloe yelled over the raised voices of the crowd.

I leaned forward and gave Wanda a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be right here, Princess. As always.”