Chapter 15

I WAS THE FIRST TOwake up the next morning following our throuple union, but I didn’t dare move in case I woke up my twin and my mate. Stacey’s head was on the same pillow as mine, and when I opened my eyes, I could see her beautiful face right there in front of me. Her luscious lips were pink and parted as she softly snored, and her eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly as she dreamed.

I ached to reach out and cup her cheek to tell her how much I adored her and how grateful I was that she had finally come into our life. But I didn’t. Such declarations of love could wait for a more opportune moment. Instead, I chose not to interrupt her and simply let her sleep. Watching her, emotions I’d never felt before cascaded over me, making me feel whole for the first time in living memory.

Tommy’s head popped up from behind Stacey’s halo of golden blonde hair, and my brother smiled in a way I’d never seen him before. He wore a satisfied and happy expression that told me he was feeling exactly the same way I was this morning—completely fulfilled.

Stacey began to stir and rolled onto her back, groaning softly as though in pain, then her eyes fluttered open and she smiled. “Good morning, boys.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked quickly, sliding my hand over her swollen belly, loving the feel of her warm flesh shifting and moving as our child rolled and kicked from within.

“Great,” Stacey said brightly, then groaned. “Though our little girl sure is getting too strong for my ribs.”

A flush of heat filled my face as strong emotions filled my heart to overflowing. I still had brief moments, even now, where my insecurities got the better of me and I feared that Tommy and Stacey would leave me out once their daughter was born. Then came the question that plagued me most...

Should I hold back and remain reserved in case they do?

I wasn’t the baby’s father, after all. Not until Stacey declared it so, and I hadn’t heard those exact words from her mouth just yet. My stomach grumbled loudly with hunger, and I rolled out of bed. “Back soon,” I said before going to the bathroom to use the toilet and get cleaned up. When I returned to the bedroom, I was struck with the sudden desire to cook. I needed something hearty and homemade after last night, that was for damn sure. And no one else cooked like me.

“Shall I make French toast this morning, or would you like something else?” I asked, still standing naked in all my glory.

“Oh, yes. French toast please,” Stacey said, excitement clear in her voice.

It always pleased me and put my mind at ease when our mate’s appetite was strong. It was good for her and the baby. I grinned to myself as I left the bedroom, not sure what they would do in my absence, but to be honest... I didn’t care after all what we’d shared last night.

Over the course of our lives together I would have my fair share of alone time with our mate, and Tommy would too. I couldn’t continue to be jealous. I had to rein it in as best I could and just go with the flow. Ménages were difficult to navigate at the best of times from what I’d heard, so we’d all just have to be as open and honest as we could be and hope for the best. Besides, I had been the one to come inside Stacey’s tight pussy last night, so how could I complain?

My brother hadn’t, though Stacey had taken his load down her throat, and I was pretty sure he was happy about that. It was always better when you didn’t have to pull out.

I’d prepared most of breakfast when I heard Tommy and Stacey slowly making their way downstairs. When they entered the kitchen, I waved at the table where the trays were filled with syrup and cutlery. “I was going to bring you breakfast in bed,” I said.

“Oh, thank you for the thought, but it’s so good to get out of bed now,” Stacey said with a smile. “I know I can’t go too far, but even being in the living room is pretty amazing after weeks of only the bedroom walls to stare at.”

“Sit then,” I said with a smile. “And let’s eat.”

Stacey ate well, which I was more than happy to see, given her appetite hadn’t been that big lately. It was getting to the point where the baby was taking up a lot of real estate, and no doubt her stomach was being compressed inside there. But at least she was smiling and laughing, and there were no signs of another bout of pre-term labor.

“You aren’t too sore from last night, are you?” I asked her hopefully, wanting to relieve myself of the last of my lingering guilt.

She shook her head, her cheeks turning rosy. “No, not at all. I feel really great.”

I hid my smug smile behind my coffee cup as I took a satisfying sip.

Perfect.

The doorbell rang, and I rose to my feet wearing only the pair of jeans I’d pulled on to do the cooking. When I opened the door expecting to see Mom or Nancy, I was surprised to find a complete stranger on my doorstep.

“Hi,” I said, nodding at him, my brow furrowed. “Can I help you?”

In a town our size, I knew practically everybody, and this guy didn’t look like he was from around here at all. He was tall, but not as tall as me, and he wore an expensive suit with his dark hair slicked back with oil.

The man narrowed his eyes at me. “Yes,” he answered curtly. “You can tell me where my wife is.”

I laughed at him and crossed my arms over my naked chest, which seemed to infuriate him. “I have no idea who your wife is, stranger. So... I doubt it.”

His nostrils flared. “Her name is Stacey Mercer, and I was told she was staying here.”

What the fuck!

I swallowed hard, trying not to give this prick the pleasure of seeing me freak out. My entire world began to narrow around me, and panic rose in my chest. I fought it down with a mammoth effort, determined to maintain my poker face.

My mate...

“I’ll have to speak to my brother,” I said in a tone that offered no room for argument. “Wait here.” Turning my back on him, I went to shut the front door.

He slammed his hand against the wood, halting its closure. “She’s pregnant,” he said, the vehemence in his words like a nail driving through my skull. “And the baby’s mine. She’s mine. You get her to come out here, and then I’ll be taking her home. Today.”

It was my turn to clench my jaw and glare right back at him. “Stacey belongs to no one,” I said. “Wait here.” I pulled hard, dislodging his arm, then slammed the door in his face with a resounding thud. “Fuck!” My chest rose and fell rapidly as I marched back to the kitchen, the dreams for my future seemingly fading with every step I took.

“Who was that?” Tommy asked from behind the island where he was busy putting things away.

“What’s wrong?” Stacey asked, getting to her feet, her hands holding her baby belly in her usual protective fashion.

The baby that this asshole, says is his.

“There’s a man at our door,” I said, trying to stay calm all the while it felt like my blood was boiling inside my veins. “He says that Stacey is his wife, and the baby is his.”

The happy rosiness of Stacey’s cheeks went deathly pale, and her demeanor instantly turned to one of fear. “Jamie’s here?” she whispered, her gaze bolting to the front door.

“It’s true?” I asked, unable to hide the subtle note of hurt and resentment in my voice.

She shook her head as she sank back down into the chair she’d just been occupying at the dining table. “No!” she gasped. “Well... yes, we were married. But I left him six months ago! The night I met Tommy.”

I gaped at her, trying with all my strength not to be angry, not to be any more hurt by this entire life-shattering situation, but my wolf was already howling inside my mind.

“You got pregnant the night you left your husband?” I asked, just to make sure I understood it right. “How do you know the baby is Tommy’s then?”

“Because she is!” Stacey declared, her face stricken as she held her head in her hands.

Tommy walked around the island bench. “Let’s just all remain calm. I knew that Stacey had been married previously and had left just before she met me.”

“The night she met you, Tommy, which means the baby could legitimately be his or ours... right? How do we know?”

Tommy glanced at Stacey. “Well, technically, with the timing... depending on whether she was still sleeping with her ex-husband...”

“I wasn’t!” Stacey cried. “And you can’t let him see me. Please!”

“Why not?” I asked, not quite understanding her vehement reaction.

“Because I don’t want to see him!” she protested, rising from her chair and backing up so that she was soon heading for the back door. “I escaped him once, and I’ll never get away again if he gets me to go back home.”

She was talking about him like he was abusive. “Did he hurt you?” I pressed, my brow furrowing as my heart continued to gallop in my chest. “What are you trying to say? Just spit it out! We don’t have time for this. The prick is right outside.”

Her face was red now, and her eyes filled with tears. “I’m saying he’s a controlling, manipulative creep! He made sure I never worked so he could control me. He made sure I never had any money of my own at all, so when I left, I was literally starving, homeless, and alone for months!” she cried.

My stomach heaved at the pain and torment in her words.

This is fucked. Completely fucked.

I had just finally come to terms with everything. I’d accepted her, loved her, and her baby, and now this. It was enough to make me sick to my stomach. I turned and stormed back to the front door, wrenching it open. My wolf was so dangerously close to the surface, I was struggling to keep my teeth from shifting.

“Fuck off!” I growled at him. “Your wife isn’t here, and if you come here again, you’ll be trespassing on private property. We take that very seriously around here. We’re territorial,” I added, letting the unspoken threat hang between us like a burning razor wire.

The asshole lifted his chin indignantly and looked down his nose at me like he was King Shit, and I was some kind of peasant scum. “I tried to do this the cordial way, but if Stacey won’t come home of her own volition, I have other ways of forcing her hand. You’ll be hearing from my lawyers.” He smirked.

A savage growl ripped through my vocal cords, crippled by my rage and doubt, all the while amplified by my pain and frustration.

Stacey’s ex, Jamie, jumped back, startled, his eyes wide—the look of surprise on his face breaking his carefully constructed veneer of perfection.

I slammed the door in his face for the second time inside of five minutes just as I lost my fight to my inner wolf and shifted right there and then in the pristine foyer of my damn home. In the place of David the man, stood David the wolf, and he was pissed. Big time.

Well, fuck! That’s certainly one way to bring up the shifter conversation...