Page 14 of Accidentally All Inclusive (Beartastic Summer of Love #5)

Jules

I was beyond excited that we got the confirmation that we were expecting.

And even more important, we had a due date!

There was a lot to do between now and then, and I needed a timeline.

Since I knew when I was due, I could put together a list of all the things I needed to do and prioritize them, then start a calendar of when each task would get done.

Westley might not realize it yet, since we just moved in together, but I was obsessive like that. If there was a list to be made, I would make it.

Once I got home, I was too excited to sleep, so instead, I sat at the table with a notebook, the calendar we kept on the fridge, and a laptop.

First, I began by writing out some ideas for the nursery.

I assumed that we would put it in the room that was next to ours.

It wasn’t finished yet, but I knew that Westley and I could work on it together.

It needed some wall repairs, new paint, and trim.

Oh, maybe we could do crown molding around the room to give it an extra flair!

There wasn’t a whole lot I could do, I wasn’t handy, and I wasn’t supposed to paint because of the fumes, but I could at least help a little.

Perhaps Westley wouldn’t be opposed to hiring out some of the work as well.

I knew that he loved building the house on his own, but it would be nice to have it a little more complete when the baby arrived.

Either way, we would make it work together, no matter what.

We had an amazing family and den that would pitch in wherever we needed.

It was such a foreign concept to me—to have people around who were willing to help without any expectations in return.

It made my insides feel all warm and gooey.

If I thought too long and hard about it, I’d start to cry.

More than once since I’d arrived, I’d cried tears of joy at the love and support we received. It was a dream come true for me.

I’d been working on the list for about twenty minutes when a knock came at the door.

I wasn’t expecting anyone, but around here that didn’t mean much.

I was more surprised that the people knocked rather than just barging in.

That had happened more than once, especially with Westley’s younger brother Kip.

Which I didn’t mind. We were all family, after all, and they’d welcomed me into the den with open arms. I couldn’t complain.

Except for the time that Kip burst in when I was kneeling on the floor sucking Westley’s cock like it was my job.

I could have gone without that ever happening. At least it wasn’t his mom.

I got up from the table, stretching my back as I made my way to the front door, opening it without even looking.

A human stood on the steps, seeming out of place.

They wore black jeans and a long leather jacket over a dark shirt.

The scent that filled my nostrils was one of cheap cologne and a hint of gunpowder, like they had recently handled a gun.

I wouldn’t have recognized the smell except for the last time I had been near a gun when the loan shark had threatened me with one while informing me of my father’s debt.

“You must be Jules. May I come in?”

My blood ran cold. “Can I help you?” I asked, my instincts going on red alert by the fact that this person knew my name.

There were few humans in the area. The only ones around were mated to other shifters, and this guy wasn’t mated and didn’t smell like shifter at all.

He smelled like danger. He wasn’t the same person I had met with before about the debt, but he gave off the same vibes.

“Why don’t we step inside?” The man casually opened one side of his jacket, revealing a gun holstered to his side. “I heard that you skipped town, and we have some concerns about that.”

“No. I didn’t! We’re gonna pay all of it. I paid half already!” My voice rose with panic, and I gripped the door tighter as if I could shield myself from the trouble that found me.

“You did. You did pay half. I think this discussion is best had indoors, don’t you?”

He pushed the door forward, and I had no choice but to let him in.

My gaze surveyed the street to flag down someone, but there was no one around.

Usually, the place was teeming with people.

Someone would eventually realize that there were humans around, and they might come to investigate.

Would that be before or after this person killed me?

What if whoever came to help was injured first?

I couldn’t live with myself if someone was hurt defending me.

I could shift to my bear form, but even if I could survive a gunshot wound, what about my baby? I couldn’t risk it. Not when I was happy for the first time in my life. I could not risk my child. I simply had to keep him talking until I could get help.

“I swear we’re going to pay.” Tears pooled in my eyes, and fear made my throat thicken until I was fighting back a cough. I had to be strong. I rolled my shoulders back. I would be strong for my child and for Westley.

“That’s another thing we’d like to talk about,” the man said once he closed the door.

“We heard you hired yourself out at the resort. Now, if you were willing to do that sort of work to pay off your debt, we could have had a conversation sooner.” His grin turned predatory as he eyed me up and down.

My skin crawled, and I fought the urge to run.

“We don’t like when our clients go elsewhere for these sorts of things. ”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “I am not your client. I’m paying off my dad’s debt. I never did business with you. It isn’t even my debt to pay.”

The man waved a hand in the air. “Regardless, you’re responsible.

You could have been working for us all this time.

” He reached a hand out, brushing his fingers over my cheek.

I flinched away the moment his knuckles grazed my skin.

My stomach revolted. I hadn’t experience morning sickness yet, but I was about to vomit on this man.

“Perhaps we can work out a little deal.”

I wanted to spit in his face. I needed to find a way to get away from him, or find a way to have my mate come home.

“I have the money,” I said. It wasn’t a complete lie—Westley had talked about paying off the remainder of the debt. We could get the money fast. Either from Westley’s accounts or a loan from the Alpha of the den.

“Oh, we might not want the money anymore, though. Plus, there’s all that interest that has accrued.”

“Interest? You never said anything about interest.” I backed up until my knees hit the sofa. Somehow we had traveled deeper into the house. All the while he followed me. His gun was still holstered, but it was exposed, ready to aim and threaten my life and that of my baby at any time.

“You can’t run,” he said. “There are consequences to that. The minute you left the area the fines started to build up. You’re in way over your head now.”

“I didn’t run! We will pay. We have the money. Just please go!”

The man unholstered his gun then and sat next to me on the couch. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. See, you owe us a debt, and it’s time for you to repay. You’ll be leaving this house with me, little one. The question is are you going to leave nicely or do I have to force you?”