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“What you doing out here walking around all by yourself?” Avaleigh asked as she saw Cristie walking up from behind her house.

“Hi, Aunt Avaleigh. I told Mom I was coming to visit with you, but really, I just went for a walk. I needed some time to try to clear my head,” Cristie said, smiling at her. She’d always known Avaleigh to be the calming force in the clan.

“Which is why you’re keeping behind my place so they don’t see you.”

“Yep.”

“And did you?” Avaleigh asked.

“What? Clear my head? Not likely.”

“Want to come in and have some coffee and talk about it?”

“I can’t possibly have anymore coffee. I’m about to start vibrating any minute now.”

“How about just sitting and talking then? I’m guessing whatever you’re struggling with is about Remi.”

Cristie nodded, and stood there with her hands tucked in her pockets, as she looked at Avaleigh.

“Come on in, honey.”

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” Cristie asked, with a slight smile.

Avaleigh laughed. “Could be. But really, what I see is a situation that isn’t quite as convoluted as you both seem to think it is.”

“I feel really bad about it,” Cristie said.

“It’s not your fault. Fate happens. You had no idea you and he were going to trigger the mating instinct. He didn’t either.”

“I know. But after he left this morning, I went into town to get some more coffee and donuts and pastries. I didn’t know she’d be there.”

“Oh, no. Yeah. I guess that was a surprise. But you didn’t know it was her shop. Was it bad?”

“No, she’s very nice. And I just pretended that nothing was going on, same as I did at the wedding. It wasn’t her fault. None of it.”

“That was probably the best choice. What did she do?”

“She was tense, and nervous, and I could scent her pain. But she was very nice and professional. I was impressed, actually. I just wish someone had told me before I went in there and upset her more.”

“They probably didn’t even think of it.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Think of it this way. What should you have done differently when you walked in and saw her there? Turn around and run? That would have been worse. You did the best you could. You were friendly and I bet you bought all kinds of goodies,” Avaleigh said.

“I know. But she was trying so hard not to let me see that she was upset. I could scent it, and I felt horrible that she’s hurting like that.

I didn’t do anything. I swear, I didn’t.

I even made sure to keep my distance from Remi at the wedding.

If anybody let her know something was up, it was him. ”

“Yes, he wasn’t the most subtle male that night, was he?”

Cristie laughed and shook her head. “No, he was not. But in his defense, I was as shocked as he obviously was. I just hid it better.”

“We’re women, honey. We’re better at handling the emotional things.”

“I suppose. Still, somebody could have warned me before sending me off to get more coffee and donuts this morning.”

“Who sent you?”

“Aunt Delilah, and Poppy! You know they both have to know that it’s Bailey’s place.”

“They both do. But they’re also both notorious for ‘helping’ fix things. They probably thought they were helping somehow.”

“I don’t see how.”

“Me, either. But giving them the benefit of the doubt, they were most likely helping. Neither is malicious, well, as long as they’re unprovoked anyway,” Avaleigh said.

They heard an engine start outside, and Avaleigh got up to go see who it was. “I was thinking that maybe Remi was back, but it’s Hellen.”

“I should make an escape with her. Everybody just keeps looking expectantly at me. Like, ‘what do you people want me to do?’” Cristie said.

“Well, you are always welcome to hide out over here with me, or you can run catch Hellen if you’d prefer.”

“You know what? I think I will.”

“You better hurry!” Avaleigh said.

Cristie jumped up and ran toward the door Avaleigh was already holding open. Cristie kissed her cheek quickly, then sprinted toward Hellen’s jeep.

Just as Hellen put the jeep in drive, Cristie was standing beside the vehicle, tapping on the window.

Hellen rolled down the window, still wearing her scowl. “Hey.”

“Hey. You look as happy as me.”

“I’m getting the hell out of here,” Hellen said.

“Want some company? Please?” Cristie asked.

“Sure, but hurry up. I don’t want anybody else joining us.”

Cristie ran around to the passenger side and got in, closing the door securely as Hellen was already tearing down the drive, spewing gravel behind the jeep.

~~~

“I just don’t get why you didn’t tell us!” Janie said, just short of pouting.

“This! Look around. Do you see anybody here just simply congratulating us and moving on? No. Everybody’s acting like it’s their right to know every damn thing.

We have our reasons. Not the least of which is that we deserve the right to spend some time just being in our happy little bubble without all of y’all jumping in and turning it into a side-show to be attended by everybody! ” Brandt exclaimed.

“You know this family rallies round everyone in it, be it good or bad circumstances,” Kaid said. “We really prefer rallying around the good. That does not create a side show.”

“I understand that. But we have our reasons,” Brandt said patiently. “But as long as we’re on the subject, no one will be attending this birth. Just Tempest and I, and possibly her mother, and that’s it.”

“Unless Lore decides to come. Nobody can stop him from anything he wants to do,” Tempest said thoughtfully.

“Seriously? He really freaks me out,” Brandt whispered.

“Just be glad he doesn’t eat souls to survive anymore.”

Brandt widened his eyes and looked a little horrified.

“But, no, I don’t think he’ll come. He gets upset when my mother or I, or my Uncle Boon, is hurting. So, he’ll likely come after.”

Janie sat down across the room from them, where she’d originally been sitting, her excitement at the idea of a grand-baby visibly deflated.

“I’m not saying that you can’t all be there, you just can’t be in the delivery room,” Brandt said.

“Since when has any of us been in the delivery room of any one of you, except for Angelle, and that was because no one but me knew her mother?!” Delilah said testily.

“I didn’t mean that no one could come to the hospital. I just meant no one in the delivery room,” Brandt said.

“Perhaps you should express yourself more clearly,” Delilah snapped.

“We don’t want to pressure you, or make you uncomfortable in any way. We just want to be a part of it. Your baby is going to be only the second of a new generation. We’re excited, too, and so very happy for you,” Everly said.

“Look, you want to know the reason we kept it quiet?” Brandt asked.

“I think you owe us that much,” Bane snapped, trying to ride the line between comforting his mate, and giving Brandt and Tempest the privacy they did rightly deserve. “I mean, I know you have your privacy and all, but you could have confided in mom and me.”

Brandt shared a look with Tempest who gave a slight nod. “The thing is, we weren’t sure it was a viable pregnancy, and we didn’t want to have more hearts than ours broken if anything went wrong.”

“Oh, my gosh!” Janie said, getting up and rushing over to hug them both, but especially Tempest. “That’s the kind of thing you need family around you the most for. You shouldn’t have to bear all that by yourself. Lean on us. That’s what we’re for.”

“Is there a problem?” Bam asked. “I can help if there is.”

“Me, too,” Daisy said.

“Not exactly, but the way Tempest heals is that she takes whatever she’s healing into herself, then her body, her magics, rid her system of it. They see whatever illness or injury she’s absorbed into herself as an invader and destroy it.”

“So you thought that the embryo…” Daisy said, realizing where they were going with it.

Tempest nodded. “Might be attacked by my own body. I wanted to wait until I knew for sure that everything would be okay. I was thinking the hardest thing to bear would be the pitying looks. And it would be so tough because it would have been my own body that did it. It’s so screwed up if you think about it. ”

“Nonsense,” Delilah said, striding directly to her and placing her hands on her upper arms, while looking directly into her eyes.

“It’s the way you’re made. And there is nothing screwed up or wrong about it.

It’s just the way you are, and we love you.

I completely understand, as do we all. And we will be there for you at any and all times, no matter what happens. ”

“Absolutely!” Janie said.

“Without a doubt,” Everly said.

“Anything at all you need,” Daisy said.

“And we’ll guard the door and keep anybody you don’t want to see away,” Bane offered.

“Yep. We’re not all that damn good at consolation and nurturing, but we’re damn good at guarding,” Maverik said.

“That we are,” Kaid said.

“Except me. I’m good at making things better. I’ll be with the ladies helping you feel better,” Bam said.

“Thank you for understanding,” Tempest said.

“So, now what? Do you want us to pretend we don’t know, unless you bring it up? Because if you do, we can do that,” Delilah said.

“No, it’s out now. Just keep your fingers crossed, and send up a few prayers, or requests or whatever it is you believe might help to whoever it is you believe in.”

“Who do you pray to when you need a little extra favor in your life?” Janie asked.

Tempest smiled as though she was remembering her childhood. “I send a little prayerful request to my Aunt Lucitari, or my Uncle Lore, or my mother. If it’s about nature I send a request to my Uncle Terrus — he’s more focused on the Earth and all the wild creatures and such.”

She didn’t notice when everyone shared hesitant looks at one another, Delilah included.

“So, if your Uncle Terrus is more focused on things that have to do with the Earth and nature, what do the others focus on?” Delilah finally asked.