Page 62 of Loki’s Spellbinder (Hunters Creek Archangel’s Warriors MC #14)

My patience had come to an end. I was about to lose my mind.

After Loki left, Xander and I hung out at the house.

He showed me a new anime show he’d found.

I admit, I got caught up in it, but I kept getting distracted by thoughts of what was happening with Loki and the others.

He’d told me I’d see him when I saw him.

Loki expected it to take a few hours before they’d return with what they hoped were some Rebels who would tell them what they knew.

That part would take as long as it did, so if I woke up in the morning and he was still not with me, I shouldn’t be concerned, he said.

I’d held him extra tightly and kissed him more deeply before he left.

He whispered, “I love you,” and I did the same.

When it got to be too much, I told Xander we were going to the clubhouse to hang out.

He hadn’t minded. Even though he was older than most of the kids, he started to form a friendship with Easton, who was two years younger, and Belle, Joker and Raina’s daughter.

Belle was three years younger than Xander, but in girl years, she was ahead of the boys on the maturity scale.

When we arrived, I saw that most of the families were there.

Xander ran off to find Easton and Belle.

I was called over to a table of old ladies.

Mingling in and around us were the guys who stayed behind.

They talked and chatted, but I saw them leave the room often and be gone for a while before returning.

They did it in pairs. When I mentioned it to Jocelyn, she admitted they made circuits to ensure everything was secure.

Outlaw set the alarms on his computer programs to alert him via his cell phone if anything came close to the outer wall.

After a couple of hours of this, it was late.

Those with children, who weren’t waiting for their men to return, excused themselves.

I didn’t blame them. It left me, Devyn, Jocelyn, Zara, Jayla, Rylan, Meadow, and her sisters, Sage and Aspen, waiting for the men to return.

These old ladies’ kids had been taken by the other women to their houses to stay the night.

I was up pacing again when Zara came over to me. “I need you to sit and rest. And you need something with some calories in it. I asked Xander if you ate much tonight, and he said no. You can’t keep doing this to yourself, Braelyn,” she chastised.

“I’m not doing it on purpose, Zara. I told you. I don’t feel hungry, and even if I did, I can’t stand the smell of it. Maybe I’ve got a stomach virus. Have the results of any of those tests come back yet?” I asked. I’d forgotten about them until that moment.

“Some did. You don’t have a bacterial or viral infection.

It looks like you don’t have a few other diseases I thought of, which is good news.

There was one that did show up not within normal parameters.

I thought I’d wait for your man to come back before I talked about it.

I got the results after they left.” She had what I would call her professional face on. It could mean anything.

“Why wait for him? I’m the patient. Tell me. What if it’s something I don’t want him to know right now? He has enough to deal with. Tell me, and then I’ll break it to him when the time is right,” I half-pleaded.

Her clinical expression slowly changed into a grin. “You are something else. Okay, I’ll tell you, but if you don’t tell him after he comes back, I won’t be responsible for the spanking you’ll get when he finds out.”

“Fine, I take full responsibility. Tell me what you found.”

“You, Braelyn Hill, will need a lot of care, rest, proper nutrition, and more over the next several months. Expect to be smothered by that biker who loves you to death. And the reason is…you’re pregnant, Brae.”

Even though I knew it was one of the things she was testing for, and Loki had brought it up a few times, and then Xander’s earlier guess, I still hadn’t believed I was.

I was standing when she told me. I dropped onto the couch in the common room like a lead balloon.

Zara sat next to me and took my hands in hers.

“Take a deep breath. And another one. Look at me, Brae.”

My gaze had been hopping all around the room until she said to focus on her. When I did, I found I could breathe. I took several breaths before the sensation of fainting eased. I squeezed her hands.

“Will you repeat what you said?” I asked hoarsely.

Zara smiled. “Yes, I will. You’re pregnant, Brae. I don’t know exactly how far along, but we know it can’t be more than a month. Unless you’ve been with someone recently before you met Loki.”

“No! God, no, I haven’t been with anyone other than Loki. This baby is his. I can’t believe it. That means the baby will be due…”

“Sometime in September, off the top of my head. We’ll get you in to see Dr. Mark Foreman. He’s the greatest. We all go to him when we’re pregnant. He’s delivered almost all the babies here. And when the baby is born, I highly recommend Dr. Natalie Wooster. She’s an amazing doctor.”

“I heard you say Dr. Wooster’s name. What about her? Trying to get Xander in to see her? Do kids his age still go to a pediatrician? Do they do that until they’re eighteen?” Devyn asked, causing me to jump. I hadn’t heard her walk up.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, Brae. I was coming to see if I could get you anything to eat or drink. You look pale.”

“She’s right, you do. I know you’ve lost weight. Zara, make her let you check her out,” Jocelyn demanded as she joined us. Soon, I had all the women who were waiting surrounding Zara and me. Not knowing what to do, I blurted it out.

“There’s no need to have Zara do anything. She already did. I’m not sick, just pregnant.”

They all gasped, then broke out in excited chatter as they congratulated me and asked what Loki thought.

“He doesn’t know. She just told me,” I explained.

“Does he know you were having a pregnancy test done?” Rylan asked.

“He did.”

“How did he react to the possibility you might be?” Meadow asked.

“He has been talking like it was a sure thing and wants it to be. I was the one who kept telling him that there was no way I was.”

“So, I was right. You are having a baby.” Xander’s voice came from behind the women. They all gave me apologetic looks as they parted to allow me to see him. He was standing there, somewhat uncertain. I waved him over to me. Xander came and sat on the other side of me.

“Yep, you were right. I guess I should listen next time. But don’t let it go to your head. Your dad will be hard enough to live with. You have to be on my side. Remember, you’ll be the big brother and help look out for them. This baby is sure lucky to have you.”

This remark coaxed a faint smile out of him. He glanced at my stomach. “When will it be born? How long until you can feel it moving?”

“Zara guesses September. I have to see a different doctor to find out the date, and I’m not sure when you can feel it move.”

“Xander, it’s usually between fourteen and twenty weeks. It’s called quickening. Some take longer to feel it, as much as twenty-six weeks,” Zara explained.

He sat there quietly for a minute. The ladies were giving him and me concerned looks. They felt guilty that they hadn’t considered he might be in the room and hear them. I wasn’t upset. Xander was old enough to keep his mouth shut until I had a chance to tell his dad. Suddenly, Xander spoke.

“The office is perfect for a nursery. It’s close to your bedroom. Though it sucks that you can’t use it as an office. You need one. What about the bonus room upstairs? Or I can move out of the downstairs guest room, and you can make it your office.”

“I think the baby will stay in our room for a bit. But the office is big enough to have the baby in it, and I can still have a desk. If it’s too much, I can move.

As for you moving, that’s up to you if you’d rather be upstairs.

It is more private, and the bonus area would make a great room to hang out with friends in.

Your dad put you in the downstairs one so you wouldn’t feel lost in the house. ”

“It was scary at first, but I’ve gotten used to the house. I wouldn’t mind moving up there and doing what you said with the extra room.”

“Your dad and I talked about it being a theater room, or a playroom if we ever had kids. Wow, now look at us. We have two children. You’ll have to help me, Xander. I might freak out sometimes. I don’t know what I’m doing,” I implored him.

As expected, he puffed up. He was already an alpha, protective male, just like his dad. I’d seen how he tried to emulate Loki even in the short time Xander had lived with him.

The old ladies, seeing he wasn’t upset, cautiously gave ideas for what we could do and how to set up the nursery.

I was teasing him that we’d paint it bright bubblegum pink if it were a girl.

Xander was shaking his head and saying “no way” when the roar of motorcycle engines caught our ears.

We all perked up, and I clutched his hand as we waited to see who came through the door and what they would have to say,

Xander leaned closer to whisper, “Don’t worry, I won’t ruin the surprise for Dad.”

“Thank you,” I whispered back.

“Thank you, Brae,” Xander said.

“For what?”

“For coming back to my dad. He was miserable without you. And for not making him get rid of me. I know it’s hard to have a kid that’s not yours around. You’ve been great to me. And I’m excited about having a brother or sister. I always wanted one.”

“Xander, I could never give you away. You’re part of our family. And I don’t have a problem with you in the house. I just hope one day you can see me as more than your dad’s girlfriend. I’d like to be a mom figure.”

Xander gave me a sweet smile as he lit up my world. “You’re already that. You’ve done more with and for me than my mom ever did. You don’t scream and threaten all the time. I wish you were really my mom.”

“If that’s what you want, I’m your mom.”

His smile grew bigger. “I love that idea, Mom.”

His remark brought tears to my eyes, and they still sparkled when the door opened and the Warriors marched in. I searched for mine, though I was glad that none of the others appeared to be hurt. Finally, I found Loki, and I let the sight of him soak into my heart and soul.