Page 75 of Married into the Mob

“I’m feeling better.” I glanced toward the window where everyone was dancing and Uncle Arnie was twirling Louisa around.

“Just behind the house. No need for bodyguards.”

“Okay.” Throwing up on my wedding day and then traipsing out to the forest so my mate could get naked and shift? Why not?

Hunter flung a towel over my shoulder and put wet wipes in his pocket in case I was sick again, and we snuck out the back door, though his family would have scented us leaving. We didn’t want the kids to ask if they could come. And Louisa might wonder what we were doing, so we had to avoid her. This was a moment for me and my mate, with the help of his wolf.

Hunter opened the small gate that led to the wooded area, and we walked hand in hand along the path my mate and his beast had trodden. In the background, laughter, squeals, and shouts indicated the family were enjoying our wedding reception.

“It’s a wedding I’ll never forget.” I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“We can have another one.”

“Nah. One fake, one interrupted, and a third where I vomited are enough. Besides, our vows and the rings are perfect.” We shared a kiss.

When we reached a clearing far enough from the house so we couldn’t be seen, I sat on a tree stump, and my mate stripped off his clothes. It was almost dark, but there was just enough light for me to see.

Hunter had asked his beast if he could do this, and he replied he would try and that my scent was a little different.

Hunter hadn’t detected that, even though we were mated.

“You’ll have to ask your dad how he predicts pregnancies.”

Fur rippled over his arms and he fell on all fours. He padded over the ground, and I reached out and stroked him.

He lowered his head to my belly and inhaled. I did too because I wanted to participate, even though I couldn’t smell myself or detect a baby.

There were more sniffs from his wolf and the beast nudged my arm.

“What do you want me to do?” I stared into the wolf’s eyes. “Lift my arm? There’s no baby there.”

Hunter appeared at the forefront of his wolf’s gaze, letting me know it was okay. He was sayingDellie, it’s fine, I was sure of it.

Oh, humans always secreted sweat, no matter the weather. He wanted to sniff my sweat.

The wolf nuzzled my armpit, and I giggled. “That tickles.”

After he inhaled, he stepped back, and I was so anxious to hear what he discovered, I was sweating more than usual.

Hunter took his skin, and our eyes locked as they had done so many times since we met.

“We’re going to be dads.” He scooped me up and swung me around. “Shoot. I forgot about your tummy. I don’t want to make you sick.

But I was too excited to worry about whether I’d throw up again. “A baby, Hunter. We’re going to have a baby. I don’t know much about babies.”

“We have two nephews and one niece and another on the way.” Matt was pregnant again. “They’ll teach us.”

“Hunter, what’s the verdict?” Ranger’s loud voice rang through the trees.

“They know what we’re doing.”

“I hope they didn’t describe it in detail because Aunt Louisa is present.”

“I’m sure they didn’t. But do you want to share?” Hunter kissed me.

“Do we have a choice?”

“Always. My family are all in everyone’s business, but if I tell them to back off, they will.”