“It’s going to be all right, brown eyes,”Costin said. Though his voice was in her mind, his arms were very much touching her physical body as he wrapped them around her from behind, forcing her to stop pacing. He laid his hands over her stomach and gently flexed his fingers. “They’re going to bring her home. And when they do, you will be here safe and well rested so you can lay on the pregnancy guilt trip about how she shouldn’t have worried you while you’re in such a state, and so on and so forth like you females do so well.”
“Are you trying to tick off all women everywhere just to distract your mate?” Bethany asked from where she sat holding Hope. The two-month-old girl was currently being taught all about werewolves, courtesy of Titus. Although she couldn’t understand a word Titus said, the little girl stared at him with rapt attention while she gripped Bethany’s finger tightly in her small grasp. Sally’s son rarely left Hope’s side. He’d taken on the role as her protector, and he took his job very seriously.
“Considering only the females in this room can hear me,” Costin said, his breath warming Sally’s neck, distracting her in other ways, “I’m apparently only trying to tick off you all. It’s a small price to pay for her peace of mind.”
“Hmm, I can’t even begrudge you that.” Bethany glanced down at Hope. “I’d think less of you if you simply let her fret in order to keep from offending us.” Bethany looked up and met Sally’s eyes. “He is right,” she told her. “They will bring Peri back. She’s hit rock bottom.”
“The only place left to go is up,” Sally finished for her.
Bethany smiled. “Exactly.”
The door opened, and all of them turned to see Sally’s mother walk in, pushing a tray loaded with food. Cindy walked toward a large table and looked at Sally. “I was hungry, which made me think that maybe you all were hungry. I just brought an assortment, courtesy of some help from the sprites, considering I didn’t really know what anyone wanted.”
Sally smiled. “Thanks, Mom, that was really thoughtful.”
“She misses you,”Costin said through their bond.“You haven’t spent much time with her since we found out about the baby.”
“There’s been a lot going on,”Sally argued. But he was right. Shehadbeen avoiding her mom and dad. The irritating thing was Sally didn’t know why. Truth be told, she hadn’t wanted to be around anyone other than her mate, Jacque, and Jen since Peri had lost her crap. Maybe it was because she felt safe being vulnerable in front of them. Her parents had never made her feel weak or judged her for how she’d handled her struggles. They hadn’t said anything when she’d shut down after finding out about Peri. But shedidfeel weak. After learning everything she had about her mom, Sally realized just how incredibly strong Cindy Morgan was. There was a part of her that didn’t feel worthy of being her daughter.
“Okay, now you’re just being silly,”Costin told her.“You are amazing.”
“You’re my mate, so you have to say that,” Sally whispered.
Costin chuckled.“You’re right. I have to tell you the truth, because that’s what mates do.”
“Sally?” Cindy held out a sandwich to her. “Peanut butter and jelly?”
Her mouth watered. Thank goodness she hadn’t developed any weird cravings so far, nor had she discovered any aversions to foods that she loved before her pregnancy. Sally nodded and stepped out of Costin’s arms, walked over to her mom, and took the offered food.
Cindy stepped closer and laid a hand on Sally’s arm. “Your dad and I”—she paused and bit her bottom lip—“we love you. You know that, right?”
Sally’s lips turned up. “I do, Mom.”
“I’m here if you need anything or want to talk. But I also understand if you don’t.”
Sally frowned. “You do?”
Her mom nodded and glanced over Sally’s shoulder. “Once upon a time, I would have been the first person you came to when you were dealing with stuff. But our circumstances change as we grow. You have a mate now. He should be the first person you turn to. That doesn’t mean I will ever stop being here. Neither will I be offended if youdon’tseek me out. I want you to know that. I’m okay, and so is your dad.”
Sally let out a deep breath. How did moms always know what to say? Was it a superpower they developed during pregnancy or something that evolved over time during motherhood? Sally glanced at Titus as her free hand rested on her stomach. However it happened, she hoped it was a skill she would obtain. “Thank you, Mom. I needed to hear that.”
Cindy gave her a quick hug and then started offering food to the rest of the room. Costin carried Titus over to the table and sat him down, then gathered up Thia and Slate and sat them in highchairs. As he prepared each of the kids their own plates of food, Sally watched him. He caught her and winked.“I’m totally getting you all hot and bothered with my mad-dad skills, aren’t I?”he asked her without so much as a pause in dealing out the food.
Sally snorted as she took a bite of her sandwich.“Totally.”
“You say that like I can’t sense your emotions or smell your—”
“Costin,”Sally mentally cut him off, feeling the heat of her blush on her skin. Her mate still loved to tease her mercilessly.
“Gotta keep things interesting, Sally-mine,”he purred through the bond.“Wouldn’t want you to get bored.”
Sally couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “I doubt our lives will ever be boring,” she told him before popping the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth.
Titus climbed into one of the empty chairs at the table and smiled up at her. “Nope,” her son agreed. “We will never be bored, especially once Torion gets here.”
Sally frowned. “Who’s Torion?”
Titus grinned, and despite the fact that he wasn’t Costin’s birth son, he managed to look just as cheeky as her mate. “Sorry, Mommy, I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you he’s awesome. And Thia is going to love him.”
