Page 5

“Hey, remember our secret nickname for her?” Steve whispered, but everyone heard him.

“Mrs. Worry Waffle.” Drew giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Exactly. And she's a Worry Waffle because she loves you so much.” He kissed her forehead before glancing over at Sid, who was still shooing butterflies away from every surface like he expected one of them to squat and unload a pile of shit at any second. “Now, how about sending these guys back where they belong before Captain Poop Panic over there starts handing out tiny diapers?”

Drew’s giggles turned into full-blown laughter, making everyone smile, even Sid, who was still chasing the last few butterflies away from his cooking station. Raising her arms, Drew flipped her hands, and just like that, every butterfly disappeared.

Becky’s brows rose. Okay, that was pretty damn impressive.

“How did you know?” Kira asked Daniel, looking from Drew to him.

Daniel chuckled, his gaze sliding toward Sid before landing on Drew, whose grin immediately widened. “Caught her pulling a trick on Sid.”

“What?” Sid stopped wiping down the counter.

“She was sitting at the table eating while moving stuff around, making Sid think he was losing his mind.” Daniel winked at Drew, then laughed. “She had him going pretty good.”

Sid frowned as if trying to remember before his eyes suddenly narrowed. “I remember that. The salt and pepper. I’d set them down, turn around, and the damn things would be right back where I got them. I thought the damn place was haunted.”

Drew slapped a hand over her mouth, but there was no hiding the giggle that escaped.

“You little trickster.” Sid walked over and held out his fist. Drew bumped it with hers, a huge smile on her face. “Good one, but don’t make a habit of messing with Uncle Sid. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve and will get you back.”

“When was that?” Mira asked, still looking a little shell-shocked.

“About a month or so ago,” Daniel replied.

Becky watched Mira’s face fall.

“A month?” Mira stared at him. “You’ve known for a month and didn’t tell us?”

“It wasn’t my secret to tell, Mira,” Daniel answered with no regret in his voice.

Becky cringed. She understood why Mira was upset. Drew was her little girl, and finding out someone else had known something this important about her for that long had to hurt.

“She’s just a little girl, Daniel.” Mira frowned, anger sharpening her tone.

“It’s not Daniel’s fault, Momma.” Drew’s smile disappeared as she rushed to his defense. “He told me I needed to tell you, but I didn’t.”

Daniel smiled down at her before looking back at Mira. “You’re right. She is a little girl. A little girl who’s going to be more powerful than the two of you put together.” His expression grew serious. “I didn’t find out and then forget about it, Mira. I stayed close. I talked to her every day, kept an eye on her, and made damn sure she was okay. I told her she needed to come to you, but I wasn’t going to betray her trust and force her before she was ready.”

Mira stared at him, but Daniel didn’t back down.

“Today she was ready.” He nodded toward Drew. “Be upset with me if you need to be. But I wouldn’t have handled it any differently.”

Becky stared at Drew, trying to imagine how in the world the little girl hadn’t buckled under the power she must feel inside her. Becky didn’t fully understand what it meant to be a witch, but she’d seen Mira and Kira do some pretty crazy things. To think that Drew could one day be more powerful than the two of them put together was mind-blowing.

Once again, her hand went to her stomach, her thoughts turning to the baby resting safely inside her. She couldn’t help but wonder what parts of her and Sloan their child would inherit. Would the baby be more human like her, or would there be abilities that came from Sloan?

Honestly, she didn’t care either way. She just wanted their baby healthy and safe. But in the world they lived in, Becky knew being different could sometimes bring unwanted attention.

Whatever their child turned out to be, she and Sloan would figure it out together. If their baby had abilities, they would teach their child how to use them and how to stay safe in a world that wasn’t always kind to those who were different.

Becky rubbed her stomach, a small smile touching her lips. Human, vampire, or somewhere in between, it didn’t matter. This baby would be loved, protected, and given every chance to be exactly who they were meant to be.

And Becky would make damn sure nothing ever changed that.

Glancing up, she found Daniel watching her. His expression was serious as his gaze dropped briefly to the hand resting over her stomach before meeting hers again.