Her smile turned wicked. “How about you show me exactly how much?”
I might have just taken her, but I wasn’t going to turn down an offer like that. I was always more than ready to give my mate as many orgasms as she could handle. And maybe we’d get lucky this time around, and she’d end up pregnant with my pup.
Epilogue
Trinity
Butterflies swirled in my belly as I looked around the restaurant, searching for anything that needed a last-minute adjustment.
“Stop overthinking, kitten,” Damon whispered in my ear as he slid his arms around my waist, resting his hands on my very prominent belly. “Everything is perfect.”
He was right, but I couldn’t help it when the combination of my nerves and perfectionist tendencies were putting me on edge. Tonight was opening night for my restaurant, and despite my years of experience and reputation in the field, I was terrified of failing. Plus, I didn’t want to let anyone in the pack down.
To my surprise, it hadn’t taken long after Damon and I mated for me to feel at home in Timber Ridge. I’d already been close with Calliope, but her two best friends had embraced me, and they were just as much my family as my sister-in-law. They, as well as many others in town, had helped enormously when I decided to open Timber Treasures. Now it was time to prove that their efforts had been worth it.
“Time to stop procrastinating.”
Damon and I both turned to see Peppa, the chef I’d lured here from a five-star restaurant in Chicago, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. The lion shifter’s hands were propped on her hips, and her expression was filled with exasperation. “My kitchen is running like a well-oiled machine, and my staff is itching to start creating perfection.”
I had no doubt that what she said was true. Peppa had brought most of her kitchen staff with her, and I’d been amazed at their cohesiveness. They adored and respected the chef, following her orders to the letter and clearly enjoying themselves in the process.
Calliope had walked into the room in time to hear Peppa, and she giggled when the chef huffed and marched back into the kitchen. “The place looks amazing, Trinity,” my sister-in-law gushed as she faced me.
“I’m so proud of you,” Tane added as he came to stand beside his mate, placing a protective hand over her stomach, which was nearly as big as mine. Despite being four weeks behind her, I was larger because I was carrying twins. Little Drey—I’d given Calliope veto power over the names, but it turned out she loved my first choice—was due to arrive any day. Damon hadn’t wasted any time knocking me up. I was pretty sure it had happened in the first week or two that we’d been together. Calliope and I were both excited that Drey would be so close in age to Greenlee and Nyx. With the tendency for twins to come early, we couldn’t even predict who would be older.
Damon rubbed my belly, and one of the babies kicked, clearly recognizing their daddy. “Time for you to sit down and relax, kitten. Trust the people you hired to do their job.” His tone was firm, and I knew he wouldn’t budge on forcing me to rest since we’d made a deal. When I found out I was pregnant, I’d already outlined a plan for opening my restaurant within six months. At first, Damon wanted me to put off the project until after the baby—we hadn’t known there were two yet—was born. In order to get him to relent, I’d promised to take it easy during the last couple of months. He’d come to know me well enough to know that I wasn’t the sit back and watch type of woman. But it hadn’t been a hard promise to make because I would never do anything to put our sweet babies in jeopardy. So I let him guide me over to the smaller of our two party rooms, which had glass walls separating them from the main dining area, where I could still oversee the action.
My parents, Tabara, my nieces and nephew, Damon’s parents, Allegra, and Larissa—with their mates and kids—were already gathered in the space. Cason had been feeling out of sorts and had taken off to spend a month or so with some friends, but he’d promised to be home by opening night. It looked as though he was running late, but I had no doubt he’d be here.
Damon helped me lower down into a chair facing the glass, and I chewed my lip as patrons were seated. My stomach squeezed with nerves, and the babies shifted restlessly. I placed a palm over their resting place and rubbed soothing circles. When I felt the same sensation three times more, at fairly even intervals, I gasped. These were different than anything I’d experienced, even the Braxton Hicks contractions.
“What is it, kitten?” Damon swiftly vacated the chair at my side and fell to his knees in front of me. “Are you alright?” He watched me with concern as he placed his hand on top of mine.
“Ummm…” I really didn’t want to admit that I was pretty certain I was in labor. It would be hours before I was ready to give birth, and I wanted to spend the time at Timber Treasures rather than in a hospital room.
But my body betrayed me. When my stomach tightened again, Damon’s eyes narrowed. “Kitten,” he growled.
I threw my hands up in the air and huffed, “Fine! I’m in labor. But I want to stay here and —”
It wasn’t worth continuing the protest when he scooped me into his arms and stalked to the door. The look on his face suggested he wasn’t open to changing his course.
Though I would never admit it out loud—despite the fact Damon’s and my connection was clear enough that he knew I was thinking it anyway—he’d been right to rush us to the hospital. I gave birth to Greenlee and Nyx less than an hour after we arrived.
Our parents and siblings, including Cason, who’d finally made it back, came in to see our precious little ones before leaving me to rest and promising to be back in the morning.
We had a parade of visitors the next day, including Peppa, who informed me that opening night had been a smash. She was holding Nyx in her arms when the door banged open, and Cason stalked into the room, looking around wildly until his eyes landed on Peppa.
Cason
I’d been feeling at odds with my wolf for a couple of months, and the only explanation I could come up with was that I needed to get away from all the mated pairs who reminded me that I was alone and cursed. I was happy for my friends, and especially my brother and his adorable mate, but the desolation was suffocating me.
I had taken off to visit some single friends who lived a more primitive lifestyle out in the wilderness. It had been a relief to get away from my troubles, and I would have stayed longer if I hadn’t promised my sister-in-law that I would be back for the opening of her restaurant. It turned out to be doubly good that I’d returned because Trinity had gone into labor about ten minutes before I arrived at the restaurant. I’d immediately turned the car around and drove straight to the hospital, where I was shocked to only wait an hour and a half before being allowed back to meet my new niece and nephew.
After a restless night, I was grouchy from lack of sleep, but I drank a few cups of coffee as I got ready and met my parents in the waiting room of the maternity ward. The minute I stepped off the elevator, I felt my entire body freeze and go up in flames at the same moment. I inhaled deeply, pulling in the most delicious and desirable scent I’d ever smelled. My wolf went on high alert before ramming into me, demanding to be let out.