“Good. I’ll pick you up then to bring you back here.”
“For fuck’s sake, Paris. I am capable of getting back here all by myself.”
“I know, Corinne. But you don’t have to. That’s the point. Let me help you. Please.”
Something flashed across her eyes, and her flowery scent got even sweeter. Paris didn’t know what had done it, but it was probably the plea in his tone of voice. He had been an idiot for the last two months, and he would make it up to her.
“I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye after our night together. I will never leave you again.”
She shrugged. “We had said only one night, so it’s not like I can give you shit for leaving. Besides, you didn’t know this happened.” She gestured toward her still flat stomach.
“Go get yourself cleaned up. I’ll grab you some ginger ale and saltines for the road.”
Corinne opened her mouth to argue, but Paris cupped her cheek in his hand again, letting the tips of his fingers trace her cheekbone.
“Please let me take care of you. I need to.”
She nodded before he left her alone to get ready for her shift. Paris didn’t like that she wanted to go work on her feet, but he had time to convince her that she needed to take a break from work. He would drive her to work, then go to a bookstore and pick up every pregnancy book he could think of.
By the time he picked her up, he would be a baby expert.
He would wow her with his knowledge, and he would do everything he could to win her over.
As it turns out, the constant vomiting condition she mentioned had a name. Hyperemesis Gravidarum was a hell of a lot scarier than Corinne had let on. He had already called a prenatal specialist and made an appointment for Corinne and their little bundle of joy. Paris knew she would probably not like the fact that he was taking control of the situation, since his mate seemed to like being in control, but he was legitimately worried. He would have asked Johanna about it, but he didn’t want to alert his mother that she was the grandmother just yet.
Paris wanted to settle things with Corinne first.
That being said, he still needed to tell someone. He had to talk to someone. Pascal was a forever bachelor, who would have died of shock and fear if he had gotten a lover pregnant. Paris knew who he had to call.
“You two idiots better keep what I’m about to say in the cone of silence,” Paris growled to his brothers.
On the screen of his tablet, York rolled his eyes, while London wiggled his eyebrows.
“Did the reclusive Paris meet his mate?” London teased.
“It definitely looks that way,” York answered. “Vague look of terrified wonder. Yup. He found her, all right.”
“So, if you two would shut up long enough to let me get a word in, you would already know that my lady is pregnant.”
Both York and London blinked at him, remaining quiet for a few beats.
“That’s the most I’ve ever heard you speak in the last decade,” London ribbed with a chuckle. “But congrats, that’s wonderful news. Didn’t even know you had met your mate.”
“This is wonderful,” York cut it. “Josie is pregnant, too. We were going to wait to say anything, but shit. Now there will be two little Warwick babies who can play together at Christmas and family gatherings. This is wonderful.”
Paris shook his head. “Congrats, seriously, to you and Josie. But the baby isn’t why I called.” With a deep sigh, Paris started telling his brothers everything. He told them about the one-night stand, keeping the details to a minimum, and ended at a few hours before, when he had walked into one of the guest suites, only to see his mate. Pregnant to boot. “I knew she was pregnant the second I laid eyes on her. Even if my dragon hadn’t shouted it at me, I would have known. I could smell it on her.”
“Yeah, I get that,” York nodded. “I knew well before Josie. I bought her the test because I was convinced she was, and she was still convinced it was too soon to tell.”
“Shifter sperm is something else,” London cut in. “I bet Beth and I won’t be too far behind you two on the baby train. But, putting the growing Warwick clan aside, we need to figure out why in the fuck you’re being such a weirdo about this mate stuff, Paris. For real. How can you not tell your pregnant mate exactly who she is to you?”
“Because she isn’t one of our kind. It’ll freak her out. We didn’t exactly have the best beginnings. I can smell secrets on her, and I know she’s independent. If I start telling her that we’re meant to be, she’ll panic.”
“You don’t know that,” London argued.
“London is right. You can’t know that for sure, Paris. You said so yourself, you didn’t have an ideal start. This is where you need to lay it all out on the table and tell her everything. Be honest with her. Tell her all about the shifters and the mate thing. You don’t want to wait until the kid sprouts wings and flies off.”
London laughed at York’s words. “That would be quite a shock.”
“You need to tell her she is your mate,” York said.
“Shit yeah,” London agreed. “Sooner rather than later, since you’ve already got a lot going against you. Like getting her pregnant through the condom and her birth control pill. Fate definitely wanted you two to meet and stay together, it seems.”
“Right,” York agreed. “How were you able to walk away from her, knowing she’s your mate? I couldn’t leave Josie’s side without feeling some serious shit.”
“Yup,” London cut in. “I’d be a mess if Beth hadn’t agreed to be mine. Even with all of the fuckboy stuff in my past.”
“That’s a good point,” York added. “If Beth can date him, even though he was the biggest playboy ever, there is a chance Corinne will give you a shot. But you have to be honest.”
“Are you still there?” London asked.
Paris exhaled deeply, instead of speaking. He stayed quiet for a beat. “I’ve been in pain since I left her apartment that morning.”
“The mate thing isn’t to be fucked with,” London commented. “Now, go get your mate and be honest.”
“Your being reclusive and mysterious isn’t going to cut it with this, Paris. You need to make up for leaving, and you need to show her that no matter what she might believe about shifters, we take care of our own.”
“Right. Okay. Not a word of this to Johanna.”
The brothers all agreed and clicked off of the call, after more speculation about their mother, and her freakishly psychic vibes.
Paris looked at the clock. He only had about two hours before he needed to pick up Corinne from work. He would go to a baby store and get whatever it was newborns needed. He would get the best nursery ready, and he would show Corinne.
They belonged together.
Chapter Nine
Corinne
Corinne was not having a good day.
Oh, sure. Finding out that your baby daddy is a member of one of the world’s richest families wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. She wasn’t over the shock of that quite yet. Corinne was still trying to figure out what it could mean for her kid.