I looked over to the living room. “Photo albums, stuff on the shelves and in the closets, the basement and garage. Nothing big, just looking for anything you want and anything I don’t want to keep.” Mabel had moved into the kitchen and was starting breakfast. “Thanks for being here, Aunt Remi.”
She gave me a hug. “You’re like a daughter to me, Ella, now more than ever. I’ll always be here for you.”
“I know.”
***************
Jimmy and his mate Melody arrived in time for dinner; Doug had agreed with our plan and had sent them early. We would leave after breakfast for Fargo to meet up with the Luna of the North Shore Pack.
Scott Tanner hadn’t been happy with the change, but Remi wouldn’t be bullied and I refused to meet him on principal. He finally agreed to her terms after she took the phone from him and talked to Remi herself. Lunas are natural peacemakers, and she hung up to deal with him and then called back.
We had finished the sorting of my parent’s stuff, and there was a stack of boxes in the garage that she would take back home. It was getting easier for me to deal with, after the original rip-off-the-bandaid approach of going through their bedroom. We had even gone through the files in the office, finding those we thought I would need to meet with the lawyer on Monday. I was exhausted, and I hadn’t even met with Mark yet.
I talked to his father in the afternoon, he was home and was not planning anything despite it being Saturday night. I left after dinner and drove over to their house. It was dark by 5 pm this time of year, so I parked on the street in front of their house and turned off the lights. I had to spend a few minutes mentally preparing myself for this. Mark had been my good friend for as long as I could remember, and we had ONE night as lovers before I shoved him away. I didn’t know how he would react to the news. The thought of him not wanting me, not wanting the baby, it scared the crap out of me.
He deserved to know.
It was a little easier because his family had known we were werewolves for generations, and because of that I could speak freely about what was going on. I had already told him everything that had happened at the lake and the cabin; he knew I had been raped, and that being with him was in part to help me move past that.
I must have spent too much time trying to get my courage up, because he opened the passenger door and climbed in next to me. I jumped. “Oh God, Mark, you scared the shit out of me.” I slapped him lightly on the shoulder as I tried to control my breathing.
“Well, I sat there watching you for five minutes and you didn’t notice me, so I just came in.” He cupped my face with his right hand as he scooted over and turned towards me in the seat. “What has you so nervous? Your heart is going a mile a minute.”
“We need to talk, Mark.” His face fell at the words no man wants to hear.
“Well, should we go inside? My parents are home, but they’ll leave us alone.”
“Maybe later.” I started the truck as he buckled in. “Let’s go to our place.” In high school, we used to meet up at a secluded spot above the reservoir. It didn’t take long to get to the park. I grabbed a blanket from under the seat and I took his hand in mine as we walked through the trees. There was a small clearing with a few stone benches facing the water. I brushed the snow off and set the blanket down, then pulled him down by my side and snuggled into the warmth of his winter jacket. “I didn’t know if I would see you again after the way you left me,” he said, his arm pulling me closer. “I meant every word I said that night. I love you, Ella. I want to be with you, no matter where you go or what you do.”
“I know. I’m sorry, at the time I thought it was the best way to protect you. There wasn’t much left that I truly cared about, and I couldn’t lose you too.” I let him pull me into his lap and I put my arms around his neck, keeping my brace clear. “Things have changed, though. That’s why I’m back here.” I filled him in on what had happened while I was at the Johnson pack; the attack on our truck, the news about the Tanner sons all dead, and the truce with the four packs. “They agreed to the truce only after learning of my… condition.” I put my head to his forehead and gathered my courage to say it.
“What? Are you all right? Did they do something else to you?”
I looked into his eyes and prayed for the best. “I’m pregnant, Mark.”
His jaw dropped, his eyes went down to my stomach and then back up. He tried to say something, then looked down at my belly again. “Who is the father, Ella?”
I pulled his chin back up. “I don’t know.” His eyes glared with anger. “There’s no way to tell until much later in the pregnancy. We didn’t use protection, and you, uh, finished in me a few times. I’m almost certain it is yours. But, it…”
“Could be that bastard’s kid too.” I nodded. “And they agreed to the truce because they think you are carrying his baby.”
“Exactly. It buys me time and safety, but as soon as the baby is born that could all go away. If the baby is human, or if the baby is female, I become a target again. Only delivering a blood heir to their Alpha would grant me protection after that.” I could see the gears grinding in his eyes as he thought it over. “They know nothing of you, they don’t suspect there could be another father and I’m not about to tell them.”
He gritted his teeth together. “How can you even think about carrying a baby that might be his? I mean, after all he did to you…”
I kissed him quickly, then put my forehead back on his. “I couldn’t stand the thought of ending a baby that was yours, Mark.” Tears started to flow, he wiped them from my eyes. “I’m having this baby, Mark. What I came to see you about was if you wanted to be involved with the baby or not.”
He moved his hands down my side, one moving in front below my navel. “I can’t be a baby daddy, Ella. I just can’t.”
I turned away from him on his lap, wiping the tears away as I looked over the lake. “I understand. I’ll work with your father, we can do a paternity test and go from there after it is born. I won’t bother you.”
He spun me back to face him. “NO, no, no. That’s not what I meant, Ella. I want more than just visitation. I want YOU, Ella. I want to be with you forever.”
“What?”
“I’ve always been in love with you, Ella, and I think you love me too. Sure, the timing sucks and this probably isn’t the way you dreamed of this happening, but it’s where we are.” He set me back down and dropped to one knee in front of me. “Marry me, Ella. Let me take care of you, take care of us. I promise to be by your side all the way.”
My jaw dropped, and the tears came faster. “You’re proposing to me?”
“I know, there isn’t a ring and I didn’t have time to make this special. It doesn’t matter, Ella. I love you and I want to be with you forever. If you love me like I think you do, we can make this work. We get married, quick and quiet, and we’ll worry about the rest later.”
I pulled him up to the bench and sat on his lap again. “But the ceremony? Your school? Heck, I’m still in high school, Mark! Where will we live? What will our family say?”
“Details.” He kissed me, deeply and forcefully. “I haven’t heard your answer yet, Ella.”
“Yes.”
He kissed me again, we lost ourselves in the moment, and when we finally broke apart I realized I was freezing. Our favorite spot was much nicer outside of winter, and I was starting to shiver. “Come on, let’s get back to your truck,” he said.
“We need to tell our families. We can’t just elope, Remi would kill me if we just went to Vegas.”
He looked at me funny. “Actually, it’s not a bad idea. How many people do you want at your wedding, anyway?”
I had to confess I’d never thought about a wedding because I always thought about a mating. Weddings meant nothing to werewolves, it was just a way to formalize what was already done in the human legal system. “Marge, Mabel, Doug and Remi’s family. Maybe some of my old Pack members. I don’t know, maybe twenty or thirty. What about you?”
“My parents, of course. A couple of friends.” We had reached the truck, and we both climbed in. I cranked the heat and put the buttwarmers on high. “Vegas actually is a good option. Do you want it around here? You’re 18, but you know what will be said if you announce a fast wedding.”
“Nothing that won’t be said anyway.” There weren’t human friends that I wanted to invite. “Vegas can work, it will be fun. When should we do this?”
He looked at the calendar on his phone. “We should take a few weeks so people have a chance to make arrangements. How about December 21st down in Vegas? We can rent a block of rooms, it’s school break, and everyone will be back home for Christmas. And that’s the perfect day to get married in my book.”
I looked over at him quizzically, “Why?”
“Because it gives me the longest possible wedding night, baby.” I busted out laughing. “And I plan to use every… last… second of it with Mrs. Harris.” He pulled me onto his lap and kissed the hell out of me, it was bliss.
Telling the families was not as fun. We drove back to his house, thankful it was still early enough that his parents were still awake. His Mom, Shelly, invited me to have some of her German Chocolate cake, and as a pregnant woman I wasn’t turning that down. We held hands after we finished, and they looked at us like we had something to say.
The conversation was uncomfortable, after all, a few weeks ago we weren’t even romantic and now I was pregnant and talking about a Vegas wedding. They had questions, of course. It was now past midnight and we were still talking.
Shelly put her hand on my shoulder. “Ella, you know Mark isn’t your mate, you would have recognized him when you were of age like he was hoping.” I nodded. “Your mate is still out there somewhere.”