Sedona, pregnant. Oh fates. The thought makes me want to run and howl, whether from joy or desperation, I’m not sure. All the itchiness to be near Sedona comes screaming to the surface. I’ve been fighting it, but now, with this thought of my beautiful female alone, abandoned and pregnant, I can’t stay still.
I fly into motion, packing a suitcase before I’ve even admitted to myself what I’m doing.
“I will take you into el D. F., I have an errand there,” Don Santiago says casually. “You can check out the warehouse before you go.”
I’ve just been played and I don’t give a shit. I can’t think of anything except getting to Sedona. I need to find her, verify she’s safe, and make her every promise she deserves. I will be there for her. I will provide. Protect.
Whether she wants it or not.
~.~
Sedona
I park my Jeep outside Garrett’s apartment building and get out. It’s a Friday night, so Garrett should be working at his nightclub, but with a new mate, he might be home. I’m not here to see him, though. That’s the point of coming on a Friday night. I want to talk to Amber, his mate. Because in addition to my mind twisting around and around what happened between Carlos and me, I have a new anxiety. A huge one. A looming question I would have to wait a week or two to get an answer on… unless I were psychic.
I enter the building and take the elevator up to the fourth floor. I know Amber’s apartment is next door to Garrett’s. I’m assuming they’re staying there, since Garrett lives with Trey and Jared, and I doubt Amber wanted in on that frat party.
I scent Amber inside the door to the left of Garrett’s and I knock. I hear her on the other side and I don’t catch Garrett’s fresh scent. “Amber? It’s Sedona.”
The door swings wide. “Sedona.” Amber’s blonde hair is pulled up into a French twist and she’s still wearing her work clothes, looking sexy in a silk blouse and pencil skirt. Seeing her like this, it strikes me again how she’s not the kind of female I would have thought Garrett would pick. She’s sleek and refined where he’s all rough edges and brute force, but her warmth is real as she invites me in.
“Garrett’s not here, but he was going to try to come home early.”
“That’s okay. I came to see you, actually.”
She doesn’t seem surprised. I guess psychics know when you’re coming.
“Do you want something to drink?” She walks over to the refrigerator in her bare feet and pulls it open. “I don’t have much, but there’s some ginger ale Garrett brought over. And beer.” She looks quizzically over her shoulder.
“Ginger ale sounds great.” I accept the frosty bottle and Amber grabs an opener out of a drawer. She pops hers first and passes it to me and I trade her for the one in my hand.
I look around her apartment. It’s sparkly clean but not neat, if that makes sense. No dirt or dust, but there are papers scattered on the desk and a pair of high heels unceremoniously discarded by the front door.
“So, um… how are you feeling?” Amber asks.
Ugh. This is definitely not the conversation I want to have, even though I know she’s genuinely asking and seems to care about my response. I draw a breath and launch into why I’m here. “I know I didn’t want you to, um, use your abilities to tell me anything about Carlos, but…” I swallow. It’s harder to say than I expect. “I just wondered if-I mean, I started worrying-” I walk around her living room, not able to face her directly.
“Yes.” She whispers it, and it flips every hair on my arms.
But I don’t even know if she’s answering the right question. I whirl around and stare at her.
She flushes, uncertainty creeping over her expression, as if a direct mirror of my feelings.
“Yes, I’m pregnant?” I blurt.
She flushes deeper and nods. “That’s what I saw.”
I clutch a chair back to keep from falling over. The room spins around me and the floor possibly tilts as well. I don’t know what I think or feel, but my gut believes she’s right. My gut knew two days ago, I just didn’t allow myself to listen.
Crap!
“Are you sure?”
The doorknob turns and I curse inwardly as Garrett’s hulking form comes through, carrying a box of takeout food. “Sure about what?” His voice is sharp.
Of course he heard, he’s a shifter.
“Did you tell him?” I ask weakly, still holding onto the chair to stay upright.
Amber’s gaze darts from me to Garrett. “No.”
Garrett stalks over, crushing the box of takeout in his hand. Someone who didn’t know my brother is a giant teddy bear to the women he loves might be afraid. His pack members would straighten up to see the silver glint in his eyes. I’m not scared, though, and neither is Amber, although I sense her discomfort. She steps forward to salvage the box of food, shifting it swiftly to the counter before all the contents dump from the mangled cardboard.
“Tell me what?”
I force myself to breathe.
Amber doesn’t answer, probably respecting my right to tell him or not.
My hand moves to protect my lower abdomen and Garrett’s eyes widen.
“Oh fuck.” He falls back and drops onto the couch. “I need to sit down.”
“Me too,” I manage.
Garrett scrubs his face. “Oh kiddo. I should’ve thought of this possibility. I was just so worried about getting you free and your mental state.”
“I know,” I croak. “Me too.”