“Give me a break,” Maeve muttered.
Rylee laughed as Maeve made a little gag gesture. Cassie and Sydney assured her that she was just jealous, and then the conversation moved on to other things.
Rylee was lost in thought. The whole idea of shifters was very strange to her, even more so that her friends had married them. Rylee had heard of shifters, of course, but never seen any up close until now, having just learned right before the wedding who her friends were really marrying.
Even more confusing was the whole claiming thing. She didn’t know how fated mates worked, and claiming was a whole new level of confusion on top.
What would she do if the same thing happened to her? She was glad Gage was just an ordinary guy, and she wouldn’t have these complications to worry about.
As the conversation and music swirled around her, Rylee fell into deeper thoughts. She knew both Cassie and Sydney had not been completely sure of their relationships until the pack forced the decision. She was even more grateful at that moment that Gage was not a shifter because she honestly didn’t know what she would do in that situation.
Would she accept what was essentially marriage just because that’s what his “pack” demanded, or would she let her man die?
Rylee’s mind turned violently away from the whole idea. There was no need to consider it. Gage wasn’t a shifter, and nothing like that was going to happen to her.
There were other things happening to her that she needed to worry about. The last thing Rylee wanted to do was freak herself out.
The waitress came over with another tray of drinks, and the girls cheered. Rylee felt faintly nauseous at the scent of the alcohol. While fancy cocktails were set down in front of her friends, the waitress gave Rylee a sly wink as she placed Rylee’s glass in front of her.
It looked like a fancy fruit cocktail, but it was, in fact, just juice. Rylee smiled her thanks at the waitress. When the girls had ordered their first drinks, Rylee had quietly asked the waitress to bring her only nonalcoholic drinks and do it without her friends noticing.
The waitress had been really nice about it and happy to help. Rylee promised her a big tip for going to so much trouble for her.
I just don’t want my friends to know.
Rylee felt an edge of anxiety slice through her. Again, she cautioned herself to remain calm.
She didn’t know yet if she needed to avoid alcohol, but she had enough of an inkling that she wanted to be careful. She gripped her purse, holding it tightly to her as if it were made of transparent material and everyone could see through it.
Inside was a pregnancy test she had bought earlier that night. Rylee had never been all that great at tracking her periods…she wasn’t even exactly sure how long it had been since she and Gage first had sex. Maybe two months, maybe even a little longer. Either way, she knew it had been a while since she’d had a period.
Rylee blinked hard, taking a sip of her virgin fruit cocktail. The others were all laughing at a joke Sydney told, and Rylee knew if she didn’t focus on the conversation, the others would notice she had dropped out of it. She couldn’t help it, though.
She had to face facts. She might be pregnant. Rylee had no idea how she really felt about it. She didn’t even know how to tell Gage. She wanted to keep seeing him. He was interesting, unique, and really cared for her. He made her feel special, and she enjoyed getting to know him better all the time.
Not to mention, the sex was fucking dynamite.
But once he knew about the baby … that’s it. They would be locked together forever. If the relationship continued, they were parents in it together. If they didn’t stay together, then it was a nightmare of shared custody…difficult, even if it was amicable.
She couldn’t just keep it a secret. Gage would find out one way or another, and if she broke up with him before she started to show, he’d learn the truth through the grapevine.
Rylee felt sharp tears in her eyes but kept herself calm with long, slow breaths. She had wanted her relationship with Gage to stay exactly as it had been, and that was no longer possible. There was no sense fighting against it. She simply had to accept it.
She didn’t even know for sure if she was pregnant, and Rylee was determined not to panic until she had the home test result. She felt like the kit was burning a hole in her bag. She was so aware of it. As she clawed her way back into the conversation, she managed to put the thought aside, but she couldn’t get rid of it entirely.
The image of holding a baby in her arms was haunting the back of her mind. She could almost see the sweet smile, hear the giggle, and feel the grip of a tiny hand around her finger. Her heart sang with joy, and she knew if she was pregnant, she wouldn’t regret a single thing.
The thought of Gage was a dark cloud over that joy. So much depended on his reaction, and Rylee knew she was going to be bound to him for life if she really was pregnant.
Maybe we don’t need a hoard of shifters showing up demanding a death match. It seems there are other ways to get caught in a relationship!
TWELVE
GAGE
Gage headed up the hallway towards Rylee’s apartment, whistling softly to himself. He’d had one of the other guys cover for him at the club because he was hoping to spend the night with her.
He knew she was out with her friends, but he didn’t expect her to be too late. She knew that he didn’t like trying to spend time together at the club…it was just far too noisy, and they were still keeping their relationship hidden from their friends.