The Burning Claw
Page 59

“Have you ever met a baby that didn’t like you?” she asked him, a grin creeping across her face. It felt good to smile, she thought.
“Nope. And I’ve met a lot of babies in my lifetime.” He nodded as if agreeing with himself.
A small laugh slipped passed Zara’s clasped lips. “A lot of babies?” she asked, trying to be just as serious as he was being.
“Yep, like four or five at least. Maybe more.”
“Where’d you meet so many babies?”
Titus looked up at her, his little forehead drew together as his lips turned down. “At the baby store.” He sounded exasperated as though answering her questions was exhausting. “They had them in these bins behind this big window and people walked by and pointed at the one they wanted.”
Zara’s mouth opened as she had an ah-ha moment. She realized he was talking about a hospital. “Well I’ve never been to the baby store so I didn’t realize there were so many,” she said, humoring him, which she felt was a much better tactic than trying to explain the birds and bees to a toddler.
“One day, I’ll take you there,” Titus told her.
Zara chuckled. “Whatever you say, T.” They continued walking and Titus continued to say hilarious stuff that had Zara in stitches, though she had to bite most of it back so she wouldn’t hurt his feelings. She decided somewhere along the way that if she ever had children, and that was a big if, she hoped at least one of them was like Titus.
 
 
“Let’s load up, crew,” Jen yelled as she fastened Thia into the car seat. Even though Rachel had offered to watch the girl, Jen had refused. She and Decebel would both be on this little trip, and Jen knew that no one could protect the girl like they could.
She saw Zara walk out of the door holding Titus by the hand. They’d formally met only an hour before and Jen instantly liked her. The girl had backbone. She was strong and Jen respected that. Everyone loaded up into the large SUV and then waited. Jen tapped her fingers on the side of the door as she grew more agitated at her mate.
“He told me to hurry, so I hurried. He told me not to take too long getting ready, so I didn’t freaking take too long getting ready. He said I needed to be ready to go, in the vehicle, with my seatbelt on, at five-thirty,” Jen growled as her voice got progressively louder. “Well, here I am, furball. Where the crap are you?”
“Um, Mrs. Jen,” Titus voice came from behind her. “You don’t have your seat belt on yet.”
Jen heard Zara shush the adorable little boy and Jen grinned to herself. She turned and wiped the emotion from her face. “You’re correct, Toby,”
“Titus, Mrs. Jen. My name is Titus.”
“Forgive me. You’re correct, Tony, my belt isn’t yet buckled, but once—”
“Titus,” he corrected again, but a little more forcefully that time.
“Whatever. Anyway, once it’s buckled, then Mr. Decebel should be ready to go too. Correct?” He grinned and gave her a thumbs up as if he totally understood where she was coming from.
She laughed. “Thanks, Travis,” Jen said as she turned back around and buckled her seat belt.
“Titus, Mrs. Jen. My name is Titus.”
Jen held up her hand and gave him a thumbs up. Just then Decebel came hurrying out of the front door, his usual scowl in place—set to full scowl mode. Is there such a thing as a scowl mode? If there wasn’t, there should be, she decided. She watched as he paused at his door and tilted his head back. Then quickly shook it and opened the door.
“Everyone ready?” he growled as he climbed in and slammed his door.
“We have been ready for a while, Alpha,” Jen purred. “Mayhap I ask why you were not here on time? After you so thoroughly impressed upon me the importance of being punctual!” Once again her voice rose and this time was accompanied by a snarl.
Decebel put the SUV in drive and pulled out of the driveway. “I was taking care of some things.”
“Uh-huh, and what do those things happen to be?”
“Damn,” Decebel’s eyes shot up to the rearview mirror and widened. “I mean dang, female. Why are you snapping at me and prying?”
Jen’s eyes widened and she nearly sputtered but kept her dignity by clamping her mouth shut until she could get actual words out. “Did you just ask why I was prying?”
“Ouch, wrong move, dude,” Zara said softly from the back seat, but their werewolf hearing picked it up with no problem.
“You have things you don’t tell me,” he countered.
“Deflecting, brave move,” Zara murmured.
Jen liked this chick. “I’m a female; I deal with things you don’t need to know about.”
“Why can’t I deal with things you don’t need to know about?” Decebel shot back.
“Counter a question with a question, could work, but sometimes flies back in your face,” Zara’s commentary of their fight continued.
“Because you don’t have a period, or thong issues, or underwire poking at you,” Jen ticked off the things she dealt with one by one on her fingers. “You don’t carry a watermelon sized baby for nine months and then push her out of a hole much smaller than a watermelon. You don’t become a milk machine and have big round stains on your shirt when your nursing pads fail to do their job!”
“Oh, wow, busting out the big guns with female-only issues. Let’s see how our Alpha handles that one,” Zara again added her part to the fight.
“You can’t keep using those things as ammunition,” Decebel started.
“Why not?” Jen snapped. “They happen on a recurring basis, some of them like clockwork. And will continue to happen for the next thirty years. I think I can dang well use them as often as I need to. Now what made you late?”
“And she brings it full circle. Well done, Jen, well done,” Zara praised.
Jen shot her a quick grin and then turned back to her mate, her frown plastered back in place.
Decebel let out a resigned sigh.
“And here it comes, folks, the moment we’ve been waiting for—the truth,” Zara whisper-yelled.
Decebel growled at her. She wasn’t impressed. Yep, Jen liked her a lot.
Suddenly a Cheshire cat grin spread across his face. “I was late because I got my period.”