Chapter 17
GABE
Regardless what Mika thought, sitting on the Mears' back patio and watching the meerkats dig and forage in the fading evening light was exactly like the show.
The only difference was, we didn't have any close-ups or cameras inside their tunnels.
It didn't matter. I could imagine what Mika did in the tunnels, thanks to the hours of meerkat television I'd watched already.
Mika's dad, Nico, had tied a little red bandanna around his son's neck before he scampered off with the other meerkats, so I could tell him from the others in the fading light. Several other meerkats wore similar scarves, while Talia's neck was ringed by a studded leather choker.
"I gave it to her as a joke," Nico said, "but it stuck." He refilled our lemonade glasses from the pitcher and leaned back in his rocking chair. "How long have you known about shifters?"
"Becca told me Bruce was a wolf shifter when he left for North Carolina."
"Imagine coming into this life, not knowing anything about them. I knew Talia was the most beautiful beta I'd ever seen, but I thought I would have to tame the wildness out of her." He chuckled. "Little did I know, she would make me a little wild, too." He rubbed at the mark on his neck.
He was so laid back, it was hard to imagine what he considered his wild side, but I saw the comment for what it was, a chance to ask any questions about my bond with Mika, or our differences. "How long did you date Talia?"
"You don't date Talia," he said. "She drags you along for the ride of your life.
" He patted my knee. "Shifters mate faster than humans do.
It's always been the way. If anyone says you're moving too fast, ignore them.
They don't know what they're talking about.
" He gazed across the table at my dad, who wiped absently at the condensation dripping down the side of his untouched lemonade glass.
"Was Talia the head of the family when you met?"
He shook his head. "Nope. Didn't even know she was in line for it.
Her auntie had three girls of her own, but two went off to search for their mates and ended up moving to the east coast. When the auntie retired, her remaining daughter didn't want to be a leader, and Talia was the next oldest relative.
" He shook his head. "They didn't know what hit them.
My Talia may not look like much, but she's born to lead. All she needed was the title."
"I'm not … " I couldn't finish that sentence. I wasn't a leader, but I also wasn't a meerkat or female, the two prerequisites to become the family's leader.
"You're a hard worker, and talented." He'd commented on some of my sketches, still sitting on the desk in Mika's old room, waiting for some sticky tack to adhere them to the walls. "And you love my son. That's all that matters to us."
Love. That was the only way to describe the ache in my heart whenever Mika and I were apart, and the rush of emotions whenever he drew near. Even in his meerkat form, I sensed him bounding toward the nearest tunnel exit, which would bring him closer to me.
Still, it seemed too soon. "Love isn't supposed to be this easy," I said, trying to keep my voice low enough that my dad wouldn't hear me. It didn't work. He cocked his chin toward me and glared.
"Who told you that?" he asked.
"You and dad had it so hard."
He looked sad when he closed his eyes. "It was hard because we weren't meant to be," he said. "You were worth every moment of our unhappy marriage and then some, but I can see it now. Carl and I weren't compatible in the slightest."
I was the reason they'd gotten married. Dad had found out he was pregnant, and my alpha dad's family pressured them to marry. That didn't explain how I came to be, though. "Why did you sleep with him in the first place?"
"We were both trying to live up to impossible expectations." He sighed. "His family would never approve of him liking other alphas, while he checked all my boxes for the ideal alpha. I ignored the signs, while he tried to force himself to live a lie."
My dad lived with an alpha roommate in Reno. A pit opened in my stomach, and years of righteous anger sank into it, making me feel queasy. "Dad and Ross?"
"They're together," Dad said.
That explained a lot. I hadn't understood when I was younger. The last time I went to visit, I'd said some mean things to get back at him for leaving. Instead of yelling back, he'd cupped my cheek, kissed my forehead, and said, "I hope you understand one day when you're older."
I hadn't spoken to him in ten years. Fuck. I owed him a phone call.
Mika bounded out of the tunnel and dashed toward the patio, his red bandanna rippling out behind him. When he reached my chair, he hopped onto my lap. Standing on my thigh, he placed both paws on my chest and leaned in to tap his snout to my cheek in greeting.
"Hi," I said.
He dropped his paws to my left arm, where they seemed to hold my tattoo's hands, and stared at me expectantly.
"Bedtime?" I asked.
He bobbed his head and booped my cheek again. I wanted to say more than "Goodnight," especially after my dad's revelation, but the thought of snuggling up with my meerkat mate overrode my desire for conversation. Everyone else could wait until tomorrow.
"You smell funny," Talia said two weeks later as we set the table for Sunday dinner. It wasn't a question. She brushed the hair off my nape and took a sniff.
I froze, the stack of plates balanced precariously on my palm. "Funny how?" I'd showered and shaved only an hour ago.
"Funny ... pregnant."
"Already?" My arm wobbled, all strength leaving me, and I set the plates on the table.
"I haven't … you know." I wasn't yet ready to discuss my heat cycles with Mika's entire family over Sunday dinner, especially now that I lived here and had nowhere to run if they asked too many questions.
Only Mika's little sister Faria was within earshot, but still, it was uncomfortable.
"You know you're fated mates, right?" Talia met my gaze with a quizzical grin. "You don't need to be in heat to conceive."
I'd heard that, sure, and assumed it was an old wives' tale. The world narrowed to a black dot in front of my nose. I heard the scrape of a chair across the wood floor, and then I sat down hard.
"Breathe," Talia whispered in my ear as she bent me over so my head was between my knees. "You're all right. We've got you."
Through our bond, I felt Mika approach, and then his brown eyes, so much like his meerkat's, shone as he kneeled before me and dipped his head to meet my gaze.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "We can take plates back to our room, if you want to avoid the family today."
"I want to tell them." The words rushed out before I could process or second-guess them.
"Everyone will be thrilled." Talia's tone held that edge that reminded me of a mafia boss. If anyone was insufficiently excited, they would have to answer to her.
"Thrilled about what?" My dad asked from somewhere behind me. I turned to glare at him, and my stomach dipped again. I clapped a hand to my mouth.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Mika rushed in here, so I followed. Is everything all right?"
Talia nudged my shoulder. "Tell him."
If I had to disappoint my dad with news he didn't want to hear, at least Talia would have my back.
Mika helped me to my feet and clutched me to his side, and Talia bumped the chair back under the table with her hip before holding up my other side.
I wanted to collapse against them, to let them carry my weight, but I had to stand tall now.
Our baby would depend on me to be strong.
I squared my shoulders and took a step forward, leaving Mika and Talia behind. "I'm pregnant."
Instead of clouding with judgment, my dad's face split into a beaming smile. "That's wonderful news!"
"It is?"
He pointed to the mark on my neck. "I'm not blind, Gabe, and I know a thing or two about shifters. I'd been expecting an announcement like this one." He winked. "Though I would like to know when you'll be exchanging vows." He turned his gaze on Mika. "Will you make my son an honest man?"
I groaned. "I thought you said you knew about shifters."
"Bruce married Becca," he reminded me.
Talia stepped between us and snapped her fingers, the way she did when the teenagers shifted in the house. "The last thing he needs to do is plan a wedding. He's already building a new house and baking a baby."
"After the baby comes." Mika slid his fingers between mine and tugged me to his side. I met his warm gaze and melted a little. "He's already an honest man, but we'll exchange vows at our housewarming party."
Talia snapped again. "Does that work for you, Jerry?"
Dad blushed, but he nodded. "I never meant that he was dishonest. It's a figure of speech."
"It's a shitty one," Talia said with a shrug. "Come on. Let's get you a plate of appetizers to take to your friends." She hooked her arm through Dad's and led him away.
I turned to Mika, who beamed down at me. "We're going to be parents!"
I pressed my hands to my belly, and Mika spread his fingers over my still taut abs. I gazed at him, my smile stretching my lips. "I can't wait to meet them."
He dropped down to his knees, wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed the button of my jeans through my untucked polo shirt. "Stay healthy in there, little one." The gesture would have seemed too big from anyone else. From Mika, my adorkable alpha mate, it was perfect.