39
ROBERT
“You’ve seriously never been to the Shake It Up Diner?” Goldie asks as she sashays down the street in front of us. The wind flutters her blonde curls and whips her dress closer to her body, and I can’t take my eyes off her perfection.
“Nope,” I admit.
“Well, you’ve missed out on the best burger in the world.”
“Is that an official statistic?” Hunter asks, arching a brow.
Goldie rolls her eyes. “Yes, Hunter. Of all the burgers in the world, this one is the best.”
“Does it beat my sausage?” Evan asks.
Goldie barks a laugh that turns into a snort. She covers her mouth. “Your sausage is juicier,” she admits a little too loudly, drawing the attention of a woman in business attire, walking past .
“We can’t take you anywhere, mate.” Hunter smacks her on the ass, but there’s no sting in his action, just affection. Not like last night.
“You guys need to be on your best behavior,” she says, wagging her index finger. “Rosie has been waiting to meet you for months. Make a good impression, or she’ll start talking about the next man who’s my destiny.”
“Not when she sees you.” Evan reaches the door first and pulls it open for Goldie.
The scent of grilling meat that sets my saliva going fills the diner. One burger isn’t going to cut it. This meal is going to be carnage.
Goldie makes a beeline for Rosie, who’s already situated in a red cushioned booth. I remember her from the club and make a mental note to remind her that mushrooms aren’t on tonight’s menu. As she hugs our mate, she observes us over Goldie’s shoulder, her eyes widening. “Jesus, Goldie. They’re huge!”
Goldie grins, letting her heated gaze trail our forms from head to toe. “They are, but I can handle it.” She presses her hand to her belly, and Rosie glances down, taking in the softly rounded shape beneath the dress.
“Oh my god.” Her hand flies to her mouth, and she reaches out tentatively. “Are you seriously pregnant?”
“Yep,” Goldie says happily. The glow surrounding her since she peed on a stick and waited impatiently for the best news in the world is sparkling gold.
“I can’t believe it.” Rosie pulls Goldie into another hug and then turns her attention to Hunter, who she envelopes in grabby arms, much to my amusement. “Who’s the daddy?” she asks.
“We all are,” I confirm. When she frowns, I wave my hands between us. “Identical triplets mean identical DNA.”
“Oh yeah!” she grins as Evan holds his arms out for a congratulatory hug. “Perfect.”
“It really is.” Goldie slides into a booth while I accept the final embrace from Rosie, who can barely contain her excitement.
“Tell me everything.”
We all take our places in the booth, Rosie next to Goldie on one side and Evan flanked by Hunter and me on the other. The girls pass us menus but don’t bother looking because they’re sticking to their regular order.
“No mushrooms this time?” I ask Rosie.
She holds out her two index fingers in a cross shape. “Mushrooms are the devil's candy,” she hisses, making us all laugh.
Goldie spends the next twenty minutes telling Rosie all about her pregnancy so far. She’s four months along, the babies are fine, it’s twins, and she’s just over her morning sickness. Rosie oohs and ahhs about everything.
In between all the excitement, Rosie’s new boyfriend, a server in the diner, takes our orders.
“So, do you have names?”
“We do,” I say. “Two for girls and two for boys. But we’re keeping them to ourselves until the babies are born.” It’s a lie.
“Are you going to find out the sex?”
We already know the sex but play along for Rosie’s sake. “Yes,” Hunter says. “I’m impatient to know.”
“Oh, I have a gift for you,” Goldie tells Rosie, changing the subject.
Rosie claps her hands with excitement. “What is it? ”
Goldie reaches into her bag and pulls out a set of pink fluffy handcuffs that are currently a bestseller on Goldie’s Naughty Nights online store.
“Aiden is going to freak!” Rosie squeals, rubbing the fur against her cheek.
“Why? Does he like getting tied up?” Hunter barely conceals his displeasure at the idea.
“No,” Rosie says. “The other way around. She corrupted me with her kink.” Her finger jabs Goldie in the arm.
Goldie smiles proudly. “Just spreading satisfaction wherever I go!”
The food arrives, and there isn’t a free inch of space on the table. Goldie consumes her world's best burger with a passion that has only increased since she started growing two strong bear cubs. Rosie makes an impressive attempt to clear her plate. Me, Evan, and Hunter devour more meat than should be humanly possible, but then again, we’re not humans!
Goldie laughs at the satisfied purring noises our bears make when our bellies are full.
“I bumped into your mom the other day.” Rosie wipes her mouth on a napkin and lowers it as Goldie shifts in her seat.
“Did she talk to you?”
“Yes. She’s very unhappy. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I don’t want to hide things. Not when it’s about family.”
“It’s okay. What did she say?”
“She said that these three have corrupted you, and now you’re living in sin, and you’ve forgotten your family.”
“Of course, that’s what she said. ”
“She’s not wrong,” Evan quips. “There has been a lot of corruption involved.”
“It was the other way around,” Hunter says, swigging beer and grinning wickedly. “Robert was ready to lock up that room for good, and little Goldilocks over here was all ‘let me in and try everything.’ It’s her curiosity that got her into trouble.”
I’m pleased that he’s lightened the mood. As Goldie grins proudly at her achievement, she forgets we were talking about her mom.
I hope that her family will accept us one day—at least the part of us that we can be honest about. People need roots, and Goldie’s family is a part of what anchors her in this life. I’m not holding out much hope, though. Some people can't see the good they have in their lives, preferring to wear storm-colored glasses that spread a gray tint over everything.
At least she has friends, and she has us. Maybe her role in our lives will bridge the gap with the wider bear clan. Hunter doesn’t think so. He’s holding a grudge over Connor’s treatment, but with cubs on the horizon, change is coming whether we like it or not.
I’m ready for whatever happens next. I'm ready to support Goldie as she becomes a momma, protect our sons, and make a good life for us all.
“You’re going to be an honorary auntie,” Goldie says as Rosie waves the handcuffs in Aiden’s direction. The poor guy blushes the color of the slice of tomato Hunter has left on his plate.
“I’m going to be the best auntie in the world,” Rosie says, clapping. “I can’t wait.”