19. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
HARRISON
“Where are we going?”
Emily asks her question before I’m even in the driver’s seat of my red truck. She’s so excited, so antsy that she doesn’t even reach for her seat belt.
I lean across her, grab the belt, and guide it across her body, kissing her on the nose as I snap the buckle into place. “Patience, Em.”
“But—”
“It won’t be a surprise if I tell you now, will it?” I tuck her hair behind her ear and move my lips down to hers. “I promise you’ll like it,” I whisper before swiftly kissing her.
She leans forward to follow my mouth, but I’m already starting the truck and pulling out of my parking spot. My teasing smile grows. She huffs in frustration, crossing her arm as she slumps against her seat.
Emily stares out the window for most of the drive into the city. I don’t push her to talk. Beneath her excitement is something else, something we’re both feeling—nervousness. In a few short hours, she’ll be twenty-one, and we’ll know for sure if we’re mates.
I’m certain we are. All the signs point to it being true.
Brad told me his wolf grew more attached to Stephanie and that her scent became more irresistible as time wore on.
The same has happened with Emily for me.
My lycan is obsessed with her, and she smells sweeter by the day.
I’m more drawn to her now than I ever have been.
All that’s left to do is wait until midnight to confirm it.
When we’re closer to our destination, I take her hand in mine and give it a reassuring squeeze. As she glances at me, a smidgen of tension falls from her shoulders. It’s not enough, but it’s something.
“We’re here.” I nod at the hotel I park in front of.
Emily’s eyes widen. I can’t blame her. Owned by our pack, it’s the nicest hotel in town, with a two-story penthouse suite that I’ve reserved for us tonight.
“Are we eating here?” she asks as I open the truck door for her.
“Yes.”
I take her hand and guide her through the lobby doors and into the elevator without stopping at the front desk.
Brad picked up the room key for me earlier, so I pull it from my pocket and punch the button for the penthouse.
Emily is too busy admiring the mirrored interior of the elevator to notice.
I take advantage of her distraction and trap her against the wall, my hands resting on her hips as I capture her mouth with mine.
She melts into me immediately, draping her arms around my neck and parting her lips, letting my tongue sweep into her mouth.
I kiss her until she’s breathless, until she starts making the little noises of pleasure I’ve grown to love.
And I keep kissing her until she’s so focused on me that she doesn’t notice the elevator ding or the doors open.
I back away, and just like in my truck, she tries to follow, but I’m already out of reach.
“I thought we were getting dinner,” she says as I lead her out of the elevator. She scans the penthouse foyer. “Is this the restaurant?”
“No.” My lips twitch as I unlock the door with the key she still hasn’t noticed. “It’s not the restaurant.”
We step inside, and Emily’s eyes widen once more when she sees the massive, opulent penthouse.
She spins around. “This is too much, Harrison.”
“This is only a small part of your gift. The tip of the iceberg.” I point to the gift box Brad left when he came here earlier. “That’s the rest of your gift.”
She shakes her head but crosses to the coffee table and picks up the box that’s no bigger than the palm of her hand. She arches a brow, but I gesture at it again, encouraging her to open it.
Emily slowly tugs at the white ribbon surrounding the red box, letting it fall to the floor. When she lifts the lid from the box, she almost drops it. “Harrison!”
“I know you never bought your own,” I say as she takes out the key to her new car and stares at it, slack-jawed.
Our eyes meet, and hers shine with happiness, surprise, and gratitude.
Wasting no time, she sets it back on the table, rushes across the room, and throws herself at me. She hugs me tightly, then leans back with a smirk. “I have a gift for you too, actually.”
“But it’s not my birthday.”
She untangles herself from my arms and grabs her purse. “Think of it as a late Christmas gift, then.”
“Werewolves don’t celebrate Christmas, Em.”
“Maybe we should. I like the decorations. All of your businesses decorate for the holidays. Stephanie’s family always decorates their house. Maybe we can decorate the packhouse next year?”
“If you want to celebrate Christmas, then we’ll celebrate Christmas.” I love that she’s already making plans for our future together.
She beams at me as she hands me a small gift bag that she’d hidden in her Mary Poppins purse. “I’d love that.”
My lycan preens at how happy we’ve made her by offering to add Christmas to our Crescent Lake calendar next year. I lean forward, giving her a short but sweet kiss as I accept the gift.
The bag is light. As I lift the tissue paper from it, my nose wrinkles. There’s a distinct scent emanating from inside, but… No. I’m sure I’m mistaken. That scent can’t possibly be what I think it is unless she’s pulling some sort of prank on me, maybe something Brad put her up to.
I shove that thought aside. She’s too sweet to get involved in Brad’s shenanigans.
I reach inside the bag and pull out a plastic stick.
I stare at it for several long moments, utterly confused.
Emily bounces on her toes, hands clasped beneath her chin, her excitement and joy palpable, and guilt floods through me.
Because I have no clue what I’m looking at or what I’m supposed to be excited about with her.
“I—”
“I’m pregnant,” she blurts.
The stick falls from my hand, landing on the floor with a soft thud. I open and close my mouth, but no words come out.
“I know we haven’t really talked about children, and I know this is unexpected,” she continues. “Trust me, I was shocked too, especially since I’ve been on the pill for a while now and—”
“You’re having my baby?” The question leaves me in an emotional whisper. “We’re having a baby?”
She nods, pressing her lips together to stop her adorable rambling.
“A baby…” Holy Goddess, a baby. A baby with Emily. A little carbon copy of her running around and wreaking havoc on the pack. She’ll have Emily’s brains and my strength, and she’ll charm everyone with her smile, wrapping them around her little finger just like Emily has me wrapped around hers.
I’ve yet to let myself imagine that part of our future. But I’ve wanted it for a long time now, since a year ago when Emily kissed me and ran away.
And now, on the eve of us confirming what our hearts and wolves already know, she tells me that we’ll also be starting our family? That we’ve already created the future of the pack without even realizing it? That the proof of our love will be in her arms in a little less than nine months?
Goddess.
My lips tip into a smile, and I take her face in my hands. “Em…”
“Are you happy?” Her eyes dart between mine, searching for an answer, for confirmation.
“This is the best gift I could ever ask for.”
I plant my lips on hers, circling my arm around her waist and pinning her to me as I kiss her with everything I have. She rises onto her toes, her arms around my neck, and I lift her, cupping her ass as she wraps her legs around me.
“So fucking happy…” I murmur against her lips between our intense kisses.
“You have no idea, Em… No fucking idea how happy you’ve made me.
” I trail my nose along her throat, breathing in her sweet scent, searching for the trace of the baby inside her, even though I know it’s too early for me to smell it.
“You’re wrong.” She gasps as I nip at her marking spot. “I know exactly how happy I’ve made you, because you’ve made me just as happy.”
“We should celebrate.” I set her on her feet but keep my face buried in her gorgeous neck.
Emily arches to give me better access to her throat. “I agree.”
“What do you suggest we do to celebrate?”
“I have a few ideas.” Her fingertips trace my dick through my pants, and she bats her eyelashes flirtatiously.
I growl, palming her ass in a rough grip. “Mmm… I think I like where this is heading.”
As I back us towards the couch, Emily undoes my pants and shoves them down my hips, then wraps her hand around my cock. With only steps to spare before we reach it, Emily spins us and pushes me onto the couch so she can straddle me.
I grab her ass once more, guiding her to grind along my dick. “Yes, I definitely like where this is heading.”