Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Aisling
I know I’m gonna regret this.
Early that morning, Aisling stood in the doorway of Tamsin’s room, her rucksack slung over her shoulder. She’d left the bulk of her things at Dewi’s, a perfect excuse to leave if she couldn’t handle sleeping here.
Badger and Duncan had done their thing with Aisling yesterday evening.
Then she and Badger dropped by the various households to introduce Aisling to the parents and kids and give them advanced notice that Aisling was the new babysitter and teacher.
Badger’s rationale was that it’d be less jarring on the kiddies that way.
Plus, he could reinforce the suggestions with his Prime this morning when the parents dropped them off.
This morning, Mateo greeted Aisling and Badger upon their arrival and was currently in the kitchen with Badger and Brianna, making breakfast. Carl was in the shower. Da’von had already left for school.
None of them would be told about Aisling’s mate bond with Tamsin at Aisling’s request.
She didn’t want anyone accidentally letting it slip.
Alone, Aisling stood in the doorway, unable to move. Staring at the bed, she closed her eyes and slowly, deeply inhaled, heart racing as her senses lit up like a Guy Fawkes night sky.
Bloody hell.
This was the sweetest torture imaginable.
Finally stepping into the room, she set down her ruck and fell, face-first, onto the end of the bed, once again deeply inhaling.
Not only were her nerve endings lighting up as Tamsin’s scent filled her lungs, places deep inside her began to pleasantly ache in ways they…
Well, never had. Not even with the best of lovers.
Eyes closed, she worked her way up the bed, to the pillows, rubbing her face against them as she kept sniffing, squirming, close to ripping off all her clothes so she could wallow and cover herself in Tamsin’s—
“Ahem.”
Aisling’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Carl clearing his throat in the doorway but she didn’t lift her head, didn’t look. “What do ye want? Or are ye just one of them peepin’ Toms?”
“Considering it’s my house, and you left the bedroom door open, and I have to walk past this room on my way from my room to the kitchen, I don’t think it falls under that category. Is this some weird Irish wolfhound ritual I don’t know about?”
“Fuck off, ye pervy twat,” she said into the pillow.
“Suuuurre. You’re the one rolling around on Tamsin’s bed like a stray dog on a dead squirrel, but I’m the pervy one. Got it.”
She didn’t want to look at him because the smarmy smile she plainly heard in his voice would likely make her want to launch herself at him and strangle him.
“Go away. Feckin’ wanker.”
She finally sensed him leave. Only then did she get up and close the bedroom door.
And locked it.
Leaning against it, she stared at Tamsin’s bed for a long moment before she returned to it and plopped facedown on it.
She fought the urge to do what she really wanted to, which was rip her clothes off and roll around in the sheets that still smelled so strongly of the corgi shifter and frig herself silly.
I might need to amend my request to Badger to help me with this, too.
It wouldn’t do any good for her to let them catch her doing something like that.
Except if Tamsin’s scent was the only thing Aisling would be able to enjoy, maybe she should enjoy it while she could.
Goddess, ye’ve got a right foul sense of humor, doncha?
She sat up and looked around the room, her gaze falling upon a laundry hamper. She was up and off the bed and heading for it when she heard the doorbell ring, freezing her in her tracks.
Well, I guess I deserve that one.
Forcing herself to turn, she headed to the door, glancing back one last time before stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind her.
It was Lu’ana and Bebe. Badger was already taking the little girl from her mom when Aisling joined them.
“Good mornin’, then,” Aisling said, forcing a smile. “Ye ready for some fun today, little one?”
Bebe flashed her a big grin and, yeah, Aisling could easily picture the shifter hidden inside her. “Auntie A!” Bebe crowed, reaching for her.
Badger let Aisling take her while Lu’ana handed him Bebe’s things. “Reggie might be picking her up this afternoon if I get caught late at work,” Lu’ana said
“No worries,” Aisling said. “I’m looking forward to havin’ some fun with ’em.”
Lu’ana’s gaze clouded a little. “Badger said you’re Tamsin’s cousin?”
Badger’s hand shot out and gently caught Lu’ana’s wrist. “Distant cousin of mine,” he corrected, enforcing the knowledge, and Aisling shivered as she watched.
“She’s moved to the States and’s gonna help teach the little ones from now on.
We all love her, and she’s very qualified.
Ye’ve heard us raving about her for a long time now. ”
Bebe threw her arms around Aisling’s neck and whispered into Aisling’s ear, “Gwampa Bada’s doin’ a wuffie on her,” she said.
“Shh, little miss,” Aisling whispered back, shivering again. Primes always made her nervous and always had, even when she logically knew she had nothing to fear.
Lu’ana’s smile brightened as Badger released her wrist. “How are you liking Florida so far, Aisling?” Lu’ana asked.
“Haven’t seen much of it yet. But Badger and them talked about it so much I decided it was time to get away from the damp and cold and see a little sun for a change.”
“Well, Reggie and I already absolutely adore you, from everything they’ve told us.” She nodded at Bebe, who still sat in Aisling’s arms with hers draped around Aisling’s neck. “And Bebe doesn’t make friends easily, but she’s already taken to you.”
Bebe looked Aisling right in the eyes and.
Feckin’.
Winked.
Startled, Aisling stumbled for words, but Badger took over again. “Lass, ye best get goin’ before traffic is too horrible.”
Lu’ana glanced at her watch. “Oh, my gosh! You’re right!” She hurriedly leaned in and kissed Bebe before calling out her good-byes.
When the front door closed behind her, the eyebrow over Badger’s good eye went up and he walked over. “What was that about, then?” he asked Aisling.
Aisling nodded at Bebe. “Cheeky little thing winked at me. When Lu’ana was talkin’ about her not makin’ friends easy.”
Bebe giggled. “Gwampa did the wuffie on Mommy.”
Badger’s eye widened. “Well, then. Yer not wrong, missy. But what’d we talk about?”
“I don’t talk about wuffie stuff to Mommy and Daddy and people who aren’t wuffies. But Auntie A’s a wuffie.” Bebe grabbed Aisling’s face and turned it so she could look into her eyes. “No, wait. You not a wuffie. You a puppy. Like me and Auntie Tam, but diffwent. Wight?”
Brianna, who’d been heading to the sofa with a mug of coffee in hand, froze mid-step. “Um, did she just say what I think she just said?”
“Uh-huh,” Aisling said.
Badger handed the girl’s bag off to Brianna and held his hands out for Bebe. She willingly went.
“All righty, lass,” he said as he settled her on his hip. “One more time. No wuffie talk—or puppy talk—around anyone who doesn’t know already. Understand?”
“But I was quiet!”
“Quiet or not, we cannae risk it.”
Bebe solemnly nodded. “So Auntie A is a puppy?”
“How the feckin’ hell does she know that?” Aisling asked.
“Langwage, Auntie A,” Bebe scolded.
Brianna snorted while Badger looked like he was fighting a headache. “Yes, Auntie A’s a puppy,” he said. “She’s an Irish Wolfhound. You and Auntie Tam and Uncle Hamish are corgis.”
Bebe happily bounced in Badger’s arms. “Yay! Another puppy!” She leaned over for what Aisling realized was a high-five with her, and Brianna finally lost it laughing.
“Is she always this sharp?” Aisling asked Badger.
He looked disconcerted, and that disconcerted Aisling. “She’s extremely perceptive an’ precocious, yes. So watch what ye say around her.”
“Especiwy your langwage,” Bebe added.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Aisling said. “What the hel-eck have I gotten myself into?”
Badger snickered. “Welcome to the family, lass.”
Badger stayed until just before lunchtime, making sure Dania and her sisters were also comfortable around Aisling.
Fortunately, he’d needed to use very little Prime on them, just enough of a nudge that they accepted the situation like they’d already known about it.
When the old shifter was ready to leave, Aisling walked him out while Brianna remained inside with the children.
“What happens if there’s suddenly a small shifter prancin’ around here?” she asked.
“Call me immediately,” he said. “I’ll call the respective parents and tell them there’s gonna be a slumber party, and then I’ll put myself on the first flight back to help you. I implanted commands in the parents to allow me to give them emergency instructions over the phone in a case like that.”
“Ye sure I can handle this? Bebe is already a handful. And if Dania isn’t a shifter, I’ll eat my feckin’ shirt.”
“I’m fairly certain yer right about that, but all that’s on hold until after we return from Idaho.
Once Hamish has returned, we’ll start the next part, which is breakin’ all this to Imani.
After she knows—and has recovered from the shock—then ye’ll be takin’ care of the babies and her, too.
Workin’ with her to teach her how to do it and control it. ”
“I’ve never heard of a shifter never shiftin’ again once they have as a child.”
“Neither have I, but she was raised by clueless humans with zero knowledge of what was happenin’.
The younger a child, the easier to imprint on them—positive and negative.
Plus, it seems like our pack is the center of a bunch o’ firsts lately.
What’s one more, then, aye?” He offered her a wry smile.
“Just take it one day at a time. Teach ’em, have fun with ’em. Be the fun ‘aunt’ to ’em.”
“What about me, then?” she quietly asked. “With Tamsin? How do we handle that?”
He sighed. “I’ll talk to Peyton. He has to know this. He might order ye to reveal it to her and get it over with so we can plan the next steps. But don’t fash yerself. Ye can’t live in limbo. It’s not healthy.”
“I don’t want to live in limbo, either,” she said.
“I just want an…ethical way of decidin’ this.
Without Tamsin feelin’ like she’s obligated to me.
This wouldn’t be a problem for me if she weren’t recently widowed, mind ye.
And honestly, Maisie’s dyin’ words to me were to tell Tamsin she wanted her to go on and be happy.
But…” She shrugged. “The last thing I ever want is Tamsin feelin’ like she owes me somethin’. ”
“I know.” She forced herself not to flinch when Badger laid his hands on her shoulders, but she didn’t sense him using his Prime on her. “Again, stop worryin’ about it. Deal with the immediate concern—teachin’ the bairns.”
She stood there watching as he drove off, her conversations with Peyton in the UK rolling through her mind.
Depending on how events played out, this gig might be the lowest stress she’d experience for…a while.
I guess I really should try to enjoy it. Goddess only knows what unholy hell might await us in the near future.
Turning, she headed back into the house.