Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
“ I ’ll think about it, Godmother June.” Tilly sat on the hospital bed of an examining room at Montreal General, waiting for the doctor to come back and trying to keep her tone even as she spoke into her phone. But she was still shaken up from the attack.
Her banshee godmother June was always the most worried out of the three sisters. Cousin Sloane had had a vision of her abduction, and her godmother had immediately called her.
The harsh light of the sterile room caused her eyes to water as she listened to the concerned elder’s voice. The sensible approach, her godmother was insisting, was to have Tilly fly to the Pacific Northwest and be with them.
“I can come pick you up if you don’t want to do the trip by yourself,” Godmother June was saying. “Although, you may be too far along to be allowed on a plane, so I don’t know.”
Tilly caught Cass’s eager look as he sat on a rolling stool by the bed and stared at her with rapt attention.
“I will be perfectly safe here,” she told Godmother June. “We were just blindsided. And Cass and his brother prevented the kidnapping, didn’t they?”
“I’m sure Chelsea Jones would lend us a couple of her men for the duration of the pregnancy if you’d come over here. April should have suggested that instead,” the elder banshee continued, mentioning the leader of a Seattle organization keeping an eye on the local supernaturals. “Your cousin Sloane is married to her boss. And we have the Necromancer. Malcolm can put more wards on our house. We’re so isolated on the island, no one will come here. Maybe after the birth? Keep the infant safe?”
It sounded very tempting. The aunties did live on Pike Island, which was secluded from the mainland. She checked Cass again. His smile on her was supportive, genuine. It carried all the way to his eyes. She didn’t know the godmothers much more than she knew Cass.
And Cass had found them a safer place. They were apparently leaving Montreal for the mountains as soon as the doctor cleared her.
“Chateau Briac is warded,” she reassured her godmother. “By his mother .”
“The Ice Witch.” Godmother June’s respect was unmistakable in her tone.
“Exactly,” she explained. “And the town below the mountain is packed with wolf-shifters loyal to the St-Amands. No one will get to me there.”
“Well…”
“Cass’s sister-in-law is not only the alpha of the pact, but she’s also the town’s physician. Well, a nurse practitioner. She can deliver my baby.” Tilly had been dreading going to a stranger for the birth. But with all this family around, she’d felt her anxiety relent.
She had already talked to Rosalie on the phone, and the caring and energetic woman had made her feel right at ease during their brief conversation.
“You’ll call if something else happens,” Godmother June insisted.
“Nothing will happen.” Tilly smiled, trying to keep her tone steady. “Cass won’t be alone watching out for me.”
She shuddered, again recalling nearly get kidnapped just a few hours ago. The memory was intense, but fuzzy. Woozy from whatever chemical they’d forced her to inhale when they’d first jumped her, she’d fought tooth and nails to get away as the sons of bitches had carried her away from the venue. All she had thought about was not getting into that van by any means possible.
And Cass had been right there. He’d swooped in and rescued her. A true hero. Like in the movies.
A wave of gratefulness washed over her to have him by her side, then and now. She’d only known the creative side of him, but tonight, she’d seen the fierce protector emerge as soon as people had tried to harm her.
Her fear of him being a bad father had entirely disappeared. He was the father her child needed.
That she needed.
“It’ll be okay Godmother June,” she added into the phone. “Only four weeks until birth.”
“And the infant?” The elder banshee wouldn’t let it go. “Will he or she be safe?”
Tilly unconsciously patted her belly. “How long do you think before my little one is no longer at risk?”
“I’m not sure,” her godmother answered. “I’ll check with May. She can ask around and research some more. She keeps up with all our family connections.”
“Thanks, let me know, okay?” Tilly nodded at Cass, indicating that the call was almost over.
“We’ll all come down when the baby is here.”
“Godmother June—” Tilly started, imagining being crowded by her well-meaning but overbearing relatives.
“No questions. All three of us. I’ve been knitting non-stop since you told us.”
Tilly nodded silently, wondering where she could put the three elderly banshees. Would they be living in the new house in Montreal, then?
There were so many uncertainties. She hated it.
“Fine, Godmother.” She took a deep breath to convince herself all would be well. “Goodbye.”
“The godmothers want to come here,” she informed Cass.
“Now?” He lazily raised his brow as if it wasn’t an issue at all.
“After the baby comes.” She rubbed her belly, feeling a small kick and smiling. “All three of them.”
“Chateau Briac is big enough to host them,” he said. “It’s not a problem. We might want to ask Mrs. Mercier, the housekeeper, to bring some extra help.”
“So, no house in Montreal?” He’d been so adamant about raising their child in his city.
“Oh, we’ll get that house.” The gleam in his eyes was so decisive it made her smile.
“You’re always so sure you’ll get what you want.”
He reached to take her hand and grinned. “Always. Especially if it’ll make your life easier.”
The anxiety she’d carried for the last few days slowly disappeared.
She then remembered all about Cass’s birth father.
“Cass, there’s something I haven’t told you.”
“What?” He frowned.
“This afternoon, I met?—”
Tilly’s nurse for the night barged in the room. “Here she is, Doctor.”
“Ah, Tilly.” Dr. Paquin, a middle-aged lady sporting a gray bob and tired features, greeted her. “Your results are in. Let’s have a look.”
“Can we please ask you and your staff for your discretion?” Marjo closely followed the doctor, already back in her neat pantsuit after her own check-up, her phone in hand, and on the job.
Dr. Paquin shot Marjo a glance and sat on the stool Cass had vacated. “Of course. We take doctor/patient confidentiality very seriously.”
“Mr. St-Amand,” the nurse in blue scrubs with a fuzzy pink cardigan, flushed with adoration toward Cass. “I was at your concert on Friday. It was amazing.”
“Thank you, chérie . I appreciate your support.” Cass had smiled at her automatically and bent forward to check her name tag. “Leona, right?”
“Yes.” Her deep-set dark eyes fixed on Cass. She had completely forgotten the doctor, who was now typing into the computer to look up Tilly’s records.
“Leona,” Marjo said, her lips pressed thin with worry, “please don’t tell anyone we were here. We don’t want the story of Cass’s partner being attacked to get out. He tries to remain as drama-free as possible.”
“I’m so sorry this happened,” the nurse said, still staring at Cass with adoration. “Looks like everything is fine, thank god.”
Tilly caught Marjo’s cool gray eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, just a small bump.” The assistant patted the back of her head.
“You shouldn’t be working, Marj,” Cass advised. “Go back to the hotel and rest.”
“Actually, the doctor said it’s best I stay with people. With a concussion, it’s safest to stay awake for a bit. I’m sorry I got lured out by these psychopaths. They pretended to be ushers saying you’d asked for Tilly backstage.”
“Crazed haters,” Cass grumbled. For the sake of the hospital and Cass’s staff, he and Karim had decided to explain the attack as some fans going crazy. “Police are investigating.”
“And you’re fine, Tilly, right?” Marjo’s question was strained. The poor woman had to still be in shock.
Tilly’s heart went to the busy assistant. How could she already be on the job after the attack?
“Doctor?” Cass asked, looking into the screen of the hospital computer.
“Yes, all is well,” Dr. Paquin said with a heartening nod. “Baby, too. You’re a healthy mama, Tilly. Mr. St-Amand, here, tells me you’ll be in Canada for a little while. Are you all set up with an obstetrician? I can get this taken care of here for you.”
“We had a private physician,” Tilly explained. “But I’ll be seen by Rosalie Gauthier in Domaine-Lassalle.”
“Briac Falls Medic,” Cass added.
“Leona, can you make sure Tilly’s records get transferred to Briac Falls, please?” Dr. Paquin clicked one more thing on the room’s workstation before standing. “You’re all good, Mom. Take it easy from now on, okay.”
She turned to Cass. “And Dad? Same thing.”
Cass puffed his chest a little, obviously pleased at being called Dad. “Of course, doctor. I’ll make sure she rests.”
Warmth spread to Tilly’s heart at seeing him take his new role so seriously.
She really had to find the time to tell him about Ambrus. But he seemed so happy at the moment that she wanted to let him enjoy it.
They were just normal future parents, doing everything to keep their child safe.
And for the first time in her life, she was getting a glimpse at what she had always been searching for—a family.