Chapter 64
NADIA.
Although I didn’t move in with them, I spent most of my free time with her and her lovely family. I met her mate, Leandro, as well as their twin daughters, Bella and Ellie. And they never once made me feel like I was an outsider.
Leandro even complained that he was further outnumbered by my presence and would joke that he needed Riley, so at least he could have someone to complain to.
The mention of Riley’s name filled my heart with pain. And every day that I didn’t see him was adding to the pain growing in my chest.
I spent the whole morning just rolling and lounging in my bed.
I was too lazy to get up and didn’t have any appetite to eat at all.
It wasn’t until my stomach complained that I forced myself to eat.
But even then, the food tasted bland, which was strange because omelets have always been my favorite, and I cooked them the way I wanted them.
But then I guess I was just missing Riley too much today, and nothing felt right.
I didn’t have work today, and I was meeting Zahra. She wanted to introduce me to the new owner of the boutique a few blocks from the restaurant where I worked. She said that the new owner was human but mated to a shifter like us.
I kept walking, enjoying the breeze as it played with my hair and waved to people greeting me along the way. I was only three blocks away from the boutique I was heading to when Arrow began prancing in my head.
She seemed agitated, but she didn’t know why either. Goosebumps started to rise from my skin, making me stop in my tracks. I spun my head around to look at the surroundings.
‘Arrow, is Riley here?’ I asked my wolf, but she couldn’t tell either. She couldn’t sense Hunter, but she said an Alpha wolf could hide their presence if they wanted to.
I took one more scan of the area, but everyone was lost in their own world, not minding me at all, but I still couldn’t shake off the feeling that someone was watching me.
ZAHRA. Riley’s Mother.
I set the custard cake and the small plates on the table as we waited for Nadia to arrive. My good friend, Laura, recently bought this place and was managing the boutique that sells clothes for females.
She was human, but mated to a shifter like me. I had mentioned Nadia to her a couple of times, and she was also eager to meet her.
I worked at the town’s library, but I had no scheduled work today, and neither did Nadia, so I took this time to let the two of them meet.
Nadia and I were spending most of our spare time together. It felt like having a third daughter.
Ellie and Bella, my lovely darlings, were wonderful, but they were the exact opposite of each other.
Ellie was the geeky one—a bookworm who would spend almost all of her free time burying her nose in her books or on her computer doing technical stuff I was not even interested in knowing.
On the other hand, Bella was the outgoing one, who would spend days outside the house either partying or exploring nature.
But as they went through their teenage years, they spent less time with me, and that was why I was thankful for Nadia’s presence.
She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my company and my constant nagging, only for me to find out later on that she had never met her mother and that I was the closest thing to being a mother to her.
My heart broke for her. She and my son shared the same fate. And I hoped one day I would be able to mother them both.
“Is that her?” Laura’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts as my eyes followed her pointed finger.
She was pointing at the glass door where my sweet Nadia was trying to peek in. She had her palm pressed against the glass door as her head was trying to get a glimpse inside.
I nodded my head as a smile curled on my lips. I made my way to the door and opened it for her.
“You should have just come inside,” I told her after I hugged her tightly.
She giggled as she hugged me back. “I don’t know why I didn’t come in. Maybe I was scared it was a trap and someone was out to get me from the inside.”
“You and your wide imagination.” I tapped her nose with a finger before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and guiding her to walk to where Laura was. “You’re safe in this town. Trust me.”
She just nodded her head, and we both turned our attention to Laura, who was standing in the middle of the boutique, eagerly waiting to meet Nadia.
The chimes sounded as the door closed, letting me know that the customer who was in the boutique had already left. I was in the storage room, rummaging for something we could use to add decoration to the boutique.
Satisfied with what I had in my hands, I went out of the storage room. The boutique was silent as Laura was fixing clothes on a mannequin while Nadia was busy eating the custard cake that Laura brought with her today.
“Are you sure it’s just the three of us here?” I asked Laura as I placed the trinkets on the table beside her.
“Yes, just us. The customer just went out.”
“Your husband is not hiding somewhere?” I chuckled, but I was serious with my question.
She looked at me as if I’d gone crazy, but instead of answering my question, she shifted her gaze to Nadia, who was lost in her own world.
“Look at her. Didn’t she say she ate before she came here? Not that I mind, but she ate almost all of the cake in just a few minutes.” She chuckled as she crossed her arms across her chest.
I shrugged my shoulders before I went to stand in front of Nadia.
“I thought you were not hungry?” I asked her, my brow raised, but I was smiling. I was trying to connect the dots.
Guilt flashed across her face as she shook her head, the spoon still attached to her mouth.
I didn’t say anything. Instead, I dropped my gaze to the cake and then back to her.
She took the spoon from her mouth and smiled sheepishly. “I’m not, but this one is sooooo good.” She was beaming at me before she turned her head to look at Laura. “Laura, would it be too much if I asked you to make one for me again? I’ll pay you.”
“No need to pay me. I can make you another.” She winked at her, and Nadia’s eyes sparkled.
“But at least let me buy the ingredients because this is the best custard cake I’ve tasted. It melts in my mouth and is just the perfect blend. Plus, I don’t know. I never seemed to feel full after eating this.” She talked so fast that I couldn’t help giggling.
“Why are you not eating? You don’t like it? I can take that.” She pointed at my sliced custard cake.
I pushed the plate toward her. “Take it. Tell me, when was the last time you had a period?”
She put the small spoon down on her plate and bit her lower lip.
“Did you have your period while you were here in Atlanta?”
She shook her head, and everything started to make sense.
Her laziness to get out of bed in the morning.
Her preference for food changed.
The glow in her skin.
And the extra heartbeat I heard today.
My eyes watered as I slowly dropped onto my knees in front of her.
Her eyes widened as she grabbed my arms. “Zahra, what are you doing? Get up!”
My tears started to fall, and I was just letting them. I held on to her forearm as I tilted my head to meet her eyes. “I think you’re pregnant, Nadia.”
I heard Laura gasp behind us. Nadia opened her mouth as her eyes grew rounder and bigger. But no words left her mouth, so instead, she closed it again.
“You’re pregnant, Nadia,” I said one more time. I could definitely hear the heartbeat louder this time.
“I don’t think so… How can you be so sure?”
I placed my palm on her flat stomach. “I can hear him or her. I can hear another heartbeat, aside from ours.”
She bit her lower lip as her hand flew to her stomach. “I’m pregnant?”
“I’m going to buy a pregnancy test!” Laura shrieked.
Both Nadia and I giggled before I pulled her in for a hug.
I couldn’t explain the happiness overflowing in my heart.
I had no idea what the future held for Riley and Nadia, but whatever happened, I would make sure to ask Nadia to let me be a part of my grandchild’s life.
I would make sure to do everything in my power to make it up to him or her, everything that I wasn’t able to give to Riley.