Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
exhausted and had collapsed into bed. My alarm the next day didn’t wake me up. Instead, it was Ava’s lips kissing me.
Groaning, I opened my eyes, wincing at the sunlight. “How are you up so early?” I grumbled.
“I have to take Dad to the hospital, remember?” she murmured.
Now that she mentioned it, I did remember. It was Gio’s final radiation treatment. He’d finished chemo a couple of months before. The doctor let them know that he thought a couple of cycles of radiation would take care of the tumor without the need of surgery. His last checkup had been extremely positive. If everything went well, this would be the very last treatment he’d need. The cancer would be in remission.
I nodded and smiled. “Yeah, sorry. I totally forgot.”
“It’s okay.” Ava winced and put a hand to her stomach. “Ugh.”
“Stomach still hurt?” I asked. She’d had terrible indigestion and nausea for days.
“Yeah. I don’t feel great. I’m going to stop by my doctor once Dad’s getting his treatment. Make it a two-for-one trip.”
“Are you coming home right after?”
She shook her head. “No. The treatment will take a few hours, then I promised April I’d go with her to pick out some new wallpaper for her and Steff’s place. After that, we’re going shopping for a gift for Miles and Celina’s baby, and coffee after that. I won’t be back until this evening. Is that okay?”
“No problem. I’ve got some work to get caught up on. Take your time. I’ll see you tonight.”
She kissed me goodbye and left.
I lay there for a few minutes until I heard her car pulling away. I jumped up and got dressed. I had a lot to get ready before she got home. Once I had my shoes on, I called the local Italian restaurant and confirmed my dinner order. I’d placed the
order for a catered four-course meal to be delivered at five this evening.
The guy at the restaurant seemed confused about why I was calling so early, but confirmed that everything was on the books and would be ready at four-thirty.
After thanking him, I hung up and immediately texted April, letting her know that under no circumstances should she let Ava get home before five. She responded with a wink and a thumbs-up emoji. I’d already filled in all my friends and their mates with what I had planned for tonight.
My discussion with Gio months ago kept popping into my head. His assertion that marriage was important to their family. Growing up as a shifter, I’d always sort of thought marriage was weird. We mated, and once you claimed your mate, the bond was official. There was no need to have some big flashy ceremony, wear dressy clothes, and eat cake. That wasn’t how we did things. But Gio was right—Ava had been born and raised a human. I imagined that she’d daydreamed about the perfect wedding day. So by God, I was going to give her that.
Steff came over later that afternoon and helped me set up the table and two chairs in the backyard. While we were placing dozens of candles around the yard, table, and back porch, Miles showed up with the four-dozen roses I’d ordered. A dozen would sit on the table for dinner; I was going to pull the petals off the rest and sprinkle around the yard.
“How do you think it’s gonna look tonight?” I asked.
Steff crossed his arms and surveyed the work we’d done. “Well, since
we helped, it’ll look amazing. You can thank your lucky stars we were here. If it was only you, it’d have looked like garbage.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I said, shoving him and laughing.
“No, seriously,” Steff said. His face went serious. “It’s gonna be great.”
“A hundred percent,” Miles added. “She won’t know what hit her.”
Once the guys left, I showered and put on my nicest suit. It was almost four. Tate texted me and said he was on the way to pick up the food at the restaurant. Not long after, April texted to let me know they were right on time. Ava would be home right around five, give or take a few minutes.
Tate showed up with the food and helped me set everything up. The cheesecake and salad went in the fridge. Everything else went into the oven to stay warm.
Before he left, Tate hugged me. “Are you ready?”
I patted his back. “As ready as I can be. This human stuff is way more stressful than shifter customs.”
Tate grinned. “Let us know how it goes.”
“Yeah,” I said. “For sure.”
“All right. Good luck. Talk to you later.”
When he left, I checked my watch. It was four forty-five. I hurried out and started lighting all the candles. The early fall day had given way to dusk. Once the candles were all lit and the rose petals spread, I had to admit it looked pretty damned amazing.
The last thing I had to do was grab the custom neon sign I’d ordered weeks ago. I’d hidden it in a box in my storage shed. Once I had it plugged in and set up on the tripod beside the table, all I could do was wait.
When Ava’s headlights swung into the street, my heart started to hammer in my chest. I had no idea why I was nervous; we were already mated. What was she going to do? Say no? I turned and clicked the neon sign on. The words
Will You Marry Me? lit up in bright green. I watched Ava get out of her car and frown at the pathway of candles and rose petals that led to the backyard. She followed them until she looked up and saw me standing by the sign.
She dropped her purse and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. I smiled and waited for her to walk toward me. Once she got close, I dropped to one knee and pulled the ring box out of my pocket.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Ava, I love you. You mean everything to me. I know we’re already mated, but I want to make you my wife. I want to give you the entire fairytale—human and shifter. Will you marry me?” I opened the box and held the ring toward her.
Her eyes widened when she saw the ring and a huge smile bloomed on her face. Her eyes were shimmering with tears and she was already nodding.
“Yes, Blayne. Of course.” Her smile faltered a bit. “I have to tell you something first.”
That wasn’t how things went in the movies. I frowned. “What is it?” I was confused, but too happy to really worry.
She slipped a hand into her back pocket and pulled something out. She stepped forward, and with a shaking hand, held out a photo to me.
I took it with my free hand and trembled. It wasn’t a photo. Not a real photo, anyway. It was a print-out of a sonogram.
Ava pointed at two spots on the print-out. “That’s baby A, and that is baby B. Congratulations, Daddy. We’re having twins.”
I was sobbing before I was even on my feet. I slipped the ring onto Ava’s finger and pulled her into an embrace, holding her tighter than I’d ever held anything.
It was like my life was complete. Everything I’d ever wished for was right here in my arms. A mate. Children. All of it. My tears weren’t sad. They were tears of joy, and my joy was only going to grow. Life was good.
THIRTY-FOUR
TATE
The music from the DJ echoed through the massive hall that Gio had rented. Ava and Blayne were on the dance floor. It was their first dance, and every eye was on them.
Steff, Miles, and I were sitting at the groomsmen table. A very expensive bottle of champagne sat on the table in front of us. I’d worked with celebrities and had never seen a wedding as grand or expensive. Gio had really pulled out all the stops for his little girl.
Blayne had grumbled the entire past year while it was being planned. My friend had grown up frugal, and this huge display of wealth made no sense to him. But when Gio Francis says he wants his daughter to have a dream wedding? Well, you didn’t say.
Looking across the dance floor, I spotted Gio. He was sitting, watching Ava and Blayne. I’d never seen the man look so happy. The fact that he had a grandbaby in each arm probably helped that.
The babies were a little less than three months old and seemed to be absolutely entranced by the beard Gio had grown. Each baby kept reaching up a tiny little fist and clutching a
handful of the hair. If it hurt, Gio didn’t show it. Instead, he laughed and bounced the boys in his arms.
Harley was sitting at another table with Celina and April, our own little Tory on her knee. He was almost three now. Celina held her baby to her chest. That little ball of fire was six months old already.
God, time went so damned fast. We’d all been through a lot the last few years. It was strange to be out of danger. To be able to enjoy this day, to breathe easy and have fun. It was almost like this day was a celebration of everything we’d been through. Somehow it made the party even sweeter than it would have been.
Harley caught my eye and winked. I grinned back at her. For the millionth time, I thought about how Emily’s curse was supposed to be a weapon against us, but instead it had helped make our lives whole. All four of us had been living what we thought were great lives. In reality, we’d been hollow. Broken and craving more than what we had. The curse had brought these amazing women into our lives. Women and children that none of us could picture life without now.
I looked over at Steff and Miles and spoke above the music to be heard. “We’re pretty damn lucky, aren’t we?” I said, nodding toward the table where our mates were sitting.
They grinned and nodded. Steff, basically reading my mind, said, “Yeah. I hated Emily for a while, but I think I could give her a big sloppy kiss right about now if she was still alive.”
The last few years, I’d been happy more than I’d been sad. That was something I never could have said before all this. Now, my sadness was bittersweet as I watched my boy grow up, sent Mariah off to college—things like that. Sad but happy at the same time.
Jared was at the far end of the room, leaning against the wall and watching the newlyweds dance. He was a good kid.
Antonio had been close to ruining him the same way he’d ruined Mariana. But Jared was still young and had a lot of life left to live. We’d all wondered if the curse would affect him as well, but it seemed like he’d gotten out lucky—or unlucky, depending on how you looked at things.
That part of the curse had been broken when Ava had rejected Blayne. Jared wouldn’t be in Lilly Valley much longer. There were no other dragons anywhere near Lilly Valley. I didn’t want him to be lonely his whole life. He needed to go and see the world. Maybe find his own mate out there somewhere.
Whenever he made his way out into the world, he knew the guys and I would be there for him. Even if he was halfway across the world, he was still an honorary member of our pack.
The dance ended and applause erupted. The DJ leaned into the microphone. “All right, now that the mister and missus have had their turn, let’s get all the couples out on the floor. Come on, ladies and gents, grab your date and try not to step on any toes.”
We got up and headed across the room to grab our mates. Harley handed Tory off to Jordyn and took my hand to follow me onto the floor.
The music started, and I pulled Harley in close. I surprised her by spinning her and dipping her low before lifting her back up. She laughed and shook her hair out of her face.
I lifted a hand and pushed a strand aside. “Thank you,” I said.
“For what?” she asked with a smile.
“For bringing love and joy into my life. For filling my heart with all the things I never had before.”
Harley’s smile softened and her eyes looked deep into mine. “The feeling is mutual.” She leaned in and kissed me.
“Tory, no!” Mariah called. “Put that down. I said, put it down!”
The little boy’s squeals of laughter bounced through the room. I smiled and shook my head. “That kid is a handful. He’s a wild one.”
“I know,” Harley said with a grin. “Hopefully this next one will take after me.”
“Yeah. Hopefully…”
My eyes widened as I registered what she said. I jerked my head back to look at her and saw the mischievous smile on her lips. “What did you say? What do you mean?”
Harley leaned forward and nibbled at my ear before whispering, “Get ready. There’s another little dragon on the way.”
The whole day, I’d been thinking about how happy I was. How full my heart and life were. Until that moment, I hadn’t thought I could have been happier. Harley’s words showed me that my thoughts had been a lie. I could be happier.
I laughed and kissed her long and deep. All around us, my friends danced and our families laughed. The world was richer and more vibrant than any of us had believed it could be. All this because something that started out as a curse ended up being a blessing.
THE END