Spectrum (Stone Society #14) - Faith Gibson Page 0,80

Rain befriending human children, but it was nice to have friends they could be themselves around. The new prison had been completed, and they would be moving within the next month. Isla was going to miss the mates in New Atlanta, but she was looking forward to the next part of their lives. She was ready to have a home she could decorate with all their things Remy had in storage. Isla had been relieved her mate hadn’t gotten rid of everything when he thought she’d died.

Marigold fixed lunch for everyone, and after the kids had eaten, they went back to studying. While sitting there scrolling through the photos of the house Rain liked, Isla’s shifter nudged her. It had been so long since the Gargoyle had interacted with Isla. When she was held captive, that part of her retreated as though it were pissed off. She had tried coaxing it out of hiding, but it wouldn’t budge. So to feel it stirring brought tears to her eyes.

I’ve missed you.

I was always here.

It didn’t feel like it.

I was making things worse by fighting with you.

No. We were just in an impossible situation.

I’ll never abandon you again. Especially now.

Why now?

Because I have to look out for our girl.

What girl? Wait! Are you saying…?

Yes. Rain is going to be a brother.

How far along? Can you tell?

Far enough there’s a heartbeat.

Isla bowed her head and thanked the gods for giving her such a blessing. She also thanked them for keeping her from getting pregnant while being held at the Webers’. Then she jumped up from her chair, whooping and twirling much like Amelia did. Remy. She needed to call Remy. They were going to have a baby! She trusted her shifter to tell her the truth. It had alerted her when she was only days’ pregnant with Rain, so Isla didn’t bother with a pregnancy test. Instead of calling, Isla decided to meet him at work. She had visited the Pen a couple of times taking her mate lunch, and his only rule was she call first so he could meet her at the car. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the other males around her, but he explained the prison was no place for a female to wander around unescorted.

Isla texted her mate. I’m coming to see you.

Remy’s response came less than a minute later. I’ll be waiting.

Isla slipped into the room where Marigold was going over a math lesson and told them she was headed out to see Remy. After kissing both kids on the temple, Isla practically skipped down the hallway and out the door. They had bought a second vehicle so Isla wouldn’t be stuck at home with no transportation. It was a smaller SUV with the highest safety rating available, and Isla loved it. The drive to the Pen took roughly half an hour, and during that time, Isla didn’t stop smiling. They hadn’t been expecting a baby, but the hope was always there just below the surface. Isla would have a houseful if it were up to her.

True to his word, Remy was waiting outside when she pulled into the employee parking lot. She bounded out of the car and ran to her mate. If Remy weren’t a Gargoyle, he might not have caught her as she lunged herself at him. He laughed at her exuberance.

“Not that I’m unhappy you’re here, but what has you so excited?”

Isla wiggled out of Remy’s embrace and pushed on his shoulder. Normally when she did that, she was asking for something completely different.

“Uh, as much as I would love to get frisky with you, I’m not sure here is the right place,” Remy teased.

“At least bend over,” she urged.

“Isla. What’s going on? Bend over for what?”

Isla tapped her flat stomach. “Listen,” she said, grinning.

“No.”

“Yes!”

Remy squatted and placed his ear to her sweater. With his shifter hearing, he didn’t need to get that close, but it was the intimacy she craved. Now that her shifter had informed Isla she was pregnant, Isla was able to detect the second, faster beat coming from her body.

Remy nuzzled Isla’s belly. “Hi there. I’m your papa, and I can’t wait to meet you.” Remy looked up at Isla with so much love in his eyes it nearly brought her to her knees. She cupped his face and bent over to kiss him.

“We’re having a baby,” she whispered against his mouth.

“Merry Christmas to us,” he responded. While they didn’t believe in the human God, they did celebrate