you can be a little more spontaneous."
"Not really," I told them. "I still have a teenage daughter in the house. One who has no problem letting me know that she's very much aware of what we're doing. Talk about a mood killer!"
"Don't worry about it," Ashley said. "Elena, just tell her you're going next door for a date. I mean, your boyfriends live right beside you."
Heather waved her down. "You really don't understand, Ash, until you're dodging your own kids. Olivia gives me this look when I head out on a date, and as soon as things get steamy, I start thinking about how my daughter knows, and what will I say if she asks about it?"
"They're your kids," Kim said. "Maybe it's just easier with a boy, and Julia is too young to think like that, but seriously. They're the children and we're the parents. Tell them it's not their business."
"It's a girl thing," Heather confirmed for her. "Kim, you don't have to worry about Roman accepting his sexuality. Or accidentally teaching him that he should be ashamed of his desires, that he's supposed to do whatever his partner wants, even if he's not ready, and such. Besides, you're married to the man you're sleeping with!"
"She's right," I said. "I was raised that this is not something we talk about, girls are supposed to save ourselves for marriage, and so on. Gabby wants to talk to me about it, so I'm lucky about that, but it's awkward in ways you can't imagine. My teen daughter should not be involved in my sex life, but if I deny it, it only makes things worse."
Ashley glanced over at Bridget. "I feel so left out."
Bridget shrugged. "No kids for me, but do you want them, Ash?"
Ashley scoffed at that. "I have no problem with the idea of children. The man, however? Not interested in keeping one around long enough to make that happen, and all the ones I tend to like? Not wolves. Which means pregnancy isn't going to happen, you know?"
"Because condoms," Heather said, showing she understood. "Which brings us right back to Elena wanting to be a wolf. I think you should talk to the guys." She flashed me a smile. "You and Ian would have the cutest kids."
"Oh, Lane!" Ashley gasped. "Could you imagine him with a baby?"
"Not having more kids," I said before they could get ahead of themselves. "My daughter is almost fifteen. I really don't want to start all over. You two..." And I pointed at Ashley and Bridget. "... Get to handle the next batch."
"I already have two," Kim said. "Roman and Julia are more than enough, thank you very much."
So we all looked at Heather. She chuckled, looked away, and shrugged. "I could do another. I loved the baby stage. My problem is finding a mate! It's like all the good wolves are taken, and I really don't want to have the conversion talk with a human. It rarely goes as well as it did with Elena."
"If you consider dumping my guys to be 'well,'" I countered. "And then the months of no sex!"
"You didn't exactly have to cut them off," Bridget teased. "You just freaked out. But that's honestly a lot better than how most react. Typically, they just leave and call us crazy. Well, unless they're infected, and then we get stuck trying to help a pissed-off ex through the change, you know?"
"Did it happen to you?" I asked.
Bridget shook her head. "No, but I've seen it a lot. As a doctor, well, I get called in to explain it. And the infection always ruins the relationship. I'm just glad you worked things out with those guys."
"Still can't believe Roman bit Gabby," Kim said, reaching over to rub my arm. "Teens, am I right?"
"Gabby pressured him," I reminded her.
"And he told her about us as soon as he could," she countered. "Elena, he made being a wolf sound perfect, and tempted her. When she said she wanted to turn, he didn't refuse because he wanted the same. He just needed the excuse to go against Ian's direct orders. I still can't believe we weren't kicked out for that."
"Because Wolf's Run isn't that kind of pack," Ashley said. "Ian always thought that most alphas were too brutal. He said that there's a difference between leading and terrorizing. I used to think he was too passive, but he's not. He's just considerate in his strength." She looked over at me. "Elena, it's almost Valentine's