Seth opened the door of his truck and Aiyanna slid over, buckling the middle seat belt around her. Resting her hand on his thigh, she laid her head on his shoulder. When he parked in front of her building, she turned to kiss him. "You coming in?"
"You bet," he said with a grin, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to the front door. He had to put her down to open the door, and she giggled as they both kicked off their shoes.
"Want a nightcap?" she asked playfully. He shook his head, peeling off his shift before pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply.
"Oh, okay then," she said, wiggling out of his grasp and pulling off her T-shirt. "Well, that's even better!" Awkwardly balanced, they made their way into the bedroom without breaking the kiss. The rest of their clothes were scattered as Seth pulled down the covers and they fell naked on the bed.
Lips and tongues and fingers touched and stroked, and Seth suddenly groaned. "Gotta find my pants…"
Aiyanna pulled him back on the bed. "Don't bother with that, Baby. Just make love to me."
Panting softly, he braced himself on his hands and looked down at her, his eyes dark with lust. "Anna. We're not teenagers - well, technically YOU'RE not." He grinned. "I'll only be a minute."
She shook her head. "There's no reason for protection, Seth."
Flopping down on the bed, he turned on his side and touched her face. "What are you talking about? Why is there no...oh god...what are you saying?"
"You remember those pups we're always talking about? Well, ready or not, we'll be starting on that family in about eight months. Please, Seth, don't be upset with me."
"Upset? I'm not upset." He pulled her close, kissing her gently. "But how do you feel about this? Are we ready, Babe?" He laid a palm reverently on her flat stomach. "A baby! Our baby! Wow."
Unshed tears sparkled in her eyes. "I'm 25, Seth. I'm ready. I love you and I already love our baby."
He leaned over her and kissed her stomach. "Hey, baby," he murmured against her skin. "I'm your daddy, and I just can't wait to meet you." Smiling, he kissed Aiyanna with renewed urgency, his body moving over hers in a familiar rhythm.
Later, lying in a tangle of sheets and limbs, Seth whispered, "Do you think we should keep this our secret for now? All I can do is try, Anna. It's kind of big news to avoid thinking about."
She nodded, her breath warm on his chest. "I know, Seth. Let's try and see how it goes. I'd like it to be our secret for now, but if someone reads your mind…" She shrugged. "I'll understand."
Jacob was the first, just three days later. Seth thought he was alone on patrol when his jumbled thoughts were interrupted by his alpha's voice. "Holy shit, Seth! You can't be serious!" Seth could hear the smile in Jake's voice. "Our baby wolf is gonna be a daddy?"
"Dammit, Jake, I'm not a baby - and it's supposed to be a secret!"
"C'mon, kid, you know we don't have secrets. Every time you and Aiyanna try a new position the whole damn pack knows about it." He intercepted an answering growl. "And I know it goes both ways, so don't be growling at me."
Jacob's girlfriend was still having some trouble with the pack mentality. She was the second female wolf-girl to phase and her name was Lily. Though neither of them had imprinted, they were involved in a serious and committed relationship. They did their best to maintain some kind of privacy, but it was a losing battle. The more one tries NOT to think of something….well, everyone knows how that goes.
Even among the Quileutes, Lily was an amazon. That's what they called her, though not to her face. She was nearly as tall as Jacob, but built more like Emmett Cullen. Seth knew Lily had actually dated Emmett for about a month in high school, when he and Rosalie were taking a "break." Her phasing for the first time had put an end to that relationship, though they remained cautious friends. Lily and Rosalie, on the other hand, would never be pals.
Seth broke the news to Aiyanna that afternoon. "We'll have to tell our families, Anna. We can't let them hear it from someone else. And anyway, I can already hear his heartbeat." He smiled and laid his hand on her belly. "If I can, the others can as well. I'm sorry, Babe. But you know they'll be happy for us."
"ARE YOU TWO NUTS?" Leah seemed a trifle less than thrilled. "What about college, Seth? You were going to take a year off, save some money, and start at the community college! Now you're going to be a construction worker all your life?"
Seth sighed. "Calm down, Sis. My priorities have just rearranged a bit. We hadn't planned to start a family quite this soon, but apparently my superior wolf sperm…"
"EWWWW!" Leah interrupted. "If you promise to never use the word sperm again in relation to my baby brother, I'll agree to be happy for you guys." She smiled then and pulled Aiyanna in for a hug. "Of course I'm happy for you; it was just a bit of a shock. So when is the blessed event?"
"My doctor says early December, Leah. It's hard to say exactly, since the baby's father is not altogether human."
"Never was," Leah mumbled, and then she wrapped her arms around her brother in a crushing bear hug. "I just can't picture it, Squirt. You changing a poopy diaper!" She laughed and kissed his cheek. "And now you have to tell Mom. Please let me be there!"
Jonah agreed. "We could sell tickets," he suggested drily. "Start the baby's college fund."
"Very funny, guys," Aiyanna said with a chuckle. "You two should be on stage. Actually, Mom has invited all of us for dinner tomorrow night for Seth's birthday. Sounds like the perfect opportunity...after cake, of course. And I'll call my mom. We really can't afford to fly to Phoenix to share the news."
"Don't worry, Sis," Jonah said quietly. "I suspect she'll be moving back to Washington when she hears she's going to be a grandma."
Smiling, Aiyanna shook her head. "I don't think so. She really loves the weather there, and she can afford to fly back and forth a couple of times a year."
Sue loved cooking for a crowd. She had made a 25 pound turkey with all the trimmings. She beamed at her children and their mates as they joined hands to say grace. Leah and Aiyanna insisted on clearing the table and loading the dishwasher while the boys enjoyed huge slices of chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream. Sue sat with them, quietly sipping her coffee and just enjoying their chatter.
When they were finished the girls came back to the table with their coffee. Sue looked from one to another. "Okay, you've kept me in suspense long enough! What's this news you've all been hinting at?"
"Presents first!" Leah announced. She picked up a stack of gifts and placed them in front of Seth. He took his time opening a gaily wrapped package from Sue. It was a hand knitted sweater, and he pulled it on over his T-shirt. It was a perfect fit.
"Thanks, Mom. I love it."
"I'm glad, Seth, but you can take it off. It's a little warm for today." Sue smiled and handed him another, smaller box with a blue ribbon on top but no card. Curious, he opened the box and removed a ceramic coffee mug. He turned it so the others could see the lettering on the front. It said 'World's Greatest Dad!' in blue letters.
Sue looked stunned. "You? My baby? But that's not...I mean of course it's possible, but...Seth? Do you even know where babies come from, Honey?"
Laughing, Seth walked over to his mother and hugged her. "I figured it out, Mom." Aiyanna joined in the group hug.
After that, the news traveled fast - through both packs. Seth had to put up with some ribbing from Sam's pack, but they were all his friends and he took it with his natural good humor.