Lawyer Dragon's Surrogate (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 3) Page 8

  He stared at it, and his eyes misted over just a bit. His voice was choked up when he spoke. “Thank you. There will never be a good enough way to thank you for this.” He went directly to the refrigerator and affixed the baby announcement to it with a magnet. “Now, I’ll be able to see this every morning when I wake up.”

  It was more than clear that she’d made a great decision in making him a father. However this turned out for her, he would be a good parent, and he had a great support system all around him.

  “Are you feeling up to telling my family tonight?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’m a little tired, but it’s not too bad.” She loved his family already, but they were an exhausting crew.

  “I’ll text them now.”

  “Let me make some more announcements for them.” While he texted his brothers, she sat at the computer and made another picture, this time with a row of four little flip-flop pairs. Under the first she wrote, Declan, then Shannon, then Isleen, and then under the fourth pair, she wrote, baby Murphy, arriving next August.

  “Are we seeing them all at once, or separately?” she asked.

  “Separately. Anything else is going to be chaos.”

  His phone chimed, and he looked back down. “Never mind. They’re all on their way over here.” He winced. “I’m sorry. This is just how we operate.”

  She couldn’t bring herself to admit how much she was actually relishing the family’s reactions. “It’s overwhelming, but it’s nice, too.”

  “We might as well just prop the front door open.”

  Brennan was first, and he still had on his sheriff’s uniform. He barged into their house and glared at them. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” Brynne handed him one of the baby announcements.

  He took it in his hands and stared at it for a long minute. Then he swallowed hard. He grabbed Liam by the shoulders. “Congratulations, man. Now I’ll be the only one without a kiddo tagging around.”

  “Maybe you’ll be next,” Brynne said.

  Brennan shook his head “Nah. I like the single life. I’m free to do whatever I want.” He clapped Liam on the back. “But, I will be willing to babysit another little rugrat.”

  At that moment, they heard a car door slam, and a second later, Declan was racing up the sidewalk. Liam went to catch him.

  Once Liam was occupied with Declan, Brennon turned toward Brynne and hugged her tightly. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Thank you for doing this for him.” He took a step back and met her eyes. “We’re all grateful, and we always will be. You are part of our family now, no matter where you go. If you ever need anything, let me know, and I’ll be there.”

  Emotion overtook her. Tears welled up in her eyes, and a sob nearly left her chest. She grabbed a paper towel and stuck it against her face. “Now you’re making me cry.”

  She fanned her face with the paper towel. All those years with the vampires, this is what she had wanted—kinship and camaraderie and loyalty and devotion. Was she really going to give it up when the baby was born?

  “Thank you,” she said with a sniffle.

  Brennon gave her a gentle hug. “You may not be married to my brother, but you’re still my sister and my clan.”

  “You have no idea how much that means to me. The same goes for all of you, always.”

  By the time Brennan moved away from her, Quinn and Juliana had arrived. Kellan ordered takeout food, and they all crowded around the dining table together.

  Clara took a big drink of iced tea and clapped her hands together. “You have to let us throw you a baby shower!”

  Juliana bounced in her seat. “Yes, and we can help you with the nursery. Clara is an amazing decorator. Are you going to find out the gender of the baby?”

  “These are all questions for Liam. The baby shower would be for him. He will be making the choices about the nursery and gender reveal,” Brynne said.

  A little bit of excitement left Clara and Juliana’s faces, and Brynne understood why. This was an awkward and unusual situation. They were both devoted mothers. They probably thought she was a monster for being willing to leave her own child behind.

  Brennan coughed. “I’m happy to host the baby shower as long as you don’t mind beer and fish being served.” He raised his beer bottle. “What kind of stuff does a baby even need?”

  Both couples with children begin to laugh—hard. “So much stuff,” Quinn said. “You have no idea until you try to load an SUV with their stuff.”

  “Yeah!” Kellan said. “When Declan was a baby, I thought an overnight trip to Dallas would be a cinch. Ha! After an hour of packing the massive car seat, the portable crib, the portable swing, the portable high chair, a stroller, diapers, and about twenty bottles, I barely had room in my car for me.”

  Juliana nodded. “Absolutely. People say babies don’t need much, and that’s true in some ways. But if you’re ever going to put the baby down to sleep, you need some gear.”

  Brynne smiled and nodded, but none of the conversation applied to her. She would be moving out of Liam’s house. By the time the baby was big enough to need all of that stuff, she’d be gone. A sharp pang stabbed her chest. She didn’t want to leave this family.

  How weird would it be for her to still live in Cedar Lake? Would it be painful for her child to know she was there and not be a part of her child’s everyday life? Would her child accept her in the role of an aunt, or would that always be a sore spot?

  She loved this family enough already to not want to cause them any pain. Maybe it would be easier if she left and never came back. This was profoundly different than his brothers in their mates having a baby. Liam didn’t love her. He had hired her to do a job.

  17

  Liam

  Liam had been so distracted by the good news of Brynne’s pregnancy that he hadn’t noticed Brynne herself until his family was getting ready to leave late that evening. They’d all arrived around six o’clock, and at ten, they were still in his house.

  Finally, right after ten, Isleen let out a sharp wail. Quinn and Juliana both stood up immediately and started packing up their stuff. Quinn lifted the baby to his shoulder and patted her back. “This will be your life in nine months,” Quinn said to Liam.

  Liam snaked his arm around Brynne’s waist. “I can’t wait.”

  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Then he was stung with the thought that she wouldn’t be there to grab the diaper bag or the bottles when it was time to leave one of his brothers’ homes. His heart clenched. It was a feeling he was going to have to get used to in the next nine months. He was going to have to deal with it. This was exactly what he’d signed up for.

  Brennan left next. “I’ve got to get back to the station. I’m supposed to be working the late shift tonight, and I put my deputy in charge.”

  Brynne hugged him goodbye. “Thanks for coming.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said to her with a wink. “Don’t forget what I said.”

  Liam’s dragon growled. He was going to have to ask Brynne what Brennan had said. He wasn’t usually a jealous man, but Brennan wasn’t mated. Liam’s dragon didn’t like their proximity, but Liam recovered quickly and walked them out.

  Soon after, Kellan and Clara said goodbye. Declan ran up to Brynne. “Can I say bye to your baby?”

  Brynne looked startled, but she nodded. “Yes, of course you can.”

  Declan was missing his two front teeth, and he looked up at her with his gap-toothed smile. “I had lots of practice talking to babies. First, with my sister, and then with my cousin.” He dipped his head a little and pressed his hands carefully to her flat stomach. “Hi, cousin. I hope you’re a boy, but if you’re not, we can still play. My sister’s gotten pretty good at tag, and she’s only two. Next, I’m going to teach her to tackle while playing football.” He gave Brynne’s stomach a big kiss.

  Liam wasn’t sure he could feel any happier than he did at that moment. This was what he’d
wanted, and now he was getting it. The only thing that would make it better was if Brynne wanted to stick around and help raise the baby. Or better yet, if she wanted to fall in love with him and become his mate.

  He wasn’t going to pressure her, though. That would be wrong, and it would violate the spirit of their agreement. If she wanted to be his mate, then she would have to come to the realization in her own time. What he could do was be a really good friend to her, be a really good clan member, and make her feel like a part of his family and community, no matter what the outcome was going to be.

  As soon as the door closed behind Kellan and his family, Brynne turned and ran into her room. He was pretty sure she was crying. Should he go check on her? Tentatively, he walked down the hallway. She hadn’t closed the door, so he stepped inside. She was sitting on her bed with her face in her hands.

  He couldn’t stand to see her in distress. As the male who wanted to be her mate, he wanted to fix this for her, no matter what it was.“Brynne? What’s wrong?”

  She sniffed. “Your nephew kissed my stomach.”

  He blinked. At the time, she’d seemed touched by the gesture. “Did that bother you?”

  She lifted her head. Her beautiful eyes were puffy, and her cheeks were red. “No. It was really sweet.”

  He came to stand beside her. “Can I sit down?” She nodded, and he rubbed his hand up and down her back. “I don’t know what you’re going through, but I know it probably feels crazy. It’s a huge sacrifice. Thank you again for doing this for me.”

  At that point, she buried her face in her hands again and started sobbing. His dragon roared, restless and desperate to make her feel better. The sound of her crying broke his heart. He put both arms around her, and she leaned into him, putting her head on his shoulder.

  “What can I do?” he asked.

  She sniffed again. She lifted her head to look at him, and from the bedside table, he grabbed a tissue. He gently wiped her eyes and cheeks.

  “Nothing. I’m fine. Really. It was just really sweet of your nephew, and it made me realize that you were going to be a really good dad. The family that you have is what I’ve been missing since I was ten years old. I knew that, but tonight really brought it home.”

  “That makes perfect sense,” he said. He stood up and held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s go have a snack.”

  “We just ate.”

  “You’re eating for two now. Little dragon shifters get really hungry.”

  She managed a laugh.

  In the kitchen, he made her sit down while he made them both a ham sandwich.

  “Thank you,” she said. “You’re really going to be a wonderful father. You should take them up on the offers to decorate a nursery and throw a shower.”

  “Oh, I’ll let them do the entire nursery. If they want to throw a shower, that’s fine with me. I have no idea what to buy.”

  “Clara and Juliana will make sure you have all the right stuff.” She took a sip of tea. “I meant to ask. They both mentioned breastfeeding. We didn’t cover that in the contract. Do you want me to stay for the first few months so that I can breastfeed, or would you prefer to be the one doing it with a bottle?”

  He didn’t even have to think about it, not even if it would make it harder for him to get over her later on. He wanted her in Cedar Lake for as long as possible. “I’d love for you to stay. As long as you’re willing.”

  “I’ll plan to stay for at least three months, then.” She wiped her mouth and folded her hands on the table. “What about longer?”

  “What do you mean, what about longer?”

  “What if I decide to stay in Cedar Lake? Not here in your house, obviously. What if I decide to play the role of aunt to the baby, and I live here in Cedar Lake? Will that bother you?”

  “No. I think the larger the clan, the better.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “You just used the word clan.”

  “Should I not?” he asked.

  “You should use whatever you want. I’ve just never heard you use the word clan when referring to your brothers, your sisters-in-law, and your nieces and nephew. You always say they are your family.”

  He had to think about that for a moment. “You’re right, I do usually say family. It’s easier in the human world if I keep the terminology the same. Somehow, having you here in my home and carrying my child has made me feel like we have a clan again.” He watched as her eyes filled again with unshed tears. “Does that word upset you?”

  “No, it’s one of the reasons that I’m thinking about staying here in Cedar Lake instead of going on to Europe to look for more shifters. Somehow, I was fortunate enough to walk right into a clan. Not just any clan, but the one I came from. That’s priceless.” She stretched her arms above her head. “That’s enough heavy talk for tonight. I think I’d better go to bed.”

  “I do have to ask you one thing,” Liam said.

  “What?”

  He knew it was crossing a few lines, but he had to know. “What did Brennan say to you?”

  “When?”

  “He mentioned he’d said something when he was saying goodbye. He winked.”

  “Are you jealous?” she asked. There was a note of incredulity in her voice.

  “No.”

  “You are.” She laughed. “Liam, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “It’s not funny. It’s instinct.”

  She sobered instantly and put her hand on his chest. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. I know it’s not funny. There have been plenty of times that I’ve reacted using my instincts. We’re not human, and we don’t have to be.”

  “Still, though. I work hard not to be driven by just my instincts. I know Brennan wasn’t hitting on you, but I had to ask.”

  She gave him a peck on the cheek. “He said he was happy for you. He thanked me for doing this for you, that’s all.”

  “I feel like an idiot.”

  “It’s sweet,” she said. “Just don’t overdo it.”

  With that, she breezed out of the room, leaving him staring after her.

  Brynne must have given Clara and Juliana the green light on the nursery because just days later, they showed up with buckets of paint, ladders, and rollers.

  “If you have any preferences on the nursery, you need to speak up now,” Brynne told him.

  “I don’t. Whatever you do will be fine with me.”

  The three of them disappeared into the baby’s room. From time to time, he heard cursing and a few bangs, but he didn’t bother them. After about four hours, Brynne emerged with a smear of teal paint on her face and a rip in her t-shirt.

  “Do you need any help?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “I want this to be a surprise for you.” She left in his SUV and came back carrying a large box. He jumped up to help her, but she waved him off. “I’m fine. Not human, remember?”

  “Oh, I remember,” he said, looking at her with a heated gaze.

  She came over to him and put her hand on his chest. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  He captured her hand in his, still pressing it against his chest. “Or what?”

  “You know what will happen.”

  He released her hand. She was right. Anytime he was touching her, he was aroused. After she’d found out she was pregnant, he’d assumed the lovemaking would stop, but it hadn’t. She was just as needy now as she’d been at the beginning of the heat. She’d asked if he wanted to stop now that they’d achieved their objective, but his answer had been a resounding no.

  Then she’d shyly admitted that she was aroused much of the time, which had left his cock hard. Now it got that way whenever she was close. She was his mate. They could live a thousand years, and he’d never get tired of sleeping with her.

  She squeezed his bicep once, which she’d admitted to liking quite a bit, and then retreated. Her bottom was rounder than it had been when they met, but that just made her all the more appealing. She was round with his child, and her curves w
ere softer. He wanted to take her into the bedroom and pull all of her clothes off, but he couldn’t, not while Juliana and Clara were here.

  That was another thing that made him happy. She’d blended seamlessly in with Clara and Juliana, and they seemed to adore her. He couldn’t have imagined ever getting this lucky. Now he just had to find a way to convince her to stay—for good.

  He went to work on a few case briefs for court, and an hour flew by. Then, he heard Brynne calling his name. He went to the nursery, and the three of them were standing outside the closed door.

  “We’re done,” Brynne said. “Do you want to see your baby’s nursery?”

  “Of course.”

  She pushed open the door, and he was stunned. He’d said he didn’t care about the nursery, and if it had been up to him, he’d have added a crib to the room and been done. But Brynne and his sisters-in-law had created a magical space for the baby.

  On one wall, they’d painted a series of mountains as a backdrop. On the other wall, there were birch trees. A wooden crib and a fluffy rug completed the room. A banner hung over the crib that read, “Murphy.” There were empty frames on the dresser with sticky notes attached that read, “Picture of me and Daddy.”

  As his throat tightened, he swallowed hard. “Wow. Brynne. This is amazing. I had no idea you could do this.”

  “It was fun once we got going. Juliana and Clara had the vision. I was just a worker.”

  “Where are they?”

  “They left. They didn’t want to intrude when I showed it to you.”

  He’d have to thank them later. He pulled Brynne to him. “Thank you. This is really special.”

  You’re really special, he thought, but he didn’t say the words aloud.

  18

  Brynne

  Weeks went by, and Brynne continued to spend her free time doing all the things that the pregnancy guide books recommended. Sure, they were written for humans, but she didn’t have any female shifters to tell her what was best, so she figured the books would work out well.