“Actually it’s you I called to speak to, Alex.” She plucked at the blind.
“Oh, what’s wrong? You don’t sound like your normal self.” In the background she heard Kiesha call out, “Is that Shay?”
That put a faint smile on her face. “I have a bit of a situation. I need you to check and make sure everything’s okay with my pregnancy. I’d come there, but Rory went to Fort Knox to pick up my vehicle, leaving me without transpo. I could call someone to bring me to you, but I’d rather no one know.”
“Don’t the Sparrowhawks have a midwife?” Alex asked.
“Yes.” She left it to Alex to read between the lines.
“I see.” He was silent. Miracle of miracles, even Kiesha was silent. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks, Alex. Make sure you bring Kee.”
He snorted. “As if she’d let me leave her behind.” In a heavier tone, he added, “Shay, when I get there, I want to know what’s going on. You’re family.”
“I’ll tell you, both of you, when you arrive. Oh, and I went and had an initial workup done with Carol while you were gone. In case you need my chart or anything.”
“Yes, that will help. What exactly am I looking for, Shay?”
“I’ll tell you when you get here.” She disconnected the call.
Kian tapped her shoulder to get her attention. Alex Wolfe, alpha of the Raven pack?
Shay didn’t catch every word, but she got the general understanding of the question. “Yes, he’s mated—married—to my cousin Kiesha.”
His expression was dubious.
“Alex and Rory are friends. Have been ever since Shannon joined the Raven pack. More importantly he’s a doctor. If he says the baby’s fine, then she is.”
She?
“Yes. I’m sure it’s a girl.”
Unlike Rory, Kian didn’t immediately disagree. He simply stared at her bump.
“I need to call Shannon,” she said and suited actions to words.
Kian shifted, his expression changing to one of unease.
“What?”
She’s scared of me.
“She’s your sister. I don’t think you McFelans know the meaning of fear. She probably thinks you don’t like her, and is wary as a result,” Shay said before she switched her attention to Shannon, who’d just answered.
“Shay, what’s going on?” she asked cheerfully.
“Trouble. I need a family powwow. Alex and Kee are coming. Can you come, and bring Nikolai?”
Shannon covered the phone, murmured something to her mate, and his deep voice answered before she came back on line. “We’ll be there. Where’s my brother? I don’t hear him in the background.”
“Which one? Kian’s here. Rory’s in Fort Knox,” Shay said, looking Kian in the eyes.
“You’ve met Kian?”
“Yes,” Shay stated with a hint of impatience. “We had breakfast together.”
“He came out of his room and ate with you?” There was astonishment in Shannon’s voice and maybe a tinge of jealousy.
“Yes,” Shay said again, a little less annoyed. “We’re all one big happy family now. See you when you get here.” She clicked the phone off and tossed it on the bed. “You’re not planning on making a liar out of me, are you? You will stick around for the meeting?”
He considered for a moment. Shay could tell he was weighing the pros and cons.
“I need someone on my side. Laurie Bell comes off as so nice and friendly I might have difficulty convincing them on my own,” Shay said, although it wasn’t exactly true. Kiesha would believe her. Alex might question, but he’d have no reason to go against her. It was Shannon and Rory she was concerned about.
Kian gave one short nod.
What about Caleb?
“What about him?” she asked, puzzled.
As Rory’s second, he should be here helping with any plan of action you formulate.
Shay considered. “You trust him?”
He’s a good man. Honorable.
“All right. I’ll call and ask him to come over.”
You still need to call Rory.
“Fine, but I’m not telling him about Laurie Bell. Not yet.” First she called Caleb and told him she’d invited a few people over for a late lunch and asked him to join them. Once she had his agreement, she called her mate.
He answered the phone with, “Is everything okay?”
“All good on my end. I had breakfast with your brother.”
“Kian?”
Shay’s brow furrowed. “You have another one you didn’t tell me about?”
“No, I just…never mind. Okay, so you two had breakfast. That’s good. What’s wrong? You sound strange.”
Shay closed her eyes and forced herself to think cheerful, happy thoughts so her upset wouldn’t show in her tone. “Nothing. Just called to warn you I invited Alex and Kee, and Shannon and Nik over to the house. They should be here when you return. Have any idea when that will be?”
Rory groaned. “Shay, you know your cousin wants my liver on a platter. How could you do this to me?”
He sounded so pitiable Shay couldn’t help but laugh. “Just be your normal, charming self and Kee will get over her dislike,” she said, tongue in cheek.
He sighed heavily. “I should be home in another two and a half hours. Haggling over the price didn’t take as long as I thought. I’m just waiting on the last of the paperwork so I can leave. Riley will handle the rest of the maintenance work.”
“Great,” she said, relieved to know he was on his way home. “Now who around here can I call to deliver enough food to feed three hungry male shifters and two pregnant women?”
“Sam’s Rib Shack. The number’s online. Call him and tell him you need five slabs of ribs with all the trimmings for a meet up. He’ll put it on the pack’s tab. Or you can call Caleb and ask him to handle the arrangements. Sam’s delivers. Look, I gotta go. The insurance binder just came through. See you soon.”
“Okay. Be careful,” she said, reluctant to let him go.
“I will.”
Shay held the phone until the dial tone sounded in her ear. “It’s all coming together,” she told Kian.
He studied her, expression intent. You have a plan?
She frowned, hating the fact that she was so uncertain on something this important. “Maybe. I’m not sure it will work. That’s where you guys come in.”
What is it?
Shay bounced her ideas off Kian, trusting him to help her fine-tune her plan before presenting it to the rest of the group.
Might work.
“It better,” she said determinedly. “Now while we wait for everyone to arrive, let’s do something about your space.”
Caleb arrived first. Shay wasted no time roping him into helping her fix up the basement like a mini-apartment. While Kian and Caleb took Kian’s king-size mattress and frame apart and reassembled it downstairs, Shay went through the house earmarking items to refurbish Kian’s abode: a television, lamp, an easy chair—not Rory’s—and love seat. She tried dragging a few of the heavier items to the basement entrance to make it easier on the men and got chewed out for her efforts.
“Fine, I’ll stay out of the way,” she said.
You show us what you want moved and we’ll do it. No lifting, Kian signed.
“You are a bigger nag than Rory,” she griped.
Kian smiled and winked at her. That’s what families do.
With her own words being quoted to her, Shay could do nothing but get out of the way and let them handle things.