Marty patted the red leather couch in her office with a hand. “That’s not what this is about. Come sit with me.”
Mara trudged to the couch like she was headed for her death and plunked down next to the sister-in-law she loved.
Marty tucked a knee beneath her, her eyes inviting and kind just like they always were. “First, not in a million years would I snitch to Keegan about this because we’re family, Mara. Always. And no way am I handing you over to him just because he’s the alpha of our pack. No matter what, you’re family first, pack member second. Period. I won’t hear it any other way. And before you say anything, I console myself with the fact that keeping this from him for a time is what I consider paranormal crisis counselor-client confidentiality. That you happen to be a part of that crisis is neither here nor there.”
Relief washed over Mara, relief and gratitude. In this very moment, she was petrified of what would happen to Harry and his children. Her fear of the council was only secondary to helping Harry and the kids overcome their obstacles and adjust. She couldn’t do that if she was in the pokey. “Thank you,” she murmured low, because it was all she was capable of doing.
Marty lifted her chin, using her thumb to swipe at a stray tear on Mara’s cheek. “I want to talk about what you said about me yesterday.”
“What did I say yesterday?”
“You said you weren’t as good at charming people with your smile as I am, and that’s why you’re single. Why do I have anything to do with that?”
Mara let her head hang low with regret. “Poor choice of words. What I meant was, being with the opposite sex is easy for you.” She shook her head. “Wait. What I mean is you relate well to those outside of your gender. I guess . . . I guess I envy that. No. That’s not true. I totally envy it. Obviously, if I related better, I wouldn’t be making werewolf babies in a lab. I’d be rutting until the cows came home, making babies the good old-fashioned way.”
Marty chuckled. “And you’re smart. I envy that. So there. We should activate our Wonder Twin powers. Imagine the shit that would rain down, huh?”
Mara’s eyes filled with tears. She was tired, and worried, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Marty’s feelings. “I really love you, Marty. I hope you know that. Since you came into our lives, into the pack, everything’s been a million times better. Everything. I’m just really uncomfortable with men. You know, the norm. Small talk suckage, flirty suckage—I suck at all of it. You’re a pro. Which is why you have Keegan and I have a baby-making serum.”
“Oh, Mara. I wish you saw you the way we all see you.”
“Geeky, nerdy, timid?”
Marty shook her head, the swish of her blond hair artful and perfect against the color of her denim shrug. “Gorgeous, genius smart, so totally unaware you can have anything you want.”
Right. It always worked like that for women like her.
Marty cocked her head, taking Mara’s hand in her perfectly manicured fingers. “You have it bad for our Harry, don’t you, honey?”
“It borders on ridiculous.”
“Making this situation a hundred times more uncomfortable for you.”
“Times infinity.”
“You know, I’d give you tips on how to flirt and all sorts of pointers if I thought that was you, sweetie. But it’s not you, and that’s okay. I wish you’d see that. It might be helpful when catching the prey, but it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference when you want to keep it. What good does flirting do you when the hard stuff in a relationship comes along? Can you flirt yourself out of a financial hardship or a long-term medical issue? No. You need to be smart. You’re smart, Mara. So, so smart. You’re funny. You’re gorgeous. You’re gentle, and most of all, you’re kind. Don’t let that stop you from pursuing the things that you want—even after this is all water under the bridge.”
Was there water under the council’s prison bridge? Her grainy eyes filled with more unshed tears. She shook it off and laughed in irony, focusing on the flat screen TV in the far corner opposite the couch. “Well, I can want Harry for days, but he kind of has to want me back for it to work out.”
“I don’t just mean Harry. I’m not talking about a man, hunky Harry or otherwise. I mean wanting to parent.”
“But—”
She flapped a hand upward to hush Mara, her chunky costume ring on her finger flashing with the gesture. “Oh, I know what the pack says,” she said in that poo-poo way she had of dismissing something she didn’t approve of. “The pack says all sorts of things—all sorts of stupid things. Remember the things they said to me? Sure you do. You were there when they carried on about how bad humans mating with werewolves was blah, blah, blah. The pack is all bark and almost no bite. If you want to artificially inseminate yourself, it’s your damn body, and I’ll fight to the death to see you have the right to do as you please with it as long as you’re not harming yourself. The pack can suck it, as far as I’m concerned. Who are they to tell you, by whatever means you wish, you can’t have a baby?”