Sharon shrugged. “Maybe. It’s hard to say. Time will tell.”
Jackson turned his head to face Cooper. “You won’t leave me in the dark about this whole ovulating and pregnancy thing, right?”
“Of course not.”
“I mean, if you know something, you’ll tell me.”
Sharon sat up straighter. Jackson’s cock was still deep inside her, and she had no intention of breaking that connection just yet. “How about this. How about if you leave me out of that one. It will even the field a bit, give you something I don’t know.”
“Are you serious, babe?” Cooper asked, reaching up to stroke a finger across her cheek. “That’s huge.”
“What do you mean?” Jackson asked.
Sharon returned to gaze to his. “I’m not able to scent a pregnancy like the male wolves can. Well, most of them. The Bartel-Hamilton women also have some heightened abilities usually reserved for the males. But the majority of the females find out they’re ovulating or pregnant from their mates, or in some cases another male.”
“Oh. I don’t think I quite got that part.”
She nodded. “I’m not saying I want to be pregnant any time soon. I really would like to enjoy you two all to myself for a while, but I’ll let you two decide when the time is right without consulting me.”
“Seriously?” Cooper asked again. His face lit up. “That would be fun.”
She shrugged. “Sure. On one condition. You share the details with Jackson at all times. You two make the decision together. Let it be a surprise to me. How often does a wolf get that kind of surprise?”
Jackson smiled. “I like that idea.”
“Done.” She glanced at Cooper. “Yes?”
“Works for me. I’m the bossy one, anyway. How could I turn down an offer to control you?”
She swatted at him and then leaned to the side to kiss him, her lips parted, her tongue diving in to tangle with his, her body twisted to the side to keep her connection with Jackson while she fully tasted her other mate.
When she broke the kiss, she was pleased to find his eyes half open with lust. “You may think you control everything, but I have news for you…”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Nine months later…
Sharon ran from the truck to Melinda’s front door as if she were training for an Olympic sprint.
“Babe, I think…” She didn’t hear the rest of Cooper’s comment because she was already inside the house before he could finish his thought.
This wasn’t about him, anyway. Nor was it about Jackson, the man she could hear chuckling behind her as she raced past her brother Trace and his other mate Keegan. This was about Melinda.
The woman currently in labor.
As she rounded the doorframe and stepped into the master bedroom, Joyce glanced up at her and smiled. Laurie did too. The midwife was between Melinda’s legs. And Melinda’s face was scrunched up and bright red as she bore down. She was that close?
“Why are Keegan and Trace in the hallway?” Sharon glanced over her shoulder to find the two men leaning in the doorframe.
Joyce giggled. “Let’s see. I’m pretty sure it was Keegan who almost fainted at the first sign that his mate was in pain.”
Sure enough, Keegan had one hand in front of his eyes, and he gripped the doorframe so hard his knuckles were white.
“And Trace… Well, he sort of got chased out by Melinda’s wrath,” Joyce finished.
“Can we come back now?” Trace asked. “I’d really like to be in the room for the birth of my first child if you don’t mind, baby.” He inched into the space.
It would have been comical if it weren’t for the long low groan coming from Melinda as she pushed again.
Joyce wiped a cool cloth over Melinda’s brow.
Laurie took Melinda’s hand and squeezed. “You’re doing great. Almost there.”
The midwife nodded. “Give me one more good push.”
Sharon clapped her hand over her mouth as she watched the head slip out. Emotions overwhelmed her. Melinda was so fortunate. Her family was so perfect.
Her mates sat on either side of her. Laurie passed Melinda’s hand to Keegan, and Trace took the other one. They glanced back and forth between their mate and the new life making its presence known with a shrill scream as the baby’s body slid the rest of the way out.
Melinda smiled as she looked at the wailing infant, but her glance also flickered repeatedly to the side as if someone else were in the room. Her gaze met with empty space as far as Sharon could tell. But Melinda nodded and smiled.
“She’s perfect,” Trace said.
“Gorgeous,” Keegan added.