Page 88 of Family: Posy 4

"I don't. I'm scared of needles, and I've had enough pain to last a lifetime." I waved a hand to dismiss the idea.

The boys all shifted and a few spikes of anger flared in the mate bond, and I winced. I needed to be more careful with my words.

"Let's pass the time on the long ride with Twenty Questions," I suggested.

"All right, cutie," Wyatt agreed. "You start. Ask us something."

"I told you that I was afraid of needles, and you know I'm afraid of the dark. What are you each afraid of?"

"Nothing," Cole, Mason, and Wyatt said at the same time.

"Going bald," Ash said with a shiver of dread. "I couldn't live without my curls. I hope I never lose them."

"Vampires," Jay admitted. "Blood-suckers freak me out. And Wyatt, you know you're scared of small, closed spaces. You freaked out when we went through that long tunnel under a mountain in Pennsylvania."

"I donothave claustrophobia!" Wyatt snarled. "I just hate feeling like I'm trapped."

"That feeling is called claustrophobia, baby brother," Mason chuckled.

"Whatever." Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest and slumped back in his seat. "You and Cole are afraid of things, too. You're just too proud to admit it!"

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," I jumped in to soothe ruffled feathers. I shouldn't have asked a question that would threaten their egos. "It's not easy to admit fears."

"I used to be afraid of lightning when I was a kid. Just lightning, not thunder." Cole shook his head. "I was afraid I'd get hit by it and blow up."

"When I was little, like toddler age, I was afraid to poop," Mason said with a tiny smile. "Mama said I kept telling her it would hurt and my insides would come out with the poop."

We all laughed pretty hard at that, and I reminded myself to have Mama and Mom show me some baby pictures of my mates.

"Can I ask the next question?" Ash lifted one hand off the steering wheel and held it up.

"Sure!" I said.

"How many pups do you want when we're ready?"

"Ah. Oh." My eyes grew wide. "Hmm. Well, Lark and I think at least two of each gender is the perfect number. That way everyone has a brother and a sister."

"Aww! What a cute sentiment!" he squealed. "I like that idea. Sid wants a dozen, by the way."

"A dozen?" I choked. "Sid, my heart, I'm sorry, but that is not going to happen."

We will see, he purred back, and I rolled my eyes.

"What about the rest of you?" I asked them. "And please don't say a dozen."

"Six," Mason said without hesitation.

"Six." I blinked, trying to picture six miniatures of my mates running around.

"Yep, but some of them will be girls who look just like you and have your sweet personality."

"You can'torderthat to happen," I giggled. "We'll get what the Goddess gives us."

"True," Cole chimed in, "but Idohope we have at least one little girl to wrap us around her fingers."

"And lots of sons to protect their precious sister," Wyatt added. "Six sounds like a great number to me, too."

Well, at least that's half of what Sid suggested, I tried to look on the bright side.Still ... six! That's six pregnancies and six labors!

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