Page 47 of A Surprise Baby for the Wolf Shifter

Perhaps it was standing in her presence that made me feel this way, but regardless of the outcome of this visit, I wasn’t leaving until I had another chance or the closure I needed to move on with my life.

19

GEMMA

Weylan smoothly approached us. My heart was in my throat. A number of thoughts and visions flashed through my mind. Some of them were positive, some of them were not so much. My heart skipped a couple of beats while my brain wanted to rebel against the very thought of him. My body played tug-of-war with my emotions.

I wasn’t sure whether to want him or hate him.

Probably even both.

Regardless, he gave a greeting, completely ignoring Cassidy who sat across from me watching the spectacle happen. My heart was suddenly in my throat. I wondered what was going through her mind during all of this.

Surprisingly, after all this time, I still felt the strange and undeniable pull toward him. Despite everything, my body betrayed me. He was something different. He could change into a wolf. And that was a pill that was still difficult for me to swallow.

Once he stood within inches of me, the baby started to flip inside me. A couple of the summersaults he did came with a shot of stabbing pain. Almost as though he was trying to rip his way out of me so he could hop into his father’s arms.

I was uncomfortable all of the sudden, and my appetite had flown out the proverbial window. My nerves danced under my skin with his closeness, and it took everything inside me not to grab his hand and hold it in mine. Just because.

Everything that was going on with me was overwhelming and hard to get under control. To make matters worse, I remembered the papers I had just finished filling out to give my baby—our baby—up for adoption. I instinctively wanted to cover them up. I should have put them in my bag once I was done with them. But I didn’t.

I could probably blame it on my pregnancy brain, but even I realized how much of a lame excuse that was.

Hell, Weylan showing up might be the universe giving me a sign telling me going for the adoption was a

mistake. Then again, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, I wasn’t so sure anymore. Why did he have to come and mess things up again? With him next to me, all my senses became mudded.

See? I was a complete and utter mess.

I set my eyes on Weylan. He was beautiful. I had almost forgotten how much he was so. And I breathed in his amazing scent. Which was odd, but I chalked that up to the pregnancy. I have smelled things I never had that ability before, and the baby was the only reason for it. Sure, Weylan was dirty, sweaty, and probably in desperate need of a shower, but I still tried hard not to lick my lips and keep my arousal in check.

After a few exchanges of small talk, he finally said hello to Cassidy. “Hello to you too, by the way.”

“Hey there,” she said, wiggling her fingers at him. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. Right, Gemma?”

I cleared my throat. Why did she have to bring me into this? Of course.”

I settled my gaze back on Weylan and doubts came creeping back in. Along with all the dozens and hundreds of what-ifs and possibilities of what might be. I wanted to chide myself but couldn’t bring myself to do it. I might have blamed this on the baby too. Pregnancy hormones and all. Anything that would excuse my lapse in judgment and brought hope of my senses returning.

Just as soon as Weylan left to finish his lunch break. He already ruined mine.

I sucked in a breath as the baby flipped again. I covered my bump with my hand in a useless to try and keep him in before meeting his gaze again. “Sorry. I have a gymnast in my belly.”

“May I?” he asked and held out his hand.

The longing in his eyes cut me deep and had me second-guessing everything. Every single decision I had made in the last several months. But I realized I might have been a tad bit unreasonable after all. It was refreshing to notice his desire to touch my belly. After the way we left things, I was convinced he wanted nothing to do with me.

I glanced at Cassidy. She smiled bigger than I had seen before and nodded. She was such a turncoat. She only wanted to be an aunt. She had no idea what that entailed. But I also figured she might have a point. What harm could come from him wanting to experience his child inside me moving?

I settled my gaze back on Weylan and nodded. “Sure.”

He knelt down and placed his hands over my belly. His eyes took on a light I hadn’t noticed before. The baby kicked and flipped. If I didn’t know any better, he knew his father touched me and he was happy about it. I wished I was able to say the same. There wasn’t enough room inside me for all that flipping.

“Wow, he’s a strong one,” Weylan said.

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