Autumn After (Waiting Hearts World)

13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Willow

Somehow, I managed to do it. I got everything made in time for the festival. I’d made a lot of baked goods in my day, but the sheer number of cookies, hand pies, tartlets, muffins, and dumplings we cranked out—with the help of both Fern and Cedric and the whole crew of bakers in the pack—was beyond anything I had ever imagined. The whole pack assisted in different ways, too. The small ovens weren’t ideal, and not everyone had one in their home, but they helped supplement what I couldn’t finish in the truck.

And best of all, I got to interact with some of the pack members in a different way. Before the ovens went down, I’d been questioning my place here and if I should be leaving.

But now? Now I was feeling confident, like I belonged. Even the members who had scowled at me on the first day had me feeling welcome. What a difference a bazillion dozen cookies made.

On the day of the event, my truck was being used for the slushies, so we set up separate tables for the baked goods. There were just too many to handle from the truck. It was strange, having rows of tables across from my truck and watching someone else work inside. But Sid and his mate were doing a great job, and even though the truck would probably be sticky from the slushies, it was fun watching everyone get excited over them. Not that I had much time to watch—I spent most of my time either describing the baked goods, packing them, or taking money. Fern and Cedric helped, and we managed to get into a good rhythm.

It was hard to believe how many people were attending. According to Cedric, it wasn’t just wolves either; there were lions, tigers, and bears! I, of course, couldn’t tell the difference, but it was fun trying to guess and seeing if I was right. The festival was so popular, and the vibe was very different from the usual day-to-day one. It would be overwhelming if this was the norm, but today, it was exhilarating.

“We’re closing down for an hour,” Cedric said, resting a hand on my shoulder.

“Why?” I asked, surprised.

“Because at two o’clock, all the food concessions close for an hour so the people running them can either do a craft or paint a pumpkin or collapse into exhaustion, whatever they want.”

“Won’t you lose sales?”

He shook his head. “Nah, it’s tradition. Everybody knows, that’s why we had such a rush as soon as one o’clock hit.” He intertwined his fingers with mine. “Let’s go paint a pumpkin and enjoy the food—the stuff you didn’t have to personally make.”

“Food first,” I said. My stomach growled.

We went through the food line quickly. I grabbed turkey leg and a bowl of the butternut squash soup. I hadn’t realized just how hungry I was until I sat down and enjoyed the meal.

It was nice to sit quietly for a moment with my mate. He smiled at me from across the table. Then he reached over and swiped a bit of food off my chin.

“Enjoying yourself, mate?”

“So much,” I said. I wished I could form better words to describe the absolute happiness that thrummed through me.

After we ate, he dragged me through the different areas to a section with natural paints. Instead of carving pumpkins, which would make them decompose faster, we could paint them. In theory, they would survive longer, but whether that was true or not, it was a lot less messy. Plus, the paint was all natural, so it was still safe to let the pumpkins rot in the forest and return to nature, or feed them to the livestock.

“I don’t know how to paint,” I admitted, looking at the sample pumpkins. They were all very impressive, and I found them a bit intimidating.

“No one’s watching.” He picked up a stencil and taped it onto a pumpkin. “We can use the sponge method. It’s foolproof.”

We dipped a sponge in paint and patted it over the stencil. The brown paint went exactly where it needed to, creating a cute little design. It wasn’t as fancy as some of the art pieces around us, but it looked good, and it was fun. We made two pumpkins—one for each side of his stoop. One was a Jack-o’-lantern face, and the other was a cute cat face.

After we set them aside to dry, Cedric got called away. As one of the committee members he was a go-to person to deal with any last-minute items. There weren’t many of them, since they had done such a great job organizing. Still, a few things cropped up. It was just as well—I needed a break. The exhaustion from all the baking was really starting to hit, and my stomach wasn’t feeling the best. I probably shouldn’t have had coffee on an empty stomach, but it was too late now.

I decided to check the baked goods table and then lie down for a bit. There wasn’t much time left before the festival picked back up, but I needed a moment. Tonight there would be a big grill-out with hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, and other barbeque goodness. Anyone who hadn’t been baking with us had been preparing side dishes for the dinner hour. Then, while everyone was enjoying their meals, they did the pumpkin-launching contest. They had a catapult and big targets in the open field that people would try to hit.

Fern met me halfway. “Hey, I’ve got something for you.”

“For me?”

“Yeah, but it’s not here. Come with me.”

If it had been anyone else, I might have found that odd, but Fern was Fern, so I followed her, wondering what silly surprise she had in store for me. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take, everything around me was so busy and exciting. It was a lot to take in. I would probably sleep for a week after this.

What I wasn’t expecting was to see a pregnancy test sitting on her bathroom counter.

“I think you need this,” she blurted out.

“You think I need that? You think I’m pregnant?”

“Well, yeah,” she said. “You’re exhausted, you’ve puked a few times, and you’re a little off balance.”

“Being off balance is a pregnancy sign?” That wasn’t a symptom I’d heard of, that was for sure. But then again, I didn’t know a lot about pregnancy. “It’s been a busy day. And it was all the sugar, that’s why I got sick.” I had been a little overzealous about taste-testing the frosting, and I’d paid for it.

“It wasn’t just the sugar,” she replied, though she didn’t sound entirely sure.

“I’m just tired because I’ve been working hard, and my stomach hurts because I’m sleep-deprived,” I argued. “It’s nothing.” Each excuse I came up with sounded more and more far-fetched. Cedric was my mate, and if I understood all that as well as I thought, it meant we’d be very likely to have children together. But so soon?

“Just take the test or I’m giving it to my brother.”

“He’s definitely not pregnant.”

Fern’s stink-eye was strong.

“Fine, but you’ll see.” I went into the bathroom and took the test, fully expecting it to come up negative. But when one line turned into two, I was hit with a wave of both excitement and guilt. This was a moment I should have spent with Cedric, not his sister. If I’d thought there was even a glimmer of a chance it would be positive, I would’ve made sure he was here.

It was too soon. Then again, what did I know about half-shifter pregnancies. Oh goodness, was I carrying a wolf pup? I would have to ask the pack doctor how it would all work. I wasn’t the only human to mate a wolf, just the first one in this pack.

Fatherhood wasn’t something I’d spent a whole lot of time thinking about. The past two years I’d dedicated to putting my food truck business together and not much else. I’d never been very alpha-crazy. I just assumed I’d meet someone someday and we’d have children.

I guess that’s exactly what happened. The timeline was just a lot quicker than I anticipated. And also, he was a wolf.

I smiled to myself and capped the test and slipped it into my pocket, washing my hands before rushing out.

“Thanks, Fern.” I kissed her cheek and headed toward the door.

“Does that mean it’s positive?”

“If it was, would I tell you first?”

“That means it is!” she squealed, clapping her hands in excitement. “Go! Go tell him! And let me know how it goes! And let me be there when you tell the parents, please, please, please!”

She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, practically buzzing with joy.

It was time to find my alpha. Hopefully he’d feel the same.