They stared at each other for a few seconds before Matt said, "Touché," and they both laughed. The way Jared blossomed and relaxed around Matt was amazing. Our pack beta had always seemed so stiff and formal. His own mom joked about him putting too much starch in his underwear. It could’ve been because Matt had a way of putting people at ease, but I figured it had a lot more to do with them growing up together.
I gave them a few moments to laugh it up before extricating myself from Matt, doing my best to seem responsible enough for a leadership role around here. It was a hard look to pull off, given I was about seven weeks or so away from giving birth and my gut had its own ZIP code these days. Put together with my elastic-fronted paternity pants and an old T-shirt of Matt's fitting me like a short dress, I didn't seem like much of an authority figure.
Whatever. The shirt’s loose fabric was so soft and worn I had zero regrets. I'd liberated it from a box of old clothes packed up when he left. Paula unearthed it from somewhere and delivered it to our room this morning. The single thing missing from my new favorite shirt was Matt's scent. Although, thanks to our little display of PDA, I was definitely wearing it now.
Glancing at his watch, Jared nodded toward the road. "Everyone from Newberry Springs will be arriving soon. Were you planning to wave as they drive into town, or did you lose track of time?"
Thinking about how close they were sent a burst of energy through me, and I wanted to bounce up and down. "Both, I guess. I want to be the first thing my brothers see when they arrive. But we might have gotten kinda distracted and forgot the time." And where we were. And pretty much everything except for each other.
Matt slipped an arm around me, his hand smoothing a circle in the small of my back. "Only a few more minutes, little wolf. I’ve arranged for special transportation for your brothers."
As soon as he spoke, I remembered a certain group of bikers who’d disappeared after lunch. My eyes went wide, my stomach clenching at the thought of my brothers on motorcycles. "Tell me you didn't…"
Before he could answer, the telltale rumbling of engines sounded right before three shiny bikes came into view in the distance. A wave of comfort surged through the bond, and Matt's hand still rubbed a circle against my back. Squinting to get a better look at the third bike, I had to block the sun with the back of my hand. My chest warmed as I turned to fling my arms around my mate.
"Wait. A sidecar? Please tell me nobody actually went and bought an expensive accessory to safely escort my brothers here." I stepped back and glared suspiciously. "Why aren't you telling me I'm crazy to think of such a thing?"
How had I never noticed Matt's grin could be irritating? Cute. But irritating. Even as he shrugged, he kept smiling. "Why would I call you crazy for guessing your surprise? We haven't been together long, but you already know me well enough to know the truth. And yes, Lucian did buy the sidecar. He ordered it several days ago and picked it up on the way to Newberry Springs."
Though he was still smiling, his eyes showed a hint of concern as he shrugged again, almost nervously. "I wasn't sure what your stance was on motorcycles, especially when you've never asked for a ride. And I guess I've been afraid to ask. Lucian suggested it was probably better to beg your forgiveness later than ask permission and get shut down."
I had to roll my eyes, though I felt myself smiling. "I haven't asked because I wasn't sure I would fit with… um, all this squished up against your back." I motioned at my belly, then thrust my hand out in a wordless gesture, vaguely saying I didn't know what to think.
Matt rested his palm against the side of my gut. "You and the pup would be safe to ride with me. I don't know I would want to take you out once you get any further along. But I’m probably being protective. I knew a human woman who rode her Harley up until the day she delivered. And yes, bikes can be dangerous, but you and your brothers are safe with us. We know what we’re doing. It’s the other guy we have to watch out for, and none of us would ride near cars with precious cargo aboard."
Since we were talking about it, I kinda felt silly. "Plus, we are shifters. There’s the whole benefit of fast healing we’ve got going for us, right? We’re harder to kill." I chewed my lip as I looked back to see how close the bikes were getting. The desert played tricks on one's eyes, and sometimes gauging distance was hard. They were nearer, though, because now I could make out more details. Feeling guilty, I glanced back at Matt. "He really bought a sidecar? Specifically for this trip? For Noah to ride in?"
"Meh, don’t sweat it. Luci's been quietly looking at those things for years. Devon thinks he has fantasies of getting a dog. It would be a great place for a pooch to ride. Besides, we couldn't risk him being too short. Noah’s only six, you said. If he’s not tall enough to ride a roller coaster, state law won't let him ride on the back of a motorcycle. Once he gets a little bigger, it won't be a problem."
As how they had put their heads together to solve my problem sank in, my chest swelled until I felt light enough to float away. "I don't know why you guys wanted to do this for me, but thank you. I'll be thanking them as well, but… yeah."
Matt lifted my chin with two fingers. "You don't have to be grateful to me for looking out for my own. Your brothers are in your care now, so they’re mine too. Any of the guys’ too, we take care of our family."
My vision blurred as my eyes tried to tear up. Every time I thought I had Matt figured out, he surprised me again. With everything going on, the one thing we hadn't talked about was how my brothers would fit into our life moving forward. I'd been so focused on getting them here. Realizing I hadn't given much thought to what came next surprised me. So much for my reputation as a great planner.
I gasped as they rode into town limits. Saul's long, skinny legs were pressed up against Tucker's large alpha body. I gripped Matt's arm, digging my fingers in without noticing until he gently pried them up a touch. Even then, I barely paid it much attention as I shook my head, completely sick at heart and ready to kick my own butt.
"Matt, where are they going to sleep tonight?"
I’d forgotten Jared's presence until he snorted. Leaning around Matt's back to peer at him, he greeted me with a wink. "Nobody's perfect, Elisha. While you were busy making sure the pack had housing, my mom realized you were putting yourself last and took care of it. Why do you think she was digging through Matt's old stuff? When we get back home, I think you'll be happy to find Matt's childhood bedroom is now set up with twin beds and plenty of age-appropriate toys and books."
Matt grinned as he whisper-yelled. “I might’ve left a present or two in there myself. As the former occupant of the room, I figured it was my duty.”
Did these people not realize how emotional pregnancy could make a guy? Jared's sweet, thoughtful statement was all it took for the waterworks to start. And then Devon rolled to a stop with Lucian and Tucker following—which meant my brothers were right behind him. Noah looked adorable, sitting in the sidecar and wearing a helmet so big he might fall over if he tried to stand upright with it on.
And then I was both laughing and crying.