“You must be fuckin’ kidding me! Sorry, Kendrick, you’re on your own once that water breaks.”

* * *

“You know. This is bullshit.” Conall didn’t like the sound of that as Zach straightened up and headed for the door. “I’ll tell her she’s staying.”

The males looked at each other then they charged after Zach. As Conall followed, he could see his future with Miki slipping through his hands.

* * *

“And what about my career? Conridge offered me a teaching position.”

Sara smirked. “First off. You hate teaching. You hate college kids. And second, Northern California has gotten really progressive and they actually have a few colleges. Some universities, too. This state is making quite a name for itself academically.”

Miki gave Sara the finger as the females began laughing. But when Zach, Conall, and a group of Pack males walked in, all conversation stopped.

Zach looked at Sara. “What?”

Sara’s eyes narrowed. “Just wondering what you want.”

“What makes you think we want anything? This is my fuckin’ kitchen, too.”

“Uh-huh.”

Zach went to the fridge, and tossed each of the men a beer. Once they each had one, he headed toward the swinging kitchen door, pushed it open, then stopped. “But if I were going to say anything—”

“I knew it!” Sara stood up. “You just can’t stay out of it, can you?”

“Sara, wait.” Miki stood up. “I wanna hear what the brain trust has to say.”

Zach glared. “Look, Tinker Bell, I tolerate you ‘cause I have to. But Conall, against my better judgment, loves your psychotic ass. I don’t know why. I don’t understand it. But he does. And I have to figure if he loves you, and Sara—who I trust with my life and the life of my Pack on a daily basis—loves you, then there must be something about you besides that big mouth and those tiny elf feet.”

Miki’s eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Kelly leaned in between the two. “Why don’t I just take this for now.” She plucked the gun and its holster off Miki’s sweats.

Conall sighed. He’d had some big plans for his life with Miki. House. Kids. Gun shows. But his best friend was blowing that all to hell and back.

But he’d forgotten about his Alpha Female. She was in Zach’s face so fast that everyone, even Miki, stepped back.

“Was that supposed to be nice!”

“She doesn’t get nice. She gets barely tolerated.”

“You need to back the fuck off. Now!”

“All I’m saying is if she loves him she should just fuckin’ stay!”

“And it’s none of your business whether she loves him or not.Whether she stays or not.”

“Sara, she’s already part of the Pack. She protected Conall. You. And now she’s carrying a Pack baby…”

Miki cut in then. “Never call our baby that again.”

“…But if she doesn’t want him for the love of all that’s holy, put the poor guy out of his misery.”

Conall could still hear them going at it, but he hadn’t taken his eyes off Miki. He was waiting for her to realize what she’d just said. It took her all of thirty seconds. He knew the exact moment, too, by the look of pure panic on her face when she looked at him.

He smiled. A big, leering, Viking smile, he was sure. And Miki was none too happy.

“That meant nothing!” she practically screeched.

Sara and Zach snapped out of their argument as Conall moved in front of Miki.

“That meant everything, Miki-baby. Absolutely everything.”

“You’re fuckin’ high. It was a slip. Nothing more. I haven’t made up my mind about shit!”

The two stood toe-to-toe. But for once Conall didn’t crouch down to meet her gaze.

“Just get over it. I love you. You love me. And we’ve got baby furniture to buy.”

“You’re not railroading me, Viking.”

“You are so in love with me, you don’t know what to do with yourself.”

“You are delusional!”

“Marry me, Miki Kendrick.”

“Not on your life!”

“We’ll have a May wedding. Or September. After the baby or before?”

“I will kill you in your sleep.”

“You’ll try.”

“You are making me crazy and I am sure that’s not healthy for the demon seed I’m carrying!”

He smiled in the face of her yelling. “Is that any way to talk about our love child?”

Miki let out a strangled scream of pure frustration. And in response, Conall’s smile just got bigger.

“That’s it!” Miki barked. “Move the fuck out of my way!”

And everyone did. They watched as she stormed out, then they all looked at Conall. He was still smiling. He couldn’t help himself. Miki made him smile.

Zach shook his head. “Are you sure you know what you’re—”

Miki’s voice slammed into them through the swinging door. “Move your ass, Viking!”

Conall looked at his best friend. “I do love that woman.”

“They have treatments for that kind of mental disorder, ya know.”

Miki stood in front of Conall’s bed and gawked at it, marveling at how big it was. He must have had it specially made so that his big feet didn’t hang over the edge.