Shadowed Instincts by Wendi Wilson

she growled,
“Oh, now you’re gonna get it,” before sinking under the water and swimming for
his legs.
     

Chapter 18
    Melanie woke up the next morning with a smile on her face.
Swimming with Jeremy, a fun laughter-filled dinner with only him and her
parents, and a late night cuddle session in her bed all contributed to her good
mood. She rolled over and smelled Jeremy’s unique scent of pine trees and boy
on her pillow.
    She sat straight up and gasped as she realized what day it
was. “It’s my birthday,” she whispered.
    Melanie knew her mom was planning a surprise for her. They
hadn’t discussed her birthday since Saturday at dinner, but she had witnessed several
hushed conversations that had ended abruptly whenever she entered the room. She
just didn’t know what her mom had up her sleeve.
    All that mattered to her, though, was that she wasn’t going
to shift today like she had originally thought. She still had a few days before
she had to face that hurdle, so she decided to just enjoy the day. First order
of business: get dressed.
    She put on her new turquoise blouse and jeans, paired with
flat black sandals and silver hoop earrings. She curled her hair to define her
soft waves and pulled one side back with a black clip. For make-up, she
carefully drew on eyeliner and plum eyeshadow with a swoop of mascara. She
puckered her lips and smoothed on tinted lip balm.
    She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. “You
are beautiful,” she said, reciting her old mantra. She smiled and saw the way
her eyes lit up. “This is what Jeremy sees when he looks at me,” she mouthed
silently.
    He loves me and I love him, she thought. That’s
all that matters. Anything and everything we do together will be beautiful
because of that love.  I’m ready for everything. Smiling brighter, she
flicked off the light headed for the stairs.
    “Happy birthday, baby,” Elaine called out as soon as she
entered the dining room.
    Melanie smiled and nodded her head in thanks as the others
in the room repeated the sentiment. Her mom, dad, Chad and Willow were already
eating and she waved at them as she headed toward the buffet table. Declan
stood there waiting for her.
    “Happy birthday, Mel,” he said quietly, giving her a small
smile.
    “Thanks.”
    She tried not to let her discomfort show. She felt weird
around him after that scene at the pond. She kept her eyes on the buffet as she
loaded up her plate with eggs, bacon, sausage and French toast.
    “Hey,” he whispered, leaning in close. “Is everything okay?”
    Melanie took a big step back and forced a smile. “Sure. Why
wouldn’t it be?” she squeaked out.
    “Mel, I…”
    He trailed off as a pair of arms encircled her from behind.
She felt a kiss on her cheek and heard a husky voice say, “Happy birthday,
Mel.”
    She turned her head to see Jeremy’s face and he quickly pecked
a kiss on her lips. When she turned back, Declan had walked away, heading for
his seat at the table. Melanie pulled away from Jeremy and faced him with an
arched brow.
    “Staking our claim this morning, are we?”
    “Who? Me?” One side of his mouth lifted in a smirk,
contradicting his innocent tone.
    “Uh huh,” she said.
    “So, what’s on the agenda for today, birthday girl?” Darren
asked after she and Jeremy had both taken a seat at the table.
    “I don’t know. I figured you guys were cooking something up,
so I didn’t make any plans.”
    Her parents smiled at each other knowingly. “Well,” her mom
said, “our plans for you don’t start until this evening, so do whatever you
feel like today. Just be home by six.”
    “Okay,” Melanie said, arching a brow at that cryptic answer.
    “I have something special planned for us,” Jeremy whispered,
nudging her side with his elbow.
    Four sets of eyes shot toward them and Melanie blushed. Damned
shifter hearing, she thought.
    Luckily her mom didn’t notice the curious stares and
everyone went back to eating like nothing