kicked, or maybe it was an elbow. Whatever. It landed squarely on her bladder.
Moment ended . . . but what a perfect moment it had been.
Grumbling to herself, Daci ran the guys out of the bathroom so she could pee. Still feeling like a beached whale, she eased herself down on the pot, but she couldn’t stop grinning.
They weren’t just saying they loved her, that they loved the way she looked. She could tell by the heartfelt emotion in their eyes, the gentleness in their touch, that both her guys really meant what they said. She knew they loved her, and wasn’t Ric always saying that with love, anything was possible? Maybe she was worried about nothing. Maybe the changes coming to their family would be good for all of them.
What was she so worried about? They were a pack—they were family. She wished they were closer to more of their kind, but since they weren’t, then she, Daciana Lupei Rodgers-March was doing her part by adding two brand-new members.
All she needed to do was get through the next couple of months.
October couldn’t come soon enough.
They’d shifted once the sun dropped below the mountains, and now it was just the two of them, trotting along a narrow path with Millie in the lead. Ric had no idea where she was leading him. This was something that had been building over the past few weeks, and as much as he’d wanted to pry, he knew that Millie needed to work through whatever it was at her own speed.
She was such a loving woman. A strong, loving, goodhearted woman who had suffered too much, lost too much, and been forced to endure too many horrors. Whatever she needed, he would do his best to fulfill. All he hoped was to make her future brighter than her past had been.
He knew more than Millie wanted him to know, but Ric made a point of never referring to her past—not unless she brought it up. He was well aware she just wanted it to go away, even though he knew that wasn’t going to happen.
All he could do was be there for her.
The first time he’d shared her memories, Ric had felt physically ill. Seeing what this lovely woman had been through sickened him. She’d been raised by her uncle, a pedophile who excused his perversions under the guise of his religious fanaticism. He was a terrible example of a man with Chanku genes and the accompanying libido, who had never known of his true heritage—though Ric wondered if even knowing who and what he was would have helped.
He’d been a sick and twisted man who used his innocent niece for his own perverted pleasure. He’d raised her with equally twisted religious beliefs that defied everything the Good Book taught. Millie’d gotten pregnant—not by him, thank the Goddess, but by a young cowboy who, Millie didn’t learn until years later, had been killed shortly after they met.
When her twins were born, Millie had no one in her life except for her uncle, who told her the babies died at birth. She had no idea her babies had actually survived—they’d been taken away, separated, and sold in black-market adoptions.
For all Millie knew at the time, she’d been abandoned by her lover, and after hours of labor she’d been left with nothing but a broken heart. She’d wanted her babies more than anything, but she’d gone back alone to a home where she was hated and mistreated and eventually disowned.
There’d been so much sadness in her life. Ric was glad he’d been the one who helped Millie reconnect with her children, now grown. Both Chanku, Adam and Manda were now in loving relationships with healthy, well-adjusted children of their own.
Yet Millie still carried the guilt, both from her sexual abuse and the twisted quasi-religious teachings that had been drilled into her from such a young age. She’d suffered years of pain she’d never truly escaped. Somehow, he would help her through this. Now that he knew their lives were practically immortal, he wasn’t about to allow her to live forever with the unearned guilt of a
Moment ended . . . but what a perfect moment it had been.
Grumbling to herself, Daci ran the guys out of the bathroom so she could pee. Still feeling like a beached whale, she eased herself down on the pot, but she couldn’t stop grinning.
They weren’t just saying they loved her, that they loved the way she looked. She could tell by the heartfelt emotion in their eyes, the gentleness in their touch, that both her guys really meant what they said. She knew they loved her, and wasn’t Ric always saying that with love, anything was possible? Maybe she was worried about nothing. Maybe the changes coming to their family would be good for all of them.
What was she so worried about? They were a pack—they were family. She wished they were closer to more of their kind, but since they weren’t, then she, Daciana Lupei Rodgers-March was doing her part by adding two brand-new members.
All she needed to do was get through the next couple of months.
October couldn’t come soon enough.
They’d shifted once the sun dropped below the mountains, and now it was just the two of them, trotting along a narrow path with Millie in the lead. Ric had no idea where she was leading him. This was something that had been building over the past few weeks, and as much as he’d wanted to pry, he knew that Millie needed to work through whatever it was at her own speed.
She was such a loving woman. A strong, loving, goodhearted woman who had suffered too much, lost too much, and been forced to endure too many horrors. Whatever she needed, he would do his best to fulfill. All he hoped was to make her future brighter than her past had been.
He knew more than Millie wanted him to know, but Ric made a point of never referring to her past—not unless she brought it up. He was well aware she just wanted it to go away, even though he knew that wasn’t going to happen.
All he could do was be there for her.
The first time he’d shared her memories, Ric had felt physically ill. Seeing what this lovely woman had been through sickened him. She’d been raised by her uncle, a pedophile who excused his perversions under the guise of his religious fanaticism. He was a terrible example of a man with Chanku genes and the accompanying libido, who had never known of his true heritage—though Ric wondered if even knowing who and what he was would have helped.
He’d been a sick and twisted man who used his innocent niece for his own perverted pleasure. He’d raised her with equally twisted religious beliefs that defied everything the Good Book taught. Millie’d gotten pregnant—not by him, thank the Goddess, but by a young cowboy who, Millie didn’t learn until years later, had been killed shortly after they met.
When her twins were born, Millie had no one in her life except for her uncle, who told her the babies died at birth. She had no idea her babies had actually survived—they’d been taken away, separated, and sold in black-market adoptions.
For all Millie knew at the time, she’d been abandoned by her lover, and after hours of labor she’d been left with nothing but a broken heart. She’d wanted her babies more than anything, but she’d gone back alone to a home where she was hated and mistreated and eventually disowned.
There’d been so much sadness in her life. Ric was glad he’d been the one who helped Millie reconnect with her children, now grown. Both Chanku, Adam and Manda were now in loving relationships with healthy, well-adjusted children of their own.
Yet Millie still carried the guilt, both from her sexual abuse and the twisted quasi-religious teachings that had been drilled into her from such a young age. She’d suffered years of pain she’d never truly escaped. Somehow, he would help her through this. Now that he knew their lives were practically immortal, he wasn’t about to allow her to live forever with the unearned guilt of a
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