Chapter 191

Shawna POV

"Oh my Goddess," I yell, waving the letter around in the air. "The results are in," I tell Michael as he comes in the door from training all day. "I have been waiting for you to get home for three hours so we can open it together."

Michael sets his duffel bag down just inside the door and walks over and kisses me till my knees are weak. The letter drops from my hand as I wind my hands in his hair. A few minutes later, he sets me to rights and bends down to pick up the letter. "You could have come to the training field and got me," he says, smiling.

"I don't want to interrupt your work, "I tell him. "Not unless it's important."

"This is important," he says. "You are the most important thing in the world to me. I would have stopped for the day and come home with you," he says. "Don't ever forget that you are always first."

His words fill me with warmth, my heart beating just a little bit faster. "Let's open it, "I say, nodding.

Michael opens the envelope and pulls me to sit on the couch. He positions me so that my legs are draped across his lap and his arm is wrapped around me. "You do it." He hands me the open envelope, and I remove the single sheet of paper from inside. "A boy," he whispers in my ear as we stare at the paper. "It's a boy."

"Can you believe it?" I say quietly. "We are going to be parents, Michael, to a beautiful little boy." I start crying. Tears of joy stream down my face as I throw my arms around Michael's neck. He pulls me close, hands rubbing up and down my back.

"Tell me those are tears of happiness," he says worriedly. "You are happy, right?"

"So happy," I cry. "It's the best news, I am so blessed. We are so blessed," I tell him.

"Do you want to call your parents and tell them?" he asks.

"Maybe." I say. I sit there for a few minutes before I give the answer that sits right in my heart. "Maybe not right away," I answer. "In a few weeks. I don't want to be pressured by my mother to come back or to visit. With everything that's going on there now, it's just best to keep our distance. Plus I'm sure she will ask questions about my sister and now we are both pregnant, she's going to lose her mind."

"She has your brother and his daughter. Isn't Cassidy due soon?" Michael asks me.

I gasp, "I almost forgot! She's due this week, I think. I should call Ben at least," I say. "Check in on them." Michael nods.

"Can we tell my parents?" Michael asks.

"Oh shoot,"I say, jumping out of Michael's lap. "We need to get ready. We are having dinner with your parents tonight. I already let Lynn know, so she and Clint know they are on their own for dinner. Hurry up and shower," I tell Michael. "And that's a yes, we are telling them tonight at dinner." Michael stands, swats my butt gently, and ambles towards the stairs. He turns at the bottom and looks at me with a smile.

"Come join me," he says. "You can wash my back," he winks and then takes the stairs two at a time. I laugh and follow him. We have some time before we go to his parents' house and I really could use a shower too.

Hours later, we sit at the dinner table. James and Colette are also there, but there is no sign of Peter. Dean and Janice volley banter back and forth about what Peter might be up to today for a solid twenty minutes. "He's just been a little off since all of that stuff with Stephanie," Janice finally says. She waves her hand in the air, as if to excuse the conversation and then turns to Michael and I. "So, how are you two settling in? Are you enjoying being in charge of training?" she asks Michael, passing the salad bowl around the table at the same time.

"Yes, surprisingly," Michael says. "The entire part of training Cedric has slowed down the integration of what I had planned for the pack, but that's about done. Peter has joined in the training as well."

"He has?" Janice says, sounding surprised. "I didn't know that."

"Why would you?" Dean says. "He's been so quiet and distant."

James clears his throat. "I think he wants to go apply for the King's Army."

"What?" Janice says. "Why would you think that?"

"He said something like that," James said. "He wants to get out of here, look for his mate, do something more. He's been hanging out with Cedric, talking about it."

"Oh," Janice says in a whisper.

"I think it's great," Dean says. "He needs something for himself. Michael did it, found his something, and James will be Alpha. Peter needs something besides a potential chosen mate who is just an opportunist. Let him do what he wants, Janice."

"Okay," Janice says. She nods and swallows, realizing that what Dean says is true. She clearly doesn't want her son to leave, but she knows that it's best if it's what he wants. "Nat called today," she changes the subject. "She's pregnant. Isn't that beautiful? We will have two grandchildren soon."

"Great news," Dean says. "When are you going to visit? I'm assuming you want too."

"I do," Janice says, smiling. "I will wait till she's close to giving birth. I want to be there for that."

"Of course you do," Dean says. "You should." I watch this exchange with a slight smile on my face. I love how Michael's parents care for each other, and I can't help but hope that Michael and I always care for each other like we do now. Of course we will, I tell myself.

"Oh," Janice suddenly chimes loudly. "Shawna said you have an announcement to make," she looks at Michael. "Let's hear it."

"Oh, um," Michael looks to me, I assume, asking permission to tell them the news. He is always so thoughtful. I nod at him, giving him a grin that says, "Yes, please".

"Shawna received the results today," he says.

"Results?" his father's brow is furrowed in confusion.

Janice is beaming; she knows what Michael is referring to even if Dean hasn't yet guessed. "Oh, yay!" she claps her hands.

"We are having a boy," Michael says. "The baby. It's a boy." Dean's brow relaxes, and he smiles. Colette gasps and James looks surprised. He quickly rearranges his face and smiles.

"Congratulations," James says. "That's amazing."

Colette looks slightly concerned before she looks at us and says, "Yes, congratulations. I guess James and I need to get busy, don't we?" She elbows him. "I mean, having a baby."

"I know what you mean," James says, giving her an odd look. "Babies." He looks over and smiles at us, and I can't help but feel like he's uncomfortable with this conversation. Michael notices too, but tells me later that night that he will talk to James alone and find out what that is all about.