Back at the pack house, we arrive at the tail end of lunch. It takes approximately one sniff for the pack to realize we're mates now.
Everyone's excited, and Talis is especially smug for having engineered it all. Until we fill everyone in that Talis' vision of us having a romantic couple of nights sitting out a storm in an isolated cabin wasn't exactly what happened.
Hearing about the arrival of strange shifters in the area puts a deep frown on Dayne's face. I know a lot of his concern has to do with all this trouble happening when Talis could give birth anytime now.
Talis, to everyone's surprise, bursts into tears before snapping at Dayne when he tries to hold her, blaming the tears on crazy hormones that she has no control over.
After Marshall and I have had a hot shower together and dress in sweats, we all settle in the den. By now it's mid-afternoon and outside, gray clouds and light rain tapping on the window promises another stormy day.
I'm perched on Marshall's lap with his hand stroking up and down my back. The rest of the pack have spread themselves out on the couches and colorful rugs on the floor as we tell them about the mating ceremony we hope to have over the weekend.
"It was Jenna's idea. What do you think, Dayne?" Marshall asks.
Although Dayne still has a line creasing his forehead that he's had since our news about the shifters, he's not as angry now. I think it has something to do with Talis sleeping in his arms.
While I'm not a fan of the torrential rainfall that forced me to abandon my clothes in the forest, the sound of the rain as I snuggle on the couch with Marshall makes a day like today one of my favorites.
Dayne's frown smooths away. "I think it's a great idea. Any day in mind?"
"Saturday," I say, glancing at him. "And Marshall and I eventually want to move back here. But not to the house. Maybe into one of the cabins not too far away."
"Well," Marshall says, kissing my brow, "that's another one of Jenna's ideas, actually. I like it."
I feel Dayne studying me, closer than he did before, as if recognizing some change in and about me. I turn to meet his gaze for a little longer.
"I don't see a problem with that. There are a couple of good places to build something if none of the cabins are right. Though, I wouldn't recommend anything with two floors."
After learning about all the problems that Dayne had building a two-story cabin for Talis so she could have an unobstructed view of the Rockies, I understand why he'd warn us against it.
"I don't know. Maybe we will. It doesn't have to be big. Just big enough for me and Marshall and-"
"Baby Marshall," Marshall interrupts.
I turn to him with a frown. "Baby Marshall?"
"Yes. Because it would be weird if we were to call this unknown entity Squirt Two."
Nathan snorts. "Unknown entity?"
"Yeah, that sounds like your baby is some kind of alien," Luka adds.
When Hallee doesn't comment, I glance over and find the corner of the room she was sitting in is empty. It isn't hard to guess where she's gone.
"I think I would prefer Squirt Two, and not Unknown Entity or Baby Marshall," I say, turning away, hoping she and Kier find the same happiness together that Marshall and I have.
"I could just keep saying Baby Marshall and eventually everyone would accept the name. It worked for Talis. Even with all Dayne's grumbling, it didn't take him long to start using the name."
I loop my arms around his neck and glare up at him. "Try it and there won't be a Baby Marshall."
He leans down and kisses me briefly. "Feisty. I like it."
At the sudden silence around us, I turn from Marshall and discover the pack staring at me with something akin to shock. At some point, Talis must've woken from her nap, and her mouth is hanging half-open.
"Jenna, is that you?" she breathes.
I know she must remember, or at least be thinking back to when we first met, and how desperate I was to avoid meeting her eye, at how painfully shy I was.
I smile at her, meeting her gaze for longer before I lower it again. "I'm learning that just because I'm a submissive wolf doesn't mean I can't say no or argue back, that I've got a right to an opinion as much as everyone."
"Which is why you wanted to leave, I guess?" Dayne asks.
"I thought I needed to prove I could look after myself, and… other things as well. Things that weren't true." I glance at Marshall, who grins down at me before I turn back to Dayne. "But you were going to let me leave, anyway."
I know now that he would have.
"Jenna, I have no desire to keep anyone here that doesn't want to be here. Except for Talis. She doesn't get a say."
"Hey!" Talis elbows him in the belly, and he grunts before continuing.
"But I could see you were feeling trapped. I thought some distance might help you figure out what you wanted since it was clear you still loved Marshall and he loved you."
"We do love each other." I lean my head against his shoulder and sigh. "And it's a good thing I found my voice when I did."
"Why is that?" Luka asks.
"To argue with Marshall. In two days, I think I've argued more than I have in my entire life. It's exhausting." I smile as I cuddle him closer. "But it's also fun when I win."
"You need any pointers, Jenna, you know where to come," Nathan offers, and is immediately followed up by Talis' offer to teach me her tips for winning arguments.
Soon, the whole pack is busy unearthing deeply embarrassing stories of Marshall for me to throw in his face to distract him in an argument that I feel I might be losing. Apparently, it's the best way to win, at least, according to Nathan. Talis isn't so sure.
As the rain continues to tap against the window, I sit cradled in Marshall's arms-in my mate's arms-amid the laughter and the noise of my pack. My family.
Marshall presses a kiss on my forehead and contentment spreads through me. I can't imagine feeling any happier than I do right at this moment.
"I love you, jellybean," he murmurs against my hair.
And then suddenly I am. "I love you too, Marshall."