Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 19932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 66(@300wpm)
“Only because he didn’t want you going berserk over every little twinge I had.” Trinity rolled her eyes. “From what Calliope has told me, you’re at least twice as bad as any of the other guys have been when their mates were pregnant, which is saying a lot since I’m told they all set a high bar.”
Damon didn’t bother trying to deny the accusation, brushing a kiss against the top of her head instead. “Nobody else had a mate who was opening a restaurant while carrying two of his pups. We’re having the first set of twins in the pack. I think that entitles me to be a little overprotective.”
“A little overprotective?” Trinity echoed softly, shaking her head while she giggled.
Talk about an understatement. Damon hovered over his mate like he thought she was made of glass. They were so freaking cute together, I always ended up smiling whenever I was around them. Gesturing toward her belly, I said, “In all fairness, he has good reason to be worried. You look like you’re about to pop.”
“Don’t you start, too.” She wagged her finger at me, her eyes narrowing. “Neither of you need to worry. I still have a whole month to go before the babies are due. I’ll be fine for the opening.”
“I’m not concerned about the opening,” Damon grunted as he led Trinity over to the office and settled her on the small couch with her feet up on a pillow. “Peppa has everything under control.”
“Of course, I do. That’s what you hired me for.” I grinned as I dropped down on the chair behind the desk.
Damon grabbed a menu off the stack and skimmed the list of entrees. “Damn straight you do. When Trinity told me that she wanted to include rare, hard-to-find proteins that her shifter customers couldn’t find elsewhere, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But what you’ve been able to find is almost unbelievable, and the dishes you’ve come up with are fucking amazing.”
I wasn’t humble about my abilities as a chef, but I felt my cheeks heat at his compliment. “I couldn’t have done it without your mate’s connections. She’s the one who found the source for the wild boar, zebra, and antelope.”
“Yeah, but you’re the one who was able to add yak, alligator, and emu to the menu.” Trinity rubbed her belly, licking her lips. “Although what I’ve been craving lately is that python ravioli in wild mushroom cream sauce that you let me sample the other day. Any chance you have some in the fridge?”
“Nope, you took all the leftovers with you.” When her lips curved down in a pout, I hurriedly added, “But Thora roasted a python loin yesterday, so I could whip up a batch if you’d like.”
She clapped her hands together and grinned while Damon sent me a look full of gratitude. “Yes, please.”
“You do realize that you’re my boss, right?” I asked as they followed me back into the kitchen, Damon carrying the desk chair so Trinity would sit while I cooked.
“Yeah, but it would be so wrong for me to order you to make me something just because I was having a craving.” She shook her head and patted her belly. “If I asked you to cook for me every time I was in the mood for a particular dish, you never would have had time to get this place in order. You would’ve been acting as my personal chef every single day since you got here.”
I pointed the knife I was using to chop mushrooms at her. “If you want something, ask me. I don’t want you or the babies to go hungry just because you’re worried I’m too busy to cook for you. My staff and I have this kitchen running like a well-oiled machine. We’ve practiced these dishes so many times that we’re to the point where they come out perfect each time. Opening day is going to be a breeze.”
3
Peppa
After three days of nearly endless hours in the kitchen to make sure nothing would go wrong on opening day—even though I darn well knew something always went wrong the first time customers stepped foot into a restaurant—the big surprise ended up being completely out of my control. Trinity went into labor with the twins a full month early before we even had the chance to officially open the doors. Not that we had any room for more customers with all of Trinity and Damon’s families, plus the Timber Ridge alpha, beta, their mates, and children taking up every available seat in the place.
She’d tried to pretend nothing was wrong, but the moment Damon realized she was having contractions, he’d carried her butt out of there. Their parents and Trinity’s sister, Tabara, had followed them to the hospital, promising to keep everyone updated. The rest of her crew stuck around to eat dinner before heading out a little more than an hour later to meet the baby.