The Great Disapurrance: BBW Shapeshifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) (16 page)

S
ienna held
her breath as she waited for Arlen to react. He had become very still as he processed what she had just told him.

Arlen’s life wasn’t really one that could accommodate a relationship and a child, but he had confessed his love for her. That had to mean some changes were afoot, right?

Still, starting a family was a way bigger deal than committing to a girlfriend.

When Arlen finally spoke, the smile was back on his face.

“I’m going to be a father?” he asked, looking incredulous, but happy.

“Yes,” Sienna answered.

Before she could say anything else, he grabbed her into his arms and whirled her around the room.

He’s taking this better than I did,
Sienna mused as laughter bubbled up inside her.

“You can put me down now, I’m getting nauseous,” she said with a laugh, swatting at his shoulders.

“Oh, right, sorry,” he muttered, growing instantly serious.

Arlen put her back down on the bed, sitting next to her.

“So you’re the one,” he mumbled, more to himself than to her.

He had this thousand-yard stare in his grey eyes for a moment, before she saw flecks of gold seep in there as well for just an instant before they were gone again.

“The one what?”

“You’re my mate,” Arlen replied, looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time. “I guess I’ve known from the start, deep down, but now…”

“Whoa there, I think I’ve missed a few steps.”

Sienna knew shifter societies operated a bit differently than human ones, but she wasn’t really sure on the specifics. But it wasn’t like she could have gotten herself into more trouble than she already had, right?

“Tiger shifters go through a period of heat, where they have to find their mate and bond with them. It’s called the Bonding by some, just heat by others. Once they do, they can only have offspring with that person and no one else. Seeing as you’re pregnant…”

It seemed Sienna wasn’t the only one with some unexpected information. He must have read her surprised expression because he rushed to explain.

“Look, but that’s really beside the point right now. All you need to know is that this is great news to me. Even
I’m
surprised by how happy this makes me. I never thought I would have a family, taking my line of work into consideration… But this changes everything. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, building a new life with you and our child.”

Sienna’s head was spinning.

Arlen was so sure, ready to commit to their future family, while she still had doubts about everything. She couldn’t possibly ask him to step away from his job, but she also couldn’t stand the idea of him going on dangerous missions and her staying behind, waiting for him to come home, wondering
if
he was coming home this time.

And then there was the fact she didn’t know the first thing about being a parent. All she had learned from her own mother and father was what
not
to do.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Arlen said, his grey eyes searching her face.

Sienna took a deep breath.

“I’m happy that you’re taking this all so well and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my life than with you, but I’m not sure I’m ready to be a mom. What if I’m horrible at it?”

Arlen grinned and shook his head.

“The fact that you’re so worried about it only shows that you’ll be a great mom. And we’ll figure it out together. There’s no such thing as perfect parents, but we’ll do our best and that’s all anyone can really do.”

Just the comforting tone of his voice immediately made Sienna feel better. His words resonated with her.

Parenting wasn’t something one could learn beforehand. It was about thinking on your feet in difficult situations and doing what you thought was best for your child. And she didn’t have to do it alone.

“I can’t believe you are so calm about this. I guess SEALs are probably trained on how to keep cool in stressful situations….”

“I’m calm because I’m sure about the important things. I love you and you love me. Everything else is just background noise.”

Arlen shrugged.

Well, if I look at it like that…

“There are still some obstacles we have to overcome,” Sienna reminded him, sobering the elated situation a little.

Arlen frowned as if suddenly realizing that there was a whole world still out to get them. He stood and started pacing around the room.

“You’re right. We have to put everything that could endanger us to rest before we can be a family.”

“My father will be looking for me. He wanted me to give him an heir even before he knew I was pregnant. Now that he knows I’m already carrying a child, he will be desperate to get control of me. He was so furious when I told him I’d do anything to keep my baby away from him…”

A dark cloud passed over Arlen’s face at the mention of her father.

“Is Antonio the one who gave you the bruises?” he asked.

Sienna fidgeted with the edge of the blanket she was sitting on, uncomfortable with the topic. Talking about Antonio made her feel weak, even after she had worked so hard to be strong. But if she and Arlen were going to be a family, they had to be open with each other about everything.

“Yes,” she answered with a nod, her eyes downcast.

Arlen let out a low curse before coming to kneel before her at the edge of the bed.

“You don’t have to look so ashamed. He is a bastard, and it took a lot of guts to get away from him and start a whole new life. You are a brave, strong woman. Don’t let him make you doubt that. And as long as I’m alive, you can be sure he will never lay a hand on you again.”

The conviction on his face took her breath away.

Arlen was right. It was time to embrace her past. It made her who she was, despite how cliché that sounded. It hadn’t been easy to strike out on her own at only eighteen, leaving behind a life of wealth to make something of herself while hiding from Antonio.

She decided, then and there, to use the awful memories she carried around as a source of strength, rather than a reminder of weakness.

Arlen must have seen the change inside reflected on her face.

“That’s the girl I know, the one with fire in her eyes,” he said, squeezing her hand.

“So what’s our next move?” Sienna asked with a smile and newfound determination, albeit shaky as it was.

“I think my best bet to square things up with The Firm is to finish my mission. And even if it weren’t, it’s still a good idea to take Holland out. You are still a loose end to him. No way he wants you spilling inside information about his crew.”

“And he’s probably pissed he didn’t get the ransom,” Sienna added.

“Okay, so we go back to our original plan. Kill Holland.”

Arlen rubbed his jaw, looking ponderous.

It would be dangerous, but it was the only way to make sure their future family would be safe.

“
I
don’t
like rushing into things, but I think we have to act sooner rather than later. Shadow Squad Three is still in play, looking to both bring me in and finish the job on Holland. We have to beat them to it and also not give them a chance to find us before we can finish this thing,” Arlen thought out loud.

“Our best bet is to go check out that house he went to the last time we tailed him. If he always goes inside without his security, then that’s where we’ll have an advantage,” Sienna agreed.

“There’s just one thing. You can’t come with me,” Arlen said, already bracing for an argument.

“You can’t be serious!” she huffed.

There it was. That fire he liked so much. And the same thing that could put her in jeopardy again.

“I can’t put you in harm’s way, especially not now that you’re pregnant,” he replied, looking at her with pleading eyes.

She had to understand his need to keep her and the baby safe. Even the thought of something happening to them made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He couldn’t live with himself if she suffered in any way again.

“You yourself said I’m a brave, strong woman and now you want me to sit on the sidelines while you charge in to danger? How is that fair?”

“I’m not really concerned with ‘fair’ right now,” he muttered in response, running a hand through his hair.

Sienna’s jaw tightened and he could tell she was about to really let him have it.

“My father made decisions for me my whole life. From whom I could be friends with down to what I was allowed to eat. Is that what I’m signing up for with you?”

Damn.

That was a low blow. For a moment, he was speechless. Sienna sighed and her expression softened.

“I’m sorry, that was harsh. I know you’re not like him, but can you see my point? I think this is something we need to do together and I would like you to respect my wishes.”

What could Arlen say to that? She wasn’t going to back down and he understood why she wouldn’t. Even though he despised the idea of Sienna being even in the slightest danger, he couldn’t cut her off from events that impacted her life just as much as they did his.

The last time I left her alone…

The memory was all too raw. It wasn’t something he wished to experience again.

Fine.

“I get it. We’ll do this together,” he relented.

Sienna stepped up to his side and threw her arms around his trim waist, smiling up at him.

“I know this is difficult for you, so thank you.”

He grinned back at her like a dope. She definitely had him wrapped around her little finger.

He didn’t mind.

* * *

A
rlen left
his car out of sight and he and Sienna rushed to the building he had chosen as the one with the best vantage point. He had his rifle case in one hand, dug out from the cramped boot of the Camaro, and held Sienna’s with the other. It felt right to have her with him, even as a part of him still nagged about how unsafe it was.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

The sun had barely risen when they reached the rooftop. Sienna walked over to the edge and stared down at the mystery building Holland had visited while Arlen set up his weapon. He would feel much more comfortable with the whole thing if he knew what lay inside the house, but he couldn’t get close enough to get a better look without risking leaving his scent behind.

“What do you think the chances of him showing up here again are?” Sienna asked with her back still to him.

“I’m not sure. It depends on what business he has here, which we don’t know.”

He could hear her sigh even despite the whipping wind and street sounds below. Their situation was really starting to take a toll on her, which couldn’t be good for her or the baby. The faster he got this done, the better for all of them.

Arlen set the rifle up on its tripod and attached a silencer before walking over and giving her a hug from behind.

“At least we can watch the sunrise together,” he offered, resting his hands on her stomach.

Sienna covered his hands with hers and leaned against him.

“That’s true.”

They sat down together, watching the sky erupt in shades of pink and orange.

“You were trained as a sniper when you were a SEAL?” Sienna asked after some silence, her head resting on his shoulder.

“It was my role, yes. Not all SEALs get into the sniper program and from those who do, not many end up completing it.”

“Could you be a little less impressive? You’re starting to make me feel bad,” she teased, poking him in the ribs.

“I do have pretty great eyesight, so I kind of had an advantage,” Arlen added.

He had never meant to brag, and back when he was in the Navy, he had felt being a shifter gave him a leg up over the others. The Navy seemed to go through phases of creating all shifter teams and then sprinkling them out between the units. Arlen had the misfortune of being in one of the latter solutions.

Which was why he felt far more at home at The Firm.

“Don’t minimize your accomplishments. I’m sure there’s more to it than eyesight.”

That was definitely true. There had been plenty of candidates with 20/20 vision, as well as other shifters, who washed out quickly.

Arlen didn’t have a lot of time to contemplate that though, as the sound of an engine rumbling in the distance got his attention.

“I better get into position,” he said, getting up.

Sienna ducked down under the edge of the roof while he got under an urban camouflage blanket and focused on looking through the sight. A black SUV appeared from behind the corner not soon after and pulled up in front of the house.

Arlen held his breath as the doors open. Could it really be Holland?

As soon as the man’s curly hair came into view, the tiger inside him roared, recognizing the opponent that gotten away. His men escorted Holland to the house, constantly getting in the way of a clear shot. The guys did a quick sweep of the surroundings before returning to the car.

Arlen glanced at Sienna. She was still crouching near the edge of the roof. He gestured her closer and her eyes lit up when she saw the look of pleased determination on his face.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” she asked quietly.

Arlen nodded, smiling. But before he could get too excited, the sound of another car approaching reached his ears.

“Someone else is coming,” he said with a frown, and Sienna immediately scrambled back to her hiding place.

He got into position again, assuming it was just someone driving by.

In this remote area? And this early?

A town car came into view, rolling to a stop right behind the SUV. Holland’s goons hopped out, guns trained. The driver of the town car calmly exited the car and opened the door to the backseat.

A tall, dark-haired man stepped out, adjusting the lapels of his suit and Arlen could hardly believe his eyes.

What the hell is Antonio Marquez doing here?