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address what Candy had said. The cashier at
your grocery store seemed a little bitter about all
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Trusting His Rat
the gay men in the area. He peered at Grady and
added, Not so much angry as disappointed.
Grady snorted and shook his head. Naw, not
as many as you d think, actually, he told him.
Declan has plenty of het couples in his pack,
too, he assured. Just most of them are wrapped
up with caring for cubs, so you don t see them out
as much.
Ah, Paolo murmured, nodding. He has an
expansive pack, then? He d met so many male
couples that resided in the area, he d made the
false assumption that Declan ran a mostly gay
pack.
Jamie nodded. My friends and I have lived
under his leadership for He paused and
glanced around, then finished, well, a long
time, and we just found our mates. Laramie found
Denise years ago and last year Michel found Jason.
Then there s ye and me and Preall and Again
he stopped speaking, this time he just tilted his
head toward Trina.
Ah, Paolo murmured. Right. Still, a fifty-
fifty split was nearly unheard of. And you re all
true mates?
Aye, we are. Most in the pack are, too, Jamie
confirmed. He smiled. Declan s people have been
truly blessed.
Paolo certainly agreed with that. Evidently,
Fate had decided to smile on the wolf shifter s
pack.
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Charlie Richards
Trina rising from the table caught Paolo s
attention. He saw that Jamie tracked her
movements as well, peering at the occupants of
the other table from beneath his lashes.
I need to run to the little girl s room, Trina
told her brother and uncle.
Jason grinned. Better hurry or Uncle Sean is
gonna eat all your fries, he teased.
Placing her palm on her flat belly, Trina
groaned. Ugh, that burger was huge, but I
couldn t stop eating it. So good. She sighed and
waved her other hand at the mound of fries still
on her plate. Those are all yours if you want
them, Uncle Sean.
Won t pass that up, Sean instantly
responded, winking. Reaching out, he grabbed the
plate and pulled it toward him.
The ladies room sounds great, Denise said,
rising from the table behind Paolo and joining
Trina on her trek to the restroom. Her voice
drifted to Paolo s sensitive shifter ears as she
complained, I swear. The worst part of
pregnancy is how the baby sits right on your
bladder.
Trina laughed and asked, How far along are
you?
I ll go pay our check while she s gone, Sean
said, also rising from the table.
Raul nodded, then tilted his head in a blatant
request for a kiss, which Sean had no trouble
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Trusting His Rat
giving. Sean grabbed a couple fries from Trina s
plate before heading away from the table,
probably to settle his bar tab, Lily bouncing on his
hip.
Behind Paolo, Laramie rose and headed after
Sean.
Paolo s eyes narrowed as he noted Preall,
Carson, and Jason did the same.
Leaning toward Jamie, Paolo whispered, Is
this the sign I should be watching for?
Jamie glanced around furtively, then nodded.
So, what exactly is the plan? Paolo asked
again, still curious.
Ye ll know, Jamie whispered back.
Paolo opened his mouth, intending to press for
more information. Right then, however, Denise
came rushing awkwardly from the hallway that
housed the bathroom. She clutched her swollen
belly. Her eyes appeared too large in her head as
she searched the area.
Laramie, Denise cried. Laramie!
Nearly instantly, Laramie rushed to her side.
What is it, sweetheart?
I think my water broke, Denise replied. I
think I m going into labor!
Okay, okay. Calm down, Laramie soothed.
Let s get you to the hospital. You ll be fine. He
wrapped an arm around Denise s waist, pressed a
quick kiss to her temple, and started leading her
past the tables.
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Charlie Richards
Denise paused at their table and latched onto
Gordon s arm. Wait, wait, she called. Doctor
Digby, will you come with us? Please?
Denise, Gordon started, resting his opposite
hand over hers where she clutched at him. I m
not that kind Grady shifted and Gordon
grunted. His eyes widened as he looked toward
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