Fate Attracts

Chapter Seven

"Ah, so you are finally telling me. I was wondering how long it would take for you to say something," he says, a smile spreading across his face. My confusion and shock must be clear on my face because Liam throws his head back and laughs so hard he starts gasping for breath. "Oh, Taylor, you don't think I see the way you look at him or the way he looks at you? It's quite obvious how you two feel about each other, and I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in the house knows as well."

"W-what? How?" I stutter, going along with him as he loops his arm through mine and starts to pull us in the direction of the house.

"Like I said, you guys are always looking at each other with heart eyes. Oh, and the fact that I saw Tatum coming from your room the other day is a clear indicator of your relationship."

"Oh," I mumble, not knowing what else to say. Liam stops us, pulling his arm from mine in order to turn me so that I am facing him.

"Taylor," he says softly, not saying anything else until I finally meet his eyes. "I'm happy for you. You deserve happiness, and Tatum is obviously making you happy. You smile so much more now than when I first met you, and it's clear that Tatum is the reason for all your extra smiles lately."

"Yeah?"

"Of course."

We exchange matching smiles, and when Liam starts walking again, I catch up to him, once again looping my arm through his. When the house is in sight, I pull him to a stop, remembering that there was one last thing that I told myself I would tell my best friend.

"There's something else I want to tell you, but you can't freak out. Okay?"

"Okay," Liam says, drawing out the word hesitantly. His eyes reflect his curiosity, and the sound of his sisters laughing as they play in the yard pushes me to say the thing I've been too timid to tell him.

"Tate and I are going to have a baby." I clamp my mouth shut as soon as the last word passes my lips, eyes tracking every minute expression that passes my best friend's face. The shock is the most prominent emotion on his face, but it is soon replaced by a mixture of worry and happiness.

"Are you pregnant?" he whispers, but then shakes his head at what he said. "Wait, no, then you wouldn't be having your heat."

"No, I'm not pregnant," I say, watching as a look of confusion passes over his face. "But I will be soon, hopefully."

"You want to have a baby? Why didn't you ever tell me, and when did you decide on this? Does Tatum know? Please tell me that Tatum knows," Liam says all in one breath. My head spins while I try to organize and analyze everything he just said, and when it fully registers, I pull away from him.

"Of course Tate knows. What kind of wolf do you think I am? I wouldn't try to get pregnant without his knowledge and consent. That would be cruel. Honestly, Liam, how could you think that of me?" I push my hands in my jean pockets, wanting to go back to the comfort of our house.

"Taylor, I didn't mean it like that. I know you would never do that. It kind of just fell out of my mouth before I could stop it, promise," he says earnestly. "I just want you to be happy, and I know that if this happened without Tatum knowing, then it would be hard to be truly happy."

"I want a baby, Liam. Ever since the night I lost her, I have been wary around babies, but when Matty was born, something changed. It is like the thing stopping my heart from healing is finally gone, and I feel like a baby can help me to move past the last few barriers holding me back. It's hard to explain, but Matty being born just showed me what it could be like to have a baby of my own; what it would have been like if she hadn't been killed." The tears that have been gone for so long start to come back, threatening to spill over.