The BlackWolf Effect (Book IV)

CHAPTER NINE - Domesticated Wolf

"Me too," said Dresden as he cut open the top of his pumpkin.

"We're worth it, though," said Xianna with a grin.

"I agree," said Dresden. "I am glad my wife has such wonderful and supportive friends."

"This is something I should just get used to, then," said Justin with a grin at Ashley from under his camouflage baseball cap.

"Yep. Our baby is going to have lots of aunts and uncles and lots and lots of cousins."

"Is the morning sickness still getting you?" asked Kendra.

"It's not as bad now," said Ashley, "but I'm hungry at weird times. Speaking of which." She looked at Timber. "You wouldn't happen to have any carrots would you?"

Timber laughed.

"Picked fresh from my garden this morning. How many do you want?"

"Just one. Carrots help me with morning sickness. There's a lot of B6 and fiber and my OB says they're really beneficial to eat while pregnant."

Timber went to the kitchen and grabbed the largest clean carrot from her harvest basket. She handed it to her friend and sat back down to continue working on her pumpkin.

"When do you find out the gender?" asked Henry as he scooped the pumpkin seeds out with a large spoon.

"Not for another four weeks," said Ashley, slopping her seeds onto the newspaper. "Justin and I are in a bit of a disagreement. I want a boy but he wants a girl."

"Wait, I thought fathers were supposed to want sons, and mothers were supposed to want daughters," said Kendra.

"How about 'I don't care as long as it's healthy'," said Xianna.

"Yeah, that's not how it works with us," laughed Ashley. "We even have a pool. Five bucks. If it's a boy, I get the money and the nursery is going to be football-themed. If it's a girl, he gets the money and it's going to be horses."

"I like horses," said Justin. "You know I ride, right? Or did you suddenly forget?"

"How can I forget?" said Ashley, poking him on the forehead playfully. "You go out riding every week." She laughed. "I wouldn't have my cowboy any other way."

"You two are so cute," said Timber.

"This kid is going to have a lot of fun making fun of you when he or she gets older," said Gina. "This is not coming out as well as I had hoped," she added, looking at her progress with the pumpkin.

"Maybe you should have put in more effort in art class," teased Xianna.

"In fifth and sixth grade?" laughed Gina. "Yeah, that would have drastically improved my ability to carve this giant squash."

The room rang out with laughter. The pumpkins slowly became jack-o-lanterns, the floor was covered in pumpkin seeds and the cut-outs, while everyone enjoyed spiced apple cider and Timber's homemade peanut butter cookies. Timber had opted to attempt a carving of her favorite character from her favorite Halloween movie. So far, it was coming along well enough to tell who it was, but the eyes were uneven and she didn't like it. Rather than fix it, Timber let it be.

Timber was feeling slightly distracted. This was the group's first time meeting Gina's new boyfriend and Timber didn't like him. It was affecting her concentration. Not wanting to ruin the day for everyone, she kept her feelings to herself, making a note to tell Gina privately before she went home.

"Well, what do you think?" asked Kendra, turning her pumpkin around so the group could see. Timber burst out in a fit of giggles. "What the hell is so funny?"