Page 47 of Targeted By Love

To my surprise, a woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere with one. “I’m Gertrude. Is there anything I can help you with today? I have the map you asked for,” not that I actually had, “but I’d be happy to show you around or help narrow down your choices.”

I glanced at Maynard, who shrugged. “Up to you.”

“Yeah, I think we can use your help.” I took out my phone and showed her the top two wallpaper choices we were considering.

“I know this artist,” Gertrude said. “Follow me.”

We wove through the store. I assumed she meant she’d seen the wallpaper before, not much beyond that. But when we reached the section she was leading us to, there it was: the exact animal wallpaper we were considering, used as a backdrop for a furniture suite.

“She’s a friend of the owners,” Gertrude explained, rubbing her hand over the paper on the wall. “It’s great stuff. We paired it with this set. Obviously, depending on the size of your room and your needs, you wouldn’t want all of this for one nursery. There are some others that would pair well with it, if this doesn’t work for you.”

The suite included a circular crib, which confused me, as it looked more like a cage. Had I not already learned from Maynard that even if our baby was a shifter, we wouldn’t meet their wolf until puberty, I’d have wondered if the piece hadactually been designed for shifters. There was also a traditionally shaped crib, multiple dressers, a changing table, a rocker, and various bookshelves. Pretty much everything you’d need for a nursery and more.

I turned to my mate. “What do you think? Would this work?”

“Do you like it?”

“I like knowing it’ll look good with our wallpaper.” I looked around again. “But yeah, I think it could work. No circular crib, though.”

“Agreed.” He brought his lips to my ear, “It looks like it belongs in a zoo.”

Gertrude helped us design the nursery virtually with a program on her laptop, using our room’s dimensions. It was helpful to see it all laid out before buying anything. Getting everything delivered only to have it not fit would be absolutely horrible.

After picking the furniture, we browsed the rest of the store for sheets, a rug, and my favorite—a handmade stuffed wolf that looked shockingly like Maynard and his brothers.

When she gave us the total, my stomach dropped. I was still getting used to having the kind of money to do this, but that didn’t make it easier when it came time to pay.

“If it’s too much, we don’t have to?—”

He kissed my cheek. “Nothing is too much for our little one.”

We arranged for everything to be delivered the next day. There was still a lot to do before then, but I was going to feel so much lighter once there was a room ready and waiting for our baby.

That evening, Maynard and his brothers hung the wallpaper, and they did an amazing job. I supervised and ordered pizza—you know, the important stuff. Once it was up, I finally appreciated the choice we’d made. It was amazing.

The furniture arrived the next morning, and by the time we were getting ready for bed, the nursery was ready for baby. All that was left was washing and putting away the baby clothes we’d been gifted or had purchased along the way.

“I love it,” I said, hugging my mate the best I could with my big belly in the way. “Thank you. I didn’t realize how much this was weighing on me, but now that it’s done, I feel lighter.” And given my current size, that was saying something. “I don’t want our pup to come early—they need to keep growing—but if they do, at least now I know we’re ready for them.”

“You’re going to be such an awesome dad.” Maynard rubbed his cheek against mine the way I liked and then kissed me, far too briefly for my liking.

I reached up, cupping his cheek. “And you’re going to be an amazing father.”

24

MAYNARD

“I’d like to spend the day at the beach.” Rhodes cradled his huge belly and showed me a map on his phone. “It’s supposed to be so isolated that no one goes there.”

Yikes, not that one. Ewww, I’d killed the late-afternoon jogger there.

“Probably a good reason why it’s deserted.” I fake shivered. “Looks creepy.”

Rhodes’s head shot up. “Sweetheart, look at me.”

Damn, he had that sing-songy quality to his voice, signaling he didn’t believe me.

“Yeah.” I plastered my best innocent expression on my face and smiled. “What is it, love of my life?”