Chapter 325

Judy’s POV

The silence stretched on for what felt like hours, though I knew it had only been seconds. I couldn’t tell from their shocked expressions what they could be thinking, but I knew what I was thinking. I glared at Gavin, furious that he would just blurt it out like that. We hadn’t even gotten our drinks yet.

I thought maybe we’d warm up into it, small talk first. But nope… he decided to just blurt it out like it meant nothing… just meaningless words.

He didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with it because he frowned at me before looking back at Irene and Matt, who were still gawking at us like we just grew a new head each.

“Judy and I are expecting a baby,” he said again, glancing between the two of them. “We are counting on the two of you to be grown about this and help out as much as you can.”

“Wait, you’re serious?” Irene asked, her brows raised so high that they practically disappeared into her hairline. “You’re having a baby? Like an actual baby?”

“I’m going to be a big brother?” Matthew asked, his eyes wide as he stared at me in disbelief.

“You’re having a baby… together?” Irene asked, glancing between the two of us.

These were too wildly different responses, neither of them looked pleased… and yet, they also didn’t look displeased either. Just confused, maybe.

“That’s right,” Gavin said without a second thought. “I know this feels sudden…”

“How many months?” Irene asked, stopping his words.

“3,” Gavin replied. “Next month, she’ll have the typical signs of pregnancy, and she won’t be able to shift. She’ll need extra care and…”

“I don’t need extra care or protection,” I said sharply, still glaring at him and his audacity. “I am more than capable of caring and protecting myself, even if I can’t shift. Might I remind you?” I folded my arms across my chest, peeking up at him through my lashes.

He stared at me, his eyes narrowed.

“It’s my duty to protect the mother of my child,” he said, just as defiantly.

“Are you forgetting what I am capable of?” I asked him, raising my own brows. I dared him to challenge me; I mean, he was a Lycan, and he could definitely beat me in a fight, but he knew I was a damn good fighter.

Before he could open his mouth to reply, Irene interrupted us.

“So, are you two together or what?” She asked, staring between the two of us. “Like romantically?”

“Yes,” Gavin replied. “Which is another reason we wanted to talk to you about.”

Irene’s eyes grew wide as she looked at Matt. He grinned and mouthed, “I told you so.”

“Are you going to ask our permission to date?” Irene asked, glancing back at her father.

Just then, the waiter returned without drinks. He placed our glasses in front of us, and without hesitation, Irene took a generous sip of her martini. My stomach was in knots, and I wished I could have a little liquid courage.

“May I get you some food as well?” Carton asked, glancing at Gavin.

“Yes,” he said. “I’ll have the ribeye with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies, no butter on those veggies, and some extra pepper.”

“Right away,” he said, writing that down. He glanced at Irene. “And for you, madam?”

“A cobb salad with no dressing,” she ordered, handing him her menu.

‘Yes, ma'am,” Carlton said before looking at Matt.

“A cheeseburger, cooked rare, and a side of fries extra crispy and extra salty,” Matt said confidently.

Carton nodded as he too wrote that down, and then he looked at me.

I hadn’t really had a chance to look at the menu, but while they all ordered, I quickly glanced through the pages. They had so many options, and my head and stomach were a mess.

“I’ll have the fish tacos,” I told him. “With a side salad.”

“Splendid choice,” he replied, writing that down and taking our menu. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” He turned to Gavin as he asked that last part.

“Can you put in an order of fried clam bellies?” He asked. “As a starter.”

“Of course,” Carlton replied.

With that, he sauntered away to fetch our orders, although I wasn’t sure if I could eat right now.

After Carton left, there was a long silence stretching between us, practically consuming me until I couldn’t breathe. I let out a breath when I felt Gavin’s hand resting casually on my leg, giving it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. I felt myself relaxing, or he didn’t look worried, which reassured me even more.

“We aren’t exactly asking permission,” Gavin said, turning to face Irene. “We wanted you to know the facts before you heard it elsewhere. We will be announcing it at the party tonight, and I didn’t want you to find out that way. You are both very important to me… the most important people in my life… but now Judy is also a part of that importance, and I hope you will still treat her with respect. You don’t need to think of her as your mother, but she will soon be the Luna of this pack and ruling by my side.”

There was no hint of worry or doubt in Gavin’s voice, and it made my heart swell.

“So, you are going to make things official, then?” Irene asked, looking between us with a skeptical look. “Mating… marriage… the whole deal?”

“Why are you making things difficult?” Matt asked, frowning up at his sister. “Shouldn’t we be happy? Dad’s finally with someone that isn’t a complete moron…”

“Language,” Gavin scolded, but his tone was lighthearted and held no malice.

“Sorry,” Matt murmured, before his face brightened. “I always Judy as a mom… since I first met her. This is a good thing, right?”

“There’s something else we need to tell you,” Gavin told them, making them freeze.

“There’s more?” Irene asked. “Other than you wanting to date and make things more official?”

“Yes,” Gavin said. He turned his head so they could see his mark… the one I put on him. My wolf was howling with delight at the sight of our mate showing off her mark proudly. “We kind of already made things official.”

Irene let out a squeak as she covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

“Wait, what?!” She gasped, nearly falling out of her seat. “You already made things official?”

“Are you just going to repeat the things I say to you?” Gavin asked, turning his head back towards her. “Or are you going to say anything else?”

“When did that happen?” She asked.

“Yesterday,” he replied. “I wasn’t going to waste any more time in making Judy mine. She’s carrying my pup, and I wasn’t going to risk losing her again.”

“So, it’s official then?” Irene asked. “You two are really together.”

“Are you upset?” I found myself asking; it was the first time I’ve spoken the entire time since Gavin announced our new relationship status. I wasn’t sure what more to say, but I was worried that they wouldn’t be pleased with this outcome. J

She looked at me; her eyes shining with something I didn’t understand. She looked me up and down and then pressed her lips together.

“Did you wear that just to butter me up?” She asked.

My cheeks flushed, and I bit my lower lip, chewing on it.

“Yes,” I admitted.

Irene was quiet for a moment, staring at me, and then she burst out laughing.

“Holy crap,” she chuckled. “Judy, you don’t have to butter me up for this. You know all I wanted was my dad to be happy, and you made him happy. I’m so happy that you are officially a part of our family.”

I blinked at her, surprised.

“You don’t think it’s weird?”

She shrugged.

“I mean, I guess in theory, yeah, it’s weird. But honestly, as long as you are both happy, that’s all that really matters.”

‘You both matter too,” I say without hesitation. “We want you to be happy and a part of this as well. I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to take your father away.”

“Dad has been away from our lives for a long time,” Matt said, looking up at him. “I know he’s not my real dad, but he adopted me when I was a baby and let me live in his home. I had nannies and caretakers watching me while he spent his life at work. He barely even came home to see Irene. It wasn’t until you showed up in our lives that he started to hang out with us more. We are finally a family, and that’s because of you.”

Irene nodded in agreement.

“You didn’t take away our father,” Irene agreed. “You gave him back to us. For that, we are forever grateful.”

My heart swelled at their sentiment. I looked up at Gavin, who had a soft expression on his face.

“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel as though you weren’t important,” he said to them. “But I promise that will never happen again. You kids and my future pup are my entire world. Never forget that.”

The rest of lunch went by in a breeze; I ate the most incredible fish tacos I had ever had in my life, with a few occasional bites of Gavin’s ribeye. I didn’t know I was craving it until I smelled the delicious food, and then suddenly my craving spiked.

Irene made jokes that it was because she was pregnant, and we all had a chuckle. After lunch, we hugged Irene and Matt goodbye, telling them that we’d see them at the party later.

“That went better than expected,” I told Gavin as we got back into Erik’s waiting car.

“It went exactly how I expected,” he told me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him.

“So, now what do we do?” I asked him, resting my head against him.

“Now…” he said, pausing for effect. “We pay a visit to the devil herself.”