Pregnant With His Liger Baby

Chapter 3

The following morning, Sylvie was feeling quite annoyed with her mother as the two of them walked together towards the Community Center. She hadn’t counted on her wanting to come along when she’d mentioned that she was going to go.

“Yes, that’s a lovely idea,” she said. “I need a few things from the store, and we could have breakfast. What a wonderful way to start our day. I could certainly use the distraction.”

She probably should have felt guilty when she heard her mother say that. After all, her brother had already been missing for three days, and she’d barely even spared him more than a thought or two. But that was probably because she had a feeling wherever he was, he was enjoying himself immensely. She could feel it in her bones.

So, she should feel guilty for not caring about her mother’s upset over it, then. Regardless, the last thing she should be feeling as they headed toward the entrance was irritation that Micah would be there waiting, and see her come in together with her mother. Would he still talk to her? Would he completely turn away, and never contact her again? She had no idea what he was likely to do when the two of them arrived.

He was sitting at a table near the door, nowhere near the five lionesses who kept trying to catch his eye. He spotted her, and their eyes met and held. Only after he seemed to drink in the sight of her did his gaze flicker over to her companion.

Is that your mother? he asked. Now I see where you get your good looks.

Stop. I’m sorry, she decided to come along to shop when I told her where I was headed. I really did want to spend time with you, but—

Come to the garden while she shops, she’ll never think that’s odd.

There are so many people there, though.

Just meet me there, m’Eow, he teased.

How unfair—I don’t know your cat name, Micah. Are you going to tell me?

When you come to me in the garden, perhaps, he said. But not before then.

“What are you and that lion talking about, dear?” Rose asked her then.

“Lion?” asked Sylvie nervously. “What lion?”

“That rather handsome one upon which your eyes are currently trained so intently,” she replied.

“Oh, I hadn’t seen him,” she lied. “I was just spacing off. Sorry.”

“Well, let’s get something to eat,” Rose said then.

“I think I’d like to go out to the gardens while you shop,” said Sylvie smoothly. “I’m just really in no mood to be indoors on such a lovely day.”

“That’s fine, darling,” she said with a nod. “But I warn you, I may be in there for quite a while. And you’ll probably need to help me carry back some of the things later.”

“Fine by me,” she replied as she forced herself to stop looking at Micah.

“Oh, princess, I’m so glad to see you are here today,” called Leona from her table. “I’m glad to see you survived your trip into the northern plains last night.”

Sylvie froze, and she saw Micah thinking at Leona out of the corner of her eye. Squaring her shoulders, she replied, “I’m sure you must be mistaken. I wasn’t anywhere near the northern plains last night.”

“You’re sure?” she asked, nervously glancing as far from Micah as possible. “Perhaps you’re right. It must have been another tigress.”

If Rose was aware of the interplay that Micah had in that conversation, she never let it show on her face. In fact, if anything she seemed too placid for her usual demeanor, and her only words at all were, “Well then, ladies, good morning. We’ve things to do today.”

“How rude!” Mira gasped as Rose grasped Sylvie by the arm and pulled her along to the ordering counter.

“Can’t abide those catty women,” she muttered. “Let’s eat.”

After they ate a meal in which each of them was distracted for different reasons, Rose kissed her daughter on the cheek and headed off to the store, leaving her to do as she wished. Sylvie saw that Micah had already left, so she headed for the door, knowing right where he was likely to be.

“Sylvie?” called Leona before she could get past her.

“Yes?” she asked, stopping in mid-stride to look at her.

“What’s going on between you and Micah?” she demanded. “He never comes to the Community Center, and now all of the sudden he’s here and threatening me if I don’t leave you alone. That seems mighty suspicious.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Sylvie shrugged, and she continued on her way. She walked past the store and the beauty salon, and cut through the rest of the row of little buildings to reach the gardens which lay beyond. Micah was waiting for her.

“There you are, my beauty,” he said into her ear as she joined him, making her blush.

“Be good, Micah,” she chastised him. “People are watching—and Leona has already noticed, too. Somehow I don’t think any of them would approve if—well, if we were to do anything more than talk.”

“Did you want to do more than talk?” he inquired in a husky tone, still not moving away from her ear.

“Of course not!” she lied. “It would be such a bad idea!”

“I didn’t ask what they wanted,” he pointed out. “Come, let’s go into the library.”

“Why would you want to go in there?” Sylvie wanted to know.

“There’s a great place in the back where we could—discuss all this,” he said suggestively.

“Why do I think you discussed something there before?” Sylvie asked with a smirk.

“Does that bother you?” he teased. “That I would know what I was doing?”

“No,” she admitted, taking his hand. “I kind of like that.”

“Good,” he replied.