Read Stripe for Love: Paranormal Surprise Pregnancy Tiger Shifter Romance (Shifter Grove Brides Book 6) for Free Online

Adrian to get out of the swing at the local daycare. Slate’s wife Teresa was standing at the door and watching them as well. Atlas had introduced them that morning when they’d come to Shifter Grove to get some more supplies and look around town a bit, the town that Atlas couldn’t stop talking about in the most cheerful of ways.
    “He makes it look so easy,” Teresa said with a chuckle.
    “Makes what look so easy?” Layla asked, tearing her gaze away from Atlas and her son for a moment.
    “Being a dad. For some of them, it doesn’t come so easy. But I guess you two got lucky like Slate and I did,” she said, her eyes twinkling warmly.
    Layla frowned slightly, turning around and walking closer to Teresa. There were some other kids in the yard playing, Teresa keeping an eye on them, and she’d allowed Atlas, Layla, and Adrian in so the little guy could have a swing and maybe play in the sandbox. Being around only grown-ups had to be getting a bit tiresome for him.
    “What do you mean? I thought shifter guys were all excellent dads,” Layla said, a tiny bit embarrassed at how she was sounding.
    She hadn’t done as much research on tigers as she should have, perhaps. It was hard enough being a single mother and figuring out what her kid needed from her, without piling onto that by trying to make sense of every idiosyncrasy he’d develop as he grew older. But she knew it was something that she’d have to look into soon, regardless of how things went with Atlas. Though she was currently hoping for the best!
    “It’s not a question of shifters in general, but tigers. Do you know how they mate?” Teresa asked, curiosity mingling on her features.
    “I, um… no?”
    “Well, they don’t like the information to get out much, I guess. You see, tiger shifter Alpha males only have one period in their life when they can imprint on a mate. They don’t usually get a choice. She’s decided for them through some family deal or some streak power struggle to build better ties between streaks,” Teresa explained. “But some of them don’t agree with it. Like Slate. Like Atlas. They chose the possibility of never having children, of never having a mate over having one chosen for them.”
    “So you’re saying,” Layla started, her eyes going wide in surprise, “that… that I’m… his mate?” she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.
    Teresa’s expression changed immediately and she stepped closer to Layla, putting her hands on Layla’s shoulders.
    “I’m sorry, I thought you guys had already come to that understanding! With you here, and Adrian… but, yes, you’re right. He chose you, because he had free will. He got lucky that you found you at the right time, and that you had the baby.
    “You’re the only woman he can have children with again and by the way he looks at you, I don’t think he could think of anyone else anyway. He’s been in Shifter Grove for over a year and I haven’t heard of him hitting on anyone. And Slate keeps an eye on his kind.”
    Teresa smiled at that, and even Layla managed a semblance of one, though there was a shiver running through her. She’d come to Shifter Grove hoping to mend the relationship between her son and his father, and maybe hoping to rekindle something she didn’t feel was quite finished between herself and the man she’d come to think of so fondly. But being his mate? Being the only one he could ever want to be with? That was a heavy responsibility!
    “I’m… I’m just surprised. Thank you for telling me, though,” Layla admitted, reminding herself to breathe through her nose, to center herself.
    But Teresa didn’t look entirely convinced.
    “Tell you what, honey. How about Slate and I pick up Adrian for tonight? I have two of my own and my girl is around his age, so I think they’d have fun together. If you trust us, that is. I think you and Atlas need a chance to really talk things out, hmm?”
    Layla’s brow furrowed slightly as she