The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 76: Chapter 76

Uncle Uzzi sipped his coffee before calmly retrieving his cell phone from where he sat in the back of the limo.
The summer morning was just starting to warm under that bright ball of fire in the sky. He smiled, happy he had left the windows rolled down.
It had been chilly when they'd started driving down from Cape Cod, where he had been away on business. Uzzi was quite the traveler. He had to be in order to bring his services where they were needed.
Regardless of the outside temperature, he was always comfortable in his light pants and sweater. His wife had said his sense of fashion was limited, but he never cared so long as he was comfortable. How he missed her, he thought and sighed.
“Yes, this is Uncle Uzzi,” he said with a knowing smile on his face.
“Of course,” Uzzi sat a little straighter in his seat, his smile turning down.
So this was why his magic had been acting up, so insistent he return to the Pride, he thought with a frown.
“Right. Well, it is good you called me. I think I can help sort this out for you. I will be in touch soon,” he returned, and thought for a moment before dialing.
This situation was rare and troubling. He had thought he would have more time to deal with it, but there were always so many moving parts, a poor Witch like Uzzi could hardly be blamed for not seeing them all. Besides, the Fates enjoyed their little games.
“You alright, Uncle Uzzi?” Hank’s keen eyes met his in the rearview mirror.
How he loved that boy! Hank was his own honorary nephew, he thought and nodded, raising a finger to indicate he would reply in only a moment.
“Hunter? Uncle Uzzi here,” he said.
“Yes, indeed. I am afraid I have to speak with you about one of your Pride members,” he continued. “In person would be best. I am on my way now, as you know I was already coming down for Elissa’s baby shower, but tell me, can you put up with me for an extra night or two?” he asked, laughing at Hunter’s reply, then went on.
“Thank you, yes, I will see you then.”
Hmm.
He had been working with the Tiger Shifters of Maverick Point for the better part of a year now, but this was by far the strangest case he had ever had.
It was going to be tricky.
But—with a little perseverance—he just might be able to pull it off! How could he not? Uzzi wanted to help these two souls come together, after all, it was his job. They were meant to be, even if stubbornness was getting in the way.
More importantly, his manipulations could very well stop a tragedy from occurring. Determined to do whatever he could, Uzzi turned to Hank.
“Better step on it, Hank. I am afraid the situation is dire.”
“Yes, sir,” Hank replied, and grinned. He always did enjoy going over the speed limits.
Well, thought Uzzi, it looks like another pussy is about to bite the dust.
He grinned wickedly at his little joke, closing his eyes as his magic pulsed and swelled.
Maverick Point was just another hour or so away, and he needed to focus his magic on the upcoming task. Uzzi closed his eyes and began to hum, calling his powers to him so he might read more of the future to determine the correct path.
This pair was going to be a little trickier than the last, but as always, Uncle Uzzi trusted in the universe and in himself.
He knew what had to be done.
Back in Maverick Point…
“Kylie! Did you remember the little sachets with the Jordan almonds?”
Kylie rolled her eyes playfully at Gretchen, while Jessica continued to boss both of them around. Not that she could blame the redheaded she-Tiger. It was their Nari’s baby shower, and everyone was doing their part to pitch in. Even the still too skinny, and somewhat bitchy, Pamela Brown was helping out.
The woman was apparently awesome with a Cricut and had volunteered to make little pink and blue labels with “Baby Maverick” in a wonderfully curly font for all the invitations and thank you cards.
“Yes, Jessica, even though I can’t tell why anyone would want to eat the little tooth-breakers, the almond goody bags are done,” Kylie replied, absently rubbing her jaw while she thought about her last encounter with the unpleasantly hard, candied nuts.
“I told you why I wanted them,” Jessica began. “Elissa and Hunter didn’t get to have a traditional wedding, and with her background, I wanted to do something special for them and their new cub.”
“Yeah, you said that. But why couldn’t we use gummies or chocolates?” she asked, waiting for Jessica to continue her explanation.
“No! That wouldn’t work. Elissa’s Italian heritage comes from her grandmother, who raised her. Jordan almonds are traditional. And you know, her grandmother meant a lot to our Nari,” Jess said. “And I know that tradition means a lot to Elissa. Anyway, I did some research,” Jess added excitedly.
“Well, are you going to keep us waiting, heifer?” Gretchen asked, sticking her tongue out at Jessica.
“Pfbbbt!” Jessica blew a raspberry at Gretch. “I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to Kylie. Fuck you very much.”
“You are such a beyotch,” Gretchen teased in a horribly off key sing-song voice.
Kylie was tempted to giggle, but she knew all too well what would happen if she didn’t get Jessica back on track. And she so did not have time to clean up another one of their food fights or wrestling matches.
Sigh.
Having girlfriends who were also Shifters was such a chore sometimes, she thought, grinning widely.
She was not being honest, though. Fact was, Kylie loved these beyotches. She’d never had close friends growing up, but this was more than making up for it.
“Gretchen, please hush up. Now Jessica, before I get madder than a wet hen—would you please get a move on with this story, girl?”
“Okay, where was I? Oh yeah!” Jess smiled.
“In a traditional Italian wedding, Jordan almonds are given to the guests to remind them of both the bitterness and sweetness of married life. Specifically, five almonds are given to represent happiness, health, wealth, longevity, and fertility.”
“Well, Hunter and Elissa pretty much have all that already. I say we go with the chocolates,” Gretchen replied with an extra side of snark.
This time, Kylie hid her smirk from Jessica’s narrow-eyed glare. She knew the woman meant well, but it was a little over the top, even for her. But knowing it all came from a good place made Kylie more than happy to do her part for the Alpha couple, who had welcomed her with open arms into their Pride.
Truth was, she’d never known anything like it. Had never seen that level of loyalty, trust, respect, and love within a Shifter group. Certainly not where she’d been raised.
That kind of overall goodwill did not exist in the Sharp Claw Pride.
Kylie shivered, pushing the hurtful memories back as they threatened to rise and sour her mood altogether.
Not now, she told herself sternly.
This was a happy time. A time of friendship and new beginnings. Her website had just gotten its hundred-thousandth follower, and she had standing orders from local retailers for her Kisses by Kylie line, and more coming in everyday.
“Okay, ladies, what do y’all think about my gift?” she asked, a little of her Southern accent sneaking out unintentionally with her words.
“Awww! I love it when you say y’all,” gushed Jessica, completely unaware of Kylie’s pinking cheeks.
Mostly, Kylie had acclimated to the Northeastern state’s particular lack of the usage of the word y’all, but now and then, it snuck up on her. She shook off the discomfort of being the center of attention and turned the conversation back to her original question. Knowing in her heart the other she-Tiger was not being condescending in any way really helped with that.
“Oh hush,” she muttered, lifting what she’d created with the Nari in mind. “I made Elissa six luxury nursing bra and panty sets, with matching robes and slipper socks.”
She held up the pastel colored confections and knew her cheeks were positively pink with how warm she felt. Being a successful designer meant having a thick skin when it came to critics, but it also meant pushing beyond her comfort zone and getting out there to show her stuff.
“OMG! Those are so pretty, Kylie. Elissa is going to love them,” Jessica exclaimed, and Kylie beamed under the praise.
“Well, I’m hoping she will,” she confessed, and her cheeks burned even more as she worked up enough courage to bring up the next part of her announcement. “You see, these are going to be the highlight of my new Mommies By Kylie line. What do y’all think?”
Watching their reactions with bated breath, she immediately exhaled when both women applauded, and wolf whistled. Kylie barked a short laugh.
“I want some too!” Jessica whined.
“You need some,” Gretchen said, before the two of them started throwing tissue paper at each other.
Ignoring their shenanigans, Kylie refolded the sets and wrapped them carefully in the large gift box she had ordered just for the Nari. It was printed with black velvety tiger stripes on top of a glossy white background, and the interior tissue paper matched.
Kylie had worked especially hard on this new project, researching which fabrics were breathable and promoted healthy milk production and comfort for mother and babe. Plus, she wanted them to be cute. New moms deserved to look good too, and it would not hurt to boost their confidence, in Kylie’s humble opinion.
The nursing bras currently available on the market were exactly like the ones her grandmother wore. Of course, that was code for functional and ugly as fuck.
Then there was the other problem. A bigger problem, so to speak. The damn things never seemed to fit correctly. It was a serious issue, especially for the curvier than was deemed trendy new mom. And on the rare and unique experience of finding a nursing bra that was pretty and the correct size, it could potentially cost upwards of several hundred dollars.
Hardly affordable, and definitely not acceptable to Kylie. She wanted to change that. Nursing bras were a necessity, and everyone, regardless of size, shape and bank account, should have several options.
So, she’d done the research and had finally come up with a concept where the nursing mother could simply unclip the outer shell of the bra, and pull the material down to feed her baby, without suffocating the tiny boy or girl while maintaining a light and comfortable, totally workable, design.
Unlike the bulky, hard plastic connectors used by her competitors, Kylie employed a simple wire hook and eye that she’d wrapped in organic cotton thread to be soft to the touch. Simplicity was key.
As with most things, she found modern manufacturers and designers were always looking for new, easy, and cheap. They had forgotten that simplicity with taste was best of all.
Her Mommies By Kylie line would hopefully fill a hole in the market. She was using the best environmentally sustainable materials, like organic cotton, bamboo, and micro-jersey fabrics, and making them pretty with either scalloped lace, satin, silk, and tulle trim.
Her designs were modern and comfortable, offering new mothers style and durability with functionality. And again, there was the pretty factor.
For Elissa, she’d used various shades of nude, pale pinks, sage greens, and ocean blues to complete her collection. The Nari would be her guinea pig, er, Tiger, and she could not wait to see how she liked them.
“You have to let me sell these in my store. And who knows, maybe I will be buying a few for myself sooner than later,” Jessica said after dumping an entire box full of biodegradable packing peanuts on Gretchen’s multi-colored head.
“Oh my Lord! Jess, I was hoping you would say that,” she told her boss and exhaled.
Once more, she was grateful for her friend’s willingness to showcase her creations.
“Wait! Do you mean it? You’re pregnant?” Kylie asked, and the redhead blushed an alarming shade of pink.
“What? OMG! You are? Why did you let me tease you like that? Shit! Don’t touch me, it might be contagious,” Gretchen shrieked and raced away from Jessica to Kylie’s side.
“The way you and Reg go at it? Hell yes, it’s contagious. Congrats, Jess honey,” Kylie answered, tsking at Gretchen who was trying not to laugh as they both embraced Jessica.
“Thank you. We haven’t told anyone else yet,” she said. “We wanted to wait until after Elissa has hers.”
“That is really thoughtful of you,” Gretchen replied and kissed Jessica’s cheek.
“It is,” Kylie added. “Anyway, here you go. I made a hundred bags of those terrible candies, even though we are keeping it small,” she handed a box full of the pretty Jordan almond party favors.
They were tied closed with little pink and blue ribbons that had “Baby Maverick” printed on them courtesy of Pamela. The woman had dropped them off the day before with hardly a word to Kylie.
Whatever.