by T. S. Joyce
A trill of excitement shuddered through her over their Christmas morning adventure he’d planned for her. Beaston opened the passenger door quietly, trying not to wake the other slumbering Gray Backs, and when she was tucked in and buckled up, he shut the door softly and strode with that slightly hitched gait of his around the front of his old pickup. Behind the wheel, he slipped her a smile as he turned the engine.
The winding road up into the mountains was slick in places and covered in a thin sheet of smooth snow, but Beaston was a pro at maneuvering in this kind of weather. The headlights illuminated an untouched winter dreamscape, the bouncing lights reflecting off the sparkling fallen snow. And by the time Beaston pulled his truck to a stop on the landing at the edge of the hill he and the other Gray Backs felled lumber on, the first silver streaks of dawn stained the horizon.
He tucked her under the blanket, left the heater running, and spread their breakfast pastries across their laps. Then he turned on the Christmas station low and draped his arm around her. Her thoughtful Beaston. She took a bite of her cinnamon roll and snuggled against his ribs as the sun peeked over the mountains in front of them.
“Why have you only brought me to see the sunrise today?” she asked, already knowing the answer because Beaston listened. He listened in ways others were incapable.
“Because Christmas has the prettiest sunrise,” he said, repeating the words her father had said all those years ago.
“Can I give you your present now?” she asked as soft as a breath. Beaston would appreciate holding it while he watched the sun climb the horizon.
He nodded, so she pulled the green package with the sparkly white bow off the dashboard and handed it to him.
He opened it carefully, popping the tape instead of ripping the paper, as if opening gifts was something he’d done precious few times. And really, she knew he hadn’t had many.
He pulled out the small glittering green picture frame ornament she’d made. Encased behind a small square of glass was a black and white ultrasound image from when she’d gone to the doctor to make sure her suspicions were right.
“Our baby?” Beaston asked, his eyebrows lifted.
Aviana pointed. “There’s his head and his little hands. His feet. His belly. He’s handsome already, just like you.”
Beaston’s chin trembled as he stared at the ornament on his open palm. Swallowing hard, he pulled Aviana closer and rested his cheek against her hair. Over and over, Beaston rubbed the glass that covered the picture as they watched the sunrise together.
And when the sun sat low in the sky, Beaston got out of the truck and returned with a heavy, blanket-covered bundle he must’ve put in the bed of his truck before he’d woken her. She unwrapped the blanket and gasped at the beautiful wooden bassinet that had the quality she’d only seen with Beaston’s talent. He’d used his favorite stain color, dark and rich, and on the headboard of it, the morning sunlight illuminated a delicately carved, noble raven.
“Oh, Beaston,” she said on a reverent breath. “It’s beautiful.”
“You like it?”
She couldn’t speak for the emotion that clogged her throat, so she nodded instead and buried her face against him.
“Soft Ana,” he murmured, hugging her tightly to his side. “Merry Christmas.”
She laughed thickly and wiped her blurry eyes with the back of her hand. “Beaston?”
“Yes?”
“You make sense to me.”
His smile was slow and adoring under those blazing, wild eyes of his. “I love you, too.”
Up Next From T. S. Joyce
Bears Fur Hire Series
Husband Fur Hire (Book 1)
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Read T. S. Joyce’s bestselling Gray Back Bears Series
Complete Series – Available Now
Gray Back Bad Bear (Book 1)
Gray Back Alpha Bear (Book 2)
Gray Back Ghost Bear (Book 3)
Gray Back Broken Bear (Book 4)
Lowlander Silverback (Book 5)
Last Immortal Dragon (Book 6)
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Lumberjack Werebear (Book 1)
Woodcutter Werebear (Book 2)
Timberman Werebear (Book 3)
Sawman Werebear (Book 4)
Axman Werebear (Book 5)
Woodsman Werebear (Book 6)
Lumberman Werebear (Book 7)
Fire Bears
Bear My Soul (Book 1)
Bear the Burn (Book 2)
Bear the Heat (Book 3)
About the Author
T. S. Joyce
T.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their hearts out. Experienced at handling an alpha male of her own, she lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.
Bear Shifters? Check
Smoldering Alpha Hotness? Double Check
Sexy Scenes? Fasten up your girdles, ladies and gents, it’s gonna to be a wild ride.
For more information about T. S. Joyce and her work, visit her website here.
Contents
Other Books in this Series
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Up Next From T. S. Joyce
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Want More of These Characters?
Other Related Series by T. S. Joyce
Fire Bears
About the Author