Beauty and the Bear (Redwater Shifters Book 2)

by B. N. Kasner

  “How dare you think I'd put off our young?”

  “Fuck, I didn't mean it like that.”

  "Then how the hell did you mean it? Because it sounded a hell of a lot like I'd ignore our baby." Okay, so it did seem like that when Gene thought about it. "You're acting like some saint over there. Where have you been for the past three months? Every time I come around you leave like your ass is on fire. And don't even get me started on that tourist."

  “I've been leaving you alone, treating you like you've treated me.” He knew he'd hit a nerve but couldn't stop the words from leaving his mouth. “What don't like it when it's you being ignored?” The conversation had taken a turn down a dark road Gene didn't want to go down. Especially not right then.

  “You act like I want this. Any of this!” Lani threw her hands into the air. Gene had a sinking feeling he'd pushed her too far. Whatever was about to come out of her mouth he wasn't going to like it. “I didn't want to find my mate. I didn't want to have a one night stand and wind up pregnant. I don't want any of this!” She looked so vulnerable that Gene wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her. But she doesn't want that. My mate doesn't want me. “Do you understand now?”

  "Yeah." He understood. Gene knew all too well. "I'm gonna leave now."

  “What?” She looked panicked all of a sudden. “Why?”

  “I understand now.” Gene didn't turn around when she called his name. He kept walking until he slammed the door on his truck closed. When he was driving down the lane, he looked in his rear view mirror to see Lani standing in her open door. Gene almost stopped and went back, but his broken heart kept him driving.

  It wasn't until he was at his house, the house he'd built for a mate and family. That the first tear rolled down his face. He hadn't cried since his mom had died, but he felt dead inside. So this is what it feels like to be rejected. Gene held his chest. The pain was right over his heart, and it would never go away.

  I don't want any of this! Those words were seared into his head and heart. Do you understand now? All of her coldness made sense. She didn't want him, that's why she had snuck out of his house in the middle of the night. It had been a lapse in judgment to her. He'd been an error in judgment.

  There was no need for the big house in front of him. What was he going to fill the empty rooms up with now? Not to mention he still didn't know what was going to happen with his young. Gene was sure Lani would let him see him or her when the time came. But Gene had never seen himself as a part-time dad.

  If Lani didn't want to be a mother, then maybe Gene could have full custody. He'd be a full-time parent and have a part of Lani with him. It would be better than nothing. The pain in his chest lessened slightly. It would be awful when his young asked about Lani, but Gene could make something up until the child was old enough to understand.

  He could see it in his mind. Chasing a little girl with blonde pigtails around the yard, pushing her on the tire swing. Or maybe play wrestling with a red-headed boy with gray eyes. Gene was determined to be a good father, whether Lani wanted to be a mother or not. At least his young would have one parent who loved them more than anything.

  From his experience, one parent who actually cared was better than one that was only there sometimes. Gene would be great, he'd already raised Grace. How hard could raising a baby be? It wasn't like he'd be alone. He'd have his group of friends, Grace, and the rest of Redwater. They were a community, and as the saying went, it takes a village to raise a child. He didn't need Lani. No matter how much his heart was telling Gene, he did.

  Chapter Five

  The snow was coming down in flurries, but Lani still stood at the front window. Maybe if she stood there long, enough Gene would come back. Then she'd apologize and explain herself. Going over the conversation in her mind, Lani realized she'd come off all wrong. It had sounded like she didn't want Gene or their young at all.

  In reality, it was the opposite. When Lani honestly sat down and thought about it, she was thrilled to be pregnant. Lani pictured future snowstorms but with a little bear or wolf bounding after her. How cute would a little bear be playing in the snow? The mental image weaved itself around her heart. She'd never abandon her child, or Gene.

  Without the big guy in her life, Lani was miserable. She didn't want to raise a baby by herself and knew that Gene wanted to be a father. He'd built an entire home for a family he hadn't even had yet. That was a good sign. A very good sign. Lani wished she could shift to get some of her adrenaline out, but pregnant shifters couldn't shift.

  It was always thought to be an old witch's curse. Vivienne and Greg Peck weren't the first shifter/witch mates, and probably wouldn't be the last. The tale went about as a normal mating until the witch became pregnant. While the other mates could shift and run free, the witch was confined to her home. Overprotective shifter male and all that jazz.

  The witch became jealous and thus put a curse on them. They'd no longer be able to shift while pregnant. Of course, nowadays, it was widely known that shifting would harm the baby and that's why they couldn't shift, although the story was fun to tell innocent young girls. To try and make them abstain from sex. Or to practice safe sex, which was more than likely what was happening.

  Lani laughed out loud. Safe sex. If she'd made Gene wear a condom, they wouldn't be in this predicament. Then she also wouldn't have the little bundle of joy growing inside her. Pieces of them all mashed up together. Hopefully, their child would be more like Gene. He had himself together in ways Lani didn't.

  Another mental picture of a red-headed girl with curls flooded her mind. In the picture Gene and the girl were having a tea party. She wanted to be a part of the picture, but no matter how hard she thought of herself, she couldn't get in the picture. Her instincts were telling her she needed to fix things. Now. Her wolf was pacing like a wild animal. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

  She'd had the feeling before, and it never ended pleasantly. The first day back at school after hooking up with the jock. The morning of the pack meeting, and every time she'd gotten flowers or notes from Jeremy. Lani had moved away from the window to make tea, but she quickly peeked out the window. Nothing was out there. No footprints in the snow. No dead flowers, just nothing. Gene.

  Emma Maybell, her mom, had always said Lani had a sixth sense of some kind. Even beyond her instincts. Something that ran deeper inside of her, that kept her on her toes. It had been that same something that sent her to Redwater in the first place. If she hadn't of listened then, who knows what would've happened to Ella. Lani would've never met Gene and gotten pregnant.

  Her whole life would look different. And not in a good way. She wasn't going to start ignoring that feeling now. Shoving her feet into boots, she grabbed her car keys. Lani hadn't driven in the snow for almost two years. It was a hit or miss kinda thing from her part of Kansas. Mostly miss. She was thankful she'd gone for the remote starter when she'd bought her car. It made living with snow much more manageable.

  “Damn, it's cold.” The temperature had dropped from only two hours ago when she'd ran to the pharmacy. The fancy dash in her car told her it was only nineteen degrees. Definitely not in Kansas anymore. The sinking feeling in her stomach was just getting worse the closer Lani got to Gene's home.

  Her phone ringing made her jump. She pulled over to the side of the road. No way was she going to be using the phone with snow on the road.

  “Ella, I don't have-”

  “Get to Gene's.”

  “I'm already on my way.”

  “Good luck Lani. You're going to need it.” The phone clicked off before she could respond. What the hell was that? Ella wasn't a cryptic person, and neither one of them liked to play games. It's why they had always gotten along so well. The other girls were all drama, but not them. And why had she been whispering? Her wolf was whining so loud in her head. Lani could hardly drive her car in a straight line. If she could get to Gene, Lani knew she'd make things right.

  ****

&
nbsp; Cleaning out the cobwebs from the room that was going to be a nursery only took him ten minutes. Then Gene's imagination went back to work. Churning out different images, all of them with him and a beautiful little girl. It was just his heart's way of having a small piece of Lani, but that was okay. He'd rather have a piece of her than nothing at all.

  He was coming to terms with being a single dad. Maybe he'd even find a choice mate to settle down with. As if. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Gene sat in the middle of the room. He'd never get over Lani and knew if she every came around he'd forgive her in a heartbeat. She'd never regret being his mate. If only she wanted to be my mate. Then he'd have something to work with.

  Sooner or later he'd have to let that hope go. Lani had made herself painfully clear. Gene was feeling fairly confident about being a father. He'd raised Grace since she was five years old. Hell, he was still raising Grace. She was twenty, unmated and sheltered. At least, Gene had tried to keep her safe. His little sister didn't need to know how harsh the world could be.

  If he could take on a five-year-old Grace when he was eleven, then raising a baby at twenty-six was going to be a piece of cake. He'd done it by himself before, and he'd do it again. His mom, Isabella Dodson died when Gene was ten. For the first year, his dad kept things going but losing his mate destroyed him. Jackson couldn't keep up with a five-year-old, but Gene could.

  Grace and Gene had always been close, so being her dad didn't phase him. Even when he'd been a cub. This time around Gene would have Grace, and his friends to help. All he felt was excitement and happiness. I'm going to be a dad. He understood why Mason was so thrilled. He couldn't wait to tell everyone. Would Lani want him to tell people?

  He'd have to wait for some people, but Gene was calling Mason. Not only did he need advice about Lani and the baby, but he generally just wanted to celebrate with someone. Of course, Gene wanted that person to be Lani. He'd have to work on getting over his wants, where she was concerned. Gene tried Mason's office phone first.

  It rang and rang until going to voicemail. Gene checked the clock. 6:30 P.M. Mason should've been there. His cell phone rang through once to voicemail. Mason didn't go anywhere without his cell phone. It was the only way for Ella to get in touch when they were apart. Gene tried again, after the third ring he heard grumbling.

  “This better be fucking important. I was busy with my mate.” Great. He'd interrupted his alpha with his mate. Probably not the best time to unload his news, but Gene already had him on the phone.

  “Lani's pregnant.”

  “I know.”

  “What? How the hell do you know?” Was there a damn thunder cloud above his head? Damn, fate was just raining all over his parade.

  "Lani was on the phone with Ella, and her brothers overheard. I told them to keep their mouths shut. They won't tell a soul." Gene rolled his eyes so hard he was surprised they didn't fall onto the floor. Like Isaiah, Wilson could keep his big mouth shut. The other two, he believed but not the middle wolf.

  “She tell Ella that I'm about to be a single dad?”

  “No. What the fuck are you talking about?”

  "Thought you were done cursing?" Gene snickered. Ella had been on his ass about cursing and having a baby. The two were a no-no.

  "Don't avoid the dam-darn question. And you'll have to too, dumb-ass."

  "True." Gene sighed. He'd called for advice but didn't want to sound like a wuss. Not in front of his alpha and best friend. For comfort he'd call Grace, he'd just have to make sure she didn't go after Lani. Grace was a bit overprotective too. "Lani doesn't want our young or me."

  “No way. I don't believe that for a second.”

  “She told me. Straight to my damn face dude. 'I don't want any of this.' That's what she said to me.”

  “Damn. That's messed up.”

  “Mason? Are you coming back to bed?” Gene really didn't want to hear his best friend's pillow talk with his wife.

  "Goddess, this day is trying my nerves." Mason growled under his breath. "Little wolf, it's Gene. I'll be a while, keep your feet up." Gene coughed to cover his laugh. Mason didn't show his soft side very often and only with his mate. If Ella wasn't around, he was back to being hard-ass Mason. "So what are you going to do to change her mind?"

  “I can't make her want me.”

  "Why the hell not? You're Gene fucking Dodson, man." The pep talk was nice, but Mason didn't understand him.

  “How would you feel if Ella didn't want you on her own?”

  “Awful and defeated.” He groaned, and Gene knew he got it.

  “What I'm going to do is get full custody of my young. I need the name of our territory's attorney.”

  “Attorney? Gene, calm down and see how the pieces fall. I almost ruined my life and got my mate killed because I jumped when I should've waited things out.”

  "She won't change her mind, and I want my young with me every day. Imagine never seeing your young." Mason's snarl had filled the line before he was even done speaking.

  "I'll get it for you tomorrow. No one will keep you from your young. I promise." The sound of his doorbell rang through the upstairs.

  "Hold on. Someone's at the door." Gene heard Mason mumbling something about getting back to his mate, but Gene tuned him out. There were windows on either side of Gene's door, giving him a clear view of who was on the other side.

  “Holy shit. I gotta go, call you later.” He hung up before letting Mason reply, flinging the door open in the process.

  ****

  Lani was shivering, but Gene wasn't inviting her in. He looked equal parts bewildered and happy to see her. Okay, more like ninety-five percent shocked and five percent happy. Maybe ninety-nine percent. She gulped down her insecurities.

  She'd driven the ten minutes and was going to say her peace. After Gene heard what Lani had to say, he'd forgive her. Hopefully.

  “What're you doing here? And where's your coat?”

  “Forgot it in the car. I'll go get it?” She asked more than said pointing over her shoulder. Lani took a step back before Gene stopped her.

  “Get inside. It's too cold out there for you two.” You two. The comment made her resolve stronger. Screw whatever happened. Lani wanted her mate and their young to be a family.

  “Sorry. I'll try to keep my worries to myself.” Shit, she'd done more harm than she'd thought.

  “No, don't.” Lani was in the same spot where she'd lost her heart to the big guy. “Don't be sorry. Don't keep those cute little worries to yourself.” He looked torn up over something. “Hear me out.” Gene rubbed both palms against his thighs.

  “Fine, but you have to get warm.” Lani followed him down the hall, into the room with brown carpet she'd seen from before. It was a huge family room, with a matching black sofa and love seat. Two wooden end tables sat on one side of each couch. The entertainment center was carved out of the same wood. All of it a dark mahogany color.

  A cream fireplace was the focal point of the room. Lani was in awe. Her mate had built all of this with his bare hands. It was incredible and beautiful. She sat on the love seat, hoping Gene would sit next to her. However, he sat across from her, watching her every move.

  “Do you need a blanket?” She hadn't realized she was still shivering.

  “After. First I need to clear something up.” Lani usually didn't have a hard time coming up with words. She could talk her way out of anything. “I want you. I want us. I want a family for our baby.” Or she'd just spit her deepest wants out there without any finesse. Gene's eyes were as wide as saucers. “And not because I think it's the right thing to do, but because I want you. Only you.”

  “You said you didn't want this.”

  "I didn't want things to happen like this. It doesn't mean that I don't want it. All I've every wanted was to be a mother. I wasn't good in school. I'm a homemaker. Cooking and decorating make me happy."

  “Then why did you say that?”

  "Because I was upset. You were hurting my feeling,
and I didn't explain myself right. It doesn't help that I'm pregnant and emotional." Lani couldn't tell what Gene was thinking. His eyes weren't giving anything away. He still looked unsure of her. Goddess, how much damage did I cause? She hadn't meant any of that garbage she'd said at her house.

  "Give me a chance. Give us the opportunity to be a family. Please?" Gene ignored her plea, heading towards the fireplace instead. After starting a fire, he paced around the room before heading upstairs. He wouldn't even look at her. What have I done? Trying to protect Gene had only hurt him and in the process her and their baby. She didn't want to imagine a future without Gene in it. However, it was looking like she'd pushed him right out of her life.

  Chapter Six

  That was the stupidest thing I've ever done. Lani hadn't even felt that vulnerable going back to school after sleeping with the jock. She'd put herself out there like an idiot. Now she was the one with a broken heart. Pacing in front of the fireplace wasn't making her feel any better. In fact, she felt sick once again. Does this ever stop?

  "Oh, Goddess." Of course, Lani didn't know where the bathroom was in the large home. She'd only seen three rooms. So far. “Gene.” Speed walking closer to the archway she called for him again. “Gene!” The whole home shook when he jogged down the stairs.

  "What's wrong?" He was carrying a light blue fleece blanket in his tree trunk arms. "Woman, you alright?" Gene was too sweet for his own good. Maybe things were going better than she initially thought.

  "Bathroom." His eyes went wide before he swooped her into his arms, taking her down the hall. At the end of the corridor, another archway led into a dining room with a large table. To the right, another hallway had two closed doors on one side and a set of sliding doors on the other. Gene nudged open one of the doors with his massive shoulder.

  Lani didn't get a good look around since she dove right for the toilet. It was big for a bathroom, though, that much she'd caught. She was starting to think calling the doctor sooner rather than later was a good idea. Gene held back her hair with one hand, while rubbing her back with the other one. Goddess, nothing is even coming up. The doctor plan was gaining more momentum by the moment. Gene laid a warm towel on the back of her neck, making her sigh.