by Sophie Stern
Ruby had carried Cole for nine months before he’d been born. She’d had nearly a year to learn what it took to be a mom, and she’d had years since then to put those skills into practice. I didn’t. It was normal for her to worry about me or to be concerned that I might do the wrong thing.
I wasn’t going to be a perfect dad. Nobody was perfect, but I would damn well be the best dad that I possibly could. Cole and Ruby both deserved that.
“Come on,” I kissed her softly, and then I took her hand and started walking back toward the stairs. “I want to show you something.” I tugged, pulling her with me.
“What is it?”
“Something you should have seen a long time ago.”
We walked downstairs together and then out into the night. It was chilly, and she rubbed her hands over her shoulders. It reminded me of that night long ago when we’d sneaked out of the bar together to make love in the car. That felt like a lifetime ago. An eternity.
“Wait a second,” I said. I darted back inside, grabbed a jacket off a hook by the door, and came back out. Then I wrapped it around her.
“Thanks.”
Then I helped her into a pair of warm boots, and she held onto my shoulders for balance as she slipped them on.
“You don’t need a jacket or boots?” Ruby asked me.
“Nope.”
“You’re not going to be cold?”
I chuckled and started pulling my clothes off.
“No.”
Soon I was naked, standing in the backyard in nothing at all, and Ruby was looking at me like I hadn’t just fucked her silly. She looked at me like she wanted me. Then, as if on cue, she licked her lips just a little. If I hadn’t been watching her carefully, I might have missed the way her tongue darted out and slid across her soft lips.
“Don’t look at me that way,” I laughed.
“Why not?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it. Definitely only look at me that way.”
Ruby laughed, and the sound went straight to my damn heart. Okay, if I could spend the rest of my life making her laugh like that, then I’d be one happy dude.
“I’ve known you for a long time,” I told her.
“Sort of,” Ruby nodded.
“We may have lost a few years, but we’ll make up for that,” I promised her.
“Good,” Ruby grinned. She looked so damn cute standing there in her wrinkled clothes, oversized jacket, and my boots that were definitely three sizes too big.
I liked the way she looked.
I liked this moment between us.
I liked everything about what was happening, and I wanted more.
I wanted more moments like this. I wanted more time between us. I wanted the world to keep making sense like this because right now, well, everything made total, complete sense.
“There’s something you should see,” I tried again. My mouth went dry, though, and suddenly, it was hard to speak.
“What?”
“I’ve never shown anyone this before.”
“Dale, what is it?”
“Once I show you this, I can’t say anything to you,” I said carefully.
“Dale, you’re kind of freaking me out a little.”
“Just know that you’ll be safe.”
I had to do this quickly before I lost all sense of control. My inner bear was clawing at me now from the inside, trying to escape. Ruby was mate. I knew that. We both knew that. I also knew that I wanted her to see me. I really, truly wanted her to see me and to see how – and what – I was.
So, I shifted.
I changed, shifting my body from a normal, ordinary human into something else.
My bear.
She gasped, and I turned to look at her, but I didn’t run. It took every ounce of self-control to just sit there as she finally realized what was happening.
“This is your bear,” she said finally.
I nodded as much as a bear could nod.
“This is the other side of you.”
Again, a nod.
“Wow.”
I sat down on the ground, staying as still as a bear possibly could. I didn’t want to freak her out by towering over her. The last thing I needed was to scare her into running away from me.
“Dale?”
I looked at her.
“This is incredible,” she murmured.
Ruby circled me, looking at every side of me. I was both nervous and proud. This was me. This was what I could do. I was a bear shifter through-and-through.
I’d lived for a long time in these woods, seeking peace and solitude, and now there I was, letting her look at me.
And she did.
“Can I touch you?” Ruby moved in front of me when she asked the question so she could see my reaction. “I’d really like to touch you if that’s okay with you.”
Was I okay with that?
I had never been ashamed of being a bear. That wasn’t something that had ever bothered me. In the military, I’d been in a special shifter flight. Matt and I weren’t the only shifters we worked with. There had been plenty of us, and we’d all supported and cared for one another.
Some of the shifters I worked with had been nervous. Matt, for example, had never told his adoptive family what he was. They’d been human, and they had loved him very much, but he’d never felt comfortable sharing certain parts of his life with them.
I didn’t want to be like that.
I didn’t want to hide who I was from Ruby.
I wanted her to be able to touch me and to see me for who I truly was.
Yeah, I thought. Yeah, beautiful, you can touch me.
Outwardly, I nodded, swinging my big bear-head up and down so that she’d get the idea. I was definitely, totally okay with her touching me.
Ruby smiled and reached her hand out. She stroked the top of my snout, touching me there.
“Very soft,” she said so quietly that I almost couldn’t hear her.
She thought my snout was soft.
What else was she going to think?
She walked around me, petting me as she moved.
“You have two nice little bear ears,” she whispered. “Nice, soft fur.”
I puffed up my chest, happy at the compliment.
Well, well, well. Look who was a handsome bear? I felt damn good about this analysis of myself.
“Can you stand up?” Ruby asked when she finished walking around me.
I stood.
“Woah,” she looked up at me.
Okay, so I definitely towered over her. Still, she didn’t smell like she was afraid. I sniffed at the air, but I didn’t scent any fear.
“I’m not scared of you, if that’s what you’re checking for.”
Yikes.
So, I hadn’t been as discreet as I’d thought.
“Thank you for letting me see your bear,” Ruby whispered. She stepped forward, and then, to my surprise, she stretched out her arms and she hugged me.
She hugged my bear.
“Dale,” she whispered, “I don’t know if you’re going to remember this when you change back. I don’t know how much of your consciousness you have in this form, but damn, thank you so much for bringing me here.”
If I hadn’t been sold on the idea that she was my mate, I damn well would have been now.
She held me gently, as though nothing else in the world mattered to her just then. She tightened her hold, and I reached out one paw, carefully not to touch her with my claws, and I patted her head.
Ruby sighed, melting closer to me.
Yeah, this was the girl for me.
I shifted back quickly, wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her.
“Woah, that was a fast shift,” she whispered, looking up at me.
“Be my mate,” I said before I could stop myself.
I hadn’t meant to say it.
Really, I hadn’t. I hadn’t meant to ask her to be mine. I hadn’t meant to ask her to be the one for me, but there it was. It was out there.
I’d said it.
Ruby opened her mouth and smiled.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes.”
12
Ruby
LIFE IN THE FOREST with Dale was quiet.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Over the next week, we unpacked all of the things Cole and I had brought with us. We didn’t have too much to unpack, so it didn’t take too long. Still, the process of laboriously going over each item we had chosen to bring, finding a place for it in our new home, and carefully settling in was exhausting.
Dale went back to work, and during the day, Cole and I hung out around the house, explored the woods, and spent some time familiarizing ourselves with the little town that we now belonged to.
Dale lived just outside of a quiet little shifter town called Westvale, but we could venture over anytime we needed food or supplies, or anytime we wanted to visit a park. There were two different coffee shops, as well as the school where Dale worked during the week.
Cole really fell in love with the place. Even though Dale said I could stay at home with Cole, I liked the idea of working, and I started looking around at the different bookstores in town. There were a few to choose from, but none of them were hiring. That was okay. I left my name at each shop and asked that if they had any openings, they would call me.
Maybe I’d pick up a few shifts a week. Cole could go to preschool or daycare on the days when I was working, and I’d have some time to myself to just immerse myself in the world of books. Being around other kids, especially shifter kids, would be good for Cole, I thought.
One afternoon, I finally gave in and called Mrs. Rossi. I wanted to know how she and her husband were doing and how they were holding up. They’d been through so much together, and in spite of all that, they’d still taken the time to help me. They’d given me more love than I would ever be able to repay, and I would never forget how much they’d helped me.
“He’s hopeful,” Mrs. Rossi told me. “And he’s in good spirits.”
“Have the two of you made any plans?” I asked her.
Silence.
“As in...funeral arrangements, dear?”
“What! No!” I cringed inwardly. That so wasn’t what I’d meant. “I mean, have you made any plans as to how you’re going to spend all of your time now that you don’t have to worry about the shop.”
Shit.
That had come out so wrong.
“We’re going to take a little trip,” she said.
“Really?”
“We’re going to take a day trip to the zoo,” she said. “Mr. Rossi loves the zoo.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“It will be. He’s always had a special place in his heart for lions, so we’re going to go see them.”
That sounded so nice to me.
“Then we’ll get dinner at our favorite restaurant.”
“It sounds like you have some wonderful things that you’re going to be doing.”
“We do. You know,” Mrs. Rossi lowered her voice, “everyone has this idea that when you get old, you get bored and you just want to go die at home.”
“I am guessing that’s not the case.”
“Not at all,” she chuckled. “We still have plenty of things that we want to do.”
“Well, I’m glad that you’re getting the chance to do them.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“I saw the way that handsome man was looking at you, Ruby. You never mentioned Cole’s dad before that day.”
So, she knew something was up.
Great.
I hadn’t exactly been super secretive when it came to announcing Dale’s presence to the world. I’d told my sister what was going on, of course, and Jake knew, too. I couldn’t just disappear off into the woods with a strange man. People would worry. My people would worry.
“We lost touch after...after I got pregnant.”
“One night stand?” Mrs. Rossi asked knowingly.
“Um, yeah...”
“It happens, dear. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“Um, okay.”
Wow. That so wasn’t something I expected to hear from my former boss. I didn’t think Mrs. Ross was a prude or anything like that, but I wasn’t exactly open about how Cole had been conceived.
“I had plenty of one-night stands in my day.”
I cringed.
Did I need to know this about my boss?
“That’s how I met my husband.”
Well, maybe story time wouldn’t be so bad.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, dear.”
“Mrs. Rossi? Can I ask you something?”
I wasn’t sure if I really should, but curiosity was getting the best of me, and, well, I kind of wanted to know all of a sudden.
“What is it, dear?”
“How did you know that Mr. Rossi was the one for you?”
“There’s always that question, isn’t there?”
“Yes.”
“I can’t tell you how I knew,” she told me.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. She couldn’t tell me. Why not? Was it because it was different for everyone? Was it because things were different for different people? Was it because it had been so long ago that she’d simply forgotten?
“Why not?”
“Because things with Mr. Rossi and I were...different.”
“Different?”
“Well, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you now,” she said.
“Telling me what?”
“I’m a shifter, Ruby.”
I dropped the phone. It clattered, hitting the counter, and I stared at it.
“Hello? Hello? Ruby, are you still there?”
Scrambling to pick it up, I held the phone to my ear.
“I’m here,” I said. “A shifter, you say?”
How the hell hadn’t I known that?
“Yes. We both are. If I’m being honest with you, that’s why we’re going to the zoo.”
That sounded a little messed up, if I was being honest. Mr. and Mrs. Rossi were a shifter couple, and they were going to look at animals that had been locked up?
“You see, we’re lion shifters.”
“Oh?”
“We were both raised without a pride. We miss that connection. When we go to the zoo and we see the big cats, it makes us feel a little less alone. No, the lions there can’t change into human form or anything like that, but it’s still nice, dear. It’s still a nice way to form a connection.”
“You never told me you were shifters.”
“Well, it didn’t seem important.”
Then I realized something.
“Mrs. Rossi, when you said you couldn’t tell me how you knew you were destined to be with Mr. Rossi, was that because you’re fated mates?”
“Of course, dear. You know that watch I always wear?”
“Yes.” It was gold and beautiful. It was one of the loveliest watches I’d ever seen.
“I used to not wear it. It covers my mating mark, and I don’t like to keep it hidden. Someone saw the mark, though, and caused some problems for us.”
“Someone thought you’d be hurt.”
“Yes, they did,” she said quietly. Those words contained a lot more than just an affirmation. I could hear in her tone of voice that she’d been hurt. They both had.
“So, Mr. Rossi got you the watch.”
“It wasn’t to hide who we are,” she explained.
“It was to protect you.”
“Absolutely.”
“Mrs. Rossi?”
“You want to know if I knew about Cole.”
Yeah, I wanted to know. I had suspected that shifters could sense one another, but I wanted to know more about it. I still had so much to learn. It was crazy because I was the mother to a shifter child, and there was so much I needed to learn.
“Yes.”
“Of course, we both knew. We weren’t sure
if you did, which was why we didn’t say anything.”
“That’s why you let him come stay at the shop while I was working,” I realized.
“We knew that the incident that happened probably had to do with him being a shifter, and we wanted to support you as much as possible.”
“Thanks,” I said. Suddenly, I felt a little choked up.
I hadn’t known.
I hadn’t known they were shifters, and they hadn’t told me, either, but they’d gone out of their way to take care of me, and to take care of my child, and to make sure that we were both safe and protected.
They had guarded us even though they were old, and sick, and even though Mr. Rossi was going to pass away soon. They had taken us under their wings, so to speak, and they’d loved us.
“Thank you,” I whispered again.
“It was our pleasure, Ruby. Believe me.”
We talked for a few more minutes and then said goodbye. I ended the call and set the phone down on the counter. Then I turned around and sighed.
I had so much to learn.
I had so much to do.
Dale was an incredible person. He was kind and compassionate, and perhaps most of all, he was fierce. I liked that about him.
I really liked that he could be wild and animalistic with me, but soft and gentle with our son. I still wasn’t sure that getting into a relationship with him was the right choice, but I was going to do my best to make sure I did everything I could to give Cole a good upbringing and to be a good mate to Dale.
I’d start by baking cookies.
I didn’t know that I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom forever, but I was home now, and I was going to do some baking. I sang as I worked, mixing the flour and butter and eggs. I hadn’t baked in what seemed like forever, but since coming to Dale’s place, it was like I baked every day. I didn’t mind, either.
It was relaxing.
Soon the kitchen was covered in flour and the sink was full of dishes, but I had a cookie sheet full of fresh chocolate chip cookies, and I knew a little cub who was going to love eating them.
I headed upstairs to find Cole. He had been playing in his room while I was on the phone. I made it to the top of the stairs and walked quietly over to his room where he was playing with his stuffed bear. Snowball was spread across the foot of the bed napping. He’d quickly gotten used to having Cole around, and it seemed like he liked my kiddo.