by Terry Spear
“We don’t see things that are going to affect close family members. Not normally. Or else I’m sure Rob would have seen you return to White Bear.”
“Right. Because of all the danger I brought here.”
“We see other things. Not just about danger or disasters.”
“That’s good. I can imagine how distressing that could be otherwise.”
Alicia put the babies in their crib. “True. I don't know if anyone has told you yet, but I was bitten and turned. Edward might have told you. I would have either frozen to death as a human or Rob had to turn me and I would become a polar bear so that the fur would quickly warm me. So he turned me, and though it’s been an adjustment, it’s been incredibly wonderful too. I haven’t shifted since the babies were born yet, waiting for the babies to get a little bigger. Everyone keeps telling me I need to. That it’s the most natural thing in the world, but I’m afraid to hurt them.”
“I’ve been in your shoes as far as shifting with the babies, but it was easy. If you’d like, when the babies wake, we can shift and you can see just how easy it is.”
“Ohmigod, you wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all." Robyn was glad she could do something for Alicia after she had welcomed her like she was already family. Robyn hadn't realized how much she'd missed that once her family had disowned her.
AN HOUR LATER, the babies woke in their crib, and Robyn began to strip. “You can do this. Take off your clothes and I’ll put the babies on the mat there. I’ll remove their clothes and diapers, and you shift. We can take them out in the snow for a couple of minutes, teach them to relieve themselves and they can come back inside with us.”
Robyn was already undressing one baby and Alicia had removed her own clothes and began to take off the other baby's clothes and diaper.
Then Alicia shifted and the babies turned into small bear cubs. Instead of taking them outside first, she let them find their way to her teats and fed them.
Robyn smiled to see the special bonding that Alicia had with her cubs in their bear form, recalling how it had been for her when she finally chanced doing it. She had already shifted and when the cubs were finished eating, she and Alicia each carried one cub outside. Alicia might be fairly newly turned, but she was a natural at this, the maternal instinct for caring for her cubs coming to the forefront.
Gary soon joined them to watch out for them. Robyn really didn't believe anyone would try to cause problems for her right now. But she was glad Gary was willing to help out, just in case.
The cubs were so small, they stayed with their mom, while Robyn watched for any sign of danger. And then Alicia finally took them inside. Gary returned to the living room. Robyn and she shifted in the house, and the babies shifted. They both dressed, and then put on new diapers for the babies and clothed them.
After that, they cuddled them.
Alicia was all smiles. “Rob will be so thrilled I did it. I didn’t want to do it with him for the first time. He doesn’t know any more than I do about raising infant bear cubs.”
“You are a natural, Alicia. You and the babies did great.”
“I know you’ll be off on your honeymoon after the wedding, but when you return, can we do it again?”
“Tonight even. And yes. Anytime you’d like.”
“That’s great. I get strong urges to shift still, and I fight it because I wanted to wait. I think everyone worried the babies might not learn what they need to as cubs if I didn’t shift right away.”
“Well, you’ve done it. And if you need proof, I can videotape it the next time.”
“I’m so glad you and Edward are together again. I’m thrilled to have a sister-in-law that I can call a sister.”
“After having so many brothers, I feel the same way about you. And I adore your little ones.” Robyn got a call from Edward, and she worried there was some problem with the boys.
“Hey, just checking in on you. How is everything going?”
“Alicia and I took the babies outside as cubs.”
“You're kidding. That’s great. I’ll let Rob know. He’ll be thrilled.”
“How are the boys doing?”
“They’re having a blast. We're watching A Christmas Story and both of the boys want bb guns.”
“No way.”
“I told them they get to learn how to fish with their bear teeth. They said you never did that with them and neither did Callahan.”
“That sounds like a great job for papa bear."
“All the guys want to get involved in it. Including Ned. They were eager to do so with Rob’s kids when they get older, but they’ll have had all the practice with ours.”
She smiled. “That sounds good. What do you think of sending the boys to the special shifter school?”
“That works for me. I think the kids will love it.”
“Okay. At the end of summer, they can go to school. They're not old enough right now. And I can work on marketing promotions while they're in school. They didn’t have a special school like that in Yellowknife. I had to homeschool them.”
“Well, now we have a choice. Garrett wants to talk to you.”
“Momma?” Garrett said.
She was afraid he was going to tell her he wanted to leave. “Yeah, Garrett?”
“Daddy said he and our uncles and Grandad would take us fishing as bears, but he said you had to say okay. Can you say okay?”
She smiled. Her boys were going to grow up too fast, but she could see how the other males could be a good influence on them. “Absolutely.”
“Will you come too?”
She knew they would want her to. “Sometimes. Sure. Sometimes I think you guys all need to do fun things together. At the end of summer break, I'm going to put you and Bryan in a special shifter school. There's no shifting allowed though."
"Are there other polar bears in kindergarten?"
"I don't know. We'll see when we enroll you."
"Okay."
She had been afraid that Garrett and his brother would fuss about going to a regular school. Hopefully, it would all work out.
"I'm going back to playing with everyone," Garrett said.
She was glad they were having so much fun. "Okay." Coming here and joining Edward's family had been the right move to make all away around. She couldn't wait to get started on her marketing either. She loved doing it. She talked to Bryan too and he was so excited about being there.
They finally ended the call so he could get back to the fun, and she walked one of the babies when Alicia got a call. Alicia smiled. "Yes. Robyn was really sweet to help me out with the babies." She chuckled. "I know you offered a million times but it's different with Robyn. She's been a new mother too and it hasn't been all that long ago. We're doing great and having fun. You want to go fishing with the boys? Sure. Sounds great. You'll be all set when ours are that age. Love you, hon. Talk later."
When she got off the phone, Alicia said, "Probably nobody's mentioned it with everything else that's going on, but we're having Christmas dinner at Uncle Ned and Aunt Genevieve's place. We open presents at our own homes in the morning. But when my kids are older, we'll probably open some of the kids presents at their home, so the 'grandparents' can enjoy it too."
"So we'll probably need to do that," Robyn said, thinking how much Callahan's parents would be furious over all of this.
"If it's something you want to do. I think they would be thrilled, and I'm sure the boys will love having two Christmases too."
"What about Christmas Eve dinner?"
"We've been reciprocating. Last Christmas, prior to having babies, Rob and Edward hosted it, and this year, Ben and Craig are."
"Okay, sounds good. We'll be home in time for it."
"You'll have fun at the resort. Rob and I stayed there before the kids came, our last hoorah." Alicia laughed.
THE NEXT MORNING, the wedding was a grand affair, and everyone who had come was dressed up for the ceremony. Even Edward's black eye had faded so it w
as imperceptible for pictures, thankfully. And he was glad their tour-guide partner, Casey, had made it back from Fairbanks where he'd been visiting other relatives for the holidays. He was glad for Edward and Robyn and gave him all kinds of grief too about getting the girl.
Edward thought Robyn truly looked like a fairy princess, and the boys were dashing in their tuxes, though Bryan kept pulling at his bowtie and making it askew. No objections were made during the ceremony, though he kept thinking of Robyn’s family. If they only knew what was going on, he was sure they would violently object.
But everything went smoothly and when the wedding was over, they all feasted and danced.
“Are you sure you boys will be okay with your grandparents and your uncles?” Robyn asked her son Garrett as she danced with him. Bryan always went along with whatever Garrett wanted to do.
“These grandparents and uncles? Yeah! We’re going to have lots of fun. But you’ll be home for Christmas, won’t you?” Garrett asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Okay.”
Robyn smiled, then danced with Bryan. She asked the same question of him.
“What did Garrett say?” Bryan asked.
“He said you’d have lots of fun.” Robyn was glad that her sons were okay with them leaving for a while.
The song ended and she released Bryan. “Go, have something to eat with your brother.” And then Edward pulled her into his arms for another dance, keeping her close while Bryan hurried to join Garrett. “You look just like a princess.”
“I feel like one. This has been wonderful. The turnout was great. I wasn’t sure everyone would show up, but it looks like everyone has, number-wise. I guess the free food drew them here.”
“And to show loyalty to us and our family. Especially when they learned what was going on with you and the boys. Besides, any chance at having some fun is a real draw. The boys said they understand we’re leaving after this so we can reach the resort to check in on time.”
They ended their final dance, and everyone cheered them. It was time to leave, and Robyn and Edward hugged the kids, but the boys were excited to go with their uncles to play more games and Robyn was so thrilled they were fine.
“Looks like the boys are going to be just great with the family all loving on them,” Edward said as he quickly got the Jeep door for her.
“I agree. I’m so glad too.” Robyn got into the Jeep, and he climbed into the driver’s seat and drove them back to their house.
Their bags were already packed in the Jeep, but they needed to change clothes for the trip.
"Alicia said your shoe size is the same as hers. She loaned you her skis and boots and snowshoes."
"Good. I left mine at home, not wanting it to look like we were moving out and they weren't essentials I needed to take."
"If there's anything you need replacing, I'll get it for you and the boys."
She sighed. "I wish we'd been together all along."
"We will be, here on out."
She was so glad for that. She'd only hoped everything would work out between them, but she'd worried he had a mate already! Or a girlfriend. How would that have been if the bear had lived here and Robyn had stolen him away? All kinds of new trouble for all of them. Though, she could have said she had him first, leaving out the part about abandoning him.
When they got home, Edward helped her out of the wedding gown in the bedroom, so she could put on warm clothes for the trip, and he could remove his tux and do the same thing. But once he carefully helped her out of the borrowed gown and set it aside on a chair, she had other notions in mind. Even though she'd needed help with the gown, he didn't need help with his clothes, yet, she removed his bowtie, then his tux. It didn’t take her long to remove his cufflinks and then start to work on his shirt. He was kissing her neck, running his hands over her shoulders, his heartbeat ramping up.
So was hers.
She knew very well where this was headed. Dressing warmly wasn't the next step. "We probably should get on the road and do this once we're at the chalet," she said, her voice breathy, thinking that they could drive to the chalet and then make love as a brand-new married couple in their hotel room.
He smiled down at her as if he was checking to see if she was serious, his hands caressing her bare shoulders.
"Or not." She hadn't envisioned being married to Edward so soon and making love to him at his place, and no kids here either so they could be as wildly passionate as they wanted to be.
He leaned down and kissed the swell of her breasts with his warm mouth, and she knew then he really didn't want to drive to the resort before they made love. She didn't either. Not really.
He removed his shoes and socks, but before he could take off her heels, she pulled his shirt off the rest of the way and pressed kisses against his neck and throat. He began to unfasten her strapless bra. And then he tossed her bra aside, exposing her. She felt deliciously sexy in her white stockings, garters, high heels, panties and nothing else. He molded his hands to her breasts, then began kissing her mouth again. He started massaging her breasts, and then his thumbs brushed over her nipples and they tingled with his touch.
Their hearts were thumping with need and she could already feel his cock swelling in his pants as he pressed his body against hers. Which meant they needed to remove more clothes!
She slid her hand over his cock and it moved beneath his tuxedo pants. "Your pants have to go," she whispered against his mouth, licked it, and kissed him again.
He smiled against her mouth. "Easily remedied," he said huskily. And then he moved his hands from her breasts and began to unfasten his pants, but she pulled his trousers down, kissing his hard abs on the way.
He groaned, stepped out of his pants, and ran his hands over her upswept hair. When she stood, he pulled the pins from her hair, letting the strands fall to her shoulders. Then he was combing through them. "Soft, silky, beautiful."
She licked and kissed his nipple. "Hard, mine, exquisite."
He smiled and lifted her onto the bed and pulled off her heels. He kissed her mouth, his hands working on her breasts again. Wanting his cock thrusting inside her now, she reached down to remove her garters, but he quickly shifted his attention to them. He clearly wanted to undress her all the way and she loved how he kissed each leg, his breath warm and whisper-soft against her flesh as he removed her stockings. Wet with need, she was past ready to remove her panties.
He slipped his hand beneath her panties and cupped her ass.
She reciprocated, sliding her hands beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs. "Hmm, I love your firm butt. I wish mine was that hard."
He chuckled and squeezed her buttocks with appreciation. "Nice and soft and feminine." Then he pulled off her panties and she slipped off his boxer briefs.
She climbed into bed and he joined her. She couldn't help regretting that it had taken them this long to get back together, but she was just thankful they were and that they'd finally tied the knot like they had originally planned so long ago.
He spread her legs and kissed her belly, then started to minister to her needs first. But just kissing her and removing her clothes and his, had already made her eager and desperate for climax. He sweetly tortured her feminine nub, making her arch for more of his strokes. When he pushed his finger into her as deep as he could go, she hadn't thought she would be ready. But the intimate contact made her blood surge and her body caught the peak of the wave, the high before she plummeted.
"I love you," she breathed out as the arousal swamped her body.
"I love you too with all my heart, honey." And then Edward pressed his rigid cock between her thighs and began to thrust, holding himself still, afraid he would come too quickly. He thrust again when he felt he was in control.
Sliding into her wet heat, deeper, pushing for the top, he felt her hands caressing his skin in a loving way. Her foot was rubbing the back of his leg in a sexy caress. He slid his arms around her legs and wrapped them around him so he c
ould penetrate her deeper. Kisses were exchanged, tongues danced, and he felt the climax coming no matter how hard he fought finishing too quickly. He had no control when it came to being with her.
He stopped thrusting and kissed her mouth again, and then he drove in until the end and released a long, low, satisfied groan. He wanted to just stay like this the rest of the day and night, sharing the space as one, but they needed to hit the road and they could continue this for a few days before they had to return home. Yet even so, he couldn't make himself leave her and the bed for several more minutes. They just snuggled together on the mattress.
"If we stay here too long, we're going to fall asleep. And then we're going to wake and want to do this all over again," she said, very seriously.
He smiled at her. Hell yeah. "And miss our reservation." He sighed and got out of the bed and began to dress, smiling at how beautiful she was, lying naked on the bed, her nipples dusky rose and taut, her skin creamy, her silky hair splayed across the pillow.
She frowned and got out of bed. "When we get there, I want a repeat of this, only afterwards, we're not going anywhere."
He chuckled. "My thoughts exactly."
AFTER THEY DRESSED in warm clothes, they climbed into the Jeep and headed out to the resort. It would take them four hours to get there, and they talked about all that had happened in the last six years on the drive in the dark, snow covering the ground on the side of the roads, but the pavement was clear. The full moon was out, shining on the snow, stars twinkling across the night sky.
Once they arrived at the resort, Edward parked in the lot, then they grabbed their bags and headed inside the chalet. Now this was nice. In the lobby, chandeliers were sparkling overhead with brilliant white lights. A Christmas tree was decorated in multi-colored lights, red and green balls, and gold bows, wreathes hanging on walls, and red bows and garlands and poinsettias also decorating banisters and counters. Water from a fountain poured from a fish's mouth and the fish's tail sported a red bow. It was perfectly festive for a quick honeymoon getaway right before Christmas. After such a mess with her former in-laws, she couldn’t believe that things were working out so nicely with Edward and his family and the boys were happy with their new circumstances. She just hoped Edward and she didn't have any new troubles follow them there.