It was blazing happily when Dominic came downstairs, looking crumpled and in need of food.
“Morning,” Theo said. “Did you sleep?”
“Yes, thanks. You didn’t have to give up your bed for me.” Dominic yawned and came to sit on the sofa.
“You needed it more than me,” Theo said. “Coffee, and then I’ll cook breakfast, before we go over to Dylan’s.”
“Are you sure he’s still going to want me there, after yesterday?” Dominic asked. “I can go back to my place. I don’t need a babysitter, if he doesn’t want me there.”
“He wants you there. Don’t worry, it’s all ironed out, and he is the king of second chances. I’m not sure about third chances, but you don’t intend to screw up again. Do you?”
“No. You were right, the best thing I can do is work hard for when Robert leaves the foster home, then we can be together again.” Dominic looked forlorn. “It’s still so many years away.”
“I know, but don’t worry, things may change and if not, then you just keep working toward that goal.”
“What if he doesn’t want me in his life?” Dominic asked.
“I’m sure he will.” Theo got up. “Now, it’s Christmas. We are the no-gift house, I’m afraid, but I can promise you good coffee and a big breakfast.”
Theo went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast, which they all sat and ate at his small kitchen table.
“You can cook,” Zara said as she leaned back in her chair. “I’m worried I won’t be able to eat Christmas lunch at Dylan’s, I’m too stuffed.”
“And that was what I call a small breakfast,” Dylan said. “Zara doesn’t have the appetite of a bear, does she, Dominic?”
“No. I could eat another plateful,” Dominic said.
“I should have been born a shifter,” Zara said, and got up to help with the dishes.
“I like you just the way you are,” Theo said, putting his arm around her and pulling her close.
“Now, that is enough to put me off my food,” Dominic said, joking.
Theo grinned, glad the boy had his sense of humor back. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”
“I don’t want a mate. But I guess when I have a mate, I won’t have any choice.”
“Wow, you make it sound like a disease,” Theo said.
“Isn’t it?” Zara asked.
“No, it’s more like the sweetest kind of addiction.” He let her go and they quickly washed up, while Dominic went to stoke the fire.
“He seems a lot happier today,” Zara said.
“Yes, I think he finally sees he has a family here, that we will take care of him, and just because he screwed up, it’s not the end of his life in Bear Bluff.” As he put the last of the dishes away, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Pulling it out, he read the text.
“Everything OK?” Zara asked, seeing his face as he replied.
“Yes. Well, change of plans, we might not be eating Christmas lunch until later.”
“Why, what’s wrong?” Zara asked.
“Grace has had her baby, so we’re all heading to the hospital to see her.”
“I should stay here,” Zara said. “I don’t know Grace at all.”
“No, we’re all going.” He called Dominic, “Get your coat, we leave in five minutes.
***
The hospital was decorated for the holidays, and there was an air of celebration as Theo, Zara, and Dominic walked in. Heading for reception, Theo asked where Grace was. The receptionist answered, “I suppose you are part of that construction crew too?”
“Yes,” Theo answered.
“Normal visiting hours are between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.,” she said. “I don’t hold with this anytime visiting.”
“It’s Christmas,” a voice said, and Theo looked up to see a doctor walking down the corridor. “And babies born on Christmas Day are a rare event in Bear Bluff.”
“Humph,” the receptionist answered.
“I’m Dr. Ben,” the doctor said, introducing himself. “I’ll take you up to see Grace.”
“They don’t need a guide, they can follow the noise,” the receptionist said caustically.
Dr. Ben winked. “This way.”
They followed Ben, although Dominic dragged behind reluctantly. They went up two flights of stairs, and along a corridor. Halfway along, Theo realized the receptionist was right, there was a fair amount of noise.
“Like I said, we don’t get a baby born on Christmas Day very often.” He opened the door, and there were most of the Bear Bluff Construction employees, and their wives and children. With a tired but happy-looking Grace, and her new baby at the center of them, with Matt by her side.
“Hey, come in, we’re wetting the baby’s head.” Jed passed them all a plastic cup, containing sweet honey mead.
“I think everyone is here,” Dylan said, looking around. “So, we are ready for you to tell us the name.”
Grace looked down at the baby in her arms, and Theo felt a lump in his throat when he thought of how miraculous it must be to hold a child of your own in your arms. He threaded his arm around Zara’s waist and pulled her close. Zara turned and looked at him and smiled, her eyes misted with tears.
“Maybe we should start a family,” she said quietly.
“Maybe we already have,” he replied.
“Maybe we have,” she said, and leaned on his shoulder as Matt began to speak.
“I never expected you all to come to see us on Christmas Day, but I should have guessed, since we’re all family.”
“We are,” a murmur went around.
Matt took a breath, and smiled down at Grace and his new baby. “We’ve been blessed with a beautiful baby girl. I want to say thank you to my amazing wife. Grace, I love you.”
Grace placed her hand in his and pulled it to her lips. “I love you too, Matt.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m so silly.”
“I always knew you had a soft side,” Jed said, his voice thick with emotion.
“And you don’t?” Amanda said, pushing him gently. Jed didn’t answer, but he did wipe his eyes with his sleeve, which kind of confirmed that he in fact was very soft for a big bear.
“As I’m sure you all know, naming a child is not always easy, and Grace and I have given it a lot of thought, but we kept coming back to a word that symbolizes what we’ve accomplished in these last few months, thanks to the vision of one man, Dylan.”
“That is not going to be her name, is it?” Jed asked.
“No, it’s not. Sorry, Dylan.” Matt laughed. “We would like you to raise your … plastic cups … to welcome baby Hope into this large, boisterous, but overwhelmingly loving family.”
“Hope,” everyone said.
Theo smiled at Dominic, who looked a little teary himself. Hope, that was what Bear Bluff Construction had given so many people.
And when he looked at his mate, he felt a surge of hope too, that they would find a way to have a family, and fulfilling careers. She had wished upon a bear, and that bear loved her, to the stars and back.
***
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Other Books By Harmony Raines
Other Books By Harmony Raines
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Hero Mine
Bear my Fate (Hero Mine Prequel Book 0)
Hero Mine - Kurt
Bear Bait (Hero Mine Book 1)
Bear Creek Clan and Bear Bluff Clan
Complete Box Set
Or available individually
suggested reading order
(each can be read as a standalone
but why not start at the beginning and get to know all of the characters?)
Rescued by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book One)
Finding Her Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Two)
Tamed by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Three)
Snowbound With The Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Four)
Biker Bear Billionaire (Bear Creek Clan Book Five)
Bound To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book One)
Doctor Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book Two)
Stranded With Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Three)
A Bride for the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Six)
Home Or Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Four)
Fated To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Five)
Lonely Bear (Bear Bluff Book Six)
Wolf Valley Raiders
Complete Box Set Now Out Now!
Or available individually
suggested reading order
Redeem the Wolf
To Catch A Wolf
Reclaim the Wolf
Awakening the Alpha
Biker Bears
Forbidden Bear
Secret Bear
Christmas Bear Brothers
Complete Box Set Now Available
Santa Paws
Christmas Catastrophe
Bear Humbug
Christmas Bears
Sleighed
Claused
Wrapped
Fated and Mated
Love at First Site
Her Scars To Bear
Her Choice To Bear
Her Russian Bear
Who’s the Daddy?
Complete Box Set Available
One Bear and a Baby
Her Bear and a Baby
Second Chance Bear and a Baby
Baby Protector Bear
Return to Bear Bluff
The Bear is Back in Town
His Bear’s Necessity
Black Bear Down
Who Bears Wins
When Bears Collide
Wish Upon A Bear
Cowboy Brother Bears
Cowboy Bear Blues
Cowboy Bear’s Mate
Shifters Prime Sleeping Lions
Complete Box Set Now Available
Living a Lion
Freeing a Lion
Fighting a Lion
Chosen by the Karal
Complete Box Set
Or available individually
Deceit
Love
Power
Hunger
Devotion
Warriors of Karal
Stranded
Found
Taken
Hunted
Allies
Sci-Fi Romance
The Princess and her Alien Rogue
The Princess and her Bounty Hunter
Her Dragon's Bane Serial
Soul Of The Dragon
Blood Of The Dragon
Heart Of The Dragon
Love Of The Dragon
Fate Of The Minotaur
Mate Of The Dragon
Bound To The Flame - A Virgin For The Dragon
When the dragon egg hatches for Trinity she becomes the Dragon Princess and must remain pure until the dragon comes back to claim her as his mate on her twenty first birthday.
An Heir For The Flame (Dragon Fantasy Romance)
The elder dragons have predicted that Trinity will conceive the new dragon child tonight. So she mates with ShanRohit under the full moon.
Waiting For Curves (Curves For Her Wolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)
Curves For Her Wolf Doctor (The Greystone Wolves - BBW Paranormal Erotic Romance)
Mistaken Curves (Her First Time With A Wolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)
Sold To The Wolf (Auctioned Curves For The Werewolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)
Curves For The Lone Wolf (BBW Erotic Romance)
An Auction Of Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)
Anna (Curves in the Family (BBW Erotic Romance))
Heated Curves (Curves For Her Firefighter) (BBW Erotic Romance)
Words Unwritten (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic Romance)
Christmas Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)
Winning Her Curves (previously titled Virgin Curves)
Returning For His First Love
For The Love Of The Wolf (Erotic Romance Fairy Tales)
Marianne : Unmarked (His) (Paranormal Shifter Romance)
Bred By The Unicorn (Virgin Paranormal Erotic Romance)
The Escort Box Set
***
The Escort Series
The Escort (The Escort Series Part One)(Free in some regions)
The Escort (The Escort Series Part Two)
The Escort (The Escort Series Part Three)
A Curvy Christmas: Robin's Romance (BBW Romance)
Helen’s story:
His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book One)
His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book Two)
His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book Three)
Captured By The
Hannoth Barbarians
Captured By The Barbarian: Cilla Part One
Claimed By The Barbarians: Cilla Part Two
Taken By The Barbarians: Dinah
Tilda - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians
Thandor - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians
Princess Yolanda - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians
Bound By The Barbarian: Tirim
Bound To The Barbarian: Tirim Part 2 (Reluctant Gay Sex)
Captured By The Barbarians: Scarla
Tamed By The Barbarian: Shona Part One
Hunted By The Barbarian: Shona Part 2
Teaching The Barbarian: Petra
***
Saved By The Pack
Alice
Sarah
The Dualis
(Mate of the Cave Bear)
Found (Book One)
Lost (Book Two)
Return (Book Three)
Shifters Of Spellholm - The Bears
Her First Time With A Bear (Book 1)
Too Much To Bear (Book 2)
Bear With Me (Book 3)
***
Curves
***
Curves For Her Bears (BBW Shifter Erotic Romance)
Saving You, Saving Me (Bad Boys Love Big Girls (BBW Erotic Romance))
Rachel (Curves in the Family Part One (BBW Erotic Romance))
Snowbound Curves (Curves For Her Brother's Best Friend BBW Erotic Romance)
BBW - Curves For Her Soldier
Longing For Her Soldier (Curves For Her Brother's Best Friend BBW Erotic Romance)
Return To Sender (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic Romance)
BBW - Greystone Wolves
A Virgin For The Wolf (Curves For Her Werewolf Boss) (BBW Erotic Romance)
***
Curves For Her Cowboy (BBW Billionaire Cowboy Erotic Romance)
Betrayed Curves
***
A Virgin For The Billionaire
Return to Bear Bluff Complete Series Page 53