by Zoe Chant
Beau’s body beside her was warm and solid – as warm and solid as it had been cold and limp what seemed like only a short time before. Annie shuddered. As soon as they were home, she was going to reassure herself that Beau really was okay, she was going to fling herself on him and check every last inch of him –
“Annie? Annie! Please, wait! Annie!”
At first, Annie didn’t recognize the voice calling her name. But then she blinked, shaking her head, trying to focus her eyes on the figure who was rushing across the foyer toward her –
Oh, God, it’s Scott.
Scott was the last person she wanted to see right now. He was the one who was responsible for all of this, from getting into debt and endangering his father’s business, to the wild shot he’d fired that had injured Beau. If she were forced to talk to him now, Annie couldn’t be certain she wouldn’t outright deck him.
Scott was too fast, however, and he rushed up to her, some kind of foil blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
“You –” Beau growled, moving to block Scott from getting to Annie. “Don’t you try to talk to her –”
“It’s all right, Beau,” Annie said wearily, relenting at the last minute. “What do you want, Scott?”
“Annie – you won’t tell my father about any of this, will you?” he asked, a pleading expression on his face – so different from the one he’d had when he’d barged into the bakery demanding money from the register. “I didn’t know at first – I mean, I knew, but I always thought I’d –”
“Scott, it’s not up to me,” Annie said tiredly. “Even if I didn’t want to say anything, this is a criminal investigation now. Your father’s definitely going to find out about it.”
Scott looked stricken, but Annie still couldn’t quite find it in her heart to feel too bad for him. Scott had gotten himself into this situation. Maybe having to deal with the consequences of it would help him straighten himself out.
“But – Annie, you don’t understand – my father said I’d have to go back to working in the bakery! I hated working at that place! I had to get up at five a.m.!”
Ordinarily, Annie might have thought that sounded like it sucked, but after everything Scott had put them through, it was a drop in the ocean compared to what she thought he deserved.
I really don’t think I’m in a place to be rational about this right now.
“Scott, you’re going to have to sort this out on your own,” she said. “And maybe appreciate your father a bit more, and everything he’s tried to do for you.”
Ordinarily, she never would have dreamed of speaking to her boss’ son that way. But right now, she just didn’t care.
Scott dropped his head, his lips pressed tightly together. For a moment, Annie thought it was in anger, but when Scott raised his head again, his eyes looked…
Is he crying? Annie thought, shocked
“I know, all right?” Scott burst out. “I know – but look, running a bakery just isn’t what I want out of life! I’ve tried to tell him, but he can’t seem to understand why I would want to do it. But just because it’s his dream doesn’t mean it’s mine!”
Annie blinked, opening her mouth in surprised before closing it again. She licked her lips. “Scott…”
“And I know you like working there too, so I guess you don’t understand either,” Scott went on. “But I don’t even really want to live the rest of my life in Bell’s Hollow. I just wanted my own thing, away from the bakery! To make up my own mind about what I wanted to do!”
Annie felt Beau’s hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle, protective squeeze. It was clear he didn’t like the way Scott was borderline ranting at her – but to Annie, this was the most human she’d ever seen Scott be. He was usually just a kind of sleezy creep, but now, she was actually starting to feel just the tiniest bit sorry for him, even if he had dealt with his frustrations in the worst possible way.
“Scott, go tell your dad all this honestly,” Annie said. “And if he doesn’t listen, then… then I’ll try to explain things to him. Or if he won’t accept it, then maybe you’ll just have to tell him you’re leaving to make your own way in the world. Without taking any money from him.”
Scott swallowed, his eyes shifting. “I… I can try, I guess,” he said sulkily.
Maybe he hadn’t liked the part about not taking any money. But he seemed to rally after a moment, warming to the idea of leaving town.
“Maybe once everything’s… cleared up, I can go on a road trip,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
“Sounds great, Scott.” Annie tried her hardest not to sound fed up – without Scott, after all, none of this would have happened – but right now, she was just too tired to keep the cynicism from her voice. Honestly, if Scott did just disappear on a road trip for a while, she’d be perfectly happy not to see him for however long he wanted to be gone for.
Beau, clearly sensing her tiredness, began to steer her away, just as Landon came over to collect Scott, straightening out his weird foil blanket and nodding to Beau.
Annie wasn’t really aware of anything after that until she felt the chill of the mountain air on her face, and realized they’d come out of the mansion and into the open night air.
“How should we get home?” Annie asked, still feeling a little dazed.
“The same way we got here, I suppose,” Beau said. “That is, if you feel up to flying. It’s the shortest way home, though. Not to mention the only way down off this mountain.”
Annie laughed lightly. “I should have guessed.”
Beau flashed her a grin, making sure she was steady on her feet before he threw the jacket he must’ve grabbed on their way out over her shoulders. Then he took a few steps back from her, before taking a deep breath and shifting.
This time, Annie didn’t hesitate at all before she pulled herself up onto his warm solid back. The feathers of his neck were soft beneath her touch, and the crooning sound he made to her seemed to reverberate through her whole body, soothing her frazzled nerves and making her feel warm.
Unable to stop herself, she leaned down, resting her aching head against his neck, feeling his feathers beneath her cheek.
Let’s go home.
Perhaps he heard her, because in the next second, his massive, powerful wings were carrying them up into the air, above the snowy mountainside, sure and strong.
Annie closed her eyes, letting herself be rocked by their rhythm.
And then, without even meaning to, she fell fast asleep.
Epilogue
“You ready for this?”
Annie looked up at Beau where he sat in the driver’s seat of the car, watching her face closely. He’d paused in his driving just outside the open gate leading down a long driveway, surrounded on both sides by thick trees, covered in snow.
The driveway of Beau’s family home, Annie thought, biting her lip.
She’d been in this kind of position before. She’d had quite a number of foster families over the years, and she remembered the way her heart had always beat with trepidation the first time the orphanage staff had driven her to their homes to meet them.
But it’s a little different this time, Annie told herself. This time, I’ve got Beau with me.
He’d assured her that as his mate, his family would love her too and accept her as one of them.
But how can he know that? We haven’t even met!
“What if I stick my foot in my mouth?” Annie blurted out, clenching her hands into fists. “What if –”
“Well, if you do, then you can just say ‘Whoops! Don’t mind me,’ or something like that,” Beau said, smiling so that his eyes crinkled at the corners in a way that Annie found totally, irresistibly sexy. “No one’s looking to judge you or jump all over you if you make a mistake, Annie, I promise. And we’re a pretty hard to offend bunch. I really can’t imagine you saying anything that bad, anyway.”
Well, that was true, Annie had to admit – she couldn’t really remember sticking her foot in h
er mouth that many times over the course of her life either, but that was mainly because she’d often been too shy to open it in the first place.
Annie swallowed.
Well, we can’t sit here all day, she told herself, forcing her hands to relax, and doing her best to calm her racing heart. Now or never, I guess.
“Okay,” she said, flashing Beau what she hoped was a convincing smile. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Beau nodded, returning her smile, before he turned the car down the long driveway. “Just be yourself, Annie. There’s nothing better you could be.”
His words warmed her heart, she had to admit. After everything they’d been through together, Annie often imagined she could feel their connection pulsing in the air between them – or maybe she wasn’t imagining it. Maybe the long golden ribbon of light she’d seen when she’d been calling out to him was real after all, just barely invisible, but there all the same.
Taking a deep breath, Annie focused her attention out the window of the car, looking at their surroundings. It was clear Beau’s family’s land was expansive – and beautiful. It was heavily forested, the dark green trees stretching up to the sky, and covered in pure white snow.
She supposed that must make life a little more convenient for them – having all this space where they knew they’d be safe to shift and fly, without much risk of being seen by outsiders.
“This looks like it would have been an amazing place to grow up,” Annie said, as she saw a small lake through a gap in the trees. It must have been the lake Beau had told her he’d taught his nieces and nephews to skate on.
I’ll have to take him up on that lesson, she thought, smiling.
“It really was. I was very lucky,” Beau said. “The land’s been in the family for generations. I don’t think I could tell you how long.”
“Wow.” Annie blinked. The idea of having something that connected you so strongly to your family – to your parents, grandparents, and everyone who came before them – was something she’d never had.
And one day, maybe Beau’s kids will also grow up here….
She licked her lips as she realized what she’d thought – and what it meant.
Beau’s kids. Our kids.
It seemed like something she couldn’t quite take in yet – the idea that they might have children together, that she might want to have children. She’d never really considered it before.
Shaking her head, Annie pushed the thought away.
Okay, that’s still just a little too scary to deal with for now! Maybe one day, in a few years…
The thought left her mind as Beau turned a corner, and suddenly, a sprawling timber house came into view. Annie’s eyes widened at the sight of it. It had a rustic design, with most of it built out of massive, rough-hewn logs, and the rest from gray stone. The roofs were slanted to keep the snow off, and there was a long window running across the front of the house, glowing with warm light. Fairy lights were wound around the thick logs that made up the supports for the balcony and porch, twinkling brightly in the afternoon gloom.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
Annie felt like she was in a dream as Beau pulled up in the sheltered parking space, next to two other cars.
She could sense Beau glancing at her as they got out of the car, and she turned to look at him, smiling what she hoped was reassuringly.
“I’m okay – I’m ready,” she told him. Beau nodded, reaching out to take her hand.
And it was just as well she was ready – no sooner had they stepped out of the parking area than the door of the house was thrown open, and no fewer than six children, all looking to be under the age of ten, came barreling down the snow-strewn path toward them.
“Uncle Beau! Uncle Beau!”
“Oh, hey the— oof!” Beau said, leaning down for a hug, but having the kids throw themselves bodily into his arms instead.
“We’ve been waiting forever for you to get here,” the eldest girl informed him, stepping back. “Mommy said you were going to be here two days ago!”
“Yeah, that was the plan, Jamie, but let’s just say I got a little held up,” Beau laughed, hugging each of the kids in turn before standing up. “But I’m here now. So that’s good enough, isn’t it?”
Annie watched as Beau’s nieces and nephews bounced around him, clearly overjoyed to see him. It made her heart melt: they were yelling over the top of each other, clearly all of them wanting to be first to tell him their news, while Beau listened to each of them in turn, gently reminding them not to interrupt, his eyes glowing with affection as he looked at them – just as much affection as they looked at him with.
“Well, everyone, once you can manage to be quiet for a moment or two, I have someone I’d like you to meet,” Beau said. He turned, smiling at Annie, before putting his arm around her shoulders, drawing her forward. “Everyone, this is Annie. Annie, this is – in age order – Jaime, Sarah, Loughlin, Cody, Larissa, and Sam. Everyone, say hi to Annie.”
“Hi, Annie,” the kids chorused, focusing their curious stares upon her like twelve beams of hyper-intense light.
Annie swallowed, feeling a nervous sweat break out on her palms. But then she felt Beau’s hand squeezing her shoulder, and she took a deep breath.
“Hey. Nice to meet you all,” she said, lifting her hand in a little wave. “Sorry if I don’t remember your names all at once – you can remind me if I forget, though. In fact, please remind me if I forget. I definitely need your help there.”
“Are you Uncle Beau’s girlfriend?”
Annie blinked – it had been, uh, Sarah, she thought, who’d said that, the moment she stopped talking.
“Uh –”
“You could put it that way,” Beau said smoothly. “So you all better be on your best behavior, all right? You want to make a good impression, don’t you?”
The kids nodded seriously, eyes going back and forth between Annie and Beau.
“I can help you remember names,” Jaime said. “If you forget, you can ask me.”
“Thank you… Jaime,” Annie said, smiling gratefully. “I’d appreciate that.”
Okay. Okay. This isn’t so hard, Annie thought, releasing a long, slow breath as Beau started corralling the kids to help him unload things from the car.
So far, so good.
It helped that the kids were obviously all so sweet. Annie looked curiously at each of them in turn – each of them had dark eyes just like Beau’s, and all of them were as cute as buttons. They crowded around the car door, excited and eager to help their Uncle Beau carry things inside.
I wonder which one of them was in the photo I saw? Annie wondered as she looked at them, but it was impossible to tell. Right now, it was hard to believe any of them turned from really cute little kids into – she assumed – really cute little hippogriffs!
Maybe they won’t mind showing me, once I get to know them better.
“Okay, so who wants the important job of taking this very delicate cherry pie into the kitchen?” Beau called out, lifting up a white paper bag containing one fresh cherry pie high above his head.
They’d gotten a replacement, since the one Annie had originally given Beau would have been a couple of days old by the time they’d left Bell’s Hollow. They’d eaten the other one together as they snuggled on her bed, watching absolutely terrible holiday TV movies.
Annie smiled at the memory. There were definitely worse ways to spend an afternoon.
It seemed that Loughlin had been designated the cherry pie bearer, and so, together, with them each taking their individual roles very seriously, they began making their way back up to the house.
“Not too bad, was it?” Beau asked her as they followed them.
Annie shook her head. “Not too bad at all. But they’re all really sweet, and they obviously love you. I thought you said you weren’t the cool uncle?”
Beau laughed. “All right – maybe I’m a little bit cool. But only to people who aren’t old enough to know better yet
.”
“Well, I think you’re pretty cool,” Annie said, flashing him a grin. “If that makes you feel any better.”
“Of course it does,” Beau said, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the lips as the kids filed in the front door, just before they stepped over the threshold themselves.
“Beau! You’re here! Finally!”
They were greeted the moment they stepped inside by a tall woman with the same dark hair and dark eyes as Beau, rushing into the entryway to give him a massive bear hug.
Annie took the moment they spent embracing to glance around the massive room the entryway connected to – all gorgeous timber and stone, a fire crackling in the enormous fireplace, with large, comfortable furniture dotted around it, rugs covering the dark wood of the floor.
Despite its size, it was so warm and homey that it made Annie’s chest ache. This clearly wasn’t just a house – it was a home. The rugs and furniture were obviously worn and old, but Annie just thought they were all the more enticing for it. Every inch of the house seemed to beckon her into it, inviting her to stay and be comfortable.
“Oh, and you must be Annie!”
In the next moment, Annie found herself enveloped in much the same kind of hug as Beau had been treated to – and obviously shifter strength ran in the family, because Annie found herself almost winded when she was finally let go.
“I’m Courtney, though please call me Court, since everyone else does,” the woman said, smiling. “Well, goodness me. My little brother has done well for himself. You’re kind of a looker, aren’t you?”
Annie found herself blushing red, swallowing, and not quite sure what to say.
“I – thank you,” she finally managed to stammer out. “That’s really, uh, really lovely of you to say.”
“It’s only the truth,” Court said breezily, smiling at her. “Now come on, both of you, and get your boots off. Lunch is almost ready. Jaime and Loughlin have been telling everyone we’re not allowed to eat until you’re here.”
Annie guessed, then, that Jamie and Loughlin must be Courtney’s children, while Sarah, Cody, Sam and Larissa must be his other sister’s.