by Zoe Chant
“Uncle Beau brought pie!” Loughlin announced loudly, holding it up.
“Can you put it in the fridge for dessert, sweetheart?” Court called to him as she bustled away, and Annie and Beau took off their boots.
“Told you they’d like you,” Beau said to her, grinning, as they made their way out into the dining room. “Obviously.”
Annie smiled. Maybe it’d only been a quick hello so far, but already she could feel her heart glowing as she watched Beau’s family chatting as they brought plates and platters of food to the massive dining table.
Beau’s other sister, Darla, came over to treat him to a similar hug before turning to introduce herself to Annie.
“And this is my mate, Aaron,” she said, resting her hand on the arm of a massive, burly, bearded man, whose hand completely engulfed Annie’s when he reached out to shake it.
“Pleased to meet you,” he rumbled, and Annie had to wonder what he shifted into – A lion? A bear?! A mountain??!! “You’ve met our little ones, have you?”
“Oh yes – they introduced themselves to me,” Annie said. “It’s Sarah, Cody, and, uh, Sam, right?”
“Got it in one,” Aaron said, smiling at her through his beard.
“There’s still a few people I haven’t met though,” Annie said, glancing around. “I don’t want to seem rude and not introduce myself –”
“Oh, forget about that. We’ll introduce you once we’re sitting down at the table,” Darla laughed. “Speaking of, it looks like everything’s just about ready. Come on – sit down to eat, and we’ll make sure everyone gets to know each other.”
“Ah, wait just one moment.”
Annie started a little at the sound of the voice behind her, and turned to see an older woman, her dark hair streaked with gray, standing behind her. Her skin was lined but she was still youthful in her movements, and her eyes were dark and lively.
Oh, she realized with a sudden shock. This must be –
“Mom,” Beau said, his voice soft, before he gathered the woman up in a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
Annie stood back, feeling her throat tighten. So this was the woman who Beau had told her about – the one who’d put herself into a three-week coma to save his life when he’d been a child. Who’d almost sacrificed herself to save him.
The same way Beau saved me, Annie thought, feeling a little dazed. This is the woman I owe everything to, above and beyond even that she’s his mother.
“And you must be Annie,” the woman said, turning to her with a smile, her eyes flickering over her face.
“I-It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Colson,” Annie stuttered out. “Really.”
Beau’s mother laughed lightly. “You don’t need to be nervous – and please, call me Blanche.”
“Oh – sure,” Annie said, feeling silly. She tried saying the name in her head, but she’d been so used to trying to keep a little distance between herself and others that it still sounded odd to her.
“Well. I’m glad to see Beau finally found you,” Blanche said, still smiling. “I’ve been telling him for a while he should find his mate.”
“Mom, please,” Beau groaned. “You know it wasn’t on purpose. You always told me you can’t just rush into these things, and you’ll meet your mate when the time is right, and not a second before.”
“True, true,” Blanche said, shaking her head. “Well, obviously, you found a woman worth waiting for.” She smiled at Annie. “Now, come and sit down for lunch. I’m looking forward to getting to know you – and for you to get to know all of us. There’s a few of us, after all, but don’t worry. Take your time – I promise we don’t bite, even in shifter form.”
Annie let out a quick laugh at that – she couldn’t help it. Despite the fact she felt a little overwhelmed, she couldn’t help but like Blanche immediately, especially when she took Annie’s arm and led her across the room to the table, laden with food.
Annie’s stomach rumbled. She guessed she hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until this moment.
By the time Annie had been sat down and everyone had gone around the table, she’d felt her head was spinning a little. Not just from all the names and faces, but from the scent of the utterly delicious food laid out in front of her.
Her mouth watered as she looked it over – obviously someone here was a great cook – or maybe all of them were. Beau had told her hippogriffs tended to be pretty family-oriented, but maybe it was also a hippogriff trait to be an absolute whiz in the kitchen.
It wasn’t so much a meal as a feast: there were roasted vegetables with a creamy sauce at one end of the table, honey baked yams, pumpkin soup with green herbs sprinkled on top – and, in the center of the table, a fat, succulent ham, which Aaron was deftly carving and passing slices out to the waiting plates. There was everything except a Christmas turkey, but Annie imagined they were probably saving that for Christmas day itself.
If I can ever eat again after this, she thought, feeling mildly bewildered as Court asked her to pass her plate so she could load it up with her signature buttery mashed potatoes.
“You’ll be properly part of the family once Court’s fed you a meal,” the man sitting next to Courtney laughed, and Annie couldn’t help but smile, despite the fact all the noise of six kids and even more adults was about as far from what she was used to as could be.
She thought she had everyone’s names down – there were the kids, of course, Darla and Aaron, Court and her mate Nelson, Blanche and Beau’s father, Ed, Beau’s cousin Charlie and his mate, Jack, as well as Beau’s Aunt May and Uncle Samson.
“So, I guess we should ask how you two met,” Aunt May said, as she spooned some green bean casserole onto her plate. “Provided it’s not a secret or anything like that.” She winked.
“Oh – no, nothing like that,” Annie said, feeling a little flustered. “It… it was kind of a strange situation, I guess. A guy was being weird at the bakery I work at and Beau kind of… stepped in and took care of it.”
“That’s how all great love stories start – baked goods,” Court said wisely. “I knew Nelson was the one for me when he brought cookies to our first date. I mean, I already knew since he was my mate and all, but that sealed the deal.”
Nelson laughed. “It helped I had inside information.”
“Yeah, thanks to Darla being a blabbermouth.” Court shook her head, smiling, as her sister gave her a smile and a wink.
“C’mon, Nelson was so smitten he needed all the help he could get.”
“Well, that’s true,” Court admitted, leaning across to give Nelson a peck on the cheek.
“Oh my God, Mom, gross,” Jaime said, rolling her eyes. “Can you please not at the table?”
Annie felt her heart warming at the easy banter around the table. It seemed everyone was content to let her talk as much or as little as she liked, as well as to stuff herself full of the most truly delicious food she’d ever tasted. She was already at the point of exploding, but the ham was so delicious, the mashed potatoes so creamy, and the honey yams so sweet that she already knew she’d be asking for seconds.
“So, one thing I do want to know, if you don’t mind me asking,” Mrs. Colson – Blanche, Annie tried to remind herself – said. “You’re the first non-shifter to join our family, Annie. Did you know about the bond you shared with Beau right away?”
Beneath the table, Annie felt Beau’s hand squeeze her own, and she swallowed, squeezing back.
I knew from the moment I saw him. But that seemed easy to say in hindsight – she hadn’t known what was going on with her at the time.
“I don’t really know when I first noticed it,” Annie said quietly, pausing in eating her thick slice of ham. “Looking back, it seems obvious, but I was pretty confused at the time. I mean, obviously I didn’t know anything about mated bonds or shifters or anything like that. But when I think about it now… well, I guess I should have known right away that there was something different about him.”
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“That’s how it always is,” Darla said, laughing. “When I try to think about when I met Aaron, all I can remember is fireworks going off in my stomach, and a voice in my head yelling That’s the one!”
“Was that how it was for you?” Annie asked Beau quietly, when everyone turned to chatting amongst themselves. “The fireworks and all that?”
“Pretty much,” Beau admitted, as he helped himself to another serve of creamy mashed potatoes, alongside his roasted vegetables. “I did know it right away.”
Annie looked down at her food. She wished she’d been as certain right away, but she’d fought her feelings for a while. Now, she honestly wasn’t sure what she’d been so frightened of.
But it’s okay now, she thought, lifting another mouthful of the succulent ham to her mouth, and surrounded by more love and light and laughter than she’d ever imagined she’d have in her life. We’re together now. And nothing will ever part us again.
Annie ate until she felt like she couldn’t take another bite – and then a little more. Everything was so delicious she felt like she just couldn’t stop. Aside from the pie and cookies she and Beau had brought, there was baked Alaska, a pumpkin cake, and chocolate Swiss roll – and of course Annie wanted to sample them all.
“You want some eggnog, Annie?” Beau’s cousin Charlie asked her, as he brought a steaming pot over to the table.
“Oh goodness, no, I couldn’t even fit in another mouthful,” Annie said, meaning it. It seemed like shifters were bottomless pits – but then again, Beau had told her that his family was hungry back when they’d first met. She was only just now beginning to appreciate just how hungry!
“Mom, but you said after lunch we’d let Uncle Beau do the thing,” Sarah suddenly piped up, her eyes bright. “I want to tell him and Annie about it!”
“Oh, what’s this?” Beau asked, cocking his head at her. “What thing do I need to know about?”
Darla laughed. “No, you’re right, Sarah. Go ahead.”
Sarah turned back to them with a grin. “I kept some Christmas decorations for you to put on the tree!” she said, her face bright with excitement. “We had to do it yesterday since that’s when we always do it. But I kept some for you to do!”
“Is that right?” Beau asked, smiling. “That was really kind of you, Sarah. Thank you.”
“So can Beau and Annie put the stuff on the tree now?” Sarah asked, turning back to her mother.
“All right – come on everyone, let’s head to the living room,” Darla said.
Annie felt like she was still taking in Sarah’s words as together the family stood up, carrying their mugs of eggnog with them, and headed to the lounge.
“Seems like you’ll get to decorate a big tree after all,” Beau said to her as they emerged into a massive room toward the back of the house – with a massive tree standing against the back wall.
“Wow,” Annie couldn’t help but say. “That’s… pretty spectacular.”
And it was. The tree must have been cut from the heavy woods that surrounded the house. She couldn’t imagine such a magnificent thing could have been carried all that far – though who knew, with shifters? Dark green and perfectly triangular, every inch of it was covered in red and gold tinsel, sparkling lights, glass icicles, and shining Christmas baubles. Crowded around its base were piles of presents, wrapped up in colorful wrapping paper and frilly ribbons. Annie had only ever seen trees like this on TV commercials before. It looked too perfect to be real.
“See, I kept a space here for you!” Sarah said, tugging at her uncle Beau’s hand. “And some nice decorations too!”
“I want to give the decorations to Uncle Beau,” her brother Cody piped up. “I said so too!”
“You can do it together,” Darla said mildly. “Don’t fight.”
Her children seemed to accept this verdict, solemnly picking up a box – one on each side – and carrying it over to them.
“Annie, you can put a bauble on,” Sarah told her, with great authority. “They’re my favorite ones.”
“Thank you,” Annie said, feeling her heart melting a little at Sarah’s serious expression. She reached into the box, picking out a shiny silver ball.
Is this what Christmas is supposed to feel like?
She’d never imagined it would. Not for her, anyway. Her foster families had often done their best to make her feel included, and she’d always been grateful to them for that. But she’d always known that even then, things were only temporary.
But this… this feels like forever.
Lifting the shiny ball up, she glanced at Beau, who nodded to her. Then she reached out and hung it on one of the tree’s outstretched branches, making sure it wouldn’t slip off.
It looked beautiful – like it belonged there with all the other ornaments and decorations Beau’s family had already hung.
“Now you have to put something up, Uncle Beau!”
Annie turned in time to see Beau lifting up a shiny red glass ornament, with a star in the middle of it.
“Okay, okay – how about this? Do you approve?”
Sarah and his other nieces and nephews nodded their approval, and Beau took a step to Annie’s side, before reaching out to hang his glass star next to her silver bauble.
“There,” he said, before he slipped an arm over her shoulders. “Do you want to do this tinsel, or should I?”
Annie laughed. “How about we do it together? And maybe the kids can help us? There’s a lot of it!”
“Yeah!” said Sarah and Cody, as the other kids all bounced over as well, clearly excited at the prospect of even more Christmas tree decorating. They pulled an enormous length of fluffy golden tinsel from the box, unraveling it and waving it up for Annie and Beau to catch.
“Okay, okay kids, don’t get carried away,” Beau laughed, as he caught the tinsel and hung it over the boughs of the tree. “Here, Annie – you put this end up.”
Annie had never imagined she’d get this much enjoyment out of hanging bits of plastic and shiny stuff on a tree. But now, she realized, it wasn’t even really about that – it was about having fun with your family, or just finding joy in doing something special, even if you were by yourself.
Just like Beau said, she thought, as she tucked away the end of the tinsel garland. She’d been struck by it at the time – but perhaps she was only just now beginning to realize how true it was.
Watching as the kids delved through the box looking for more ornaments for them to hang as their parents and family stood back, chatting and laughing, Annie had never felt so… so accepted in all her life.
“You all right?” Beau asked, his voice soft in her ear.
Blinking, Annie realized her eyes were wet – but not with tears of sadness.
“Yeah,” she whispered back, as she watched Jaime and Cody hanging tinsel on the tree together, Darla and Court helping them, while Jack and Charlie called out that they were going to get more nog for anyone who wanted it, and Blanche sat with Sam and Sarah to gently shake some of the presents under the tree.
“Yeah, everything’s great.”
“I hope that wasn’t too overwhelming,” Beau said to her as they made their way along a path leading to their own private cabin in the woods. “I know shifter families can be a little full-on.”
Annie smiled as she shook her head. “No, it was fine. I mean – it was great. Everyone’s made me feel so at home. Like I’m really part of the family.”
“That’s because you are, Annie.” Beau’s voice was warm and soft as he turned to look at her, catching her hand in his. “You’re my mate – that means you belong here. You’ll always have a place here, no matter how far away we might choose to live, or how long we go between visits.”
Annie swallowed. She could hear the sincerity in Beau’s voice – but even without it, his whole family had made her feel so welcome, so much a part of their lives, that she wouldn’t have doubted it anyway.
Though maybe it’s just that I can see i
t now, she thought. She had wanted to make Bell’s Hollow her permanent home, and everyone there had always been so kind to her.
But she understood now why she’d always felt like an outsider there – because, to a certain extent, she had been. She hadn’t known what so many of the town’s long-term residents knew about shifters, and it was that secret that had kept her out of feeling truly accepted there.
Her closest friend there, Christina, had been an international student and only passing through, so perhaps she’d never expected to fit right in. She’d never been intending to make it her permanent home.
But Annie had.
But now I know about the town secret, she thought. I wonder if things will feel different when I go back there now?
It was a pondering for another time, she decided. Right now, she was on vacation – Christmas vacation, and she was with her mate.
Right now, anything beyond the immediate future was just a little bit difficult to focus on – especially when they finally reached their log cabin, and Beau yanked the door open, gesturing for her to go inside.
“The fire’s burned down, but it should still be nice and toasty in here,” he said, as Annie hurried through the door, before she leaned down to take off her boots.
It was, especially in contrast to the snowy world outside. The cabin was sparsely furnished, but it was cozy and comfortable, and had its own rustic charm. Not glamorous, but then, Annie had never been one for glamor.
Give me a cozy little space of my own any day, she thought, as Beau kicked the door shut behind him, and then encircled her in his arms, pulling her close and kissing her so hard it left her dizzy.
“Wow,” Annie gasped when he pulled back. “You’ve been… waiting for a while to do that, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, kind of,” Beau said, smiling down at her. “You don’t know how hard it was to watch you all day and knowing I had to keep my hands to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but…”
“…But getting some alone time at last isn’t exactly a bad thing,” Annie finished for him, laughing as she spoke.