by Ava Walsh
“Lovely family, they were. His mother never looked like she was going to age a day and helped out so much with everything in town. One day she told me that they were moving and going to live off the land for a change. Remington stayed behind and took over some of the businesses in town and kept their names intact. They did very well, from what I’m told,” Mrs. MacKenzie said to me, as I nodded and confirmed that he was rich. “He always told me that his life was in this town and that he’d wait for it.” She shook her head. “He is a very good-looking young man and would be perfect for you.”
“Yeah, he is,” I agreed, as I played over the part about him waiting in my mind. “Is he thirty, like I thought?”
“I would guess older, but he always looked young as well. You might seem young in age, Lucia, but you are an old soul. Age doesn’t matter with a girl like you.” She smiled and looked at me. “I always heard that they turned into dogs or something. There were rumors, but that just seemed ridiculous to me. They’re a lovely family.”
She excused herself to let me sleep, since it was clear that I was getting tired. I dropped into my bed and set the alarm for two hours before Daisy got out of school so that I could shower. I had the night off work, and I wanted to take her somewhere fun to play for a change, or maybe to the movies. I would check with her. Though Thomas was a bit shady sometimes, he did respect the fact that I had Daisy and gave me weekends off.
I showered after the alarm woke me from a deep sleep. Since it was still spring, I chose a pair of jeans and a cute yellow t-shirt to wear with my favorite pair of Chucks. Driving to get into the long line of cars, I heard my phone chime and picked it up to see a text from Remy.
Remy: I got a call from Mrs. Mac today at my office. She’s your neighbor?
Me: Sure is. She watches my sister for me.
Remy: She mentioned that and also said that there is a big family picnic this weekend over at the park that she wants to take Daisy to.
I shook my head and laughed. That didn’t take long. I heard the bell and watched as children came out of their classrooms in droves before they found their car and hopped inside. It was a terrifying part of my day with some of the bad drivers, but the smile on Daisy’s face always made it worth it.
We went to a restaurant that offered arcade style games and played for hours on the card that comes with a meal. I took her home when we finished off the card with a bag full of prizes, and Daisy went to the couch to watch her favorite show. I headed to the kitchen for some water and looked around to make sure I was alone.
Me: I would imagine that she wants us to spend some time together.
Remy: Yes, and I hear that you have weekends off.
Me: Are you spying on me?
We made some plans to do something the next day, even though Daisy hadn’t heard about the picnic yet. That was later, when she came screaming into the kitchen about it, and I agreed to let her spend the night a few towns over with Mrs. Mac and her son’s family.
I let Daisy sleep with me, and we turned a movie on with some popcorn before we fell asleep. The next morning, we packed her a small bag of clothes and toys that she wanted to show to the granddaughters that were her age. I sighed as I watched her.
There was a part of me that wanted to keep her in my sights forever. The other part of me knew that we both needed our time apart. And, truth be told, I couldn’t wait to see Remy again.
Once my apartment was empty, I strolled back to my small bedroom to see what I should wear. Remy was planning on taking me to dinner tonight, so I thought a dress might be something different to wear. I found a black ruffled dress in the closet that offered a teasing view to my cleavage and a fun skirt that hit just above the knee, before I showered for my date.
My date.
I put on a little makeup, though not what I usually used for work, and let my curls hang down over my shoulders. The dress hugged my curves, and the heels added a little height as I walked into the living room and pressed my red lips together.
Chapter Six
There was a soft knock at the door, and I opened it with shaking hands as I took Remy in with hungry eyes. He wore a black suit that appeared to be custom fitted to his frame, and a white shirt that was crisp and tight enough to hint at what was underneath. “Hey there, handsome.”
“You look beautiful tonight,” Remy stepped inside and kissed me as he closed the door. It was like we couldn’t stay away from each other, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to pull him closer.
He took me to another restaurant that was just as nice as the first and equally private. We ordered wine and seafood as we talked about things that we wanted to know about each other. It was odd already feeling so close to him when we were still getting to know each other. After dinner, Remy drove me across town, to a small house that backed up to a forest, and parked in the driveway. “This is a family home, and I was thinking about it for you and Daisy. It has three bedrooms inside and a great backyard.”
“I make enough just to pay rent where I am now, along with some extras.” I protested, as I stared at the lovely cream siding on the beautiful house."I can't afford this place."
“You wouldn’t owe rent here. It’s paid off, and the property taxes come out of a trust every year. It’s been fixed up to be efficient with bills, and I think you’d like it,” he pushed, and I turned my head to look at him.
“Has it really only been a few days since we met?”
“I have been waiting for you for a lifetime, so I am not going to waste any more time. I just want a safe place for you, so you don’t have to keep that job.” My eyes flared up. "The apartment is in a bad part of town."
“I am not quitting my job because you want me to.” He held up his hands and gave me a stern look.
“You don't have to work at all with all of my money. However, I respect that you have a sister and need your space for now, so this is option B. At least come inside and take a look,” Remy said, as he opened the door and walked around to my side of the car. Of course it was a different car than before.
The house was beautiful inside as well as outside. It offered a good sized kitchen with an open setting for the living room and a small den. The bedrooms were all good sized with attached bathrooms, and I could find little wrong with it, especially once I looked outside. There was an enormous backyard with a pool and a wooded area that offered so much for Daisy. “Oh my God.”
“It was an investment property we bought, and the older siblings used it before everyone else went to Montana,” Remy said behind me, as I turned to look at him.
“Why did you stay behind?”
“I knew that my mate was here. I just went by my gut to stay so that I wouldn’t miss my chance, and now here you are.” Remy watched me walk up to him and throw myself into his arms for a deep kiss that led to us making our way to the living room where there was a couch. I couldn’t help but slip my dress over my head as he removed his clothes and took me right there on the sofa. There was never a lack of passion between us, even as the time passed we just got stronger.
I did let him convince me to move into the house two weeks later, after talking to Mrs. Mac and finding out that she could come with us. It would be ideal for Daisy to have her, and it seemed like Remy and I were spending more and more time together.
We stayed at his house making love all night in the weeks before he met Daisy a month into our relationship, and she adored him. They watched movies together and had tea parties and spent hours in the backyard. He was a natural father. She started asking for Remy to stay the night so that they could make French toast in the morning and go swimming, and I gently allowed it because I was falling in love with him as well. I had trouble sleeping without him and it felt as though I could never get enough of him after the house was quiet and it was just us.
I was cautious of him being around my little sister at first, because of what he was, but Remy clearly had a strong family gene, and I could quickly see that he would die for her. Mrs. Mac also
loved the idea of us together and it was clear in the way that she often took Daisy out to do this or that and leave us time alone.
I quit the bar three months after we got together, just to be stubborn. I had wanted to do something else for a while, and I enrolled in the local college and worked part-time in the bookstore on campus. It was just a few hours a week away from the madness of our house with Daisy and her friends, some time that I could be by myself.
Remy asked me to move into his bigger house with Daisy almost a year into our relationship, once we found out about our baby. It offered us room for a nursery and for my sister to have our own room.
Mrs. Mac stayed in the smaller house rent free and completely taken care of by Remy as a thank you for all that she did for us.
Our room happened to be on the other side of the house. It was safe because like Remy had always assured me, we were never in danger. Apart from the top-of-the-line security system that he installed once we moved in, he had his brothers. He just used the alarm when we went out at night to shift, though Daisy just thought that he was out with friends on my nights off. That was a subject that we could approach later, but it wasn't one that scared me any longer.
Epilogue
The wedding was at the family property in Montana, and Mrs. Mac was right. His family was beautiful and warm and welcomed me with open arms. I was just five months along and still fit properly into a pretty white lace dress, so we took them up on their offer to have the wedding there. Our friends from Georgia were all there, and Daisy was my flower girl.
I had gotten to know his pack well over the last year. Once they spent a little time with me and Daisy, they just turned into big brothers that spent time with her much like the way that Remy did. I knew that they would always protect us.
It was a simple but wonderful ceremony, and I think our love filled every part of the air as we said our vows with shaking voices. You could feel the weight of the bond everywhere, and when I looked at his parents they looked like newlyweds. I knew that was how he and I were going to be.
We welcomed Avery Rose into the world in October, and she was all cries and arms and legs as she let the whole hospital know that she was here. I saw a lot of him in her face initially and the curls that she was born with, but he said she was as pretty as her mama. I knew all about the family gene, and it turns out that Mrs. Mac had known all along as well. From what his parents said, their kids had all been around twelve when it happened to them, so we had some time with Avery.
We used every bit of that time. I still went to school to fulfill my dream but quit the job to be a full-time mom when I wasn’t studying. Mrs. Mac insisted on helping out, and we had a happy little family life that Remy and I both cherished.
He was the perfect mix of alpha and sweet, and he showed me the benefits to both of those on a regular basis. I think my favorite was when the kids were asleep, and we proved that our lust would never fade, leading to another pregnancy when Avery was a year old.
Lincoln was born in August and he looked just like his daddy. I knew that I would have more babies with my handsome husband and that they might all be shifters just like him, but I would love them all the same and so would their future mates.
It was destiny and I was in love with the future. I was in love with Remy and the way that he looked at me since the day we met.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 29: Seduced by the Billionaire Shifter
By: Eliza Moon
Description
A BBW breaking away from her ex-boyfriend PLUS a sexy billionaire shifter with a secret PLUS a dangerous enemy who is after revenge!
Quinn Astley is a curvaceous blonde trying desperately to release the grip of her possessive ex-boyfriend Mike. Heading into court Quinn expects to win her case but what she doesn’t expect is to meet the sexy law firm director who comes to witness her case.
Derek is charming, rich, and devilishly sexy. Having inherited the law firm after his parents’ death, he has become a rich and successful man early in life. But he has a dark secret that he needs to keep and a dangerous enemy on his heels...
Finding her full figure too tantalizing to stay away from, Derek’s self control is put to the test in this steamy romance. Is Quinn ready to accept the man that Derek is behind the perfectly poised firm director he is on the outside?
Will they escape their enemy? Find out now!
Chapter 1
It was a Tuesday morning just after her second cup of coffee that Quinn Astley discovered a life-altering secret that blurred the line between what is real and what is fantasy.
Being a hard worker her entire life, it was no surprise that the curvaceous blonde found herself in a well-paid real estate job right out of college. She had studied business at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and always had a knack for attracting people and finding good qualities in the worst situations. At the age of twenty-six, Quinn had been in the real estate world for three years, steadily rising in sales as well as ability.
That's where Michael Biers was concerned. Quinn had been seeing Mike for about a year when she came to the conclusion that he only hoped to live off of her earnings and do nothing in the way of work for himself. In all honesty, though, he was good looking--classically handsome. That's what originally drew Quinn's eye, but she needed more than that selfish neediness in a man. Depth, determination, a loving persona, power, were the adjectives swishing around in her mind when she chose to end things with Mike and move on. None of those words ever seemed to suit Mike. Loud, excessive and arrogant maybe did a better job.
So the ties were cut and Quinn focused in on her job, which always made her happy. Hard work came naturally to her and it had a way of elevating her spirits to know there would be a reward to her toils over the long run. The right guy was out there somewhere; she just didn’t know where to look. The previous evening she had seen a meme of prince charming stuck in a tree and it had made her snicker.
Tuesday morning came and Quinn rolled out of bed, pulling on her floral robe as she shuffled down the hall to the kitchen. The robe had lately become her new favorite article of clothing. Found on the discount rack at Addition Elle a few weeks before, the vibrant colors on the black base of the robe simply called out to her so she took it to the changing room and slipped it on over her full frame. The robe hugged her body in all the right places and although trying on clothes in stores often made her nauseous, Quinn turned and looked at herself in the slim mirror and smiled at her assets. She did have a lot going for her. Her golden hair fell in loose tidy waves to her ribcage and her green eyes shone brightly in response to the vibrant colors of the robe. Her hips were wide with muscular legs to support them and she had a voluptuous torso topped with beautifully round breasts. The robe made her feel empowered as she stood in front of the mirror. For the first time in months, Quinn left the changing room eager to purchase what she had just tried on.
Coffee was brewing. Hugging herself as the coffee dripped through the filter and into her cup, good thoughts filled Quinn’s mind as they often did this time of day. But today, she was due in court by noon. Mike had moved out over a month ago and had taken his things with him. But Quinn could tell he was not ready to move on.
A few weeks prior to the break-up Mike had begun to be more possessive of her. A jealous rage seemed to grow within him and she just couldn’t take it anymore. Between his lack of desire to pave a path for himself and his newfound jealous behavior, Quinn had had enough. It took some time for Mike to find a place of his own and he had to crash on her couch for an extended couple of weeks. Once he had finally gotten out of her apartment and off of her couch, the calls began. Along with the emails, the texts, and the late night (unexpected) visits. After a solid week of this, Quinn called the cops for a restraining order to be placed on Mike. It didn’t work.
One night, in a drunken stupor, Mike stumbled up to her door and when she refused him entry, he lost all manners of self-control. Grabbing the baseball
bat the little boy down the hall had left on the front lawn, he smashed the headlights and rear windows of Quinn's brand new Mitsubishi. He tore apart the seat covers, rounded up all her personal belongings and threw them into the street in a heap. For fear of being attacked, Quinn called the police and, looking out the window, witnessed all her personal items being set afire. Included in these things now burned to ashes were Quinn's Italian leather jacket and personal documents which would seriously cost her to have replaced.
Now, here she was preparing for the court date set by the judge. She was preparing to sue the bastard for breaking his restraining order, the damage done to her car and the destruction of personal items, each of which had been appraised over the past few days.
It was a quarter past eleven when the coffee had run dry and her robe had been replaced with a crisp black pantsuit and red tank top. She really looked like a million bucks. Red was always Quinn’s color. If her case wasn’t strong enough to win, her style was definitely enough to distract and provoke the judge in defense of it.
While tightening her seatbelt as best as she could, she rolled out of the driveway and onto the road. The next few hours were going to be brutal. Upon arrival at the court building, Quinn was greeted by a kind gentleman in a grey suit who escorted her to the main lobby where she was to grab an elevator up to her courtroom. On the second floor, the elevator came to a stop and in stepped Derek Harting.
Looking up from her phone just in time to see the handsome stranger step aboard the elevator, Quinn couldn’t help but stare. If she had not felt her mouth water suddenly, she was sure she would have continued to stare the entire ride. Pulling her jaw back up from the floor, she put on a sweet smile and looked away embarrassed.