by R. E. Butler
“That sucks. I’d like to give that goddess a punch in the nose for cursing your people.”
“Me, too,” Henry said. “But it’s really okay now. My family left Pennsylvania, the females were driven away and are living somewhere up in Canada, and I get to share a beautiful female with my brother. Whatever brought all three of us here, I’m glad for it. But I do wish you hadn’t been hurt. Either of you.”
Henry glanced at Dom, who nodded.
They turned their attention to the food and talked about the day. Henry was supposed to work that night, and Dom suggested that he and Ehrin could do a ride-along with him, which would give her a chance to see the town.
“Oh, that would be neat. Can we, Henry?”
“As if I’d say no to my girl,” Henry scoffed.
* * *
The afternoon passed quickly, and before he knew it, they were eating dinner with his and Henry’s parents, plus several pride members. By the time they arrived at the station, Dom thought it was one of the best days he’d ever had.
“You’re very smiley tonight,” Ehrin said as he held open the back door of the patrol car.
He climbed in next to her and shut the door. Pecking her cheek, he said, “It’s been a really great day.”
“I thought so, too. And it’s not just because I had an awful time of things before I came here. I finally feel like I’ve found my home.”
Her sweet words made him feel warm all over.
Henry turned on the engine and looked over his shoulder. “I feel compelled to ask if either of you have been in a squad car before. You know, not for fun.”
Dom and Ehrin both laughed. “No,” she said.
“Me either,” Dom said. “And I know with a family in law enforcement that you’ve never been in one either except for a ride-along.”
“Very true.” Henry backed out of the parking space and pulled into the street. “Most of the time, it’s pretty quiet here. In the summer it gets a little crazier, because the kids are out of school and getting into trouble.”
“Was your hometown like Ashland?” Dom asked.
She smiled sadly. “Yeah. It was a lot like here.”
“Did you have a job, or were you in school?” Henry asked.
“My grandma taught me to sew when I was a kid.” She shifted in the seat and leaned her head against the headrest, facing Dom. “I loved sewing so much that I started to make my own clothes. It wasn’t usual for hawk females to work outside the home, but when I wasn’t able to shift as a teenager, my parents thought having a trade would be a good idea. Maybe because they knew I was too willful to accept a mate I didn’t love, or because no male would ever choose me without my shift. I made a website for myself and started selling my creations online. The first thing I ever sold was a skirt. Mostly the females in the nest asked me to make things, but I did have clients from my website that I designed for.” She let out a long sigh. “I think that’s dead now, though.”
“Why?” Dom asked.
“Because I don’t have any of my work stuff. No sewing machine, thread, fabric, or all the patterns and tools I collected over the years.”
“You can start over,” Henry said, stopping the car and putting it into Park. He unbuckled his seat belt and turned to face them. “We’ll help.”
“I should do it myself.”
“Why? That’s what mates are for,” Dom said.
“But I can’t ask you to buy me a whole bunch of stuff, it’s not fair. I’ll just get a job. In fact, I already interviewed for a waitress job at the diner in town. I haven’t heard yet, but maybe they’d hire me.” She laughed mirthlessly. “It would only take about a thousand tables’ worth of tips to be able to buy a low-end sewing machine. No problem.”
Dom pulled her into his arms and looked at Henry. She sniffled but seemed to be fighting not to cry. “It’ll be all good, sweetheart,” Dom said. “We’re a family now, and we help each other out in this family.”
She leaned back with a smirk. “That was kind of cheesy. No offense.”
“Hey.” He tweaked her chin. “Not cheesy, truthful.”
“I should contribute to our family.”
Henry gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “You will. But you want to sew, and making clothes is your passion. Let us help you do what you love.”
“Yeah, sweetheart, you can start by making something sexy for yourself for Henry and me to take off.”
She giggled. “You’re trying to commission lingerie for me?”
“You bet. I like red lace,” Dom said.
“Oh yeah. Me, too.”
She giggled “Just promise you won’t go buying me a bunch of things, okay? I have some money I can use. I was saving it for a down payment for a place to live.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Henry said. “When we’re ready for a break, I thought we could get pie at the diner. You can tell Cherie that you’re no longer looking for a job.”
“Right,” Dom said. “Because you’re going to be super busy with your new mates.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Dom asked.
“For accepting me.”
“How could we not?” Henry asked. “You’re ours, Ehrin.”
“Forever,” Dom promised.
Chapter 7
“Well, hey,” Cherie said when Ehrin walked into the diner with Dom and Henry. “I have it on my to-do list for tomorrow to give you a call about taking the job.”
Ehrin glanced at Dom and Henry, who nodded in encouragement. She felt a little odd about just agreeing to not take a job, especially when she knew it would take months to get herself back up and running again without her equipment, but she was grateful for their support.
She stepped to the side and motioned for Cherie to follow. When the woman joined her, Ehrin said with a low voice, “I recently met Dom and Henry and we’re mates. I told them about my interview, but they asked me not to take the job. My passion is sewing. I have a small business, and I just need to devote my time to getting it back to where it was before I had to move away from home.”
Cherie smiled. “I understand entirely. The lions are a special group, and it’s no surprise to me that they want to help you do what you love.”
“I’m sorry to put you through an interview and everything,” she said.
“It’s no trouble. But if you really want to make it up to me, I’d love to have a new apron if you could make one.”
Her brows rose. “I’d be happy to make one. Do you have a color preference?”
She tugged on the not-so-white apron she was currently wearing. It had clearly been washed about a thousand times and was worse for the wear. “Something that won’t show all the stains and that cleans up easily. And I like dragonflies, if you could work that in there somehow.”
“You bet. Give me a few weeks? I need to rebuild my business from the ground up.”
“Of course. In the meanwhile, how about some pie?” Cherie said, directing them to a table.
“That sounds great. ” Ehrin took a seat, Dom and Henry sitting on either side of her. “What do you recommend?”
“The lemon cream pie is my favorite, but you can’t go wrong with chocolate silk.”
“Lemon for me.”
“Chocolate for me,” Dom said.
“I have to go with pecan,” Henry said. “You know it’s my favorite.”
“I’ll be right back.” Cherie headed off toward the kitchen.
Ehrin looked at her mates. “That’s pretty neat. She could’ve been mad because I didn’t want to work here.”
“Nah,” Henry said. “Cherie’s a sweetheart. And the pride gives her a lot of business. I think when she saw you walk in with us she knew you were ours. She probably wasn’t surprised you said you weren’t going to take the job.”
“And you’ve already got a client for your business, even if she’s not a paying one,” Dom pointed out.
“Yeah, I just need the actual business stuff.”
/> “It’ll happen, sweetheart. And we’re here to help.”
“You’re both so sweet.”
“It’s what mates are for, remember?” Henry said.
“I remember,” she said, reaching over and squeezing his hand.
Cherie returned with a tray holding three slices of pie and three glasses of ice water. “Coffee or something else to drink?” she asked.
“Water’s fine for me,” Ehrin said, Dom and Henry both agreeing.
Ehrin looked down at the slice of lemon cream pie and her mouth watered. She lifted a forkful and took her first bite, groaning at the sweet and tart taste that exploded on her tongue.
“Holy crap, that’s good,” Ehrin said.
Dom and Henry both laughed as they dug into their desserts.
“Best desserts in town, but don’t tell any of the lions who like to bake that I said that,” Henry said.
“I promise.”
As they ate pie and talked, Ehrin forgot about everything but getting to know her mates. Dealing with her worries for her business could wait. For now, she had two sexy cats who deserved all her attention.
* * *
After Henry’s shift was over, they stopped at Zelda’s so Ehrin could pick up her things.
She left Dom and Henry in the family room with Todd and went to the guest room. Zelda followed, shutting the door and grinning.
“What’s the smile for?” Ehrin asked as she opened the closet and began to pull her clothes off the hangers.
“You’ve got two boyfriends? A cop and an artist? Freaking lucky duck.”
Ehrin laughed. “Yep. They’re wonderful. So sweet and sexy. And they’re not my boyfriends, they’re my mates.”
“Mates like married?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. Is it supposed to happen that fast?”
She carried her things to the bed and set them down, then realized she didn’t have anything to put them in. “Do you have a bag I can borrow?”
“Oh sure, I keep them on the shelf.” Zelda went to the closet and pushed some things around, withdrawing a large bag with seashells embroidered on it. “This holds a lot, but I have others if you need more.”
“Thanks.”
“So, back to the mating?”
“Right.” She started folding her clothes and putting them in the bag. “Matings are always fast. Our beasts are connected to each other, so there’s no reason to hesitate.”
“You haven’t gone on a date yet.”
“We went to Cherie’s for pie.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
She smiled. “I know. We’re getting to know each other, but it’s how shifters work. If I’d been able to shift before now, I would’ve been in an arranged mating, and we would’ve met and mated on the same night, too. It’s just how our kind are.”
Zelda hummed. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“I am. I lost my family and my home, but I found my mates and whatever else comes along, I feel like I can handle it with them by my side. They’re sweet.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
She had to use two bags to carry everything she’d brought with her. She gave her friend a hug and picked up both bags. “Thanks for letting me stay with you,” Ehrin said.
“You’re welcome. That’s what friends are for.”
“I’m still available to hang out with Julie for date nights if you need someone.”
“That’s good to know.” She walked with Ehrin out of the guest room. “Are you going to get married? Do shifters get married?”
“If they want to, they do. It depends on the people.”
“Hawks don’t get married?”
“No. The alpha doesn’t consider human government above his own laws, so there’s no need for a piece of paper. But I’m not part of the nest anymore, so I can do whatever I want.”
Dom and Henry stood as she came into the room, and Henry took the bags from her. “It’s a whole new day, right?” he said.
“Right. The future is wide open,” Ehrin said.
She thanked her friend once more and then left with her mates.
Dom opened the car door for her and she climbed in.
Henry set her bags in the back seat and sat next to them. “Humans don’t get shifters,” he said.
She buckled her seat belt and smiled at him. “Yeah. She thinks we should be dating and getting to know each other.”
“If she had a noisy beast in her head making demands about her mate, she’d think differently,” Dom said as he sat behind the wheel and turned the car on.
“She’s not wrong, though,” Henry said.
“About what?” Ehrin asked.
“We should go out on a real date.”
She smiled. “I’d love to.”
“I’m off Sunday night,” Henry said. “Maybe a movie and dinner?”
“Sounds good to me,” she said, looking at Dom.
“Definitely.”
When they were back at the boarding house, they spent time in the family room with their cousins – Brian, Kevin, Ben, Owen, and Nathan – and their parents, Aaron, Grant, and Samantha. Rue, James, and John joined them, and the adults all talked quietly while the kids watched TV.
Sam said, “I always wanted to learn how to sew. I think it’s really wonderful that you can make clothing.”
“What do you need to get your business back up and running?” John asked.
Ehrin ticked off the items on her fingers. “To start, a sewing machine, a dress form, pattern paper, needles, thread, fabric, scissors, and closures like zippers and buttons.”
Rue said, “I think there’s a fabric section in that huge craft store that opened by the mall. I don’t know that they have sewing machines, but they might have everything else.”
“I can find a used one online, either an auction or a site where local people list things for sale,” Ehrin said. She’d loved her sewing machine. It had been her grandma’s, and was monstrously heavy, but it had been what she’d learned on and she’d adored it.
Henry squeezed her hand. “We can go check it out tomorrow, if you’d like.”
“Definitely,” she said.
When she’d been unable to hide her yawns, her mates suggested they head to their room, and they said good night to everyone.
“We’re making waffles for breakfast tomorrow,” Sam said.
“Sounds great,” Dom said.
They left the family room and headed up to the third floor.
Ehrin brushed her teeth and joined her mates in the bedroom.
“Normally, mated trios move to the second floor,” Henry said. “Those bedrooms all have en suite bathrooms.”
“That would be nice,” Dom said. “It’s a pain to have to walk across the hall to pee.”
“I think we could ask Kevin and Brian to trade rooms with us,” Henry said. “I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”
“Will Treasure move in here when they’re old enough to mate?” Ehrin asked, toeing off her shoes.
“They’re talking about building a home on Rhett and Lisa’s property,” Dom said. “Treasure likes the farm, and the boys will most likely work for Rhett when they’re older. They already help out there whenever they can.”
“I’m surprised at least one of them doesn’t want to be a police officer since it seems to be the Fallon family business,” she said.
Henry smiled. “They may change their minds, but Grant actually works at the farm, too, so I guess you could say there are two family businesses.”
She sat on the edge of the bed. “I love how close the pride is.”
“I take it the nest wasn’t quite so close?” Dom asked.
She shook her head. “Not really. Everyone lived near each other in the territory, but I don’t ever remember anyone looking out for my family like the pride does. It’s wonderful.”
“It’s for you now, too,” Henry said, dropping to his knees and taking her hands. “We’re your family, and that makes t
he pride your family, too.”
She leaned forward and kissed him, smiling at the purr that rumbled in his chest. “We’ve known each other for a day. Why is it that I feel closer to you two and the pride than I ever did for my biological family and nest?”
Dom pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it in a wicker clothes basket in the closet. “Having not been a part of the pride until a few years ago, I can honestly tell you that there’s nothing quite like the love of the pride for their own. They’re so accepting. A mate is immediately family, no matter what their circumstances were. When John and James met my mom, they were willing to fight for her instantly. I wasn’t used to it either, but damn if I don’t love the pride. It’s hard not to appreciate a group that cares for their own so much.”
“I’m lucky to have found you. I wasn’t sure what my life would be like.”
“We’re lucky, too,” Henry said.
He pushed her knees gently apart and straightened, kissing her as he slid his hands up the outsides of her thighs. Her body flared to life, and she nipped his bottom lip. She looked at Dom and held out her hand. He took it, joining her on the bed and kissing her. They didn’t even need words to convey what they wanted; her mates seemed to instinctively know that she needed and wanted them. She marveled at how well they fit together, and how right her life was.
Chapter 8
Sunday morning, Henry walked down to the kitchen and found John and James at the table drinking coffee. “Morning.”
They both greeted him. “There are waffles in the oven for you three,” John said.
Henry opened the oven door and smiled at the stack of waffles in the glass dish, alongside neat rows of sausage links and bacon. He grabbed a hot pad and pulled the still-warm dish from the oven, setting it on the counter.
“Are you taking breakfast upstairs?” James asked.