by Kim Fox
He scooped up the boy by his legs and chest and held him up flat. “Woah!” Liam cried out between laughs as Khan swung him around like a tiny Superman.
“Careful,” Bailey said. She was watching over the hood of the car with soft eyes.
Khan lifted Liam up and subtly sniffed his head. He had the scent of a Vega. He truly was his son.
He lowered him down to his Batman shoes and the boy ran around on the grass in circles with his hand out like he was flying. “Whoosh!” he said as he ran.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Bailey said, closing the door and walking back over. “I think I can get my friend to come in so that I can leave early.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Khan said, watching the boy drop to the grass to stare at a grasshopper. He was looking forward to getting to know the boy.
“Thanks again,” she said, touching his chest with her hand.
“You don’t have to thank me, Bailey. He’s my son.” He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her goodbye but that wasn’t a good idea with Liam watching.
She lowered her eyes and climbed into the car. “You two have fun. Bye, Super Duper Liam,” she said, waving out of the car window.
“Bye, Princess Mommy!” Liam said with a wave.
Khan watched the car until it disappeared onto the road. He looked at the little boy staring at him and gulped.
“Where did Mommy go?” Liam asked, suddenly a bit less brave now that his Princess Mommy was no longer there.
“She just went to work,” Khan said. “She’ll be back. What do you want to do?”
Khan noticed that Liam kept glancing at the horses grazing outside of the stables. “Want to go see the horses?”
Liam nodded his head.
“Cool,” Khan said, holding out his hand. “Let’s go.”
Liam crossed his arms and frowned. “I want the horsey to take me.”
Khan looked around in confusion. “We’re going to go see the horses. We have to walk there.”
“I want to ride the horsey there.”
Khan looked around at the lack of horses in their area. Is he seeing something that I’m not?
“On your back,” Liam said, pointing to Khan’s shoulders.
“Oh.” He dropped to a knee and the little boy climbed onto his back, wrapping his skinny arms around his thick neck. “Go horsey!” he squealed in his ear and Khan started skipping to the stables.
Ah shit. Alexander was riding on top of his huge black stallion and heading right for them.
“Wow,” Liam whispered as Alexander got closer. “He’s a giant.”
“Who is that kid?” Alexander barked as he pulled the horse to a stop in front of them.
“I’m just babysitting,” Khan replied, not looking his brother in the eye.
Alexander sniffed the air. “He has the scent of a Vega,” he said, jerking his head back in shock. “Is that your child?”
Khan shot him a fierce warning glare. “Now is not the time!”
Alexander straightened up on the horse. “We’re talking about this later.” He kicked the horse’s back thigh and took off towards the house.
“Who is that guy?” Liam asked. “He looks like the Hulk if the Hulk wasn’t green.”
Khan laughed. “He sure does!”
Luckily, Alexander’s comment about him being Khan’s child went over Liam’s head. He didn’t ask any questions and didn’t seem to notice. Khan felt lucky that the boy was only four years old. He didn’t want to have to explain to Bailey why Liam knew the truth.
Khan showed Liam around the stables and the boy had fun petting and sitting on the horses. They walked back outside and Khan cursed under his breath. Hannibal and Julius were walking over, staring at the boy. Alexander must have ratted him out.
“Go show me how you run around like a horse,” Khan said, gently pushing the boy into the open field. Liam began neighing like a horse and trotting around the tall grass.
“It’s true,” Hannibal said, staring at the boy as he ran in circles. “I thought Alexander was lying.”
“Nope,” Khan said.
“I don’t understand,” Julius said, staring at the kid in shock. “He’s not ugly at all like his father.”
“Shut up,” Khan said with a laugh. He was filled with pride showing off his son.
“How did this happen?” Hannibal asked.
“You see,” Julius said, “when a man loves a woman, he-”
“Bailey was pregnant when we left for war,” Khan said, interrupting his brother. “I just found out yesterday.”
“Look,” Hannibal said, pointing to the kid.
“Oh no.” The boy was rolling on the floor twisting and kicking out as little whimpers escaped from his mouth. Light popping and crunching sounds filled the air before the boy burst into a tiny bear.
“A Kodiak,” Hannibal said with a smile. “Just like his father.”
Khan beamed with pride. He was magnificent.
The little bear ran and pounced on a grasshopper. He lifted up his front leg and the grasshopper jumped, sailing away to safety.
The cub spotted Hannibal and growled. He showed his teeth and ran clumsily right at his leg. Hannibal stepped to the side, easily avoiding the bear, reached down and held his head, keeping him at arm’s length.
“He needs to learn some manners,” Hannibal said, jumping out of the way of his swinging claws.
Julius slapped Khan’s shoulder. “Get in there, Papa bear.”
Khan took a deep breath and took off his shirt. He folded it and then handed it to Julius who then tossed it on the ground. Liam’s bear, his son, needed some guidance. He needed to learn how to act and behave in his bear form. All bear shifters had to learn this when they were young or else the human would grow up with an unruly inner bear.
Khan stepped out of his shoes and slipped off his pants as Liam got increasingly frustrated at not being able to reach Hannibal’s leg. He handed Julius his folded pants who took them and then tossed them over his shoulder onto the ground.
Khan’s Kodiak was pacing inside him, struggling to get out. He had been surging forward ever since Khan inhaled Liam’s Vega scent. The bear wanted to meet his son as well. Khan let him come forward and the Kodiak exploded from his body.
He walked over to the tiny cub and knocked his snout into his ribs. The cub flew forward, turned and attacked his father.
Hannibal and Julius both laughed as Liam’s bear scratched and bit at Khan’s muzzle. He lowered the bottom of his snout onto the bear’s back and rumbled lightly. The small Kodiak stilled at once and stood calmly, probably for the first time in his life.
He needed some work but Khan was up to the task. They just had to spend some time together in their bear forms so that Khan could correct him and guide his behavior.
“They’re so cute,” Khan heard Hannibal say as he walked to the forest with his cub following behind, struggling to keep up.
“They really are,” Julius said. “Don’t tell him I said that.”
In that moment, he had no more anger and no more resentment towards Bailey. His mate was back in his life and he had a son. Nothing could ruin that.
His heart was full of gratitude and love. Nothing else.
seven
Bailey pulled into Vega Ranch in the early evening and gasped when she saw two bears rolling around, wrestling in the tall grass. Her eyes flooded with joyous tears as she saw the little cub who normally looked so scared and crazed as he tore apart her apartment, lying on his back with his paws in the air as Khan’s large Kodiak bear licked the scruff of his neck.
She turned off the car and sat in silence, watching the pair play like only a father and son could. Bailey felt both terrible for keeping them apart for so long and relieved that they were finally together.
It was the right decision to bring him here. She had worried and debated about it all day but just watching them together, even for a few minutes, she could tell; this was exactly what Liam needed.<
br />
This was exactly what she needed as well.
The large Kodiak raised his wet nose in the air and sniffed. He caught her eye and she held her breath as the large bear shook. She closed her eyes and covered her ears as Khan phased. Bailey had seen the pain and heard the horrifying noises that occurred when a shifter phased. She had learned early on to just cover her eyes and ears and block it out.
A few seconds later she came back to reality and Khan was standing naked in the field, talking to the cute little cub. She began walking over.
“Come on, Liam!” Khan said in a stern voice. “Grab him. Pull him. It feels like you’re in a tent, right? Well grab that tent and pull it into yourself.”
The little cub’s head shook and he growled in frustration. Khan held his hand up to Bailey, never taking his eyes off the little bear. She froze and watched curiously.
“Let’s go, Liam!” Khan snapped. “You can do it. Take control of that bear. You’re Super Duper Liam, you can do this. Pull him in.”
The bear whined and thrashed around, fighting the little human who was trying to control him. Eventually, the bear lowered his head, giving up, and his body shook violently. Bailey glanced back at the beautiful log mansion that was the main house on Vega Ranch. She studied the big stone walls that led up to the thick logs that made up the house as the crunching tearing sound sent shivers down her back.
“Mom, mom!” a squeaky voice called out. When she turned back Liam was sprinting towards her with his little ding-a-ling flopping around between his legs. “I controlled my bear,” he said, his brown eyes brimming with excitement. “I did it! I took him out and put him back in!”
Bailey hugged her son as Khan got dressed with the clothes that were dumped on the grass. He walked over with Liam’s shirt and shorts.
“Last lesson of the day,” Khan said. He tossed the clothes onto Liam’s head. “Get dressed quickly after phasing or you’ll get arrested.”
Liam laughed under his shirt that was covering his face. He wiggled out of it and Bailey helped him get dressed.
Bailey kept her eyes on her son as she pulled up his pants. She had so many intense emotions flowing through her at that moment that even looking at Khan would have been too much to bear. She just had a glimpse of how her and her son’s life could have been if all that shit hadn’t gotten in the way and fucked it all up.
“We saw horses and frogs by the lake and I can turn into a bear now and I rode on Khan’s shoulders and,” Liam said, trying to fit a whole day’s worth of activities into one sentence.
“You can tell me all about it in the car, honey,” she said. “We have to get home for dinner.”
“Why don’t you guys stay for dinner?” Khan asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Yeah, Mommy,” Liam said, turning to her with a look of desperation. “Please? Please?”
“Yeah, Mommy,” Khan joined in. “Please? Please?”
She glanced up at Khan and tried to hide her laugh. “Okay. But only if you eat all of your dinner.”
“Yay!” Liam screamed running off into the grass.
“Don’t go too far, honey,” she called out to him even though there was nothing around but grass.
“Thank you,” he said with a serious face.
“For what?”
“For everything. For today. For staying for dinner. For letting me into Liam’s life.”
Her heart ballooned at seeing how sincere he was. “You guys had fun?”
He turned and watched his son with amazement in his eyes. Is he tearing up?
“He’s incredible,” Khan whispered. “I can’t believe he’s mine. I mean,” he said, catching himself, “I mean, I can’t believe we’re related.”
Bailey stepped beside him and slid her hand into his. “He’s yours,” she whispered.
“Thank you.”
He squeezed her hand and she smiled. Bailey wasn’t a petite woman by any means but Khan always made her feel that way. His big, powerful hands could wrap around hers, swallowing them in their grasp. He would pick her up as if she weighed nothing and carry her up the stairs to the bedroom. She always felt like a woman around him.
“So what’s for dinner?” she asked with a grin. “I’m hungry.”
“Your favorite,” he said with a smirk.
“Chili?”
“Oh yeah!”
Khan had bribed Hannibal into making his world class chili. It had always been Bailey’s favorite meal. “Just think,” Khan had told his brother. “When she eats that chili, she’ll fall in love with me all over again. Then we can get married and be that much closer to getting the deed.”
“Fine,” Hannibal had answered, rolling his eyes.
Khan brought out a tray with three heaping bowls of chili on it and a fresh baguette. “Who’s hungry?” he asked. He had a bottle of red wine tucked under his arm.
“Me!” Liam and Bailey both said at the same time. He smiled as he walked over. They both had the same cute nose and tiny ears. Liam had adopted a lot of his mother’s mannerisms and Khan had been constantly smiling all day when he saw Liam use them. It was clear to see that those two were mother and son.
He slid a bowl in front of each of them and sat down at the table. It was a beautiful night so they decided to eat out on the balcony to enjoy the warm weather and spectacular sunset overhead.
Khan opened the bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. Bailey smiled with sparkling eyes as they clinked glasses together. Her hair was tied up behind her head after coming from work and she had no makeup on but she looked spectacular. She always did. She looked even prettier beside Liam. She was a teenager when they were first together but now she was a real woman. She had birthed a life and did a damn fine job so far in raising it. His respect level for her was through the roof and that just made her even hotter in his eyes.
Bailey tucked a napkin into Liam’s shirt as he dipped the bread in the chili. She caught Khan’s eye as she looked up and smiled shyly. He could tell that she was interested but he could also tell that she had been holding herself back. That was fine with him. He could go as slow as she wanted. He had waited years for her, a few weeks or months would be nothing.
“This is soooo good,” Bailey said as she shoved a second spoonful of the chili into her mouth. “I think I dated the wrong brother.”
She laughed as Khan frowned. “I’m kidding,” she said, kicking him lightly under the table.
They listened to Liam recount the day as Khan took it all in. He felt like he was floating. Like all of his burdens and worries had been permanently removed.
“And what color was the butterfly?” Bailey asked after Liam told her about the butterfly they saw by the river.
His gorgeous brown eyes rolled up as he thought about it. “Blue and purple and green and yellow and red and pink.”
“Really?” Bailey asked. “All of those colors?”
“Yup,” Liam said, so sure of himself. “Right, Khan?”
“That’s right,” Khan said with a nod. “But you forgot silver.”
“Oh yeah,” Liam whispered. “Silver too, Mommy.”
They finished dinner and Khan poured the last of the wine bottle into Bailey’s glass. “Trying to get me drunk?” she asked with a grin. “Still up to the same tricks as when we were kids, right?”
He shook his head. “No more tricks,” he said. “No more games. It’s time we did this right.”
She clinked his glass with hers and watched him as she took a sip.
Liam was fading fast and had his arms crossed on the table with his head resting on top of them. He was struggling to stay awake.
“Tired, honey?” she asked as she ran her fingers through her son’s hair. “We should be getting home.”
“No,” Liam whined, raising his head. “I want to stay with Khan.”
Khan took a deep breath. “You’re welcome to stay in the guest rooms,” he said. There was a wing of the house that had four guest bedrooms.
Bailey tensed u
p. “I don’t know,” she whispered.
“It’s such a long drive,” he said, trying to seal the deal. “And we can have a campfire, open up another bottle of wine. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Liam looked at her pleadingly. “Please, Mommy! I never had a campfire before.”
Khan held his breath as he waited for her answer. “What happened to no tricks?” she asked with a laugh. “You’re using my son against me.”
“Last one,” he said with a smile, “I promise.”
“Okay,” she said, and Khan exhaled in relief.
“Yay!” Liam cheered, hugging his mom’s arm.
Bailey looked at Khan with a grin. “It better be a nice bottle of wine.”
Bailey shifted in her Adirondack chair trying to get comfortable in front of the fire. It wasn’t an easy task with a heavy four-year-old sleeping on her lap.
Liam had lasted about twenty minutes in front of the campfire before passing out in her arms. He had a busy day and she was thrilled. Her boy didn’t get outside enough and this was exactly what him and his bear needed. And she had Khan to thank.
The bear shifter was sitting beside her gazing up at the billions of stars lighting up the night sky. Tonight had been one of the best nights that she could remember having in a long time. The dinner was delicious, the wine superb, the view incredible, but all that was nothing compared to the company. It had felt like she had a little family and that was the first time she felt like that, well, ever.
Khan’s face was quiet and peaceful as he gazed up at the stars and sipped on his wine. The fire was crackling and popping in front of her, warming up her feet, which were always cold. The orange flames danced on his face and she smiled, remembering now why she had fallen in love with him all of those years ago. He had looked so dark and dangerous when she met him in town when she had been on vacation with her parents. She was young and wild and wanted to punish her father for taking her away from her friends all summer so she started hanging around him. She quickly found that the tough, scary exterior had a soft and sweet teddy bear inside that he only showed for her. He was showing it again now.