He handed the baby back to Harper and said, “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “You made my son feel safe and loved.”
He ushered her out the door and towards the lift lobby. “I've parked my car in the lot nearest the entrance. You won't have far to walk,” he assured her.
“Oh, I can walk.” Harper laughed. “I've traveled far and long to reach this town, you know.”
“I know.” He sighed softly. “I know, Harper.”
He led her to his car and opened the back door. Harper gasped when she saw a baby seat all securely strapped in and ready to go. There was even a cushy little pillow on the seat and a baby rattle.
Jackson shrugged. “In case he gets bored during the ride.”
Harper started to thank him again, but he stopped her. “I don't want to hear you say thank you,” he said simply. “I want to hear you laugh. I want to hear Jeremy's laughter and yours, every day.”
Harper blinked hard. Tears sprang to her eyes and she couldn't hold back her sob. Holding Jeremy in one arm, she wrapped her other arm around Jackson's burly frame and squeezed him tight.
Very gently, Jackson's strong arms encircled Harper and Jeremy. A few nurses smiled at them as they walked past.
Harper knew that they looked like a young, happy family. For a moment, Harper leaned into Jackson's embrace and allowed herself to imagine that she and her son were safe, wanted and loved.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jackson pulled up to the driveway but before he could kill the engine. Gramma and Ne-ma were already rushing down the front steps of the house towards his car.
“Ooh, where is she?”
“Where is the little darling?”
“Oh, look at him, Glynda! He's just waking up!”
“Isn't he adorable?”
Jackson shook his head as Gramma and Ne-ma hugged Harper and gushed and cooed over her baby. The two of them were doing more drooling than little Jeremy, who had opened one eye to see what the fuss was about and promptly fell asleep again.
“Come, come, you must be tired...”
“There's soup and noodles in the kitchen. And cake and ice-cream...”
“Come see your room!”
“Yes, we'll get you settled in then we'll feed you!”
Harper looked a little bewildered as Gramma and Ne-ma hurried her into the house. Jackson followed and saw his brothers flanking the doorway.
They greeted Harper warmly and craned their necks to look at her baby.
“Hi,” Harper said shyly. “Thank you all so much...”
Tristan put up his hand. “We're family. We take care of our own.”
“Yeah. We won't let anything happen to our baby brother's baby,” Mason drawled.
Aidan stepped forward and told Harper, “If you can give us a description of the man who is hunting you and your child, the Sheriff's department will be on the lookout for him.”
Harper nodded and managed a smile. “I...”
“Come, come, come,” Gramma urged excitedly. “This way! Up the stairs!”
Gramma and Ne-ma hustled Harper up the stairs and into the nursery. Jackson let his brothers elbow him and thump him on the back as he followed in their wake. He had told them everything about Harper. “Harper and Jeremy...they're important to me.” His family had smiled knowingly when he uttered those words, and they had rallied round him. His brothers immediately swore to protect Harper and her child as he knew they would. Their mates leaped into action as well. Alisa had cooked a huge pot of nutritious soup for Harper and left it on the stove before going to the inn. Elle and Suzanne had taken the day off and were out shopping for baby items and clothes for Harper.
Even his brothers had taken a few hours off work to come and welcome Harper and her baby.
They entered the safari-themed nursery and saw Harper turning around in a slow circle. She stared at all the animals on the wall and gasped.
“Bet you've never seen a red elephant before,” Mason chuckled.
Aidan laughed. “Or a pink lion.”
Jackson went to Harper and pointed. “Check out the purple monkeys and blue tigers.”
“Are you sure those are tigers, Jackson?”
“Aren't they?”
“Nope, look carefully. The zebras got the spots and the stripes are on the leopards,” Aidan deadpanned.
“You're all smart alecks aren't you,” Gramma sniffed, glaring at the four of them. “Fine, so our Quick-Paint spell mixed up all the colors.”
Ne-ma pushed up her glasses and huffed, “We only got the last bit of the spell wrong...”
“Nothing's wrong,” Harper said breathlessly. “The mixed-up colors are so inspired and so fun! This is beautiful!
Gramma and Ne-ma brightened up and grinned. “You think so?”
Harper nodded fervently. “Yes! I love it, I really do!”
CHAPTER NINE
Jackson watched his brothers crowd round Gramma and Ne-ma as they cuddled the baby and fussed endlessly over him. He could see that his brothers were scenting the kid, and getting their bears to recognize the little lion cub as family.
“He's a cute cub,” Tristan said, smiling at Harper. “Has he shifted yet?”
“Shifted?” Harper look startled.
“Yes. Your son is a lion shifter. You...know that, right?” Tristan said carefully.
“Yes. But I don't know anything about shifting.” Harper wrung her hands.
“A shifter cub would be able to shift in the first few hours after they're born. The shift is almost involuntary, like a reflex,” Mason said.
“Like yawning or blinking. The kid will just do it,” Aidan added.
“Or peeing and pooing.”
Harper's frown deepened. “If Jeremy doesn't shift...”
“His animal might be repressed. His lion will try to get out, but when he can't shift, his animal will grow frustrated, angry and violent. He'll suffer,” Tristan said.
“And we can't help him.” Mason raked a hand through his hair. “He needs a lion shifter to guide him and coax his lion out. Having bears around him all the time might make his lion retreat even further.”
Harper paled. “Does that mean that I need to get...Jeremy's...” She gulped audibly and shook her head. “No! I won't let him near Jeremy, ever,” she hissed under her breath.
Jackson knew that she was talking about Douglas. He went to take her cold hands in his. “It can be any lion shifter,” he told her. “The cub just needs to have an older lion guide him and assure him…”
“Oh! Why didn't I think of that?” Aidan slapped his palm to his forehead. “My boss! Winston is a lion shifter! I can ask him!”
Gramma and Ne-ma looked up and smiled broadly. “That's right! The Sheriff is a lion, and a damn fine one. Winston Knight is a good man. If he can be Jeremy's godpa...”
“I'll ask Winston to come to the house for dinner tomorrow evening. You can meet him and see if you would like him to be Jeremy's godfather,” Aidan said to Harper.
“Thank you,” Harper said, wincing. “I should have learned more about shifters. I'm not a very good mother...”
“Nonsense!” Ne-ma said. “Every first-time mother learns on the job.”
“And you've got plenty of time and opportunity to learn about shifters,” Gramma said. “I didn't know diddly-squat about bear shifters until I married their Grampa. But I was a diligent student and a fast learner. Plus, I had hands-on practice every night!”
“Gramma!”
Gramma and Ne-ma giggled and winked at Harper. “Some things can't be taught,” Gramma said mischievously. “You have to experience it for yourself, dear.”
Harper turned bright red and stammered. “I...”
Jackson scowled as his brothers elbowed him and teased him mercilessly. Harper glanced at him and turned away quickly when their gazes clashed. Jackson knew what she saw in his eyes. There was no way he could hide his desire and intense feelings for her.
“Cut it out, guys,”
he growled.
“We will. We have to get back to work now,” Mason said, grabbing his hard hat from the table. He and Tristan were still wearing their construction vests and Aidan was in his police uniform.
As his brothers said their goodbyes to Harper, the front door burst open and Elle and Suzanne staggered in with bulging shopping bags.
“Are we late?” Suzanne gasped. She had boxes of baby diapers under her arms and she was clutching two shopping bags filled with baby clothes in her hands.
“No, you're right on time.” Mason grinned and kissed his mate on his way out.
Elle almost stumbled over the bags of toys she was dragging as she lurched towards Harper. “Hi, you must be Harper! Welcome to the family!”
CHAPTER TEN
Harper stood in front of Broomstick Inn and smiled. “Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Alisa, Gramma, Ne-ma,” she said.
The whole family had gone to the inn for dinner, and Alisa, Gramma and Ne-ma had cooked up a storm in the kitchen. After the dinner crowd dispersed from the dining hall, Jackson and his brothers pulled the tables together to form one long table and the entire Gray family sat down together to eat.
The food warmed Harper's stomach but it was the company that warmed her heart. Jeremy gurgled as he was being passed around, enjoying the attention from all the adults. Harper never thought her little son would have so many adoring uncles, aunties and grannies to dote on him. Eating, chatting and laughing around the dinner table with Jackson, his brothers and their mates, and Gramma and Ne-ma, Harper realized that this was the family she'd always wanted. She wished that she and her son could be a part of this beautiful family forever.
They had helped clean up after dinner and hung around for coffee and biscuits. But Jeremy was starting to fuss and Gramma and Ne-ma chased them all home, telling them that Jeremy shouldn't be out past his bedtime.
Hugs and kisses were exchanged before the couples headed to their cars. Tristan and Alisa waved and zoomed off. Gramma and Ne-ma waved to them from the entrance of Broomstick Inn. Mason and Suzanne called out their goodbyes as they ducked into their car.
Harper strapped Jeremy into his baby seat and was about to get in the backseat when Elle stopped her. “You sit up front with Jackson,” she said.
“But...”
“Aidan and I want to play with Jeremy! And I can tell he likes his Uncle Aidan and Aunt Elle best!” Elle crowed.
Harper laughed. “He does indeed.”
Jackson opened the passenger door for her, while Aidan and Elle piled in the back and began to tickle Jeremy. Since they were all living in the same house, they had come in Jackson's car. Just before the car pulled away, Harper thought she saw Gramma and Ne-ma doing a happy dance before they went back into the inn.
Jackson glanced in the rear view mirror and chuckled. “I don't even know what you're saying,” he told his elder brother.
“Of course you don't,” Aidan retorted. “But Jeremy does. He can understand me just fine. This is baby-speak!”
Elle joined in the cooing and clucking. “Now where is your Aunt Elle, Jeremy? Peek-a-boo! Here she is!”
“Mason is vying for the Favorite Uncle title. Well, I will make sure I win,” Aidan smirked. “I will be Jeremy's favorite uncle!”
Harper smiled and said very softly, “That...would be nice.”
Jackson reached out to squeeze her hand as he drove. “Jeremy has a big family. So do you. As you can see, Jeremy will be spoiled rotten by my brothers and sisters-in-law. And...he'll soon have many cousins to play with. Right, Aidan?”
“What? You talking to me, little brother?”
Jackson laughed and turned to Harper. “See? I used to be the baby of the family, but nobody's going to pay any attention to me now. We have a new, real baby in the family!”
Harper laughed as Aidan and Elle began pulling silly faces at Jeremy. They reached the house in a few minutes, and Harper carried her yawning son out of the car.
“He's exhausted. He had a lot of fun tonight. Didn't you, sweetheart?” Harper said, kissing her son's head. “Thank you.”
Aidan and Elle grinned. “We had a lot of fun too. It's so nice to have a baby in the house.” They kissed her and headed up to their room. “Goodnight, Harper. Goodnight, Jeremy.”
Harper went to the room and changed Jeremy's diaper. She was just tucking him into his cozy little cot when she saw Jackson standing at the door.
“I...I'll just grab my pillow. I'll sleep in the spare bedroom,” he said.
Harper put her hand on his arm as he reached for his pillow. “This is your bedroom, Jackson. There's no need for you to go anywhere. You're sleeping here. With us.”
He stared at her in silence for a moment.
“That is, if you don't mind being woken up by Jeremy in the middle of the night,” she added hastily.
“Mind? I want to care for him, Harper.”
She blinked at him and whispered, “Oh, Jackson, you have already done so much for us...”
“I care for you, Harper. I care very much, for the both of you,” he answered quietly, looking straight into her eyes.
She started to thank him again, but he stopped her and turned away. “Get some sleep. Goodnight, Harper,” he said gruffly.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jackson lay with one arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling in the dark. Harper had tossed and turned, and checked on Jeremy a couple of times. Finally, her eyes closed and he heard her snore softly.
He was sleeping near the very edge of the bed, giving her as much space as she needed. He wanted to touch her and hold her so bad, but he didn't want to scare her or pressure her. She'd just had a baby. She was a very young mother, and she was in a strange, new town all by herself. So many things had happened in her life, and he was amazed that she had coped as well as she did by herself. She did everything to protect her baby. She was even willing to fight a big, bullying lion for her son. She was every bit as fierce and protective as a mama bear.
Jackson turned to stare at Harper's sleeping form. She looked even smaller and younger in her sleep. He touched the ends of her wavy brown hair lightly and felt his heart clench with love and longing for her. She was so brave and beautiful, yet so vulnerable and fragile. She and Jeremy were so precious to him. They were his, both of them.
Jackson let his hand hover above her slender shoulder and balled his fist. His entire body was hard and tense, aching with want. “Harper,” he whispered, pulling his hand away.
She trusted him. She had asked him to sleep in the same room as her and her baby. He would not violate her trust. Ever.
A small sound came from the cot. Jackson sat up and saw Jeremy squirming in his blanket. A tiny fist punched the air and Jeremy opened his eyes and blinked in the dark. His little mouth rounded and Jackson knew that the boy was about to start wailing. The dark room was unfamiliar to him, and he was about to let everyone know that he didn't like sleeping alone in this strange new place. The little boy had powerful lungs, and he certainly made good use of it.
Jackson got to his feet and padded quickly over to the cot. He picked Jeremy up and murmured, “I got you, little fella.”
Jeremy fussed a little but Jackson put him on his broad shoulder and patted his back soothingly. “Shhh, you don't want to wake your Mummy. She's exhausted. We should let her sleep.”
The baby cooed and gurgled at him, sticking his small fingers into Jackson's nose. Jackson kissed the tiny hand and whispered, “Shall we take a little walk? Just to the window, okay? I'll show you something.”
Carrying Jeremy higher, Jackson pointed to the stars and murmured, “Look at the stars, Jeremy. Aren't they beautiful? They're very, very far away, and you'd never reach them in your lifetime. Yet you can see them. It takes light years for the starlight to reach you, so what you're seeing now, is actually a snapshot of the star as it was billions of years ago. Isn't that amazing?”
Jackson kissed the baby's sweet-smelling hair and said, “Your Mummy is a
brave, wonderful woman, and she did everything to protect you. You are a lion, son. You have to protect her now.”
Jeremy stretched out his tiny hand and appeared to be trying to grab a star. Jackson laughed and muttered, “That's right. Reach for the stars. You do that, son.”
As he gazed up at the glittering stars with Jeremy, Jackson realized that he was holding his son in his arms. Jeremy was a lion, but he was his son nevertheless. There was already a strong, undeniable bond between them. Jackson was there at his birth. He had been the first male to hold him, and scent him.
“You are my son, my cub,” Jackson whispered to the baby. “I love you. I won't let anyone hurt you, son.”
His bear rose and growled softly. His bear was just as protective of its cub, and Jackson vowed that he would protect and defend the boy and his mother with his life.
They were his family.
Pressing Jeremy to his cheek, Jackson nuzzled the baby and rubbed his skin gently against the boy's tender skin. They were bonding, lion and bear, and he was marking the lion cub with the scent of his bear. Any shifter would be able to recognize that Jeremy was now Jackson Gray's cub.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Harper opened her eyes and saw Jackson standing at the window with her son. Jackson was pointing out the stars to Jeremy and murmuring softly to him, comforting and soothing the boy.
Jeremy gurgled happily and nestled contentedly in Jackson's arms. Like her, her baby felt happy and safe with Jackson.
She lay on her side, gazing at Jackson and Jeremy in silence. It was a beautiful image, and she wanted to remember this scene for a long time.
Jackson had brought her home to take care of her while she recovered after giving birth to her son. But she couldn't stay here forever. She and Jeremy would have to leave soon. Her stay here might be brief, but she would cherish every moment of it.
Tempting The Bear: Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance (Gray Bears Book 4) Page 3