Joey: Spring (Shifter Seasons Book 6)

by Harmony Raines

  You think? Joey answered.

  His bear chuckled and shuffled off to a quiet corner of Joey’s mind where he settled down for a nap after the excitement of the day.

  “There you go. I’ll just check with Tristan that he’s okay with going on a picnic and then we can arrange a time.” Breeze smiled up at him. “Thank you for lunch. I had fun.”

  “Fun is good,” Joey replied. “And tomorrow will be even more fun. The mountains are glorious this time of year and you’ll love Joanna.”

  “Thanks, Joey.” Breeze started her engine. “I mean it. You’re a really nice guy.”

  “Nice.” He chewed his bottom lip as he straightened up. “Thanks, I think.”

  “Believe me, it’s a compliment. You have a big heart and you’re not afraid to say what you think. Even if it’s not what someone wants to hear.” She gave a small wave before she put her foot on the gas and drove away, leaving Joey staring after her.

  She said we have a big heart, Joey told his bear.

  I heard, his bear replied.

  Joey grinned like a crazy fool as he watched Breeze disappear from view. Then he swung around and strode over to his truck. Yanking open the door, he climbed inside and put the key in the ignition. His hands shook as he placed them on the steering wheel, and he took a moment to compose himself.

  Swallowing down his desire to point the truck in the same direction Breeze had driven off in and follow her home, he instead headed over to Cougar Ridge. He wanted to tell Shawn in person that he’d found his mate.

  Unless Kelos has already told him, his bear said.

  Even if he has, I want to ask Shawn in person if he and Joanna and Jane would come for a picnic tomorrow. It would be good for Breeze to get to know more people in town. He wanted her to like it here so much she would never think about leaving.

  I think Breeze wants to stay. But I also think it’s dependent on Tristan. And her sister. His bear shook his head. Parents should know better.

  Most do. Certainly, most shifters knew better. Family was the most important thing to a shifter. Joey’s forehead wrinkled as he thought of Tristan and what his parents had put him through. No child deserved for his feelings to be discarded just because having a child didn’t fit in with their plans.

  His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he took the road down from the mountains and turned left, heading toward Cougar Ridge.

  As he drove, he drank in the soft dappled light, tinged green as it filtered through the leaves. He always found driving through the mountains soothing.

  Or running through the mountains. His bear itched to enjoy the freedom of running fast and free through the wilderness.

  He also itched to show himself to Breeze. She belonged to both of them and his bear had the intense desire to prove himself to her. To prove that he would protect her with his life if he had to.

  Let’s hope that never happens, Joey said as he took the turn that led to Cougar Ridge. He followed the steep road, navigating the tight band before finally reaching the shifter town.

  As he parked outside Shawn’s house, a small smile crept over his face. O’Malley was here. The cougar shifter was looking to move to Cougar Ridge. He had plans to take over the local bar and rename it O’Malley’s.

  He’s starting a chain of bars, his bear said.

  I don’t think he aspires to run a chain of bars but the bar he already owns is busy and earns him a good living. He’ll get someone in to run it while he semi retires to Cougar Ridge. The guy thrives on his business, if he didn’t, he could give it up and retire completely. Joey sometimes envied O’Malley’s success but the cougar shifter had worked hard to make his business a success.

  Lucky him, his bear replied.

  Not so lucky, Joey said. He doesn’t have a mate yet. If he did, I might expect him to completely retire and raise a family.

  How is O’Malley going to react when he finds out we have a mate? Joey’s bear asked as they approached Shawn’s house.

  He’ll be happy for us just like we would be happy for him, Joey replied.

  Although, both Joey and his bear knew that mixed in with that happiness would be a large slice of envy. O’Malley was now the bachelor one.

  He’ll find his mate soon, Joey’s bear murmured. He has to.

  He’s going to feel like he’s on the outside if he doesn’t. All the rest of us have finally found our mates and are settled down.

  His bear chuckled. You’re a little optimistic. Nothing is settled with Breeze. For a moment there, I thought we were going to lose her.

  So did I, Joey agreed. But we didn’t and if we can convince Shawn, Joanna, and Jane that a picnic in the mountains is a good idea, then we can prove to her we are a family man and have no intention of coming between her and Tristan.

  I think it’s Tristan we might have to convince about that. Joey paused as he stood outside Shawn’s front door. What if he doesn’t like us?

  Hey, speak for yourself, what’s not to like about a bear? His bear’s mood altered. What if he hates the idea of shifters? What if he thinks we’re freaks? You know how kids can be.

  Joey knocked on the front door and waited. A smile crept over his face which spread wider when the door opened, and he was greeted by Jane. “Look at you. Are you baking brownies again?”

  Jane looked down at her apron which was covered in cocoa powder. “No, we’re making chocolate chip cookies with extra chocolate chips.” She ran her fingers down the edge of her apron and then held it up as if she were about to curtsey. “It got a bit messy.” She grinned. “But the cookies taste good.”

  Joey lifted his head and inhaled deeply. “They certainly smell good.”

  “Want to try one?” Jane asked, letting go of the door and walking away from him.

  Joey stepped inside the house, closed the front door, and followed Jane to the kitchen, where he found Shawn and O’Malley talking and eating cookies.

  “Joey’s here,” Jane told them as if they didn’t already know. Shawn wouldn’t have let Jane open the front door if he didn’t know who was knocking.

  “Hi, how are you doing?” Shawn greeted his friend.

  “I’m good, thanks. How are things with you guys?” Joey was trying to figure out if his friends had any idea he’d found his mate. He suspected not, but they could just be hiding the truth.

  “O’Malley has signed the lease for the bar,” Shawn pointed at his fellow cougar shifter before taking another bite of the cookie in his hand.

  “We are celebrating with cookies,” O’Malley added, holding up his half-eaten cookie as if it were a prize.

  “Very rock and roll,” Joey accepted a cookie Jane offered him. “Thanks, Jane, they sure do smell good.”

  “Taste good, too,” Shawn said between mouthfuls.

  “I’m going to get Jane to supply cookies and brownies to the bar,” O’Malley told Joey.

  “I’m going to save up the money he pays me for a pony,” Jane said excitedly.

  “Are you?” Joey glanced at Shawn to see her dad’s reaction.

  “We’re in discussions about that,” Shawn replied.

  O’Malley laughed. “Jane knows how to twist you around her little finger. And anyway, I can help out if you need a hand. I like horses.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe I should get myself a horse, too. What about you, Joey? We need a hobby while our friends are playing house with their mates.”

  “Hey, there is no playing happy families, we are happy,” Shawn insisted.

  “Rub it in, why don’t you?” O’Malley joked but then he locked eyes with Joey, who couldn’t help but look away. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong.” Joey suddenly found his cookie remarkably interesting. He couldn’t form the words he needed to say.

  “Joey?” Shawn asked. “You didn’t?”

  “He did!” O’Malley came around the kitchen and grabbed Joey, pulling him into a bear hug. Or a cat hug, whichever it was it was strong and fierce and made Joey unde
rstand it was all okay between them. The cougar shifter was happy for his friend.

  “Congratulations,” Shawn said.

  “Thanks.” Joey hugged O’Malley back. “Fate sure has a sense of humor. When Polly called me last night to ask if I would go with her to the hospital because she was in labor and Miles was away on business, I never expected the midwife to be my mate.”

  “Wait, what?” Shawn asked. “Can we rewind a little? Polly called you to ask you to be there when she had the baby?”

  “Yeah,” Joey shrugged. “I couldn’t say no.”

  “Wow, that must have been hard,” O’Malley said.

  “It was. But she needed me. She said she couldn’t ask her mom because she wouldn’t handle it well.” He took a long shuddering breath as the emotion of the night before flooded back in. “It was intense. But incredible. Watching this new life come into the world and take its first breath. Seeing Polly holding him.”

  “And during all this, you found out the midwife was your mate?” O’Malley asked. “I guess that was your reward for being a good friend to Polly and putting your personal feelings aside to help her.”

  “I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” Shawn agreed. “Which midwife?”

  “I don’t think you have met her yet. Her name is Breeze, she’s new.” Joey walked around the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee, his mouth had gone dry. “Anyone else?”

  “I was thinking this might be more of a beer time than a coffee time,” Shawn went to the fridge and opened the door, taking out three bottles of cold honey beer.

  “I could take both,” Joey confessed. “I need something to clear my head. It’s spinning around and around.”

  “Love does that to you,” O’Malley said. “From what I’ve witnessed, because we all know I’ve never experienced that kind of true mate love.”

  “You will, my friend,” Joey told him. “And when you do, it’ll be like nothing you have ever experienced before.”

  “Better than my cookies?” Jane had been quietly listening to the conversation while eating a cookie.

  “Nothing is as good as your cookies,” O’Malley teased her.

  “They are the best I’ve ever tasted,” Joey agreed. “Do you think there might be some left for tomorrow?”

  “What is happening tomorrow?” Shawn asked suspiciously.

  “I asked Breeze to come on a picnic with me and I said you guys might come along.” Joey sipped his beer while Shawn and O’Malley exchanged confused looks.

  “You want us to come on your first date with your mate?” Shawn asked. “Just to be clear.”

  “Technically, it will be our second date since we had lunch together today.” He pointed at Shawn. “I’m going to count that as my first date, so I don’t seem so lame taking you all on my next date.”

  “Why?” O’Malley asked. “Why don’t you two go on a picnic together?”

  Shawn placed his bottle on the counter and went to Jane. He lightly rested his hands on her shoulders. “Because Breeze has her nephew staying with her and I thought it would be a good idea for us to all go out together, so he doesn’t feel like a third wheel.” He frowned. “Do you think that was the right thing to do?”

  “Don’t second-guess yourself,” O’Malley told him. “It’ll drive you insane.”

  “This is all so new to me,” Joey confessed. “I’m so scared I’m going to blow it. Breeze is worried that Tristan will resent me coming between him and his aunt. There’s this whole history with his parents that has hit him pretty bad.”

  “Poor kid,” O’Malley said.

  “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.” Joey sighed but Jane looked up at him and placed her small hand on his cheek.

  “Don’t worry, Joey. You’re good with kids. Take it from me.” She grinned and Joey’s heart melted.

  “Yeah, you know you’re the fun guy.” Shawn rolled his eyes. “The one Jane always wants to babysit her…” He held his hand up. “I know you’re not a baby.” He cut off Jane’s retort.

  “Yeah, but it’s not all about fun, is it?” Joey asked.

  “Thank you.” Shawn inclined his head slightly. “It is not all about fun. It’s about doing what’s best for a child. And I think you know how to do that, too. Look at how you handled the situation with Polly. You went with her even though you were in love with her and she was having another man’s baby.”

  “Let’s not repeat that in front of Breeze,” Joey told Shawn.

  “I said were. My guess is now that you have found your mate, your love for Polly is like a pale imitation of your love for Breeze.” Shawn studied his friend as he nodded in agreement. “Anyway, I think I speak for all of us when I say we would love to join you, Breeze and Tristan on a picnic. It’ll be fun.”

  “It’s tomorrow afternoon. It doesn’t clash with your shift or Joanna’s?” Joey asked.

  “Nope. And even if it did, we would both alter our schedules. We can’t wait to meet them.” Shawn side-eyed O’Malley. “Are you coming?”

  “Oh, no, you are two families and I don’t want to be the odd cat out. And anyway, I have work to do on the bar. I’m hoping to open in a couple of weeks. Summer is right around the corner and I want to serve cold beer on hot sunny days to the good people of Cougar Ridge.” O’Malley edged toward the door. “I really need to get going. Congratulations again, Joey. And Jane, I’ll let you know how many cookies I need.”

  “Okay,” Jane said brightly. “Bye!”

  “Bye, honey. See you guys later.” With that, O’Malley left the house. As the door closed behind him, Joey wished his friend could experience the same happiness he felt.

  But maybe without the same complications, his bear added.

  What is life without a little complication? Joey answered. We’ll figure this out and our relationship with Breeze and Tristan will be stronger for it.

  Chapter Eight – Breeze

  “A picnic?” Tristan asked in disbelief. “With a bunch of people we don’t know?”

  “Yes.” Breeze washed the dishes and Tristan dried them. Since he’d moved in with Breeze, Tristan had been good at picking up his chores without being asked. She figured it was his way of saying thank you to her for letting him stay.

  Or because he was afraid if he wasn’t useful, she might send him away. Breeze swallowed down the lump of emotion that lodged in her throat. She would never send him away. Somehow, Breeze needed to make sure Tristan knew it. And believed it wholeheartedly.

  “I’m not sure. But if you want to go…” Tristan placed the dry plate down on the countertop and reached for the next one.

  “I’d like us to go together.” She swished her hands around in the soapy water. “I’d appreciate it if you’d come.”

  Tristan gave her a strange look, one usually reserved for bugs that dared invade his bedroom. “You’d appreciate it?”

  “Yes.” She sighed and brushed a stray strand of hair off her face. “I’ll be honest with you, I sometimes find it hard to meet new people by myself. Moving to a new town for me is like starting a new school for you.”

  Tristan wrinkled his nose. “I get it.”

  “The guy I met today, he took me to lunch, and it was nice. Nice having someone to talk to.” Breeze had already mentioned to Tristan that she’d been to lunch with a man she’d met at the hospital.

  “Do you like him?” Tristan slowly circled the dishtowel around and around the plate he was holding even though it was already dry.

  “I do like him.” She wasn’t going to lie to her nephew. But she wanted him to feel secure here with her. “He’s funny. And he offered to take you hiking. Which, I thought you would like. I know you want to explore the mountains and I’m not confident the two of us venturing out into the wild together is such a good idea.”

  “I get it.” Tristan’s tone had turned mutinous.

  “See, that’s what I want to avoid.” She pointed a sudsy finger at him. “Joey doesn’t want to get to know you just to score point
s.”

  “And he told you that?” Tristan scoffed.

  “Hey, I’ve had enough boyfriends and known enough people to figure out when I’m being played. And Joey isn’t like that. He’s a genuine guy,” Breeze insisted. Was she laying it on too strong?

  “And you know that after one lunch date?” Tristan rolled his eyes.

  “No, I know because I met him today when he came into the hospital with an ex-girlfriend who was having someone else’s baby. She needed his help and even though it must be hard seeing someone you used to date having a baby, he did it. He even arranged for the baby’s dad to be flown in, so he was there at the birth.” She took a breath. “That tells me a lot about a man.”

  “He’s on the rebound,” Tristan announced, sounding mature and all-knowing. Breeze figured he’d heard too many adult conversations. Or maybe that’s what they talked about in the schoolyard these days.

  “Thanks.” Her breath caught in her throat and she swallowed down the stubborn lump of emotion that threatened to erupt in a cascade of tears. Meeting Joey had stirred her emotions, emotions she usually kept under control.

  “Sorry.” Tristan hung his head as he reached for another plate. “You’re the best, Aunt Breeze. If it is just a rebound thing, he’ll soon realize it.”

  Breeze grabbed a towel and dried her hands. Reaching for Tristan, she pulled him into her arms. “Listen. I’m here for you. I am not going away. We’re in this together, all right?”

  Tristan looked down at the linoleum as he nodded. Breeze slid her fingers under his chin and tilted his chin up. “I get it.” He still didn’t meet her eyes.

  “We’re a team. Which is why I’d really like us to do this together. We’ll meet new people and get to know them. On the mountain.” She turned him around and looked out at the view from the kitchen window. “That big, beautiful mountain.”

  “Okay.” Tristan sighed resignedly but his eyes crackled with excitement. Ever since he first set eyes on the high peaks and towering cliff faces, he’d been drawn to them. He longed to climb the rock faces and hike to the peaks that were often shrouded in cloud. It was good to see him interested in something real and tangible rather than an image on a screen.