“I’m real sorry I didn’t get your strippers for your party,” continued Sam.
“Sam,” said Hannah as everyone laughed again.
“I love this kid,” said Brady. “He’s just like his father, tells it like it is.”
“We must now all raise our glasses and offer a toast to Uncle Liam and Aunt Lucy and wish them love and happiness as they start their life’s journey together…did I say that right?” he turned to look at Bear, who nodded.
Everyone took hold of their glasses and raised them. “To Liam and Lucy.”
Liam stood. “I guess I should say a few words, too. I’m so proud of you, Sam, buddy. Not so long ago, saying that much would have been tough for you. I know Danny…”
Chloe started to get a lump in her throat as she could see the groom tearing up.
“I know your dad would be proud of you, too. I’m so happy you’re my nephew, and it’s been an honor to have you as my best man.” He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “And I must thank my new brother-in-law for doing the honor of giving away his beautiful sister to me. And to my new wife. You have filled the empty hole that was in my heart when I lost my brother. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you.”
Lucy stood up, threw her arms around him, and they kissed.
Brady put his fingers in his mouth and whistled as everyone joined in and either clapped or tapped their glasses with their spoons.
They finally pulled away and Liam waved to everyone. “Thank you for joining us on this big day. Hope you’ve had plenty to eat and drink, and now let’s get everything cleared away so we can have one hell of a party. Cue the music.”
****
Ash wasn’t much of a dancer, but Chloe seemed to be enjoying herself so much that he didn’t want to tell her he had two left feet. Sam and Kaitlin held hands as they spun around in between everyone. Dane got up on stage and began singing as the band began playing “Sway.”
“We have to tango now,” said Chloe.
“I don’t know how to,” said Ash.
“Me neither, but we’ll improvise.”
He stepped on her new pumps more than once and, each time, she laughed. He watched Brady and his date tango like they were on Dancing with the Stars. Brady winked at Chloe as they spun on by.
“Can you ever love a bear with two left feet?” Ash asked Chloe as they tried to copy Brady’s moves.
“I sure can.”
“Does that mean you love me?”
“It does.”
Ash smiled.
“Well?”
“Well, what?” he asked. Shit, he knew what she was getting at. “I love you, too.”
****
Chloe had the time of her life. She and Ash had declared their love for one another. But one thing was missing. Sophie. It was like the three of them had to be together or the universe seemed out of balance.
When they got to Emily and Trent’s place, Sophie was the only baby not crying. Trent had two babies in his arms and Emily had the other while Sophie sat in her carrier looking from one to the other.
“She’s probably saying ‘help, Mom, get me out of this crazy place,’” said Emily.
Ash stuck his fingers in his ears. “Wow, those three have some lungs on them.”
“Has Sophie been okay?” asked Chloe, tickling her on the foot. Chloe smiled. Sophie was beginning to react to her and her surroundings. That was a good thing, right?
“She’s been wonderful. Cried just once and I think that’s when the teddy bear fell on the ground and she couldn’t see it,” said Trent.
“Thank you for looking after her. I guess we should leave you guys to get some sleep,” said Chloe.
“Yeah, we wish,” said Trent.
Ash took Sophie and placed her in her car seat.
“It’s turning cold. Am I going to be able to stand the winter and snow?” asked Chloe.
“It’s not so bad. The mountain range keeps things warmer than other parts of the state,” he said, pulling out of the driveway. “And you always have a bear to snuggle up to.”
“Do you ever sleep indoors as your bear half?” She had so many questions to ask him she never knew where to start.
“We usually frown upon that.”
“Really?”
“You’ve heard the saying bull in a china shop. Bears can be clumsy around furniture and glassware.”
“So all shifters frown upon it?”
“Oh, yeah. Bad enough when you have to clean up dog and cat hair.”
“Speaking of animals, I started my first pre-vet class online yesterday.”
“That’s great.”
“And I’m taking the chemistry course, but I’ve already figured out I’m going to need some help.”
“And I’m the man for that. Got A’s in all my pre-med chemistry classes.”
“Really?”
“Sure, piece of cake.”
“Could you tutor me? I don’t want to flunk it and have to take it again.”
“I’m very expensive. I charge by the hour,” he said, trying not to smile so she’d think he was dead serious.
“I wonder how I can pay you.”
“Um, I wonder. Will you need help with the anatomy class, too?”
“I’ll be taking animal anatomy, not the human kind.”
“Ah, but you forget, I’m a bear.”
“That’s true. Maybe we should go through a few things as soon as we get home.”
****
Ash didn’t have a hangover because he knew he had to drive home, so he’d stuck to one glass of wine and a bottle of beer early in the evening. But he was hungover on a different sort of thing. Chloe. They both burst out laughing when they woke up the next morning and continued with her bear anatomy lesson.
“So this really turns a bear on?” she asked, rubbing her hands up and down his shaft.
“I hope you’re not going to touch a real bear like that because I’m going to be jealous.”
“What if I have to neuter one?”
“Hey, you’re definitely not practicing that one on me. I want children one day.”
“I do, too. I mean, as well as Sophie. I don’t want her to grow up as an only child like I did.”
“You think you might like to have some with a bear?”
“Who would that be?”
He smacked her butt as his cell phone rang.
“Hopefully it’s not an emergency,” said Ash. He hit the screen. “Hi. Dr. McWilliams.”
“Hi, Ash, it’s Aiden.”
“Hi, how you’re doing?”
“I’m fine. I thought I’d tell you and not Chloe because I don’t want to alarm her, but they found some of the luggage off the plane and her name was mentioned on the news. Someone remembers seeing Chloe with three other people that night.”
“Shit.”
Chloe looked at him.
“Okay, thanks for telling me.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked when he ended the call.
“Some problem at the hospital, but it’s under control.” He wasn’t going to tell her anything. If need be, he’d take her and Sophie and the three of them would go on the run.
Chapter Fourteen
Something was different about Ash. That something had happened after he’d spoken to Aiden Renner. Chloe had given it some thought. She wondered why Aiden was phoning him about something connected to the hospital. That sort of business would be more down to Charlotte or Bear. Aiden was the shifter’s head security man, the man that made the ultimate decisions about keeping them safe and their true identity hidden.
The authorities had found her or were close to finding her and Sophie. He hadn’t told her the truth. Her laptop. She’d go online and search for anything connected with the crash. Maybe they’d uncovered something. She’d kept up with it for a while, but guessed as two or more months had gone by since the crash, the trail was getting cold. But people hadn’t given up and she doubted the Langens would stop looking for h
er either. They’d probably guessed that her due date had arrived and passed and they weren’t looking for just her now, but her and the baby.
She hit the Internet icon and typed in “plane crash Kalispell Montana.” The first link was of the local paper’s coverage.
“More pieces have been recovered, including luggage from the young woman still missing.”
“What are you up to?”
She jumped when Ash snuck up behind her. He was holding Sophie. “I was just wondering what was happening with the investigation into the crash.”
“There’s no need to worry about that.” He reached over and clicked to close the window. “I have to get to the hospital and you have some chemistry books to study. I’ll be quizzing you soon.”
“Yes, sir.”
She knew he wanted to protect her, to shield her, stop her worrying, but could he? Could she be protected by the bear?
****
Ash searched every link he could find on the crash. Why did humans feel the need to snoop around? Didn’t they know some people disappeared on purpose and never wanted to be found ever again? He’d even phoned Trent and asked him if he knew if the police were investigating. So far, he hadn’t heard any updates on that front.
Maybe he should be proactive and take Chloe and Sophie someplace right now. Maybe to LA. He knew his way around there. He could get a job at one of the hospitals. Even at the one where he’d completed his residency. He’d tell her he’d been offered the job and he wanted them to go with her. She could go to school there, too.
But he didn’t want to lie to her, give her false hope that this was their happily-ever-after. And truth was, both of them were happy here. He loved being with Bear and all the other shifters. He knew Chloe liked them, too. This was a better place for Sophie than the big, fast-paced city where they’d be surrounded by strangers.
Bear walked into the room and unlocked the drug cabinet.
“Could I take a few days off next week?” Ash asked him.
“Sure, Charlotte and I can cover for you.”
“I want to take Chloe and Sophie away for short break.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Going anywhere special?”
“I thought we might go to find someplace that’s still open in Glacier National Park.”
“Sounds very romantic. Hannah and I should think about doing that sometime. Although, Liam and Lucy had the smartest idea in picking Hawaii for their honeymoon. I heard some snow’s on its way.”
“Yeah, a beach sounds good right now.”
Bear slapped him on the back. “I think Chloe’s been good for you.”
****
Chloe was finally getting to know everything on the menu at Starlight. When a customer came in, she’d always offer them her recommendations, something they obviously liked because she was getting bigger tips all the time. She kept everything in a jar in her kitchen that was going to be her and Sophie’s rainy day fund. Same thing her parents had done. Emergency money in case a car broke down or a water heater died.
She waited for one of the cooks to finish with an order and looked out the window before tickling Sophie’s feet. She seemed to love that and it brought on a little toothless grin.
Chloe heard some people talk out front, asking for her by her real name. She froze. Should she pick up Sophie and just run? How far would she get? How had they found her?
“Chloe.”
It was Hannah’s voice.
“There are some people here to talk with you. Say as little as possible, okay, because everything’s going to be okay. I’m going to phone Aiden Renner. He’ll know what to do.”
Chloe actually felt her heartbeat picking up with each second that passed. Why couldn’t they leave things as they were? She was happy.
“I’ll watch Sophie, honey, don’t you worry,” said Hannah.
Chloe nodded, wiped her hands down the front of her apron, and stepped out into the café to see two men in suits standing there. She walked toward them.
“Chloe Davis.”
She didn’t answer. Best not to.
They held up their police IDs. “Are you Chloe Davis?”
Her lower lip trembled. The game was over. “Yes, yes, I am.”
“Then we’re going to have to ask you to accompany us to the police station.”
She turned around to see Hannah standing, holding Sophie. She was crying. Chloe was about to do the very same thing.
****
Ash knew something was wrong the minute his cousin ushered him into one of the examination rooms. Bear shut the door and then kept his back on it. He knew him too well not to know that was to keep Ash from leaving, maybe doing something rash like he was prone to do since he was a teenager.
“Now I want you to keep calm,” said Bear, raising his right palm. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
It was Chloe or Sophie. It had to be.
“Hannah just called me. Two police officers came by and took Chloe to the police station.”
Ash made fists with both his hands. Fuck, he should have taken her away sooner.
“Child Protective Services also picked up Sophie about thirty minutes ago.”
He couldn’t make his fists any tighter without his nails cutting into his flesh, so he slammed them down on the table.
“Everything is going to be okay, but you have to stay calm and level-headed.”
“They’ve taken them both away and they have no right to,” said Ash.
“We know that, and pretty soon the authorities will know that too, but things have to be cleared up.”
“You trust humans, you trust authority?”
Ash knew Bear didn’t. None of the shifters truly did and that’s the main reason they’d never revealed themselves to humans. If humans knew they were from someplace other than Earth and that they were aliens, they’d all be taken away, locked up, experimented on, maybe even worse.
“I have to go see her, speak to them, demand they let her go so we can get Sophie back.”
“It doesn’t work like that. In everyone else eye’s but ours, she did something wrong. She has no claim on Sophie, so it could be considered kidnapping.”
“Kidnapping my ass. She saved that child from maybe being put in a home, being one of a thousand babies and kids in foster care.” Ash had to get to her. He headed to the door, but Bear refused to budge. “Am I going to have to fight my own cousin to get through that door?”
“This is for your own good, and for Chloe’s, too.”
“Get out of my way,” said Ash.
Bear stood his ground. He was asking for it. No one was going to stop him from protecting Chloe. The energy building inside him was almost making him shift and, if he did, he’d really hurt Bear, so as quickly as he could, he mustered up just enough to catch him off guard. He ran straight at his cousin, which made him lose his footing and fall to the floor. While the door was unguarded, he made his escape.
How dare they even question Chloe and treat her like a criminal. How dare they take Sophie from her? Just where had they taken the baby? Who was looking after her? No one that loved her like Chloe, or even him for that matter.
Fuck, he was so angry that as he got outside, he couldn’t fight it any longer. He ran toward the wooded area, took off his clothes, and shifted. He ran as fast as he could. Maybe he should barge into the police station as his bear half. Everyone would get out the way. He’d pick Chloe up and run. Problem was they’d still have to find Sophie.
He rubbed himself against a tree. It always helped him think. An attorney. They’d need an attorney. Some of the shifters were lawyers, and if they couldn’t help her, then they might know of someone who could.
Hang on, Chloe, because help’s on its way.
****
Chloe watched as Kalispell slowly disappeared from underneath her. The last time she’d been on a plane, she’d been pregnant and searching for a new beginning with the baby she carried. Now, she was handcuffed to her seat and once again on
a plane, but a marshal was escorting her back to Texas.
Tears streamed down her face. They hadn’t even allowed her to say goodbye to Ash. And where was Sophie? Chloe’s breasts ached, signaling that her daughter needed feeding.
Her daughter. Sophie was hers. Not genetically, but she’d carried her and given birth to her. Looked after her. Besides her parents, Sophie and Ash were the two most important people in the world to her.
Her parents. At least she’d see them again, but they were going to be shocked to learn she’d been arrested. Kidnapping, the marshal had said. Her parents weren’t young and the stress could be detrimental to her mother’s heart condition.
Chloe tried to move, but the cuffs cut into her wrists. Yes, she’d done something wrong, but she didn’t deserve to be treated like someone who’d taken another’s life or robbed a bank.
She looked out of the window and all she could see were clouds. Montana was history. Montana was where Ash was and it was the only place she wanted to be.
Chapter Fifteen
“Would you just calm down, sir, or I’ll have to arrest you for disturbing the peace.”
“I’ve asked a simple question and all I’m looking for is a simple answer. I want to see Chloe Davis. That too much to ask for?”
“Sir, I don’t like your tone, so I suggest you go sit over there and I’ll see what I can find out.”
Ash made his fists tight again as he turned and walked over to the row of chairs by the window. He tapped his foot while tapping his fingers on his thighs.
The officer walked back out and over to him. “Chloe was picked up by a marshal and is as we speak being transported back to Austin, Texas. She’ll be formally charged when she arrives there.”
“What the fuck? What’s wrong with you humans?” He couldn’t help himself. He stood, picked up the nearest chair, and threw it through the window. Next thing he knew, volts of electricity were passing through his body.
The fucking cop had tasered him.
****
Chloe hadn’t counted on any of this when she’d made the decision to run. They’d locked her up in the jail for the night. She’d been allowed to call her parents and they’d told her they’d be there with an attorney when she appeared before the judge the next morning.
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