by Josie Hunter
He pulled back into the vehicle but left the door open. “I thought maybe I’d go say hi.” He frowned, confused by the way Stephanie stared at him as though looking through him. She looked terrified. “Is there a problem? I mean I know she probably hates me, but—”
He twisted in his seat when he heard the Escalade pull in behind them. Jake had arrived. Maybe Stephanie had been waiting for him, but when she still didn’t move, he gestured to Jake, who turned off the vehicle and leaned back in his seat.
“Grrr.”
The soft voice drew his attention to the open door. The little munchkin from the porch stood on the driveway, her plush-covered hands curled into little claws.
“Grrr.”
He could see now she wore a wolf costume, a fleecy little thing that covered every inch of her but her face and a tiny bit of brown hair. She had a feather hanging from her bangs, and…She had Stephanie’s face, the same chin, the same nose, the same sparkling eyes, but they were green…
He shot a glance back toward her. She was staring at the little girl as though waiting for her to do a trick. Dylan moved his focus back to the toddler.
She bounced on her paw-covered feet. “I’m a wolfie! Grrrrrrr.”
He swung around, and the little girl moved between his knees. “I can see that. You’re quite a scary wolfie, too.”
She nodded vigorously and wiggled her claws.
He plucked the feather from her hair. “This makes you seem more like a birdie, little wolfie.” He held it up.
“I eated them,” she said. “From the pillow.”
“You eated them…” Dylan had the strangest feeling. His eyes roamed the little girl’s face. Stephanie’s face—well, of course, she was Stephanie’s daughter. Other than the hair and eye color, they looked identical. But her eyes were green, and the pillow…it couldn’t be just a coincidence, could it? He’d eaten feathers as a kid when he’d gotten too rambunctious.
“Sometimes she gets a bit too rough when she plays,” Stephanie said.
Dylan twisted toward her. “And she attacks pillows?”
“Yes.”
“How old is she, Steph?”
The little girl tugged on his pants. When he turned, she was holding up two paws. “I’s two! This many!” She wiggled her hands again. “Grrrrrr.”
Dylan leaned forward. “And you’re a wolfie, aren’t you?”
“I is a wolfie! Wanna see?”
Her little body shimmered, and the wolf costume fell to the driveway. The wolf pup wiggled and then shot into the yard, racing and twisting through the shrubs until she bumped up against her grandmother’s legs. The woman picked her up and walked toward the SUV.
“Hello, Brandon…I mean Dylan.” She glanced toward Jake’s Escalade. “I see Steph’s made some decisions. Why don’t we all go inside? I’ve made coffee.”
“I think I might need more than coffee,” Dylan murmured.
“I can manage that, too,” Janet said.
* * * *
Stephanie grabbed Laura’s Halloween costume and high-tailed it toward the house before Dylan could ask her another question. He followed behind with Jake, and when Steph cleared the doorway, she dropped everything on the floor and barricaded herself in the downstairs bathroom.
She stood at the sink, staring at herself, raking her hair back over and over. She looked pale. Freaked out. Horrified.
“What was I thinking? I can’t do this.”
She took off her glasses, splashed water on her face, and ran a brush through her hair. She looked a little more stable without her glasses. It was just an illusion because she couldn’t see clearly enough, but it helped a bit.
“Mama!” Laura pounded on the door with her fist. “Mama! Come see the people!”
“Coming, sweetie. Go get dressed.”
“I’s dressed, Mama. Hurry. You’re ruding them.”
She heard Jake laugh through the door. He must have said something to her daughter because Laura said, “No ruding is a rule.”
Stephanie took a deep breath, grabbed her glasses, and opened the door to find all four of them standing in the hallway. She jerked back a step.
“Stephanie Frances Cooper,” her mother said, “I’ve never known you to be a coward in your life. Get out here and explain to these men.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Jake was watching her curiously, but Dylan could have been a reflection of herself. He’d paled since their arrival, and he looked as though he might be sick. She took Laura’s hand and led everyone into the living room. The men sat, and Laura cruised the room, doing circles around the furniture, touching everything in her path now that her paw mittens hung from their strings.
“I’ll get some coffee…and a flask,” her mother said and vanished.
Thanks a lot, Mom.
“She’s a beautiful little girl, Steph,” Jake said.
“Thank you. She’s everything to me.”
Laura threw her body across Stephanie’s legs, dangling from both ends. She twisted her face up to look at Stephanie. “’Duce us, Mama.” When Stephanie took a moment to—yet again—think how to handle this, her daughter jumped up and stood straight, moving to Jake. “I’s Laura Clarice Cooper.” She stuck out her hand.
Jake leaned forward and took her offered hand, shaking it gently. “I’m Jake Westin. I’m a friend of your mom’s, and I hope to be a friend of yours.”
“Okay, we will,” she said with a smile. “Can you be an animal? I can.”
“I saw your animal,” Jake said. “She’s quite a pretty pup.”
“I like wolfie a lot. What animal are you?”
“I’m a wolf, too. Wanna see?”
* * * *
When Laura nodded vigorously, Jake stood, a bit nervous. Leave it to a child to make him quake in his boots. He’d never shifted in front of a child. He allowed the shimmer to envelop him for several heartbeats. The familiar warmth spread through him, and he cautioned his inner animal to restrain his natural exuberance. One moment his own thoughts were running through his mind, and then he was sharing with another. A black wolf stood in a pool of dark clothes, and he and Jake looked at the world through wolf eyes.
Laura clapped her hands in delight and then ran them down his wolf’s face, ruffling the hair at his neck.
“So pretty. I like your color. Black like nighttime. Mama is a bunny. So is Gramma. I like bunnies, but…” She pursed her lips and tucked her head down.
But she likes wolves better.
His wolf nudged her against the cheek, encouraging her.
“I like wolfies better,” she said softly. She wiggled her nose as she looked at her mother. “Is that okay?”
Stephanie had finally snapped out of her trance. She smiled. “I think liking wolves runs in the family.”
Laura ran her hands over every inch of Jake’s fur, softly, gently, as though she touched him in the way her mother touched her. He felt the child’s love pour through her touch, and he began to hope beyond hope that this little girl would forever be part of his life, even if what he suspected were true.
This is Dylan’s daughter.
Laura clapped her hands again. “Change back, Wolfie Jake.”
The wolf shimmered for a moment, and then Jake scooped up his pants, drawing them quickly over his legs as heat swept up his face. Laura didn’t seem the least concerned with his nakedness, so he went with the flow. This life could be good. He realized with a sudden desperation that he wanted, needed, this to work out.
* * * *
Stephanie let her appreciative gaze follow Jake’s hand as he tugged up his pants. He was embarrassed. She should have let him know that Laura had little interest in naked bodies. When Laura did a little hop and turned to Dylan, Jake gave Stephanie a wink when her eyes flew from his cock to his face. She blushed and turned her attention back to her daughter.
“I’s Laura Clarice Cooper.” Her daughter held out her hand, and Dylan took it and pulled her closer.
“I’m
Dylan Winston. I’m…”
Stephanie’s heart lurched when Dylan’s gaze shifted to hers. She held her breath.
“My daddy?” Laura whispered.
Stephanie fell back in the chair. How had she known?
Dylan leaned forward, pulling her tiny body between his legs. “Yes, I’m your daddy.”
Laura’s hands flew to her face, and she covered her mouth. Her eyes were wide when she whirled around. “Mama! You finded my daddy? Oh, Mama!” She ran across the room and flew into Stephanie’s arms. She put her hands on Stephanie’s cheeks and rained kisses over her face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mama! Gramma! Come quick. I have a daddy.”
When Stephanie’s mother appeared in the doorway, Laura jumped from Stephanie’s lap and ran back to Dylan. “Gramma, see my daddy? Mama finded him.”
“I’m very glad for you, honey.” She put the tray down on the coffee table. “I had a feeling she’d be finding him soon.” She winked.
“How did you know he was your daddy, Laura?” Stephanie asked.
Laura came back to her and reached out a tiny finger. She traced the side of Stephanie’s cheek. “You have my face, Mama, but he has Kermit eyes. I have Kermit eyes!” She leaned forward and whispered, “And I like the way he smells. He smells like my daddy.”
“I like the way he smells, too,” Stephanie said.
“Can we keep him?” Laura asked, her eyes shining.
“Yes,” Stephanie said, “I thought we’d keep both of them. Is that okay with you?”
“Oh, yes, Mama,” her daughter said breathlessly. “I will have two daddies like the kids at the park.”
Laura twisted around, held her hands clasped in front of her, and turned her excitement back on Dylan. “What animal are you?” Then she began to whisper under her breath, “Please say wolf, please say wolf…”
Stephanie caught a slight wince before he said, “I’m a wolf, like you.”
“Yippee! Show me. Please…”
* * * *
Dylan ran his hand over his jaw. “I’ve been a little sick lately, Laura. I’ll try, but it might not work.”
“Okay. Just try. It’s hard sometimes. I know it.”
Dylan stood and tried to let his mind go blank. His wolf came right to the front of his mind like he always did when Dylan called. Dylan had gotten used to his wolf prowling restlessly, snarling and snapping as though fighting invisible tethers. Today, his wolf was simply sitting, waiting for instructions, his breathing calm, but underneath that, excitement had begun to ripple through him. Dylan felt it brushing beneath his skin.
His wolf wanted out to play, to meet the small pup. So Dylan called him forward and felt the shimmer, and his heart nearly burst out of his chest.
Within moments, his wolf stood in his place.
“Way to go, Dylan. Congratulations, man!” Jake said, reaching out to run a hand across Dylan’s brown fur. The wolf stepped from the pile of clothing and sat while Laura hugged him and rubbed her face over his. When Stephanie slid from the chair and knelt in front of him, he saw her eyes filled with tears.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered. “As beautiful as ever.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his fur. Her scent blanketed him in comfortable perfection. “I love you so much, Dylan, and I’m so happy you’re back in my life.”
His wolf nuzzled against her cheek, showing all the love he felt in the moisture of his nose against her skin.
She pulled away slowly and smiled as she ruffled the fur at his neck. “Would you like to run with your daughter?”
His wolf nodded.
Laura squealed, and his wolf eardrums nearly burst. “A run! Mama go, too?”
“Sure,” Stephanie said, “but I suspect you’ll leave me in the dust.” She tweaked her daughter’s nose.
* * * *
Jake stood still as Stephanie moved toward him. He had quietly watched the small family reunion, feeling at a loss, not sure, given the circumstances, what might happen now. Suddenly all the hopes he’d held in his heart seemed about to dissolve. Everything hinged on the next few moments.
He held his breath as Stephanie wound her arms around his waist. She settled her chin against his chest and stared up at him. Such beautiful brown eyes in such a wonderful face, a face he wanted to see every morning for the rest of his life.
“This doesn’t change anything, does it?” she asked tentatively. “Your feelings for me…or for Dylan…or for our relationship?”
“Not for me, not for one moment.” He dragged in a deep breath. “I was afraid...”
“Then you’ll still be mine? Ours?” She glanced toward the two wolves, father and daughter.
The brown wolf nuzzled the little pup. Father and daughter. Sharing a woman had seemed like one thing. Sharing a daughter seemed like another. Laura had always belonged to Dylan. And yet…
Dylan’s wolf stared at Jake with a certain expectation, watching the interaction between Jake and Stephanie. He nudged the little wolf, and the two of them moved closer and sat quietly, staring up at him.
Stephanie’s voice, quiet and lovely, filled with emotion, captured his attention. “I love you, Jake. I want us to be a family—you, me, Dylan, and Laura. Will you stay with us?”
His racing heart quieted. His sweaty palms dried. His thoughts, worried and desperate a moment before, settled into a quiet peace.
He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. “I love you, too, my little agent. Whether you’re in black or pink or bunny fur, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He glanced down when a small yip sounded at his ankles. “With all of you.”
He lifted the wolf pup in his arms, and she licked his neck. Dylan’s wolf nudged against his leg and gave a short howl.
“Sounds like everyone’s ready for their run,” Stephanie said. “How about it, Jake? Wanna go for a run? Seems like a perfect way to start our new family.”
* * * *
Within seconds, the living room held three wolves—two males, one female, two adults, one pup, two brown, one black. Stephanie had never felt more content or happier. She had a daughter she adored, two men she loved, and the family of her own she’d always wanted.
Stephanie led them through the kitchen, and when she opened the backdoor, Dylan and Jake padded out while Laura tumbled out the door, a furball of excitement. Stephanie toed off her tennis shoes.
“We can’t stay out too long now,” she called. “We have trick or treating tonight.”
The two males loped across the yard, and the pup rolled and scrabbled for her footing as she tried to keep up.
Stephanie laughed. She watched as the two adult wolves vaulted the fence into the forested land the alpha had set aside for shifting freedom and frolic. Jake and Dylan were two of the most beautiful wolves she’d ever seen, glossy and healthy and filled with muscular power. When they hit the ground, they both turned and waited expectantly for Laura. The pup dropped to the ground and wriggled, her little butt high in the air as she scooted under the fence and then regained her footing to run with the males.
“So you’ve decided on both,” her mother said, putting her arm around Stephanie’s shoulder.
“It was the only choice I could make. I love them both.” She turned her face reluctantly toward her mom, her teeth worrying her lip. “Can you think of a reason why I shouldn’t have both?”
“Not a one. I think they’re both perfect for you.”
Her mood brightened instantaneously, but then she frowned. “Is this too fast?”
“Does it feel too fast?”
“No…actually it feels like something I’ve wanted and have waited for all my life.” She tugged on her bottom lip again. “But is it too fast for Laura? Am I doing the right thing for her?”
“Honey,” her mother said, squeezing her softly, “you’re doing the only thing for her. The thing she’s wanted most in life was a daddy, and you just gave her two. What more could a little girl
want? Besides, if her mama’s happier, then she’s going to be happier.”
“I’ve heard similar words before,” Stephanie said with a wry smile.
Janet gave Stephanie a kiss on the forehead then pulled the glasses off her face, folding them up and putting them in her apron pocket. “Now stop worrying. Shake that little bunny tail and go join your family. When you come back in, I have a surprise for you.”
Stephanie began to strip, dropping her shirt on the deck. She narrowed her eyes. “What sort of surprise? You know I hate being blindsided.”
“It’s Halloween, isn’t it?”
“You made me a costume?”
“I did.”
Her mother’s costumes had always been the highlight of Stephanie’s childhood Halloweens. She’d dressed as all her favorite heroines from Wonder Woman to Buffy, not to mention all the women who’d worn black suits through the years.
“Who this year? Emma Peel? Agent 99? I’ve never been either—”
“Nope.” She cast a glance toward the forest. “It’s time for you to branch out a bit, leave the agent bit at work, and have some fun. Besides, it’s especially appropriate now with your little wolfie and the two big bad wolves.” She winked.
“Little Red Riding Hood?” Stephanie laughed. “Seriously?”
“You always looked nice in red. It matches the blush you get when you look at your men. You’ll have to fill me in one day on everything that’s happened this month.”
Stephanie shook her finger and laughed. “Not on your life. Get your own wolf.”
“I might just do that,” her mother said with a smile. She smacked Stephanie on the butt. “Now get going before they get halfway to New Mexico.”
Stephanie dropped her jeans, shimmered, and bounced out of her pile of clothing. She swished her tail at her mom, hopped off the deck, and took off at a fast lope, hurrying to catch up with her colony…pack…What on earth would such a mix of family members be called?
Oh what did names matter? She smiled inside as her bunny wiggled under the fence. She finally had a family, and a family was the same in any species. Home, heart, and happiness.