In the meantime, Lexi would be safe with Silver. Auntie Grace would know how to make sure that Lexi didn’t accidentally discover that she was in the middle of a clan of shifters. That’s something that Anderson would have to explain, if and when the time was right.
And if and when he managed to figure out whether he had chance at a future with Lexi Shaffer.
Chapter Eleven
“You did what?” Sawyer asked, his eyebrows raised so high that Anderson thought they might slide right off his alpha’s face.
“I asked Lexi to come spend the holidays here,” Anderson replied, trying to sound calm. Sawyer didn’t seem mad, exactly. Shocked was perhaps the better word.
“I thought you said you didn’t have any feelings for her.”
“I guess I was wrong.”
Sawyer rubbed his chin. “Wow, man. Congrats. I’m not surprised to find out you like her, after all. But I didn’t think you had it in you to ask her out.”
“Well…I didn’t exactly ask her out yet,” Anderson said, forcing himself to meet his alpha’s eyes.
Again, Sawyer’s eyebrows raised nearly off of his forehead. He didn’t say anything, just waited for Anderson to explain.
“She said she was spending Christmas alone in Kodiak, and I just told her that no one should spend Christmas alone. I told her she was welcome to come to Frost Peak and hang out with Silver and me over the holidays, and then I set her up in one of the guest cabins by the airport. I didn’t make it sound like anything beyond a friends’ thing. Honestly, I don’t even know what came over me. I had already decided that things would never work out with her, even though she drives me and my bear crazy. I guess I just made an in-the-moment, gut decision to go for it.”
“So, by ‘go for it’ you mean invite her here as a friend?” Sawyer asked. “Dude, you have to make an actual move if you want to snag a girl. You realize that, right?”
“Yes, of course I realize that,” Anderson said, feeling defensive. “But I wanted to make sure before I took things further with her that you knew I had brought a human to Frost Peak.”
“Oh, come on, man. You know there’s no rule against bringing humans up here. That would be impossible to enforce while still running a successful air tour company. The only rule is to not be stupid and let a human who can’t be trusted know that we’re shifters. I’m assuming, if you’re interested in dating this girl, that you think you can trust her.”
“Well, yeah,” Anderson said, feeling a bit foolish. Sawyer was right. He had never forbidden anyone to bring humans to Frost Peak. He just told his clan members to be careful. Anderson was slowly realizing, in the middle of this conversation with his alpha, that the real reason he was hesitating was still that he was afraid. He was afraid of being rejected. He was afraid of being hurt. He was afraid of losing someone he loved again. After all this time, the pain of losing his wife still held him captive. He might be a big, tough guy on the outside, but he was afraid of opening up his heart and realizing that he wasn’t quite as tough on the inside.
“Hello? Earth to Anderson? You still with me, buddy?” Sawyer asked.
“Huh? What? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I got distracted. What were you saying?”
“I was just asking whether you think the paparazzi are still following her,” Sawyer said.
“No, I don’t think so. She hasn’t seen them in months, and nothing about her has been in the magazines for quite some time. It looks like the world of celebrity gossip has moved on to other things. Which is exactly what Lexi wanted.”
Sawyer nodded. “Well, then, I have no problem with her being here. What I do have a problem with is seeing one of my best friends hang back like a coward and not tell the woman he cares about that he’s interested in her. Don’t let the past hold you back, anymore. You like her. Silver likes her. She’s a kind and talented woman. When you find a good one, you gotta make a move while you still can. You’re a bear. A grizzly. Start acting like one.”
Anderson nodded, a feeling of pride rising in his chest. “You’re right. I’m going to talk to her today. No more standing on the sidelines while life passes me by.”
“Attaboy,” Sawyer said, giving Anderson a hearty slap on the back. “I’m going to be asking you how it went next time I see you, so there’s no backing out now.”
Anderson grinned at Sawyer. As annoying as his best friend could be sometimes, he had to admit that Sawyer really had a good heart and gave solid advice. Anderson could only hope that Sawyer’s advice to go for it was going to pay off in this situation.
Several hours later, Anderson drove to Auntie Grace’s house to pick up Silver and Lexi. When he arrived, he let himself in and was greeted by the smell of freshly baked cookies and the sound of energetic laughter. When he rounded the corner to the kitchen, he found Lexi, Silver, and Auntie Grace all gathered around the kitchen island, wearing aprons and covered in flour. Silver, ever the observant one, was the first to spot him.
“Daddy!” she cried out. “We made five different kinds of cookies.”
“Five different kinds? Wow!” Anderson said, scooping Silver up off the stepstool she had been standing on. He was going to get flour all over his clothes, but he didn’t care. He wanted to cuddle his little girl. He spun her around, eliciting a series of high-pitched squeals and laughter. Then he set her back down and gave her a gentle shove in the direction of the bathroom.
“Go get cleaned up,” he said. “We need to swing by the grocery store and get some food.”
Silver did as she was told, and Anderson turned to face the other two women, who were both watching him with interest.
“You really don’t have to take me to the grocery store,” Lexi said. “If you just give me directions, I’m sure I can walk over myself and get some stuff.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Anderson said. “You don’t have a car here, and I’m not going to make you lug a bunch of grocery bags around. It’s no trouble for me to drive you. Besides, I should really pick up some things myself. Now that Silver is back home, my stockpile of snacks is quickly disappearing. It’s amazing how much food a six-year-old girl can put away.”
Lexi laughed. “Okay. Well, then, I’m going to go wash up, too.” Lexi went to join Silver at the bathroom sink, leaving Anderson alone with Auntie Grace.
“So,” Auntie Grace said, as soon as Lexi had left the room. “When’s the big day?”
“The big day?” Anderson asked, confused.
“The wedding for you and Lexi. I want to put it on my calendar.”
Anderson rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, Auntie. She’s just a friend. I won’t try to claim I’m not interested in her, but I think asking for a wedding date is getting a little ahead of the game, here. For all I know, she’s not even interested in me.”
Auntie Grace laughed so hard that she snorted. “Oh, she’s interested, all right. It would take an idiot to miss the way she looks at you. Or the way you look at her. Besides, the two of you don’t stand a chance of staying apart, what with that little girl of yours playing matchmaker.”
“Silver’s playing matchmaker?” Anderson said, a feeling of dread creeping over him. What had his daughter been saying to Lexi all day in his absence?
Auntie Grace nodded. “Oh, she’s been putting on the full court press. Telling Lexi all day about what a great man you are and how you just need a wife to be happy. And dropping not so subtle hints that this ‘hypothetical’ wife should have a lot of the same personality traits as Lexi.”
Anderson sighed. “That girl,” he said. “Never a dull moment. She has her heart set on getting a mom. I’ll talk to her later.”
“If I may make a suggestion,” Auntie Grace said. “Why don’t you talk to Lexi instead? It’s obvious you both like each other and are just fighting your feelings.”
“Are you scheming along with Sawyer to get Lexi and me into a relationship? He was on my case this morning about making a move, too.”
“I’m not scheming with him, my dear,” Auntie
Grace said. “I think it’s just rather obvious that you’re falling head over heels for Lexi. And I think you should stop fighting it and just let yourself fall.”
Anderson paused to listen to the sound of laughter drifting down the hallway. “I’m going to let Lexi know how I feel,” he promised. “But don’t say anything to Silver just yet. I don’t want her to get her hopes up only to have them dashed if Lexi doesn’t want a relationship with me, after all.”
“I won’t say anything to Silver,” Auntie Grace said. “But I wouldn’t worry too much about Lexi turning you down. She can’t keep her eyes off of you when you’re in the room.”
“Yeah, well, that might be the case right now,” Anderson said. “But she doesn’t know yet that I’m a grizzly. That little piece of information could change everything.”
Chapter Twelve
Lexi sipped her glass of wine as she sat on the couch, listening to the sound of Anderson’s animated voice drifting down the hallway. He was reading Silver her third bedtime story, and he was putting a lot of dramatic effort into the tale. Silver had begged for Lexi to sit with them and read the stories, but she had begged off and said she wanted to rest. Reading bedtime stories together with Silver’s dad felt too intimate. Too much like what a mother would do.
Lexi took a deep breath and took another long sip of wine. Silver had been dropping hints all day long that she wanted Lexi to be her mother. The little girl was smart—she never actually said the word mom or mother. But it was clear that she was already imagining Lexi stepping into a parental role. Lexi loved Silver dearly, but she didn’t want to disappoint the girl or lead her on. It was becoming more and more obvious that Anderson had some deeper feelings for Lexi, but Lexi wasn’t sure when or if he was going to act on those feelings. And, if he did ask Lexi to take things to the next level with him, there was no guarantee that things would work out long-term. The last thing Lexi wanted to do was break Silver’s heart, so she tried to put some boundaries on her relationship with the little girl. Declining to share the bedtime routine with Anderson was one of those boundaries.
Speaking of boundaries, the friendship line between Lexi and Anderson was quickly blurring into nonexistence. Things had been intensifying since the moment he had walked into Auntie Grace’s house this afternoon. When Anderson’s eyes had met Lexi’s over the flour-covered island, she had felt a searing heat leaping from his gaze to her very core. He had looked at her the way a man in love looks at a woman, and she had been unable to look away. Then, in the grocery store this afternoon, his hand had casually brushed hers several times—always when Silver wasn’t watching, always deliberate. Every time his skin touched hers, she felt crackling electricity jumping from his body to hers. And when he had placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked back into his cabin for dinner tonight, she had felt a wave of tingling passion wash over her.
Anderson Rowe was making sure that he left no doubt in Lexi’s mind that he was interested in her. He had invited her to have dinner with Silver and him, and she had gladly accepted. Not only did she not want to eat alone in her guest cabin, but she also didn’t want to leave Anderson’s presence. Something about him today was drawing her in stronger than ever. Perhaps it was the fact that, for the first time, he seemed to be making no attempt to hide his feelings for her. Lexi took another sip of her wine and shivered with anticipation of what the evening would bring. Would he say something to her tonight to let her know he was interested? Could she dare to hope that he might kiss her?
Lexi felt her cheeks heating up and turning pink at the thought of Anderson’s lips on hers. She had to get her emotions under control before he came back out to the living room, and it sounded like she didn’t have much time. She could hear his voice coming from down the hallway, firmly denying Silver’s request for a fourth bedtime story.
A few moments later, Anderson’s tall form appeared in the living room.
“Hey,” he said, smiling sheepishly at her. “Sorry to make you wait so long. Silver would listen to bedtime stories all night if she could.”
“No worries,” Lexi said. “If I had little girl as sweet as Silver, I’d never want to stop reading her stories.”
“She’s a good kid, isn’t she?” Anderson said, grabbing the bottle of wine from the dining room table and topping off both of their glasses.
Lexi nodded her agreement, and then took another sip of newly replenished wine. She felt the butterflies in her stomach growing stronger now that Anderson was back in the room with her. But she noticed with disappointment that he sat across from her in his recliner, instead of on the couch. Maybe she had been misreading how interested he was, after all.
He ran his fingers through his hair and stared up at the ceiling, and Lexi wondered if perhaps she should hurry to finish her wine and then go back to her cabin. Anderson looked tired. Maybe he was only pouring her more wine to be a polite host, when all he really wanted was to go to bed. Lexi took a long, deep swig from her wine glass, and was about to open her mouth to say she should get going, when Anderson spoke first.
“I have something I need to talk to you about, Lexi,” he said. He finally tore his gaze away from the ceiling and looked her in the eye. There was no mistaking the look of desire he was aiming in her direction. She had been right. He was interested. Lexi felt her heart start pounding as she waited for him to confess his interest in her. This was the big moment—they were finally going to stop dancing around their feelings and start exploring them. Lexi set her wine glass down on the coffee table and sat on her hands, trying to contain her excitement.
“I don’t think it’s a big secret that I have some feelings for you,” Anderson began. His eyes searched Lexi’s eyes, looking for some sort of reassurance that he wasn’t completely off base in thinking she wanted to hear about those feelings. Lexi smiled encouragingly and waited for him to continue. The butterflies in her stomach were in a complete frenzy.
“I’ll just cut straight to the chase. I think you’re beautiful. You’re talented. You’re kind. Silver loves you. You make my heart do flip-flops every time I’m around you. I can’t stop thinking about you, and I would love the opportunity to make you my girl and show you just how special I think you are.”
Anderson paused, and ran his fingers through his hair and looked up at the ceiling again. Lexi realized with surprise that he was nervous. She couldn’t imagine what a strong, gorgeous man like Anderson had to be nervous about, but she decided it would be nice of her to give him a bit of encouragement.
“I think you’re really special, too, Anderson,” she offered. But her words didn’t seem to ease his nerves. In fact, he seemed more agitated as he turned his gaze back to her.
“I’m glad to hear that,” he said softly. “But there’s something I need to talk to you about before you make a decision on whether to date me.”
Lexi laughed. “What could possibly be so serious?” she asked. “Let me guess. You’re worried about the long-distance aspect? We can make that work. I understand you probably don’t want to up and move to Kodiak. We can figure out a way to work around that.”
A pained look crossed Anderson’s face, and Lexi felt her heart dropping. The distance factor wasn’t the problem. It was something else. Something very serious, it seemed, if the intense expression on Anderson’s face was any clue.
“I am worried about the distance, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. There’s something else and…look there’s no easy way to explain this, so I’m just going to blurt it out and hope that it’s not a total dealbreaker.”
“Okay,” Lexi said, her voice flat. He sounded so serious. She resisted the urge to let her mind jump to all sorts of awful conclusions, and waited for him to continue. Even though she was already feeling a little buzzed, she took another long sip of her wine. Her nerves were feeling a bit frazzled, and she desperately wanted to calm them.
“I may look like a normal guy, but that’s not exactly the case,” Anderson said. “I’m
actually a little different. Have you ever heard of bear shifters?”
Lexi almost choked on her wine. Whatever she had been expecting to hear from Anderson, this definitely wasn’t it. “Uh, yeah,” she said. “Like people who can magically turn into bears?”
Anderson nodded. “Yes, like that. Well, except that it’s more genetics than magic, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is that I want to date you, but, before I ask you to start falling for me, I need to make sure that you know who I am. I’m a bear shifter, Lexi. A grizzly shifter, to be precise. I have a grizzly within me, and can switch back and forth between human and bear form at will.”
Lexi froze with her hand in midair. She had been about to take another sip of wine, but now she just stared at Anderson in disbelief.
She blinked slowly, then blinked again. Was he serious? Was she drunk? Was he drunk? Was the big, burly man she had a crush on actually sitting here and telling her with a straight face that he was part bear?
“I’m sorry. What?” she finally managed to say. She must have misunderstood something.
“I’m a grizzly shifter,” Anderson repeated, looking her straight in the eye. Now that he had gotten out what he wanted to say, he seemed to feel bolder and more at ease again. He sat, waiting for her response and looking more handsome in that moment than she had ever seen him look. He looked powerful, noble, and strong. His dark eyes looked proud and unapologetic. And, yeah, he did look kind of like a bear of a man.
Grizzly Flying Free (Air Bear Shifters Book 2) Page 8