The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  “Adam!” Ellie said, her surprise clear. She hadn’t expected this man to show up. “What are you…? Are those for me?”

  Adam didn’t respond right away. Instead, the man’s eyes were trained on the larger man standing behind Ellie.

  Nolan pulled himself to his full height, squaring his shoulders and letting his animal pass across his eyes. His child was in this house and Nolan did not want another man stalking his territory.

  “I-uh,” Adam struggled to find his voice until he looked back to Ellie. “I wanted to come and apologize for how our last date went. It was my fault.”

  Ellie’s posture softened. Was she really buying this, Nolan wondered? He could smell the man’s desire for her from where he stood. But, Adam’s words seemed to smooth whatever frizz had been stuck between them because she smiled up at him in a way Nolan hadn’t seen since he arrived. Adam, too, relaxed, seeing his apology work as he’d intended.

  Then, his eyes shifted to Nolan and he stiffened once more.

  “Am I interrupting something?” Adam asked.

  “Actually,” Nolan purred. He slid in front of Ellie, taking control of the door. This close, Nolan saw how he had a few inches on the man. He smiled, wondering if he had a few inches on him elsewhere, too. “Ellie and I were in the middle of a conversation. If you’d like, I could take the flowers for you. She’ll call you later.”

  Nolan plucked the bouquet from Adam’s grasp before slamming the door shut. They could hear the man’s protests on the other side of the door. Ellie looked up at him with outrage, ripping the bouquet away from him.

  “Who do you think you are?”

  “The father of your son,” Nolan growled, carefully keeping his voice low.

  She rose on her tiptoes. “That does not make you my lover. If anything, that makes you a disappointment.”

  Nolan felt like he’d been struck in the chest. Her words had a physical bite he hadn’t expected. Before he could say anything to refute her words, Ellie whipped the door open and disappeared into the December chill to talk to her suitor.

  His lips pulled back, but Nolan knew if he pressed the issue further, Ellie might push him away once and for all. He’d like to see her try, he thought. This was where he belonged. Once and for all, Nolan had found it, and he was not going anywhere.

  Chapter Three

  Ellie wanted nothing more than to smack Nolan’s smug face after he slammed the door on Adam, but she knew she had to recover the situation with Adam first. Their last date had ended horribly when he suggested putting Casper on Adderall for his attention problems. Ellie had taken it personally, like he was attacking her as a mother.

  The days after, Ellie was able to look at the situation from a different perspective. Adam had only been trying to help and she’d blown up on him. She’d been so ashamed of her reaction that she hadn’t even tried to reach out to him. To her, he wouldn’t want to see her again after that.

  It turned out that Adam couldn’t stop thinking about her. He offered her a sheepish smile as he confessed this, and it warmed her heart. The moment would have been perfect if it hadn’t been for the animal prowling around her house. Ellie wanted to invite Adam inside and offer him something to eat, but she knew it would end horribly with Nolan still around.

  “Can I call you later?”

  Adam’s eyes flickered to the door. He, too, wanted to be invited inside, but he seemed to resign himself. “Sure. I’d like that. Just don’t forget about me tonight.”

  “I won’t,” she purred.

  Adam quickly ducked forward and stole a kiss from her lips, their first kiss she realized, and darted down the steps. The smile he threw over his shoulder was devilish and warmed her core. Ellie could see herself having a future with Adam, the man sweet and patient. He would have been a great father for Casper.

  If the biological father hadn’t shown up. But, Ellie stopped herself before she went back inside. Nolan was, what did he call it again,… a shape shifter? No, just a shifter. She’d seen it with her own eyes. How could she keep denying what she’d seen firsthand? It also meant her son was a shifter, an animal form lurking inside the boy.

  Her head fell against the door. Casper would need Nolan in his life from here on out. She knew this, but it didn’t make it any easier for her. Nolan clearly did not like the idea of another man in her life, even if he held no claim over her love life. Who did he think he was? He’d walked out of her life without so much as a note. It’d been his choice to leave in the first place. He had no special place in her heart, no spot reserved in her life.

  Yet, when she opened the door and found Nolan sitting on the floor across from Casper, teaching her son how to execute a complicated handshake, she felt her heart melt. Nolan was caught up in the process, the effort absorbing all of Casper’s attention so that the boy stood still for a moment. She bit her tongue, damning her traitorous heart, but the scene made her near tears. It was hope and love wrapped in one great big gift and she couldn’t take it.

  She couldn’t trust Nolan. She had to remember this, keep reminding herself so she did not fall for his ruse. Perhaps he would be good for Casper, but Nolan was not good for her.

  Ellie went back into the kitchen, pulling close a bowl of butter cream and dipping a clean spoon into it. The sweet frosting melted across her tongue as she glared at the doorway. Grace appeared, taking in her daughter’s angry expression, spoon hanging from Ellie’s lips.

  “Who was at the door?”

  “A guy I’ve been seeing.”

  “Anything serious?” Grace asked cautiously.

  All Ellie could do was shrug. She’d wanted it to be serious, but in all honesty, they’d only gone on a handful of dates. Adam hadn’t even met Casper yet. She liked him enough, but she’d let her pride get in the way of a relationship and she hadn’t been sure Adam wanted to go any further until now. There was a possibility, but she wouldn’t know for a while.

  Her mother’s eyes slid toward the doorway, toward the soft voices not too far away. Knowing what she did about Nolan, Ellie wondered if he could hear this conversation. He was supernatural, but did that mean he had super hearing? It seemed Nolan and Casper had super smell, so it wasn’t that unbelievable.

  “Mom, I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

  “Shoving your life under the rug isn’t the brightest move. There’s a perfectly good man sitting in the living room that shares blood with your son and it’s looking like you want nothing to do with him.”

  Ellie jerked to a stop, the tension in her jaw aching as she turned her glare upon her mother. “Why should I? He’s the one who walked out. Who is to say he won’t do it again? Who is to say he won’t try to take Casper with him when he does?”

  She knew he could hear her, but she’d stopped caring. The day had gone to hell in a hand basket and there wasn’t much else she could do to make it worse. Not even her mother’s incessant holiday nagging could make it worse.

  “I’m just saying,” Grace continued. “You have a whole family under one roof for Christmas. You should try to appreciate that.”

  “I won’t be able to appreciate anything until I get this cake finished,” Ellie said, skirting the issue once more. She didn’t know how to tell her mother she was sick with fear, that she was rife with confusion, or that she’d learned the supernatural really does exist.

  Grace nodded. “Alright. You get that done. I’ll put in a movie and see if I can get Casper’s attention.”

  “I don’t think you have to.” Ellie hated herself for saying this. “Casper seems to be doing okay with Nolan. If you want, you and Dad can take a break. Go see a movie or drive around and check out the lights this year.”

  Slowly, Grace nodded. Grace saw it as a step forward. Ellie didn’t know how to see it.

  Chapter Four

  “You need to leave,” Ellie commanded, finger pointing toward the front door.

  “No,” Nolan said, voice flat. She was pushing every button the man had, making
demands and inserting barriers at every turn. He couldn’t tell Casper who he really was, he couldn’t sleep under the same roof. Blah. Blah. Blah. Nolan was finished listening to her.

  He fluffed a pillow on the couch before letting his body fall back. Ankles crossed, he looked up at Ellie. Her face was turning redder than the red velvet cake that had tantalized him earlier. The desire to reach up and pull her down atop him lingered, but he didn’t act on it.

  The plush curves of her body would be soft against his, her breasts pressed against his chest. He wanted to know what it would feel like to wrap his arms around this new Ellie, to let his hands slide down her back and over the curve of her ass.

  “I’ll call the police and have you forcibly removed from my house if it comes to that.”

  The threat was empty. She’d finally gotten Casper to settle down and tucked him away in bed. Ellie wouldn’t risk waking the boy.

  “I was the one who spent the past four years pouring my life, my heart into Casper. When he was first born, I had many sleepless nights. When he got a little older, I was the one who had a heart attack every time I found him climbing something dangerous. You haven’t provided anything other than your DNA and yet you think you can walk in here and turn everything I’ve done upside down.”

  Nolan lurched to his feet, anger like a raging fire propelling him forward. In the blink of an eye, he towered over Ellie. “The only reason I didn’t turn around and come back was because someone never bothered to tell me I had a child.”

  Her eyes widened, her own anger twisting like a firestorm. “Because you left before I woke up and didn’t bother to leave a note. I had nothing more than your first name. How was I supposed to find you?”

  “If you knew so little about me then why fuck me?”

  Ellie’s lip twitched. The small motion caught his eye and drew him in. Her lips were fuller than he remembered and the color of an unbroken pomegranate. He wanted to break them apart and find the juicy interior, their argument forgotten.

  Until, Ellie pulled back her fist and punched him in the chest. Nolan staggered and slapped his hand over his chest, more surprised than anything. Ellie’s eyes burned and her hands trembled at her sides.

  Nolan knew that he’d gone too far. They were both responsible for the night that brought Casper to them. They’d both been drunk and reckless, young and stupid. His shoulders dropped, the fight gone out of him. He glanced toward the door. Perhaps he should leave. It would be for the best, if only to appease Ellie a little longer.

  “Why did you have to leave?” Ellie’s voice was barely a whisper, but it struck Nolan like lightning.

  When he looked back, the fire had gone out of her eyes and the corners were starting to well with tears. His heart ached at the sight of her and, before he knew what he was doing, he had the woman wrapped in his arms. He pressed her against his chest and rocked back and forth. There was nothing he could say to apologize for what he’d done, but he could make up for it. If not for Ellie, he would do it for Casper.

  Ellie pulled back, with the intent of stepping away from his arms, but she paused, looking up at him. Nolan felt his heart stop. For a moment, the world revolved around her. Nothing outside the door mattered. Only the people under this roof mattered.

  She pulled in a breath and her breasts rose before him. His mouth went dry. He needed her, wanted her. He couldn’t explain it, hell, he barely knew the woman. Yet, his head dipped and his lips grazed hers.

  Ellie froze, but she didn’t pull back. Nolan took this as consent and pressed harder. His hands tightened on her wide hips, need overwhelming him. She was his and no other man would ever touch her again.

  Once more, Ellie gathered herself and shoved him away. Nolan staggered back, his heart hammering. What was she doing to him? A growl rumbled in his chest. Her arm flew up, now trembling finger pointing toward the door again.

  “Get. Out.” Her face was flushed and her eyes were glassy as she struggled to control her breathing.

  Nolan knew how she felt. Confusion swirled through him. His own breathing was ragged and something inside Nolan still pulled him toward her. Yet, anger at being pushed away rose and burned.

  “Fine,” he snapped. He didn’t bother making sure the room was clear before letting out the animal inside of him. In moments, the leopard stretched and yawned, tail flicking in the air while Ellie scowled at him.

  Her mouth flapped, unable to express her outrage at his actions. Twice now, she’d seen him change before her. There was no denying it anymore. He wanted to make sure. This wasn’t a squabble between parents, fighting over a child. Casper needed him in his life if he was ever going to learn to control what he was.

  Ellie flung the door open and hooked her feet behind his legs, forcing him into the crisp December air. Nolan raised his head high. Ellie thought she was punishing him, but this was his kind of weather. He would find someplace to sleep for the night in his cat form and, in the morning, he would start looking for places to rent.

  He would show her he wasn’t going anywhere. Nolan knew he was meant to be right here, in this little mountain town.

  His feet padded across the snow and the door behind him slammed closed. Above, the stars twinkled like the lights wrapped around some of the trees. Nolan paused, sparing a moment to take in the glittering neighborhood around him. Families had come together and put up their lights, displaying their joy to the world. It was a foreign idea to him, the kind of familial joy that the holidays seemed to be wrapped around.

  The kind of Thanksgiving he’d had with his parents, when they were still together, was under the cold skies. He was left to catch his own dinner or else he would go without. His father claimed it was character building, but those holidays had been lonely.

  Christmas was a word he hadn’t heard of until his parents forced him out into the world. Thinking about them made his stomach burn. Growing up, Nolan had felt like an accident, pulling two unhappy people together. It’d been obvious from the way his parents barely looked at one another, barely showed affection, that they were only together to raise him. The two of them had mated to produce him, but they were far from the idea of a mated pair, no bond lingering between them to tie them together. Once he turned fifteen and they’d grown tired of their charade, they sold their house and told him to get on with his life. It’d hurt, but he refused to look back.

  Nolan didn’t want Casper to have the kind of childhood he’d had. Already, his son had a better life than Nolan had. It was obvious that his mother loved him deeply. Despite being a human woman in the face of a shifter, Ellie had shown steel. She was an amazing woman and he considered himself lucky that his son had her, but he also wished the woman would step down.

  Casper didn’t need her right now. The boy needed his father for when the first change came over him. It would be confusing and there was a chance the animal would win over the human. If that happened, it would be nearly impossible to get the boy Ellie loved back.

  Nolan wouldn’t let that happen. So he found a small space beneath her porch, not the most ideal but it didn’t smell as bad as he’d thought, and settled down for the night.

  ***

  Ellie’s phone call with Adam was a welcome distraction after what occurred in the living room, but when she hung up the phone, she found her mind heading right back to the kiss. Groaning, she slapped her hands over her eyes. The kiss had sent sensations through her that she hadn’t felt with anyone in years.

  By years, she meant since the last time she’d kissed Nolan. Her memories of that night were hazy, but what she did remember was a night filled with sensual lovemaking that had made her feel like the blaze of a bonfire. She’d assumed the alcohol had warped her memories, making the night much more than it actually was.

  But, laying on her bed, alone and lost in thought, Ellie wondered if the night actually had been what she remembered. Her eyes drifted closed once more and she plucked the memory from the recesses of her mind, living the scenes over again until her core
throbbed and ached.

  Her body begged her to rush outside and call Nolan back, begged her to throw him down onto her bed. At least her mind was responsible, taking the memory and carefully folding it back up to tuck away. Ellie couldn’t afford to let a man into her life so quickly. She had much more to worry about than she did that night, fresh out of culinary school with nowhere to go.

  Ellie had dreamed of moving to Albany or, maybe even, New York City and getting a position in a three-star restaurant as a pastry chef. When she found out two weeks later that she was pregnant, she knew there was no way she could move forward with her wild, selfish dream. There was more at stake than just her savings account.

  Instead, Ellie found a small bakery in the mountain town not too far from her parents. It was convenient, at the time, having her parents stop in every now and then to watch over Casper. Then, they moved away and the bakery she worked at shut down. When people still asked for cakes and other baked goods, Ellie thought working from home would be a great option. She wouldn’t need a sitter for Casper.

  As it turned out, she needed an eye on that boy at all times. Mixing cake batter while he played nearby did not count with her son. Now, there was a possibility Casper could have a man in his life, Ellie could have someone else who loved and was just as dedicated as she was.

  It only sucked that Nolan had to show up when he did.

  Chapter Five

  Nolan walked around the small town just as the sun breached the horizon. It cast a pale pink and sunny yellow light over the small mountain peaks in the distance and glittered across the snow around him. Shops lined the streets, windows chock full of Christmas propaganda. At least, that was how Nolan saw the décor. There were candy cane colored garlands wrapped around the light posts and glittering bell-shaped lights suspended from the arms of the light posts.

  Nolan groaned inwardly. Christmas was just a reason for businesses to cash in on families trying to placate their unruly children with gifts in the name of the holiday spirit. He was clearly bitter about the holiday, having never partaken in one in his thirty-two years of existence. He was an outsider looking in and seeing nothing more than the labels and tired parents running each other over for the last toy on the shelf.