“Are you sure?” Despite tensing her jaw, her teeth chattered, not from the cold but from her worry over Helena coming to town. A gloomy mood hung over her like the heavy snow clouds as she walked up the beach and wearily climbed the steps.
When she called Helena with the news they were staying in Wishing Moon Bay for a while, a weight had lifted off her shoulders. Now the weight was back, crushing her as if she were buried under an avalanche of snow, unable to breathe. If Helena found out about Wishing Moon Bay and the people who lived here, she might try to make her leave.
Especially if Helena thought there was any threat toward Penny or Milo from a town filled with people with supernatural powers. And maybe she would be right. Were they safe here or was this all a dream? What if Penny was holding on to a promise of happiness with Logan because she wanted to be loved and cherished again? The breakdown of her marriage had left her broken-hearted.
This might simply be a rebound relationship. She couldn’t risk Milo’s happiness on a selfish whim.
Yet Logan was her mate. She could feel the connection between them. Why was life so confusing? Why couldn’t she find a signpost to happiness, just as she’d found the signpost to Wishing Moon Bay?
Unlocking the truck, she climbed into the passenger seat and stared out across the beach. Logan was with Milo, they were looking at something on the ground. Perhaps a pretty shell or another golden pebble. If she came down to the beach tonight and made a wish under the moon, would it come true? All she wanted was a happy life, one where she and Milo were safe, where they felt secure, where they felt wanted. Kelvin had taken that from her. He’d left her vulnerable, uncertain of the future. As a parent, that uncertainty preyed on her mind constantly.
After examining whatever they’d found, Logan grabbed hold of Milo and swung him onto his broad shoulders. She imagined the squeals of delight from Milo as the wolf shifter ran up the beach toward the truck. A smile crept across her lips. No matter what happened, she trusted in Logan to keep them safe and keep them here in town. Kelvin had tried to ruin her life, but he had no power over her. Not anymore.
She had to shake off her fear of making the same mistake of marrying a man who would betray her. She had to be brave enough to go after what she wanted. And she wanted Logan.
Penny rolled down the window as Logan ran up the steps from the beach with Milo on his shoulders. She welcomed the chilly breeze because it carried her son’s laughter with it. High-pitched and breathy, it was the best sound in the world.
Thank you, Logan. He was the father Milo deserved. The husband she deserved. Before she came here, a second husband was unthinkable. But Wishing Moon Bay had taught her the unthinkable could be real.
“How full are your pockets?” Penny patted her son’s pockets as he climbed awkwardly into the truck. Logan gave him a boost and he sat down heavily, his cheeks flushed and his nose running from the cold breeze.
“Very.” He wriggled to get comfortable, the knees of his jeans patched with wet sand.
“Here.” Penny dug in her pocket and pulled out a clean tissue.
Milo sniffed loudly and then wiped his nose. Sand stuck to his face and flecked his hair. Before they went into town, they’d need to go back to the hotel so he could take a shower and change into clean clothes. Tomorrow she’d have to do their laundry.
Leaning across the seat, she dropped a kiss on top of his head while Logan got in the truck and started the engine. “Did you have fun?”
“The best fun.” Milo flopped back in his seat. “Logan carried me over the beach, did you see?”
“I did.”
“He said when his bear brothers arrive, they would let me ride on their backs.”
“Is that so?” A sidelong glance confirmed Milo’s words.
“They’ll look after Milo,” Logan promised.
“I’m sure they will.” She put her arm around her son. “It’s just going to take a while before I hear, I’m going to ride on the back of a bear, without panicking.”
Logan chuckled. “I get you.”
“But I trust you and I trust your judgment.”
“You are my family now and so you are part of their family, too.” Logan drove back toward the hotel. “I’d be more worried about them spoiling Milo rotten than any physical harm they might cause.”
“I don’t mind being spoiled rotten,” Milo said brightly.
“I don’t suppose you do.”
“They’ll spoil you, too,” Logan told her.
“Well, in that case, spoil away.” It would be so nice to be part of a family again.
Perhaps the very reason the boys Valerie had taken in and raised as her own were willing to accept her and Milo was that they had built a bond and grown to love each other even though they were not related. They didn’t even shift into the same animal, except for the twins. But their bond was strong, she could hear it in their voices when they spoke about each other.
“I’m lucky that I’m the first one of us to find our mate. And you are lucky because that means they will make a big fuss.” Logan seemed more relaxed as he parked the truck outside of the hotel.
Penny helped Milo out of the truck, noting the sand under his fingernails. “You need a soak in the bath.”
Milo giggled and put his hands on his pockets to stop the items he’d found on the beach from falling out. “I can pretend to be a merman.”
“As long as you don’t splash around too much.” She reached for his hand and walked around the truck to meet Logan. “What’s wrong?”
“They’re here.”
“Who is here?”
“Valerie and the bears.”
“Oh.” She flattened her hair and wished she’d applied makeup this morning. She screwed up her face and then sighed. “I am really hoping you’re right about them loving us because I’m your mate.”
“They will. I promise.”
“Good, because we’re not exactly going to make a good first impression. We’re dirty and windswept.”
“You are perfect.” Logan grabbed the picnic basket from the truck and turned around. “If you want, we can go around the back. I’ll drop this into the kitchen, and you can head up to your room if you’d rather wash up first. But Valerie will love seeing Milo with his hands dirty. She believes kids should be allowed to get messy and have fun.”
“Then she’ll love me.” Milo held up his dirty hands. “I am messy, and I sure did have fun.”
“Okay, either way, I’m okay. If Valerie is free when we go in, we can say hello, if she’s busy then we’ll go up to the room and change before heading off into town.” She grinned at Logan. “We are letting fate decide. Just like you say fate decided that I am your mate.”
“I’m okay with that.” Logan crossed the parking lot and led them around to the back door leading into the kitchen. After placing the picnic basket under the counter, he closed the door and took them around to a second door. “This way, Ivan will be upset if we trail mud through his kitchen.” Taking a key from his pocket, he unlocked it and they went inside. “This is one of the storerooms. We keep the cleaning equipment in here along with new bathrobes and soap, plus toilet paper.”
“We might need all that soap to get Milo clean,” Penny joked despite her nerves at meeting Valerie.
Milo chuckled and stared at the big stack of toilet paper that sat next to a large box labeled soap. “Can I come in here and explore one day?”
“You can come and help me do inventory,” Logan offered as he unlocked the door on the other side of the storeroom. It opened out into the corridor next to the stairs leading to the attic.
“What’s inventory?” Milo asked.
“You get to count all this stuff.” Penny patted a box labeled toothbrushes. “How cool is that?”
Milo’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds like homework to me.”
“It’s fun.” Logan didn’t sound too convinced.
“I’ll think about it,” Milo replied.
“Valerie is in
the reception area with Sophie.” Logan’s shifter senses sure were useful.
“Then let’s go and meet her.” Penny nodded, perhaps it was best to get this over with.
Logan took them along the corridor and through a door into the reception area where an elderly woman with a walking stick was leaning on the counter talking to Sophie. They both looked up as Logan and his mate walked in.
“I should get going,” Sophie announced. “It’s my afternoon off and I have plans.”
“Thanks, Sophie.” Valerie hobbled toward them, leaning heavily on her stick. “There you are, Logan.”
“How are you?” Logan hugged her close and kissed her cheek.
“I was just catching up with things.” Her eyes met with Penny’s as she patted her son’s back. “Are you going to introduce me?”
“Yes.” Logan took hold of Valerie’s hand as he let her go. “This is Penny and her son, Milo. This is Valerie.”
“Hi.” Penny held onto Milo’s hand as her nerves kicked in. Her first meeting with Kelvin’s parents hadn’t gone smoothly, she suspected they never quite agreed with their son’s choice in a wife. Certainly, they had taken his side when it came to the divorce and had broken all ties with Penny. “It’s good to meet you.”
“Can I have a hug?” Valerie’s eyes misted with tears as she held out her arm, while she rested heavily on Logan.
Penny nodded. As she wrapped her arms around Valerie, it was like hugging her mom. The same warmth, the same calm comfort. “It’s good to finally meet you, Valerie. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Oh, dear. I dread to think what Logan’s been telling you.”
“Only good things,” she assured. “I can’t imagine how you raised six boys and still stayed sane.”
“Oh, my boys kept me sane. They filled my life with love and mischief. There were times when I wondered what I’d done but I would not change a thing.” She half-turned to look at Logan. “Neither would I have changed any of my boys. They all deserved love and they all earned that love from the day they came to me.”
“Children do have a way of capturing your heart, don’t they?”
“They sure do.” Valerie eased away from Penny, a smile on her face as she looked down at Milo. “I can see you know from experience just how special children are. It warms my heart that Logan will be a father to your son. It’s the one thing I could never provide for my boys.”
“We did just fine without a father,” Logan reassured her.
“I know you did. But I always felt guilty there was no man to take you camping and out into the mountains to teach you about the wonderful world around you. Not that I believe only men are capable of teaching those things. But with the hotel to run, I never had the time. Or the energy.” Valerie leaned heavily on Logan. “But you found those strengths in each other. You pulled together and helped each other even though you were all so different.”
“Except us.” Two men came from behind Penny. She clutched Milo’s hand tighter as she turned around to face the newcomers.
“Wow. You look exactly the same.” Milo pulled his hand out of Penny’s as he drew closer to get a better look.
“We’re identical twins. Although I maintain I’m the handsome one.”
“You certainly are not the modest one,” the other twin answered.
“How are we supposed to tell you apart?” Milo asked.
“I told you, I’m the handsome one.” The first brother winked at Milo who looked confused as he continued to stare.
“I could always punch you in the eye, then it would be easy. Aiden would be the one with the black eye.” Logan made his hand into a fist and ground it into the palm of his left hand.
“Ah, Logan.” Aiden cocked his head to one side. “You always did think you were funny.” He lifted his hand and beckoned to the wolf shifter. “Just try it!”
“As I said, children have a way of capturing the heart, while grown men have a way of making me angry.” Valerie wagged her finger at the wolf shifter and his bear brothers. “No fighting. At least until after dinner.”
“It’s easy to tell them apart,” Rift came into the reception area. “Aiden has more gray hair around his temples, but Caleb has more wrinkles on his forehead.”
“Hey,” Caleb covered his brow with his hand. “That’s not a wrinkle, it’s a scar. A scar given to me by a certain dragon when he first shifted.”
“Oh, I see it!” Milo’s eyes widened as Caleb uncovered his face.
“My gray hairs are from having to put up with my twin,” Aiden said. He turned his head from side to side. “Can you see the subtle difference?”
“I can,” Penny confirmed.
“The more time you spend with us, the easier it is to tell us apart.” Caleb grinned at Logan. “This means we need to spend a lot of time with your mate and Milo. Don’t worry, we’ll tell her all about you.”
“Stop teasing your brother,” Valerie warned. “I’d tell you they aren’t always like this, but I’d be lying.”
“Just boys being boys.” Relieved that Valerie liked her and that Logan’s brothers all seemed welcoming, she made her excuses and went to their room. Despite Valerie’s arrival, she still planned to go into town and begin her search for somewhere for them to live. First, Milo needed a good soak in the bathtub while she sat on the bed and figured out how she was going to handle Helena’s visit.
It had to go well. Their future literally depended on it.
Chapter Twenty-Two – Logan
“We are going to town.” Penny met Logan and Valerie in the reception area. Logan was on duty, having taken over from Rift. Sophie was working the evening shift and Logan hoped she was in a better mood when she came back into work. Hopefully, the arrival of Valerie, who had hired Sophie around six months ago, would ease the tension between them. He wasn’t sure how things had escalated so fast. Until Penny arrived in town, Logan had no idea Sophie had feelings for him.
Even if Penny wasn’t here, Sophie knew he was a shifter and that there was no future in a relationship with him. Since she was an employee, Logan would never have risked dating her short-term, for him that would be unprofessional and might cause trouble for Valerie.
“I’ve written down a couple of places you could check out if you’re looking for an apartment to rent.” Logan handed his mate a piece of paper.
“You’re looking to rent in town?” Valerie asked. “Aren’t you going to live with Logan?”
Penny glanced down at Milo. “Moving to Wishing Moon Bay wasn’t in our plans at all. We need to take things slowly. I said I’d stay for a week to see if we like it here. But part of my decision also depends on finding somewhere to live and school for Milo.”
“Of course, I understand, sorry. I’m just excited for you both. For all three of you.” Valerie held out her arms and hugged Penny. “I’m so incredibly happy for you all. I know you’re going to be happy here in town.”
“I hope so. Everyone’s been so kind to us. But I need a little independence. I’d like to find a job and rent an apartment for a few months. Just to see how things go.”
“That’s sensible and understandable. Don’t mind me, I just want the best for my boys. I always have. Just as you want this best for your young man.” Valerie leaned down so her head was level with Milo’s, even though pain deepened the wrinkles around her eyes. “You’re welcome to come and play on the hotel grounds anytime, Milo. And when you are settled, we can go up in the attic and take a look at the toys up there.”
“We went up into the attic yesterday,” Milo told her. “We didn’t bring down any toys, but we did find a pendant. It had these symbols on it.”
Logan put his hand in his pocket and took out the talisman. “Ivan looked up the symbols in the books he borrowed. He said he thought it was for protection.”
“Let me see.” Valerie squinted as she stared at the pendant. “I don’t recall seeing this before. It must have been here when I bought the place. I was so busy I never had a chance
to go through everything up in the attic. And then I stored your old things up there and I forgot about the stuff left by Rad.”
“Do you know what the symbols mean?” Logan asked.
“I’d have to take a proper look at it. My eyes aren’t what they used to be, so I’d need to look at it under a magnifying glass.” She held the pendant closer to her eyes. “But I think Ivan is right. He’s been studying runes and symbols for some months now. If he thinks it’s a talisman for protection, he’s probably right.”
Penny placed her hands on Milo’s shoulders. “Milo was drawn to it.”
“It called to me,” Milo added. “Or whispered. Yes, it was like someone whispering in my ear.”
“In that case, you should wear it.” Valerie slipped it over Milo’s head.
“Really?” Milo held the talisman between his fingers and thumb and tilted it up so he could look at it.
“Really. One lesson you should learn is to never ignore a hunch. If something whispers in your ear, you should listen.” She held her fingers to her ear and wriggled them.
“Oh, that way lies trouble,” Penny covered Milo’s ears. “Next thing I know Milo will be telling me a voice is telling him not to do his homework or that he’s allowed to eat candy for dinner.”
“I would not.” Milo pulled his mom’s hands away from his ears, but his smile said differently.
“Ah, but the spirits wouldn’t be happy if you put words in their mouths,” Valerie warned Milo. “They’ll know if you’re making things up and they might be displeased. And displeased spirits are mischievous spirits.”
“What would they do?”
“That is a secret and I do not tell secrets.” Valerie winked at Penny. “You have a lovely child, Penny.”
“He is my favorite child,” Penny admitted.
“I’m your only child,” Milo corrected her.
“And that is why you are my favorite.” She grabbed hold of his hand. “Right, we should go. Maybe that lucky talisman will help us find an apartment we can afford.”
“I like living in the hotel,” Milo insisted.
“We’ll see you later. Rift said he’d watch Milo again this evening, so I’ll be back for my shift at five.” She waved as they disappeared out the door.
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay Page 16