by Chant, Zoe
“Awww, no fair!” Logan yelled as he collapsed backward into the snow, laughing uproariously. “I wasn’t looking!”
“There’s no rules in snowball fights,” Garrett told him, mock-seriously. “Just the law of the land.”
Logan seemed to take that advice to heart, scooping up more snow as he stood, hurling it messily at Garrett, scattering snow over him. “Well, take that then!”
Garrett laughed, scooping up his own handful of snow. He could hear Georgia laughing from the doorway, and then the scutter of paws on snow as Freddy joined the fray, bounding and leaping between them, trying to catch the tiny pieces of snow in his mouth.
Family, Garrett thought, even as he ducked another of Logan’s snowballs. This is what it means to have a family.
He’d never thought he’d have one. He realized now that it hadn’t been only how busy his job had kept him that had made him think so – it was also the fact that dealing only with criminals for so long had jaded him, and caused him to forget about the things that made life worthwhile.
Like this. Like my mate. Like our family.
Warmth bloomed within him as he watched Logan turn to Freddy, tossing a snowball high for the dog to leap up and catch, before rewarding him with ear-rubs. Freddy, ever the affection-seeker, immediately rolled over onto his back, looking for a belly rub. Logan obliged, as Garrett, smiling, joined Georgia in the doorway.
“You guys look like you’re having fun,” she said as he put his arm around her, her eyes still sparkling with laughter. “I almost hate to tell you that if we don’t get going soon, we’re going to be late for lunch.”
It had seemed only natural to Garrett that he, Georgia, Logan and Freddy should have returned to the chalet they met in exactly one year ago to celebrate Christmas again this year. Hardwicke hadn’t been able to approve his leave fast enough, and actually went so far as to congratulate him for taking some. And now that the Lake Smithson Christmas Resort and Chalets was being run by Ilara Warren and her family, Garrett knew that the money they spent here would go back into helping shifters who needed it, instead of simply lining Laurence Barston’s pockets.
The chalet felt different, this time around. Not because it had changed at all – it looked pretty much exactly the same as the last time he’d stayed in it – but because this time he was here with his family. The year before, he’d had the whole enormous place to himself. It had been silent when he’d arrived, and so, for all its coziness, it had felt empty, a place he was, as per usual, all alone in.
But now…
Now, as Georgia called out to Logan, telling him they had to get going, the chalet rang out with the sounds of laughter and happiness.
They were sounds Garrett had never thought he’d hear around him – and definitely didn’t think he’d ever be a part of.
“Come on Logan, put Freddy on his lead so we can go down to the resort for lunch. Everyone’ll be waiting for us if we don’t go now,” Georgia said, holding out the lead for Logan to take. “Charlie’ll be there – you want to see him, don’t you?”
“Yeah!” Logan said, as he hooked Freddy’s lead into his collar. “In his last email he said his mom let him get a dog this year – I want him to meet Freddy!”
Georgia smiled. “Then let’s get going.”
“Need me to carry anything?” Garrett asked Georgia, as she briefly turned back to reach the plates sitting on the counter by the back door.
“Here – you can take the cupcakes,” Georgia said, passing him a plate covered tightly in foil. “They’ll probably get cold on the way, but at least the frosting won’t melt.”
Georgia had spent part of the morning cooking – with Garrett and Logan helping. Being here with his family wasn’t the only reason Garrett thought the place felt a little more homey this time around. It was also because this time around, all the new friends he’d acquired as Georgia’s mate were staying here too.
Georgia had told him about her hometown of Fairhill, how beautiful it was and how much she loved everyone who lived there. But Garrett had still been unprepared for just how welcoming everyone had been.
It helped, he supposed, that he was already acquainted with Rowan Stanton, even if only slightly. He’d known him as a fellow agent of the Shifter Patrol Corps, and it had seemed like an unbelievable coincidence that both their mates should have grown up as best friends in Fairhill. But Garrett was quickly coming to understand that coincidence was what Christmas was all about.
Georgia and Garrett had decided they’d only give people an edited version of how they’d met, and Georgia had made sure to give the resort rave reviews. In any case, Garrett had known, somehow, that they’d be back here again this year.
The walk down to the resort area was just as beautiful as it had been last year, the crisp snow crunching beneath their boots, the pathway lined with trees. The sunlight was warm and golden, and the sky a beautiful, brilliant blue. Just like last year, Freddy and Logan dashed ahead of them, leaving Garrett and Georgia to talk.
“I can’t believe how much he’s come out of his shell over the past year,” Georgia said, her eyes glowing with love as she looked at her son. “I mean, he still loves reading and spending time by himself, but… he seems so much happier now. I haven’t heard him laugh this much in years. And as for him joining the school baseball team – well, I never thought he’d be interested in that.”
Garrett laughed. “Lucky for the baseball team. They’ve won every game since Logan joined.”
“Don’t think you’re not partially responsible for that,” Georgia said, smiling up at him. “You’ve spent hours with him, helping him with his pitching. I know he loves spending that time with you. And you know Logan – once he’s decided he wants to be good at something, he’s like a dog with a bone.”
“He sure is,” Garrett said, smiling. “I think sometimes he’s even worn me out.”
“I appreciate it,” Georgia said, after a slight pause. “Garrett, I can’t tell you how much. Everything you’ve done for him. For me.”
Garrett shook his head, transferring the plate of cupcakes to one hand so he could wrap the other around Georgia’s shoulders.
“Georgia, it wasn’t just me,” he said. “You’re Logan’s mother. You looked after him by yourself for years. You took care of him when you had no one to help you, no matter how hard it was. Logan never wanted for anything. And that was thanks to you, and you alone.”
He truly meant what he said. He didn’t understand how Georgia had done it, really. Providing a stable home for her son even when it would have been easier to collapse in a heap – that had been an amazing feat.
“And besides which, you talk about the things I’ve given you. But you’ve given me a family, Georgia. Something I thought I’d never have.” Garrett swallowed. “It’s me who should be thanking you.”
Georgia didn’t answer, and when he glanced down at her, he saw her eyes were glistening with tears.
“Garrett, I –” She paused, blinking her eyes. “I don’t know what to say. I mean… aside from what I always say. Which is that I love you, and I’m so, so happy you’re my mate.”
“Well, that’s all I need to hear,” Garrett said – and he meant it.
The walk down to the resort wasn’t a long one, and when they arrived they found everyone who was staying this year already waiting for them, crowded around one of the tables of the room they’d rented for lunch.
The room was, of course, decked out in impeccable Christmas finery: holly wreaths, green and red ribbons, candles, fairy lights and tinsel adorned the walls, while the table that sat in the middle of the room was crowded with food. Garrett could see sweet corn, at least five kinds of sweet potato, stacks of bread rolls, roasted vegetables… and there, in the middle, was the biggest, most succulent roasted ham Garrett had ever seen in his entire life.
It all made his mouth water, of course. But the real reason for his happiness wasn’t the food.
No. It’s because of the peopl
e who are here too, he thought, as he looked around, smiling at the people standing around the table.
“Georgia! I was just beginning to wonder where you were,” Emilia said as she bounded forward, wrapping her friend up in a hug. “Not that we would have started without you, but boy oh boy, am I hungry.”
“Sorry,” Georgia laughed. “But wrangling Logan these days is a job and a half. Speaking of –”
She looked around, but Logan had already spotted Charlie over on the far side of the room with his moms, Kelly and Diane, and a very handsome collie dog, who was at this moment very enthusiastically sniffing Freddy’s butt, while Freddy just as enthusiastically returned the favor.
“Well, they seem happy enough,” Georgia said, laughing. “I’m pretty sure Logan can get his own food when he’s hungry.”
Georgia and Emilia fell to chatting, as Garrett greeted Rowan, Emilia’s mate, and his fellow agent in the Shifter Patrol Corps.
“I read the report on what went down here last year,” Rowan said quietly, as together they began choosing food from the laden table. “You did good work – I can’t believe how easily things could have got messy.”
“They almost did,” Garrett admitted. “If Georgia hadn’t been here, I don’t know that I would have gotten out of it alive.”
He knew he didn’t have to explain to Rowan why that was – he understood the mated bond and the effects it could have.
“I suppose Hardwicke knew what he was doing after all,” Rowan said, with a slight laugh. “Sometimes I wonder about these things. He sends me out to Fairhill, and I find Emilia. He sends you out to this chalet, and you find Georgia. It is just me, or does that seem a little… uncanny to you?”
“Best not to question it,” Garrett said, shaking his head. “I don’t want to end up with a sore head trying to figure him out.”
“You’re right,” Rowan laughed. “Let sleeping dogs lie.”
Seemingly as one, they raised their eyes to where their mates were still chatting to each other like the lifelong friends they were, eyes shining, clearly enjoying each other’s company. Garrett felt his heart swell within him as he gazed at Georgia’s face, his dragon puffing smoke, pride that she was his mate filling him.
She is ours. And we are hers. And we always will be.
He glanced at Rowan, their eyes meeting, and he knew he was thinking the exact same thing about Emilia.
“Damn, but how did we get so lucky?” Rowan asked, his voice catching slightly.
“I don’t know,” Garrett answered him honestly. “I try not to question it. I just have to accept it. Because I know there’s nothing I did to deserve it – I just have to try to be worthy of her.”
Rowan nodded. “You’re full of wise words today. But you’re right. I guess that’s all we can do.”
At that moment, Anthony and Jonathan joined them by the table, greeting them warmly. Garrett knew that they were the reason Georgia had won the prize to stay at the chalet last year, and so he’d always felt grateful to them for that.
“I’m so glad you could finally make it down here,” Anthony said, shaking Garrett’s hand. “A moment longer and I wouldn’t have been able to keep my hands off the food.”
Garrett laughed. “It all looks delicious. Jonathan, you’ve outdone yourself.”
Jonathan, Anthony’s husband and an extraordinary chef, just shrugged modestly. “It’s Christmas,” he said. “’Tis the season to eat everything you want, guilt-free.”
“Well, I don’t intend to feel guilty about eating anything,” Emilia said as she joined them. “Load me up with mashed potatoes. I hope you put in lots of butter and salt, Jonathan.”
The food was, of course, delicious, and as he ate and chatted, Garrett felt himself feeling completely at ease in a way he never really had before in crowded social settings. He’d been used to working entirely alone, sometimes going weeks without seeing another shifter or human, talking to no one but his dragon. He still wasn’t what he’d call a social person, but here, amongst friends, he felt happy and relaxed.
Logan and Charlie were catching up like the best friends they had become, while the contented hum of laughter and talk in the room soothed his dragon.
It is the sound of happiness, it said, its tail flicking lazily. The sound of friends and family.
In other words, all the things a dragon cherished.
Now that I’ve been given the chance to learn what they mean, Garrett thought.
The day grew later, the sunlight turning from bright yellow to deepest gold. The food on the table somehow didn’t seem to reduce, however, and Jonathan pressed leftovers on people as they said their goodbyes, before heading off back to their cabins and chalets.
“Really, Jonathan, I’m stuffed,” said Georgia, as Jonathan handed her a foil-wrapped plate. “I won’t even need dinner – probably for the next ten years.”
“Well, have it for breakfast then,” Jonathan said. “You can’t leave us with all of this. What’re we going to do with it?”
“Oh, all right,” Georgia said. “If you insist on me taking the delicious food home with me, who am I to resist?”
“Exactly right,” Anthony cut in smoothly. “Think of it as a favor to us, if you have to – since you owe us one, what with us sending you up here last year to find that gorgeous man of yours. Honestly, I’m thinking of setting up a service – helping lovely women find the hunk of their dreams. Emilia never would have gotten the courage to give Rowan her phone number if I hadn’t prompted her.”
“More like harangued her,” Emilia said dryly, though her eyes sparkled with warm laughter. “But yes – thank you for your services, Anthony. God knows I can’t run my own love life.”
“You say that like it’s a joke,” Anthony said. “But I seem to recall a poor girl sitting in my restaurant saying she just couldn’t give a hottie like Rowan her phone number –”
“Oh, shush,” Emilia said good-naturedly. “Look, we took your leftovers, so leave me alone!”
Garrett smiled as Emilia and Anthony continued with their friendly ribbing, as Georgia went to find Logan. He couldn’t really say he was surprised a moment later when he tuned his shifter hearing in to their conversation, only to overhear Logan ask if he could stay at Charlie’s that evening. He excused himself from Emilia and Anthony, and went over to join them.
“It wouldn’t be any trouble,” Kelly was saying. “Even if they – somehow – get hungry, we have enough leftovers to feed an army, so we wouldn’t even have to cook any extra.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” Georgia said. “Though we can take Freddy back with us if you prefer.”
“But Mom, he’s making friends with Sausage,” Logan said. “Look!”
Sausage?
It took Garrett a moment to realize that that must be the name of the elegant, long-coated collie – he wasn’t sure how it had come to be called Sausage, but then, who knew how pre-teen boys’ minds worked.
Georgia seemed to be opening her mouth to tell Logan no, when Kelly spoke up again.
“If Logan would like to have Freddy with him, I don’t mind,” she said. “And we’re still in the middle of training Sausage to behave around other dogs. Really, you’d be helping us.”
“All right,” Georgia said. “If you’re sure.”
After Kelly had assured her that she was, she and Garrett said their goodbyes, and headed out the door.
“That was great,” Garrett said as they emerged into the frosty early evening air. “But I won’t deny I’m about ready to be alone with you again.”
Georgia shot him a warm glance. “Alone, huh? You don’t say.”
Her voice was filled with suggestion, and Garrett felt heat pooling within him.
Raising his arm, he put his hand around her waist, pulling her close to his side. He was just about to lean down and plant a long, lingering kiss on her lips when a voice broke into the desire-fueled reverie he’d wandered into.
“Um, Garrett? It is Garrett, isn’t it
? And Georgia?”
As one, he and Georgia turned their heads. Even in the dark haze of the evening, Garrett’s shifter eyesight was perfect, and he recognized the woman standing behind them immediately.
“Ilara?”
The woman nodded. “I’m sorry. I hope I’m not intruding.”
“Of course not,” Georgia said immediately, her voice warm and friendly. “I haven’t seen you since… well, I suppose since last time I was here.” She hesitated. “Have you been well?”
“Yes, yes I have,” Ilara said, with the same slight awkward stiffness as Garrett remembered. “I’ve been – very well, actually. Busy. Running a resort certainly isn’t a part-time job. But… I like it. More than I thought I would.”
Garrett had known that Ilara had – eventually – decided that they wouldn’t close the Lake Smithson resort after she and her family had been given back the land that Barston had stolen from them. He hadn’t wanted to pry too much – and he got the feeling Ilara would prefer he didn’t – so he didn’t know how things were going, but he had to assume from the crowds of people visiting this year, and the fact that the place was still going a year later, that she must have been doing a pretty good job.
“This place is looking wonderful,” Georgia said with a smile. “I know it was your choice to keep it open, but I am really happy it’s what you decided to do. It’s a really special place.”
“Thank you,” Ilara said stiffly, before suddenly shaking her head. “I mean… no. I’m sorry, I’m not very good at this. But I wanted to tell you both that I really am grateful for everything you did for me.” She swallowed, licking her lips. “For my family. The land is ours again now. I… I don’t know how to thank you.”
Georgia shook her head. “You don’t need to thank us. What happened to you never should have happened in the first place. I’m just glad you got your land back.”
“I didn’t really believe I would get it back,” Ilara said, frowning pensively. “So I didn’t let myself make any plans for what I’d do with it. But… I’m glad I decided to keep running the resort. I can see how happy it makes everyone, and doing maintenance work and looking after the guests means I can provide jobs for my people. The money we make can go toward helping shifters who don’t have a home, just like we didn’t. Not until you helped us, anyway.”