Bared for Her Bear (12 page)

After Ary revealed her pregnancy to Charlie, which was already a month ago, a crazy thought

every time it passed through her mind, everything had been going fantastic. He was attentive, overly

so in fact, but it was always welcome. She couldn’t help but notice how territorial he was with her.

Never had she been with a male that was like that, that seemed more animal than man, and she would

be lying if she didn’t say it made her feel cherished and protected. February had never realized how

lonely she had been, even when she was with Frank or her other partners. They had been there
with

her, but not
for
her, and that was the major distinction between them and Charlie. It wasn’t just about

the baby, though. He talked to her and actually listened to what she had to say. Even now she

remembered when Frank and she would have a conversation. He never paid attention to her, and was

certainly not interested in anything but himself. Charlie conversed back with her, responded to what

she had to say, and focused solely on her. It was refreshing and made her realize exactly what she had

been missing out on, and the losers that she had let fill her life. He didn’t care that she had a few extra

pounds, or that her belly wasn’t flat and her thighs were thick. In fact, he told her continuously that he

loved her body, and that she was healthy enough to carry his child.

He hadn’t been formally introduced to Melissa or Candace yet, and she hadn’t met his

brothers. With her friends’ schedules taking them out of town for several weeks, and his brothers

traveling from Sweet Water to Denver the last couple of weeks for a new building project, there hadn’t

been a right time for introductions. That would change tonight though, because they had plans to go to

Bram’s house later this evening, and she was taking Melissa and Candace with her. Charlie picked her

up, and they went to her first official doctor’s appointment, well, the one she considered official since

the time before had just been a confirmation that she was indeed pregnant. This one would allow them

to find out the sex of the baby and if it would take after her or Charlie in regards to shifting. Charlie

seemed to be positive it would be male bear shifter, but she couldn’t deny she was kind of hoping for a

little girl. It didn’t matter the sex or who it took after, though, because in the end she just wanted a

healthy baby.

“You getting excited?” Charlie reached across the seat and grabbed her hand. She nodded and

couldn’t help but smile. “Me, too, baby.” His own excitement was tangible, and his smile lit up his

whole face. There was no denying he was one proud father, and that had her heartstrings tugging

almost painfully. Her belly was in knots, but in the good kind of way, and the further along she got in

her pregnancy, the more she was anticipating the arrival of the baby. She had four more months to go,

and although she hadn’t felt any kicking or movement, she knew it would be coming and couldn’t

wait.

He pulled the truck into an empty spot in front of the doctor’s office, and they climbed out. He

grabbed her hand again, and she loved that he always had to be touching her. Since he went wild on

her all those weeks ago, literally, she had noticed he had tamed down quite a bit. Maybe it was

because he was no longer fighting his bear for supremacy, and now the two were merged into one?

Either way, she liked everything he gave her.

When they entered the small office there were a few women seated in the chairs. Some had

obvious round pregnant bellies. After she checked in and they sat down, Ary couldn’t help but notice

the way the women stared at Charlie. Yes, he certainly was not a male to be missed, but wasn’t it

obvious enough that they were together when he still had a hold of her hand and brought it up to his

mouth to kiss her fingers? The women were called back one at a time, and the longer she had to wait

the antsier she became.

“Calm down, Kitten.” Charlie chuckled beside her. He was flipping through some pregnancy

101 magazine, and that sight brought a smile to her face.

“February Felina?”

Her heart pounded a fast tattoo, and they both stood and followed the medical assistant into the

back of the office. After being weighed, having her vitals taken, and asked to change into the standard

paper gown, they were left to wait in the room for the doctor to arrive. Charlie started pacing, and it

was her turn to speak and ease his nervousness.

“Calm down, Charlie.” He glared at her but plopped his big body into the tiny chair in the

corner. The doctor arrived moments later with a sonogram machine and an assistant.

“Hello. I’m Doctor Harrison.” She held her hand out, and Ary took it. The physician was a

cougar shifter, the same as the assistant. The feline in her could smell the cat in them right away. “So

how about we check on your little one?”

Nodding and smiling, February did as the doctor instructed and lay back on the table. The

lights dimmed, and the sonogram machine lit up in an array of blue and white. “If you were a human

we would have to go vaginally in order to see anything because you’re so early in the pregnancy, but

seeing as you’re a shifter we will be able to do this on your abdomen.” The assistant brought the

machine closer. “We can see the sex of the baby and which species it will take after, if that is what

you’d like revealed.” She smiled at Ary and then did the same to Charlie. Doctor Harrison squeezed

warm gel on her exposed belly and started moving it around. Charlie stood by her side and took her

hand in his. At first she couldn’t see anything but a black screen, but then the tiny body came into

view. Ary could make out the arms and legs, the head, and even the tiny fingers and toes. The doctor

started pointing out all the parts, and even showed them the baby’s beating heart and let them hear it.

Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away. It was the most surreal and joyous moment in her

life thus far.

“Do you guys want to know the sex and who the baby is taking after?”

Ary looked at Charlie, but already knew he wanted to know as well. She looked back at the

doctor and smiled. “We want to know.” The doctor ran the wand over her belly a few more times,

tapped out dimensions on the keyboard, and printed off some pictures.

She pointed at the screen, but Ary had no idea what she was looking at. “You see that right

there?” Charlie leaned in and squinted, and she and the doctor laughed. “I know it’s hard to make out

if you don’t know what it is, but that right there tells me your baby is a boy.” Charlie snapped his head

back, and she swore his chest puffed out a good six inches. The doctor then started rattling off bone

lengths, head circumference, and a whole lot of other dimensions that made no sense to Ary.

“The bone structure and the placement of internal organs tell me your baby will be a bear

shifter.”

Charlie squeezed her hand and looked down at her. His smile was bigger than any other time

before, and she couldn’t help but return the gesture.

“You hear that, Kitten? We are having a boy, and it looks like he’s taking after his dad.” He

leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

“I can also see that he is going to be a pretty big boy, too, given the length of his arms and legs

this early on.” Doctor Harrison looked over at them. “But, seeing as the father is quite large in size,

that really isn’t a surprise.” They wrapped everything up, and they were handed a series of pictures of

the baby. When they were left alone and Ary was dressed, Charlie grabbed her and pulled her into a

tight hug.

“Have I told you how happy you make me?” He pulled back and cupped her face with his

hands. She had to crane her head back to look into his face.

“Yes, but you can always tell me again.” He chuckled and kissed her once more.

“You make me so damn happy. I love you, Ary.” Her eyes widened, and her pulse quickened.

Charlie didn’t flinch as he stared at her. “I know everything is traveling so fast, but my feelings are

what they are. I don’t expect you to feel the same way—”

“I love you, too, Charlie.” His eyes widened a fraction as well, and then that trademarked half

mouth smile came into play. He pulled her into a hug again, and she heard him inhale. He was right,

things were going so fast, but she had never been around someone who made her feel so complete.

After several long minutes of him just holding her, he pulled back and dropped to his knees in front of

her. She was a bit confused as to what he was doing, but then he lifted up her shirt and placed a kiss on

her stomach.

“You hear that, son? Your momma loves me, and I love her.” He kissed her once more and

stood. She was speechless, so much so that all she could do was blink at what he had just done. Here

was this big, strong male, so very powerful and frightening at times, but so gentle and surprising at the

things he did. He continuously shocked her. “We better get going, or they’ll think we’re doing dirty

things in the exam room.” He took her hand and led her out of the office. She was still in shock when

he helped her in climbed in the driver’s seat.

“I freaked you out, didn’t I?”

Blinking a few times, she turned to him and shook her head. “You made me feel like I am

actually wanted.” Tears pricked her eyes, and he pulled her close to him.

“Hey, no crying, unless it’s because you’re happy.”

She nodded against his chest. “I am happy.
You
make me happy, Charlie.” Pulling back and

looking into his face, she was struck anew by the force of how much she loved him. It seemed crazy

that she could feel like this for one person after such a short amount of time, but her feelings had been

there all along, and until Charlie had told her he loved her, she hadn’t known that it was so intense and

consumed her fully. He wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

“I hate to tell you this, but I told you so.” For a moment she was confused by his statement, but

then it clicked into place. He was stating the fact he had known they were having a boy and that he

would be a bear. Smacking him playfully on the arm she scooted back to her seat and chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess you did.”

He started the engine, but before he pulled out of the parking lot he leaned over and kissed her

on the head. “You want to wait to tell everyone the good news until tonight?”

She nodded, because that was just what she was about to tell him. He took her hand in his, and

then maneuvered the truck out of the parking space and away from the doctor’s office.

“I need to stop by the butchers and pick up a meat order Bram placed for dinner tonight.”

“That’s fine. I’ll go into the supermarket and grab a few things.”

He pulled into a spot right in front of the little grocery store and cut the engine. “I won’t be too

long. I’ll meet you inside?” He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. They climbed out of the truck,

and he jogged across the street to Brady’s. She walked into Sweet Water’s small grocery store and

grabbed a cart. If anyone wanted more than the necessities they’d have to travel twenty minutes

outside of town to the larger chain store supermarket to get it.

After paper plates, plastic cups, and any other “party” items she could think of, she debated

whether or not to grab a bottle of wine for Melissa and Candace. Deciding against it because if she

knew anything about Melissa it was that she would probably bring a case of wine with her, she headed

over to the bakery. After ordering a baker’s dozen of pastries, she stood patiently as they were being

packaged.

“February?” Stiffening at the deep sound of her name right behind her, she slowly turned

around and stared at Frank. Her jackal ex-boyfriend looked exactly the same: longish dark hair, and

cold, flat dark eyes. They had broken up, or more she had left him. Memories of their relationship

washed through her, sour and vile ones that made her feel like less of a woman and more of an object.

He had made her feel like no one else would want her, had told her as much on several occasions, yet

she had stayed with him. That is, until she grew a backbone, talked to her two best friends, and

dumped his ass. No way would she let him intimidate her anymore. She was now with Charlie and

couldn’t help but feel like she was worthy of someone’s love, and that they were worthy of her love in

return.

“Well, shit, it is you.” He eyed her up and down, and she could practically hear his

condescending words even though he didn’t say anything. “Damn, Ary, in just a few months you’ve

really packed on the pounds. And that’s saying something since you were thick to begin with.” And

there was the Frank she had left. She didn’t say anything, couldn’t because she was humiliated, but

also because she was furious. Opening her mouth would only end up in her saying something vile in