Bear With Me: Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (13 page)

The front door opened; that was what had caught Jamie’s attention. The door was made of one single length of wood. Jamie remembered Mark telling her it was from an enormous tree that had fallen in a storm when his grandparents first bought the land. Below it, the steps leading down to the hard-packed ground were worn smooth by hundreds of feet.

Tom stood on those steps now, a wriggling bundle in his arms.

“Mark! Jamie!” Tom pulled one hand free and waved, but stayed on the steps.

Jamie saw he was only wearing thick woolen socks on his feet, no shoes. Out here in the forest, it was either take your shoes off at the door or spend your whole life sweeping out mud, she supposed.

“How was the trip?” Tom called across to them.

“Long…” Jamie stretched back against Mark, feeling her spine click. “I am more than ready for this barbeque, let me tell you that.”

Kes ushered them both forward. “It’s a long way from California, that’s for sure. Thank you again for driving my stuff up.”

Jamie shrugged as she followed her to the house. “Well, Mark still had his truck with him from the wedding, and how else were you going to get all your extra gear hauled up here? So—oh, hello-o-o, baby Abbie! Ooh, she’s a lot bigger, isn’t she?”

Abigail had been two months old when Kes and Tom moved to be closer to Tom’s family. Jamie was sure she must have doubled in size in the four weeks since then.

“Only the best and biggest babies here,” Tom boasted, jiggling Abbie up and down. The little girl giggled, staring at the newcomers with shiny brown eyes.

Jamie leaned forward and stuck out her finger for the baby to grab. “Aw, are you a chubby little baby?” she cooed. “So much cuter than bird babies! Yes, you are!”

Abbie frowned at Jamie’s finger, then reached out with both hands to grab it, a look of fierce concentration on her tiny face.

Mark’s hand came to rest on Jamie’s waist, and she felt an indescribable feeling of warm deep inside her as she stood there with her fiancée and their friends.

“Been showing her off to everyone?” Mark asked. Tom snorted.

“Are you kidding? This is the first time I’ve been able to hold her myself all day.” Tom kissed his daughter on the top of her fuzzy head. “You’re going to forget who I am at this rate, aren’t you, Abbie?”

“Bu-bu-buh,” said Abbie, dribbling on Jamie’s finger.

“Come on inside,” said Kes.

Jamie freed her finger, wiped it on her pants and grabbed Kes’s elbow. “Actually, before we go and see everyone else…”

“…Jamie and I have some news,” Mark completed. “And we’d like you to be the first to know.”

Kes’s mouth fell open. Jamie could tell that her friend’s mind had immediately rifled through the possible revelations they were about to disclose and settled on, probably, the correct one. Tom frowned.

“We already know you’re engaged,” he said, confused, and nodded towards the modest band on Jamie’s ring finger. His wife gasped in frustration and elbowed him in the ribs—gently, so as not to disturb Abbie.

“I’m pregnant,” Jamie blurted out, and Tom’s face cleared. Kes squealed.

“Oh, Jamie! Oh, my God,” she added, laughing, “you Visser men! What, none of you can wait until you walk down the aisle?”

“Congratulations,” Tom said, clapping Mark on the shoulder and grinning down at Jamie. “Not wasting time, eh? Think you’ll move in here? There’s an empty section next to ours…”

Jamie caught Mark’s eye. They had talked about this, but she still felt a pang of anxiety when she thought about what the future held. She’d only found out that she was pregnant a week ago. It had come as a surprise, given she was still on the pill. But, no birth control was 100 per cent guaranteed—particularly when you were having as much sex as she and Mark were.

It wasn’t a
bad
surprise, even though it was unexpected. But … Kes and Tom had settled down so quickly. Tom’s parents had even built them a house on a section here on the mountain, where they were living now with their baby daughter. Jamie knew Kes would be loving the security of her own home, and having supportive family so close. But Jamie wasn’t sure it was the right path for her.

She knew as she looked at Mark that he would be able to sense her worry, but there was so much love in his eyes as he met her gaze that she felt weak at the knees. She stepped closer to him, and he slid his arm further around her waist, holding her safe.

“We’re not planning on settling down just yet,” Mark explained. “Jamie’s conservation work is doing so well. We’ve already signed on to do a few months of field work back around the condor nest over winter, to check on the—what was it?—how they re-establish the nest. And after that … who knows?” he said, squeezing Jamie’s waist.

“Who knows,” Jamie repeated. She put her hand on her belly. It was too early for her to be showing at all, but the knowledge of the life growing inside her glowed like the sun. The conservation center was planning to release more birds next year, in the same area as Coco and Louie and their nestling. She thought of the baby bird the last time she had seen it: still small, and fluffy, and ugly, but thriving. She was looking forward to returning to camp over the winter, but after that? By the time the next lot of birds were released, she would have had her baby.
Things will have to change, I guess
, she thought.

Someone called from inside the house, and Tom ducked his head back behind the door a moment. “I’d better go and start laying the groundwork for your ‘not immediately moving back to the old stomping grounds’ plan,” he said, smiling. “And, I think, help your mother save the pies…”

He handed Abbie to Kes and disappeared inside the house. Kes grinned at them both and followed him, leaving Jamie and Mark alone on the steps.

“Is your family going to be okay about you moving away again, after this trip?” Jamie asked, suddenly nervous.

Mark shrugged. “Sure. This might be our clan mountain, but it’s not like the whole family lives here all the time.” He laughed. “Just so long as we keep Facebook updated with photos of the baby after it’s born, I don’t think we’ll start a family feud.”

“Well, that’s good!” Jamie smiled back at him, but doubt still gnawed at her. From what Tom said, the whole clan had gone gaga over Abbie. Surely they would expect her and Mark to keep their baby close by, too?

Determined not to let her concerns show, Jamie knelt to unlace her boots. Kes had left the door open, and the most delicious smells were floating out of the homestead’s interior.

“I guess I can brave a few disgruntled aunts and uncles if it means getting some of that lunch,” she joked.

She pulled off her boots and stood back up. “Let’s head in—wait. What’s that?”

Mark had pulled a small package out of his pocket while she was taking off her shoes, and was now holding it nervously in front of him.

“I was going to save this for later, but I want to give it to you now, before we go in and meet everyone else,” he said. “Think of it like … a promise. That we’re going to have the sort of life together that I know you want.”

Jamie took the paper-wrapped parcel and slowly unwrapped it. It was light, and smaller than both her fists put together, wrapped in layers of tissue paper. She wondered what it could be.

“Oh,” she said softly as she took away the last layer of tissue and the contents tumbled into her hand. “Oh, Mark!”

Mark shifted from foot to foot. Jamie already knew him well enough to recognize his pleased-but-still-kind-of-embarrassed behavior. She stuffed the tissue paper in her pocket so she could properly look at what he had given her.

A pair of hiking boots—in shiny silver. Even the laces were glittery.

And the perfect size for a toddler.

“I know it’ll be a while before our child can wear them,” Mark admitted quickly. “I just saw them in the store and thought … perfect!
And
,” he added hurriedly, “I know I still owe you some actual boots, for yourself, because of destroying your other shoes…”

“…But they can wait until we’re back in town.” Jamie waved the thought away and the boots gleamed as they caught the late-afternoon light. She bit back another burst of laughter. Mark was right: they were a perfect complement, and antidote, to the fancy sandals that she’d worn at Kes’s and Tom’s wedding.

“I want you to know…” Mark cleared his throat and placed his hands over Jamie’s, enfolding the tiny shoes between them. “I know it’s easy to look at Tom and Kes and think, that’s how things are meant to be. And I’m sure their house is wonderful, and they’ll love living here. But you and I don’t have to do that.”

Jamie felt tears begin to prick at her eyes. She pinched her nose.
Come on, no crying right before you meet his family…
she told herself firmly.

She sniffed. “Mark, I…”

Mark put one finger to her lips. “No, please, wait, I had this whole speech planned out, I—oh, damn. What was next?” He took a deep breath. “Jamie. There’s nothing more I want in the world than to spend my life with you, out in our own corner of the world, wherever that is. If it’s a new place every summer, all the better. If you disappear for half of each day to stare at some birds, then that’s perfect, because I know it makes you happy. I love you so much, and we’re going to have an amazing life together. All three of us.”

A glow of happiness spread through Jamie’s entire body. Unable to speak, she reached up and pulled Mark into a deep, passionate kiss. Then, together, they walked through the door, into the warmth, and the smell of family cooking, and the murmur of happy conversation. With Mark beside her, Jamie felt as though she was taking her first steps into a life more wonderful than she could ever have hoped for.

***

A note from Zoe Chant

Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please
click here
to be added to my mailing list.

Please click on the title to write a review of
Bear With Me
. I love hearing what my readers think! It helps me decide what to write next.

Page down to read a special sneak preview of
[some Zoe book]
.

The cover of
Bear With Me
was designed by Olivia Grey. Stock images © as follows:

Man: dmitrimaruta (123rf.com)

Bear: Malene Thyssen, CC BY 2.5 license

Landscape: CC0 Public Domain license

More Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant

Trusting the Tiger.
A lonely BBW who can't shift, on vacation with her shifter family + a billionaire tiger shifter looking for a family + a kidnapping plot that threatens to rip them apart = one sexy and dangerous weekend getaway!

Sheriff Bear
.
(Bears of Pinerock County # 1).
A small-town sheriff + a wrongly accused BBW on the run + deadly enemies and dangerous passions = a sizzling forbidden love!

Bad Boy Bear
.
(Bears of Pinerock County # 2).
Biker bear on the open road + BBW runaway-bride hitchhiker + evil motorcycle gang = an unforgettable red-hot road trip!

Alpha Rancher Bear
.
(Bears of Pinerock County # 3).
A take-charge alpha with commitment issues + a midwife who's not about to give up control of her well-ordered life + a roadside winter disaster = an explosive romance that's about to blow up everything they both thought they wanted!

The Bear’s Christmas Bride
.
A BBW who's alone at Christmas + a lonely bear shifter searching for his mate + a crowded house full of relatives = a snowy yet sizzling holiday romance!

Alpha Lion
.
A frightened but determined BBW + a sexy lion shifter martial artist + a dangerous enemy = one unforgettable romance!

Target: BillionBear
. A BBW artist + an amnesiac bear shifter + a mysterious murder plot = an explosive blockbuster romance!

In the Billionbear’s Den
.
A stressed-out BBW in need of a break + a sexy billionaire bear shifter in need of a mate to share his home + the remote woodland house he built himself = one steamy romance!

The Bear With No Name.
A BBW park ranger + a sexy bear shifter with amnesia + a town that needs their help = one unforgettable romance!

Bearing Your Soul.
A shy BBW who’s been burned by love + a sexy veteran bear shifter + a family code of silence = one sizzling hot romance that defies all odds!

Bodyguard Bear
. (Protection, Inc. # 1).
A BBW witness to a murder + the sexy bear shifter bodyguard sworn to protect her with his life + firefights and fiery passion = one hot thrill ride!

Hollywood Bear
. A BBW stuntwoman + a movie director bear shifter + Hollywood hijinks = one blockbuster romance!

Bear Down
.
BBW biologist + bear shifter pilot + huddling for warmth in the wilderness = one blazing-hot story!

And many more!

If you love Zoe Chant, you’ll also love these books

Laura’s Wolf
,
by Lia Silver. Werewolf Marine Roy Farrell, scarred in body and mind, thinks he has no future. Curvy con artist Laura Kaplan, running from danger and her own guilt, is desperate to escape her past.  But together, they have all that they need to heal. A full-length novel.

Prisoner
,
by Lia Silver. Werewolf Marine DJ Torres is a born rebel. Genetically engineered assassin Echo was created to be a weapon. When DJ is captured by the agency that made Echo, the two misfits find that they fit together perfectly. A full-length novel.

Partner
,
by Lia Silver. DJ and Echo’s
relationship grows stronger under fire… until they are confronted by a terrible choice. A full-length novel.

Mated to the Meerkat
, by Lia Silver. Jasmine Jones, a curvy tabloid reporter, meets her match in notorious paparazzi and secret meerkat Chance Marcotte. A romantic comedy novelette.

The Christmas Tree Bear
, by Rosie Lynne.  Bear shifter Willis Barnett meets his fated match in Charlotte Caldwell when she hopes to earn extra money as Santa Helper’s on Willis’ family farm turned Christmas Tree Town for the holidays.  A romantic comedy novella.

The Strength of the Pack
, by Jorrie Spencer. Seth Kolski, a werewolf, hides his heritage and passes for normal. Until he meets Jamie.

Taming the Beast
,
by Honey Dover. Beauty is a paranormal investigator hired to deal with a man cursed to become a monstrous beast. Helping him recover his humanity will change her life.

Claimed by the Wolf
, by Candi Jackson.
Zenobia Jones ends up pregnant after a night with a billionaire—and lands herself in a war between werewolf packs. A full-length novel.

The Right Bear's Arms
, by Nora Eli. After a sizzling one night stand with bear shifter Jake, curvy Katie realizes her perfect man is everything she's tried to avoid. If they can both stop running from their pasts, they may find a destined future together.

Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
, by Lauren Esker. Curvy farm girl Julie Capshaw was warned away from the wolf shifters next door, but Damon Wolfe is the motorcycle-riding, smoking hot alpha of her dreams. Can the big bad wolf and his sheep shifter find their own happy ending? A full-length novel.

Handcuffed to the Bear
, by Lauren Esker. A bear-shifter ex-mercenary and a curvy lynx shifter searching for her best friend's killer are handcuffed together and hunted in the wilderness. Can they learn to rely on each other before their pasts, and their pursuers, catch up with them?

Guard Wolf
, by Lauren Esker. Avery is a lone werewolf with no pack; Nicole is a social worker trying to put her life back together. When he comes to her door with a box of orphan werewolf puppies and danger in pursuit, can two lonely people find the family they've been missing?

Discovering the Dragon
, by Sofia Stone. When reporter Chloe Martin investigates Lancaster Gold, she finds herself tangled up with the oldest son
—
Isaac Lancaster, billionaire dragon shifter.