Cade: Le Beau Brothers: billionaire Shifter Series BBW mates (Le Beau Series) (15 page)

She beat him by a nose to the front door skidding to a stop before she went right through the screen door. That was close.

He shifted easily to his human form and sat on the porch swing waiting for her to shift back. He had said getting good would take a long time and a lot of practice to be able to do a change as easily as he did and she was convinced he was right.

I hate you right now.

“No, you don’t, you love me. You’re just frustrated. Relax, clear your mind and visualize your human form. Oh, and don’t forget your underwear.”

She stopped what she was doing and glared at him, letting a low growl escape.
I’m not amused.

Cade barked out a laugh.

Three minutes later they walked back into the house.

Anna took a deep breath-
-she could do this. She was sure his parents would be wonderful people, plus she had already met Stefan and Marcus. How bad could meeting them be?  She was dressed, so all she had to do was check her hair and face.

“Should I quickly make something to bring?” She panicked, she had nothing to offer at the party!  She felt like such an idiot for not being prepared.

“Don’t worry, cher, they know we’re newly mated and you just moved in. They’re not expecting you to bring anything but me.” He pulled her in for a kiss, looking very pleased with himself.

He took her by the hand as they walked the three hundred yards to the main house. She was nervous and she knew he was able to sense it. He often told her his wolf hated its mate being uncomfortable in any way, instinctively he always tried to comfort her.

The instant Cade rounded the corner, she heard a high pitched squeal of delight.

That’s my mother, she’s very excited I
’ve claimed you. Be prepared for a hug and a lot of squealing
, he warned.

She covered her mouth with her hand to hide her grin as he was almost knocked over by his round little mother. He was caught in a tight hug, rolling his eyes at his brothers over her shoulder. They both snickered at his predicament.

“Hi, Mom, you’re squeezing a little too tight, I kind of need air here. As soon as I can breathe again I will introduce you to my mate.”

His mother loosened her hold, blushing and appeared a bit embarrassed. Emma took a step back and smoothed her skirt nervously. Anna thought her exuberance was sweet.

“Mom, this is my Anna. Anna, this is Emma, my mother.” He quickly stepped back,
be prepared, cher, your hug is coming…

His mother appeared like
one would expect a combination gypsy voodoo priestess to look. She had long dark, shiny hair and almost black eyes. She wore a turban thing wrapped around her head combined with a peasant blouse and broom skirt in the craziest pattern she had ever seen. Her multitude of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings created tinkling sounds. Somehow the outfit worked together and she was enchanting.

The assessment only took her about two heartbeats, but apparently, even a few seconds was too much for Emma to withstand. She swooped in and had her in the tightest hug she had ever experienced.

“Mother, I think you need to loosen your hold on my mate so she can take a breath.” Cade said as she gasped for air.

“
I’m sorry, Anna, I forget my strength and tend to squeeze too hard when I’m excited.”

She smiled a genuinely warm smile at her new mother-in-law. She was sweet, loving, and a truly caring person. How could anyone not love her?
“There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s wonderful to receive such a warm welcome.” To prove her point, she grabbed Emma and gave her a bear hug in return which had his mother beaming with happiness.

Have I told you today how perfect you are?

No, I don't believe you have.

I’ll be sure to tell you all about it later.

She had to work at keeping her facial expression bland. She was still a little shy about public shows of affection in front of his family.

He placed his hand at the small of her back and steered her to the other end of the patio where Stephan and Marcus
stood. “Where’s Dad?”

“Your father’s making sure the steaks are seasoned to perfection and won’t join us until he is satisfied with his artistic gastronomic creation,” Emma said while gesturing dramatically for effect.

The boys chuckled and shook their heads.
Huh
, she thought,
must be a family joke.

He left her with his brothers while he made them cocktails at the bar. She was looking forward to a tall cold gin and tonic. Her nerves
cried out for a drink, meeting parents was stressful no matter how nice they were.

He came back and wrapped her up in not only his arms, but his warmth and love. She needed that right now. She actually sighed a little in relief which made Emma smile even larger.

Emma
Le Beau was over the moon seeing Cade’s happiness and she already adored his lovely mate. Their plan to help him meet her had worked perfectly. She was practically dancing in place waiting for her husband Isaac to join them and meet her himself.

She decided now would be a good time to mention the subject of
Anna’s friends back in Denver. Perhaps she could steer the conversation so she would bring up her friend Rose. It would be fairly easy to turn the chat, so the idea of inviting her here for a visit could be offered.

“
Anna, do you stay in touch with any of your friends in Denver? You have been here for what, six months? I’m sure you miss your friends from there.”

“My sons still live there, and my very best friend, Rose, is there as well. I miss all of them terribly, but they have jobs and lives so I cope with phone calls and Skype.”

“You and Cade have the house with all those extra rooms, you should invite them to visit soon,” Emma suggested.

She got a thoughtful expression and nodded her head
. “What a perfect idea, the next time I speak with them I will mention visiting. John and Thomas still need to meet him. Since they are self-employed I am sure they can make time to come. Rose might be a little more difficult, her position keeps her so busy she hardly ever takes a vacation day.”

Emma knew the situation would work itself out. With the seed planted all she had to do was sit back and wait.
“I wonder what’s keeping Isaac.” She quickly changed the subject, best to not be too obvious.

As if on cue, Isaac walked out the patio door. First thing he did was put his arm around his mate, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. Emma excitedly whispered to him, bringing his attention to Anna. As the alpha
, Isaac was extremely dominant.  He sensed, as he locked eyes with his new daughter, his intensity made her nervous.  He had no intention of making her uneasy in anyway, his nature was simply part of the beast. His sharp vision picked up on her trembling hands, causing the ice in her glass to tinkle quietly. His son reacted to her fear by tightening his arm around her protectively and sending him a glare of reprimand.

He
smiled at her warmly to calm her. He hadn’t intended to make her anxious. He tended to forget how intense he appeared to others.

“Anna, welcome to our family. We’re so pleased to have you as a new daughter.” Isaac purposely called her daughter instead of daughter-in-law to announce her place in the family to everyone. She would always be a family member, not simply a mate who came in from the outside. This was a huge honor he was giving her.

He stepped forward to Cade and Anna, clapping him on his back before pulling her into a warm, fatherly embrace. As he released her, he gave her a light kiss on the cheek as any parent would give a daughter.

“Now back to the important task of grilling these steaks
,” he said with a warm gleam in his eyes.

Anna let the stress of meeting
the family wash away. Now that Isaac was busy with the grill she took a moment to study him, she saw where Cade inherited a lot of his features. His father was tall, maybe an inch taller than him. They were both very handsome with long, wavy dark hair. He had the same well-built body with wide shoulders, muscular chest, and an abdomen that tapered into a fit, narrow waist. Even though he was intimidating as hell, he had warm, expressive brilliant green eyes. She really liked his eyes.

His family
made her feel like a member, not a stranger joining them, and she appreciated their generosity.

She went into the kitchen to help Emma with last minute food preparations and table setting. As she was placing the silverware, she saw a wolf’s tail hanging off the end of the couch in the
great room.
Babe, is there another wolf here I haven’t met?

That’s Simon. He remains in wolf form most of the time. We’re helping him recover from his four years in the Marines. He may not join us tonight, the family leaves the choice to be in human form up to him.

She felt a strong draw to go to Simon, and before she knew what she was doing she’d walked over to the sleeping wolf. Not wanting to startle him, she spoke before she tried to touch him. “Hello, Simon, I’m Anna. Cade’s mate. May I touch you?” 

Cade and his mother had followed her as far as the doorway when they saw her walking in Simon’s direction.

The wolf made a small harrumph sound and opened his eyes.  She squatted next to the couch about four inches from his face waiting for his permission. He reached forward, stretching his neck toward her, licking her cheek. His wolfy hello made her giggle and she took it as a yes.

Simon rumbled, he sounded like Cade when he was pleased or content, taking that as a good sign she stroked him and scratched behind his ears. Her touch must have felt good to him. His wolf continued the soft rumble of satisfaction in his chest. As close to a purr as a wolf could get from what Cade had told her. He
adjusted his position on the couch which allowed her to reach his other side, he didn’t seem to want her to stop.

When she heard Isaac calling for everyone to be seated she whispered, “I’ll come back after dinner if you would like.”

As everyone was seated, a hush fell over the family as all heads turned to the doorway behind her. She turned to see what was causing this reaction. Simon slowly walked to her seat. It appeared as though he had to work very hard to walk those few steps. He extended his hand to her in greeting. “Welcome, Anna,” was all he said, but those two words spoke volumes. She gave him her hand and remained very still as he raised it to gently brush his lips across her knuckles. As he released her hand, he turned to Cade. “You have a lovely mate, brother. She’s a treasure.” Then he turned and walked back to the couch taking wolf form again.

The dinner was very quiet as everyone digested what just happened. She wanted to know what had put the family into such a reflective state, but she knew someone would explain everything to her later when they were finished.

She offered to help clean up after dinner but Emma pulled her aside and requested she sit with Simon again. She was helping him and that was more important. She wasn’t sure exactly how she was helping, but if this was what Emma wanted, she’d do it.

Cade was bursting with pride for his mate. Her empathy and care of others had no bounds.

He quietly sat in a chair remaining in the shadows of the room, not wanting to disturb her in any way. Today had been the first time anyone had seen Simon interact with another person who wasn’t blood related to him, and Anna had something to do with that. Somehow her touch had drawn his brother out of whatever dark hole he was trapped in.

There was no jealousy over his mate stroking his brother, both he and his wolf instinctively sensed her attentions were a form of healing and not romantic in any way. He wasn’t sure what was happening between Simon and his mate, he only knew the results were profound. She was helping him return to them with just her touch. Even his wolf sat silently watching in awe of their mate.

Cade focused on her hands. They were placed strategically on Simon’s head and chest. He would bet money she was unaware of the way she intuitively reached for the perfect position. A shifter’s wolf resided mainly in his thoughts and heart, a virtual second soul in the body. She had unerringly touched Simon’s wolf within without realizing it.

He would have to ask his mother about what exactly was happening with his mate. He had a feeling, between her gypsy and voodoo training as a healer, she would have a theory. He was convinced she had tapped into her special shifter gift by accident.
What an amazing gift to have.

Anna sat on the floor next to the couch and placed her hands gently on Simon
’s head and chest. She just held them there for a long time. As she touched him, she felt a mild heat radiating from her palms. The sensation kind of scared her at first, but the warmth wasn’t painful, it actually felt good, so she remained calm and went with it. Simon started his low contented rumble again and relaxed under her hands.

The house had become very quiet, she realized she must have sat longer than she thought. Slowly her hands began to cool, not sure what she was doing, she took the temperature change as a sign to stop. He rolled off the couch and lowered himself to the floor next to her. He laid his head in her lap for a moment, gave her hand a little lick, then rose and
padded down the hall and out of sight.

Without a word
Cade took her hand to help her stand so they could join his family around the fire pit in the yard. His brothers and parents were talking softly as they approached. Two chairs waited for their arrival.

Emma spoke first
. “How’d it go, Anna?”

“I’m not sure what you mean?” She looked to Cade for answers but he appeared as curious as she was.