Chapter Eight
Jane couldn’t believe Sam had talked her into this. A flash of brown rumbled past her feet, and she laughed at a bear cub frantically trying to kick off his pants. So far, no one had even batted an eyelash at her being the only human at their special fling. What was it called? The Bear Romp. This was the time the bears welcomed all the other shifters from their community to come and celebrate on their private property.
A face painter sat on a hard-backed chair next to a man making weird noises while he tried unsuccessfully to make balloon animals. It was her bosses from the restaurant. Badgers, Sam had told her. It had all made so much more sense after everything came together. Jane laughed again when Amy yelled at her husband and told him to stop popping all the balloons. The way they were sniping at each other, they’d be at each other’s throats, or having sex—or both—within minutes. The last few kids thanked the couple and ran to the Slip ’N Slide, and the honey badger couple took that as their cue to close up shop.
They disappeared, hand in hand, into the woods.
Liam sprinted up to her, a huge grin on his face as he shook his wet head at her.
“How was the balloon fight?”
“Fantastic!” He was beaming from ear to ear. “Bo let me get on his shoulders, and we won, and then I got Jeremy in the head, and no one yelled at me for being too rough. And then we played tag, and I accidentally tripped a girl, but she just laughed. And then we wrestled. Nobody told me to calm down. I love it here!”
Jane loved seeing the bright shine on his face and the twinkle of hope back in his eyes. Her boy was happy, and, for today, that was all that mattered.
“Did you talk with your mama about shifting yet?” Bo smiled and ambled up to them, his firm, measured gait bringing a thrill to her heart. He had a way of always looking like he knew exactly where he was going, but wasn’t going to rush it.
She wondered if he was like that in everything he did. A small niggling tickled at the back of her mind, but she ignored it, focusing on Bo and Liam.
Liam had jumped back up into the large man’s arms and was now happily perched on his shoulders. “Can I try that, too, Mama? Will I look just like them? What will I look like?”
“Baby, I don’t know what you’ll look like. Your father was golden with streaks of dark brown, and I only saw him once fully shifted.” It had scared the living daylights out of her. “He was beautiful and strong and graceful.”
“But he was a bad man, and you hope I don’t look like him.”
Liam’s words almost broke her heart. He said it so matter-of-factly, not even as if it made him sad, but just the truth. She felt her lower lip tremble, and she bit it to stop herself from tearing up in front of him.
“Buddy.” Bo took her son down and placed him on the ground carefully then knelt in front of him. “No matter what type of animal you share with your human side, and no matter what you look like, you will always still have Liam inside of you. The strong little man who took on a bear to protect your mama. You are a good boy. Your mother loves you very much and will always love you no matter what form you take. She might be a little nervous because this is all new to her, but you’ll help her to see that it’s all going to be okay. And she will always love you. You hear me, son?”
Liam nodded his head then raised his chin with pride. “I’m ready to be a good shifter, too. Show me? Is it okay, Mama?”
She nodded.
“We’ll be right over here, and we’ll be careful. You have my word.” Bo stood and pulled her into a big hug. Liam squeezed in between, giggling.
“It’s a Liam sandwich, and I’m the cheese.”
She hugged them both and stepped back with a happy smile. “Okay, little cheese. Go have fun finding your animal. Be careful.”
The large man’s hand rested on her son’s shoulder as they marched to the tree line.
Sam had already explained the order of events, and it made sense. Bo and Liam would disrobe then call their other side forward. She was sure everyone in town had all seen each other naked a bunch of times, but she still appreciated Bo’s attempt at modesty by taking Liam to the tree line. Liam still wore the oversized T-shirt and shorts Bo had given him, so Jane would feel more comfortable with the first shifting. She appreciated his thoughtfulness so much and watched as her son nodded at Bo’s instructions.
She couldn’t see all of Bo, since he was half-hidden in the shadows of the large oak they stood under. But she could see his muscular legs and a glimpse of his firm buttocks as he turned to Liam and spoke in warm, quiet tones. They stepped behind the tree.
A shimmer of light came from behind the tree, and Bo’s legs disappeared. A moment later, a large grizzly bear padded out and into the open field, and she sucked in her scream. It was okay. It was just Bo, the gentle giant who had been mentoring her son and was protecting the rest of the pack as their alpha. She calmed her breathing and watched the big, dark bear with streaks of brown amble back and forth on all fours.
Bo the bear lay down on his tummy, and Liam squealed with laughter and jumped onto his back. Bear and boy frolicked through the trees—slowly, so he didn’t fall off. Jane’s apprehension dissipated as the two continued their trek into the woods then back out. Bo was making sure she could always see her son, and she loved him even more for that.
Wait. Love? No, no, no. It was too soon for that. You didn’t just fall in love with someone—especially someone from a different species—within days of meeting them. Unless you were in a Disney movie. And Jane was definitely not in a fairy tale. Unless it was a Grimm’s version. Her backstory sounded like a Grimm’s fairy tale.
Mate.
Jane turned around to see who was talking to her, but there was no one within hearing distance. A tingle crept up her spine, and she shivered. Just the wind, the animals, and the sounds of her son enjoying being himself. That was it. She tuned it out and watched her son laugh as he chased after a little black bear cub. Liam hadn’t been able to shift fully, though he had tried a number of times. His little fangs did sharpen, and she thought she saw a glimpse of gold fur behind his ears. Once again, she felt bad for giving him the medicine and denying the animal inside him. But she was just keeping them safe, she reminded herself, still not quite pushing down the acid taste of guilt. She finally shook it off, enjoying the moment, her giggling son romping through the woods and meadow with friends. Her heart soared. He’d made friends.
An hour later, Liam was back in full human form, his chubby little face flushed after all the exertion. “I gotta show Bo something. Be right back!” He sprinted over to Bo, who’d shifted back, dressed, and was helping a bear cub who’d gotten stuck half shifted up in a large oak.
Bo pulled the cub to the ground, scruffed him on the head, and knelt in front of Liam.
“What’s up, little man?”
Liam leaned in closer. “I have a secret. It’s special.”
“I love special secrets.”
Liam pressed his nose against Bo’s, and Bo held very still. Liam wiggled his nose back and forth against Bo’s. “Nose kisses, nose kisses. I love you.” He tapped his nose against the tip of Bo’s nose. “Bonk. You also do cheeks and boops, but I’m not sure you’re ready for the extra boops.”
Jane’s breath stopped in her chest. Please let the big man not screw this up, or her son would be devastated.
Bo nodded. “Can I try it and make sure I get it right?”
Liam held very still while Bo ran the tip of his nose back and forth against Liam’s. “Nose kisses, nose kisses. I love you.” He tapped Liam on the nose. “Bonk. But no boops or cheeks, yet. Right?”
“You got it. Thanks for all the fun. See you tomorrow!” Liam hugged him tightly around his neck and came running back to her, his eyes full of light.
Tears blurred her vision, and she mouthed thank-you to the man who had just stolen her kid’s heart. And hers.
Bo grinned at her, and she couldn’t stop the flush that crept over her body. She had it bad for this bear. Real bad.