I watched Rhonda stride confidently around The Honeyed Peach from my window in the kitchen, coffee carafe in hand and a smile on her face. Others may look at her and simply see a waitress, but I saw so much more. She was elegance and grace. The way she effortlessly floated from table to table, chatting and laughing, like a doting queen greeting her beloved subjects.

She was the one who always made people feel special, whether they recognized it or not. She remembered the little details. Asked people about their family, how school was going, even about their pets. You name it, she remembered.

A change in the sound of the sizzle and a subtle alter in the smell in the air alerted me that food on the stove was ready to be flipped. I glanced over my shoulder, eyeing the man at the stove. He wasn't flipping. I knew Tony was only human and didn't have my special senses, but he'd worked under me long enough that I knew I could count on him to flip things when they needed to be flipped. If he paid attention.

A low grumble started to build in my chest. Before it got loud enough for human ears, Tony finally flipped the damn food.

"Everything okay, Chef?" Eric asked with a wary look. I'd hired the wolf-shifter, a cousin of little Aly Addison's mate, Ben, a couple of weeks ago and he had caught on fast. As a fellow shifter, I wasn't surprised he heard the rumbling in my chest.

"You all need to pay attention to what you're doing," I snapped out.

His eyes grew wide at the sharp edge to my tone, and he quickly returned to his task, as if afraid I'd bite him. I was torn between being upset with myself and feeling so angry I could hardly stand it. The worst part was that I knew exactly where the anger was coming from.

I looked back out my window at the diner floor and, of course, my eyes immediately locked onto Rhonda. As hard as I tried, I couldn't help but watch her move. Most of her tables were clearing out now that the lunch rush was over. If things were still busy, I wouldn't have time to brood like this. How I wished it was busy.

Each day I spent with her and her children made it harder to avoid admitting the way I felt about her. It was wrong. Her husband may have left, but until very recently, she was still married to him. I couldn't go after a married woman. Everything in me rebelled against it. No matter how I felt about her.

Making an advance on Rhonda while she was still married would just prove my mother right—that I was a bad seed like my father. For a brief moment last night, she'd been a free woman. For one shining moment, everything held such promise. Until that knock on the door.

I let out a shaky breath and looked down at the glinting metal of the window's shelf. I had to get my head on straight. I was out of it and it was all because of the way I felt about her. I looked back up in time to catch her grinning at a customer and it was a shot straight to the gut.

Her entire face lit up when she smiled. There was nothing practiced about. It was all natural, straight from the heart. She went from being beautiful to gorgeous. I swallowed thickly. Nearly irresistible. It was a smile that tested me day in and out.

She had looked at me like that last night in her kitchen. Such joy lit her eyes—joy that I shared, knowing she was finally free—then she kissed me on the cheek. Before I had a chance to think about it, I was kissing her.

She felt so wonderful in my arms and her touch was so unexpected that I hadn't been able to control myself. When she kissed me back, my blood roared through my body in response. Her lips, her scent, the way her soft body fit so perfectly against mine . . . kissing her was heaven. I never wanted to stop.

I'd dreamt about holding her so many times. We spent so much time together, I sometimes felt like we were a couple. But I never dared to touch her, at least not in a way that went beyond friendship. This had been going on for more than a year. I'd pick up Abby at daycare then Caleb when he got out of school and watched them while Rhonda was in class.

I made Rhonda and the kids dinner most nights. I laughed with them, played with them. It filled my heart with joy when I could help Rhonda put the kids to bed. I got to be the father figure for her children. I was there for them. I got to feel like the father I used to wish I had. The father I would have had if not for my mother.

My biggest dream was to make this game of house we played a reality. In that moment, as I finally held her last night, I thought that maybe we could now be a family for real.

That was when I had caught a scent in the air. Something about it immediately set my bear on guard. Warlock. I couldn't stop the low growl from rumbling out of me. Seconds later, loud knocks on the door heralded the death of my burgeoning dreams.

The scent I had caught was one I distantly recognized. As Rhonda had moved to the door, I suddenly placed it. Abby and Caleb held part of that scent. It was their father.

A clang rang out behind me and I whipped my attention to the stove. An empty frying pan spun around on a burner. Tony stared at me with wide eyes. I was about to light into him when I realized all the kitchen staff was staring at me.

"You were growling again," Eric said, his voice even softer than usual, trying to go unheard.

I sucked in a deep breath. I knew better. I had more control over my bear than this. Why now, of all the times and days, was it trying to fight me? I looked around to meet the eyes of my staff, prepared to apologize, but the moment I turned my attention to them, they quickly looked away. One by one, they returned to their tasks, backs stiff and their eyes averted.

I frowned. No one was so much as breathing loudly. The kitchen was never this quiet. My staff usually bantered back and forth as they prepared the food. Now, there was nothing but quiet warnings of "behind" and the occasional call of "order up."

I did this, I realized with a sickening feeling. My bad mood had trickled down to my staff. Was this really the sort of head chef I wanted to be? Enough. Time to do something constructive. I was about to divert my attention to working on some new menu items when I heard something that made me freeze.

"Jude, what are you doing here?" Rhonda said.

I could hear the way her pulse picked up even through the noise of the diner. Was she that excited to see him? My jaw clenched. Rhonda never talked about him much, especially when the kids were around, so I didn't know how to handle his return into her life. I wanted to be happy for her, I really did. But this was beyond me.

"Where else would I be?" I heard Jude chuckle. "I couldn't stand to be apart from you for another minute."

Unable to help myself, I looked back out the kitchen window. Jude stood next to an empty booth near the entrance, holding something behind his back. His smile oozed the sort charm I could never hope to emulate. Rhonda's back was to me. I had no idea if she was smiling back at him or not.

"What do you want?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly. What was that I heard in Rhonda's voice? Suspicion, maybe? Before Rhonda could say anything else, Rose bounced over to them with a bright smile.

"Rhonda, who's this?" she asked.

"You haven't told anyone I'm back?" Jude asked, a hurt look on his face.

"Why would I?"

Jude quickly retorted, "Why wouldn't you? I thought you would've been telling everyone about the amazing return of your long-lost husband."

"You're her husband?" Rose blurted out, excitement in her voice. "I thought you went poof? What happened? What took you so long to get back?"

Jude dropped his head as Rose pelted him with curious questions, then looked up at her through his eyelashes. "It's a long, tragic story. I assure you that it was not my choice to leave my wife and children alone for so long."

"You can tell her all about how great you are later," Rhonda quickly said. "For now, just tell me why you're here."

"I told you—"

"Yeah, that you couldn't stand to be apart. Why are you really here?"

His expression stilled for a moment as if he was fighting against something. Was it hurt? Rage? I couldn't tell, but my instincts told me something was up with him. I pushed those feelings back. I couldn't trust my judgment when it came to him. I knew deep down I didn’t want him to be as he appeared because I wanted to be with Rhonda.

The stiffness in his expression eased into a smile as he whipped his hand out from his back. Flowers. He brought her flowers.

"I brought these for you, my beauty. Although their beauty doesn't compare to yours."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Rose linked her hands together in front of her chest. I had to agree with her. I'd never thought to bring someone cut flowers.

"Yeah, so sweet," Rhonda murmured as she took the bouquet Jude thrust at her.

"You should put them in some water so they'll last." Jude reached out to brush his fingers over the lush petals. "You don't want them to wither, now do you?"

"That would be tragic, wouldn't it?" Rhonda glanced at her tables, then hurried off to the breakroom. I watched her go with a frown. She wasn't acting very happy for someone who'd just gotten a gift. Did she not like flowers?

"Order up for Rose," Eric said quietly beside me.

I tore my eyes away from the scene in front of me to watch as Eric slid a series of plates onto the window shelf in front of me. I glanced at the ticket, then at the plates. Everything was right, including the side of applesauce. I took a deep breath, using my superior sense of smell to tell if there were any issues. The food was perfect, despite my sour mood sullying the atmosphere.

"Rose, order up," I called out. Someone let out a sigh of relief behind me. I clenched my jaw. It wasn't right that my bad mood had made my staff so edgy. I'd have to find a way to make it up to them.

Rose smiled at Jude and gave the suited man a little mock curtsy. "Excuse me, sir."

Although he smiled at the silly gesture, that look faded when she turned away. Jude's eyes followed her, roaming over her body. Alarm bells rang in my head. His look was not one I'd expected to see from a man who wanted to reconcile with his estranged wife. Or was I imagining things? Before I could dig into those thoughts any further, Rose reached the counter with an excited giggle.

"Things are so thrilling today," she stage-whispered to me. "That guy over there? The one with the fancy clothes? He's Rhonda's missing husband!"

She grabbed a tray and I nodded grimly in reply as I helped her load the four plates.

"Thanks, Sam," she said with a grin as she hefted the tray.

Jude had made his way over the counter, following Rose. He looked at me, eyes slightly widened. "You would let such a lovely woman carry all those heavy plates?"

"Well, it's my job," Rose said, furrowing her brow.

"My apologies. You're simply as lovely as a flower." Jude gave her the sort of smile people photographed. "And now I find out you're strong, too? Why, you're too perfect for this world."

A blush stole over Rose's cheeks as she smiled at Jude's compliment. My jaw clenched again. I'd never been one for compliments like that. Flowery phrases simply didn't occur to me. No flowers. No sweet compliments. I was more inclined to bake a casserole and take it over. Something practical. Boring.

Rhonda reappeared from the back again and strode straight over to Jude.

"Thank you for the flowers." Her voice was wooden, as if she had to force herself to say the words. "I'll be sure to share them with the children when I get home."

Again, I wondered what was going on. Of course, she might still be mad at Jude for disappearing. Even if it wasn't his fault. Maybe.

"Sam, can you come check this?" I heard behind me.

I turned around. "What's up?"

"Soup for dinner," Tony replied with a hint of caution in his voice. "Taste test."

"What do you think?" I asked as I approached the stove.

Tony wobbled his head back and forth. "It needs something. Not sure what."

I took a spoon and dipped it in. I held it to my nose and took a series of shallow sniffs. I could have smelled it from where I stood, but I didn't want any other aromas from the kitchen interfering. Setting the spoon to the side, I grabbed the pepper mill and turned it several times, then stirred the soup with the ladle.

"It'll be good by dinner," I said.

Tony nodded and looked down at his shoes. Normally, he would toss me a quip and grin. I'd really been off my game today. I gave him two firm pats on the shoulder. He smiled at me hesitantly. With a grin, I added, "That was a good call."

"Thanks." He moved to the grill and started to work on some hamburgers.

"Sam," I heard from the window leading to the diner.

I stepped over to the window to look at Rhonda. "Yeah?"

I could hear her just fine, but I didn't want her to get odd looks from the customers if they couldn't see me. No sense in them thinking she was talking to thin air.

"I'm heading out," she told me, her expression still . . . off somehow. She already had her purse and the bouquet was tucked firmly in the crook of her arm. I resisted the urge to let myself think too hard about that.

My gaze bounced to the clock and back. "Wow, it's time already?"

She glanced down and adjusted the bouquet. "Yeah, remember, I've got that dentist appointment, then my study group. Don't forget to pick up the kids."

"Of course I won't. Any requests for dinner tonight?"

"Surprise me. Thanks, hon, I'll see you later." She blew me a kiss, then with a wave to Rose, she rushed out of the diner. I couldn't stop the smile from crossing my face.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I snapped my head around to see Jude trying to stare a hole through me. The moment my eyes met his, the dark expression disappeared. His charming smile was firmly back in place. The transition was so fast I thought I must have imagined it.

"Sam, right?" Jude said as he stepped toward the counter near the kitchen window. "We weren't properly introduced last night. I'm Jude, Rhonda's husband."

His words were like a punch to the gut. He was Rhonda's husband. Sure, she got the final divorce papers last night, but it sounded like Jude hadn't meant to abandon his family. I wasn't sure how much I believed his story, but if Rhonda believed it, I wasn't going to insert myself where I didn't belong. Especially if it was coming from a place of jealousy.

I had no right to be jealous. This man was lucky enough to have been married to the most beautiful woman I'd ever met. They had two wonderful children together. He deserved a second chance, didn't he?

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah," I said to him, "I know who you are."

I winced at how unfriendly I sounded. At least I managed to keep the growl out of my voice. It was a good thing I had such strong control over my bear. I had a feeling any other shifter would be a mess right now. Jude didn't seem to notice how stiff my greeting was. His grin stayed as big as ever.

"I'm glad you do. I hope to get to know you better. It seems as if you're quite familiar with my children." His smile grew, yet it didn't reach his eyes. "Speaking of, where do my children need to be picked up today?"

I'd never imagined him returning and I wasn't sure how things would change now that he was back. I'd grown to love Rhonda's little imps during all the time I spent with them. My bear struggled to break free of the hold I held over it. It wanted to rise in fierce protectiveness at the thought of losing them.

Instead, I calmly replied, "You don't need to worry. I've got it."

"Sam," Jude gave me a sad smile,"these are my children. It's been so long since I've spent time with them. Let me do this. Why, I think I'll pick them up and take them out for ice cream."

"I don't know if that's—"

"I'm their father." The sorrow in his expression grew. "I've missed out on so much. It's just ice cream. Would that really be so terrible?"

I studied his face, my bear pacing inside me with misgiving. But he was right. He was their father. It took me a moment to push back the growl I felt building.

I splayed my hands out in front of my chest and blew out a huff of air. "Fine, I—"

"Great," he interrupted. "What time and where?"

"They aren't at the same place. Caleb is at the elementary school and Abby is in daycare."

"I'll pick up my boy then. He and I need some father-son time."

"The school is pretty strict. You have to be on a list."

"Fine, call them. Put me on the list."

My unease lifted as I realized I had a legitimate out. I kept my smile contained as I answered, "Only the legal guardian currently listed at the school can authorize changes to the list."

"No problem," he said with a bright smile. "I'll get Rhonda to clear it."

I studied him for a moment, but couldn't find any other excuse. Plus, Caleb had been pretty excited to see him last night. I gave a mental sigh. He was their father, after all.

"You know where Oakside Elementary is?"

"Indeed. I'm a graduate from there myself. I had hoped to enroll Caleb, as well. I'm honored that Rhonda kept up with my vision for the boy."

"Alright, yeah." I clamped down on the discomfort I was feeling. "You need to be there at three. There'll be a line and the volunteer parents who run it take their jobs very seriously, so just follow the rules."

Jude furrowed his brow, then nodded. "Wonderful. I really appreciate you being so accommodating."

Before I knew it, he blew out of The Peach. I finished my shift, my unease growing. I wasn't sure why Rhonda hadn't asked him to pick them up. But he was their father. I wasn't. That was the bottom line. He would have to get her to clear him, anyway. She would call me if she wasn't okay with it.

I glanced at the clock and suddenly realized he hadn't asked about Abby. Did he not want to spend time with his daughter? Of course, even if he'd wanted to pick her up, he couldn't. I had set Rhonda up with the cat-pack daycare to save some cost.

Izzy, the daycare provider, wouldn't let any of the kids go with someone she didn't know. Even then, she wouldn't release any of the children to someone she did know unless the parents had given clear permission. I doubted a phone call would suffice. I appreciated the fire that young woman had in her when it came to those kids.

I headed out of The Peach and decided to pick up Abby early. Izzy wouldn't care. My bear was restless and playing with the rambunctious little girl would calm it down like nothing else could. Not much later, I was pulling into the street parking outside of Izzy's apartment.

I stepped out of my vehicle and took a deep breath. I couldn't help myself. I always had to get the scent of a place when I arrived. Cougar. That was expected. Several of my packmates lived in this complex as well.

The cats thought it was hilarious that they had a bear in their pack. By nature, bears like me were easy going, and it didn't bother me at all. I'd been with the Fayoak cat-pack for so many years, that even if a bear-pack moved here, I wouldn't change packs. Those crazy cats were my family.

I checked my phone but had no call from Rhonda. Guess Jude is picking up Caleb. If Rhonda was okay with it, I would have to be, too. I bounded up the stairs and knocked softly on Izzy's door. The door to the left and right of hers both flew open. I met the suspicious gaze of one pack mate and the startled one of the other.

I gave them each a sheepish grin. "Too loud?"

Izzy's door opened a moment later and her wide-eyed look said it all. The two pack members shook their heads, then quickly closed their doors. I wasn't sure if Izzy knew they kept such a close eye on her, but I wasn't going to spill the beans. She certainly didn't seem to notice the soft closing of the two doors as her face eased into a gentle smile.

"Sam, you're early," she greeted me. "Come on in."

Izzy was such a tiny thing, I felt like a giant in her presence. Every time I saw her, I was reminded of a delicate porcelain doll. It didn't help that she spoke in a very soft voice.

"Sorry," I said as I followed her in. "I just couldn't wait to see my favorite girl."

"Sam," a high-pitched voice yelled, followed by a blur then a tiny, girl-shaped missile slammed into my legs.

I looked down, amused. "Hey, half-pint."

"You here to pick me up?" Abby asked as she wrapped herself around my legs and sat right on top of my foot.

"Sure am." I grinned and took a step forward, earning a crazy giggle from Abby

"Sam!" Four other voices chorused my name as they swarmed around my legs, trying to climb up my sides.

"Oh no," I said in mock terror, "I'm being attacked."

"No shifting," Izzy suddenly called out in a stern voice.

"But . . . but . . ." Brian, a cougar cub, complained, "how am I supposed to reach his shoulders as a people?"

"Like this," Damien, a fox cub, yelled as he landed on my shoulders with a thump.

"Damien," Izzy said sharply, "how many times have I told you not to climb the bookshelf?"

"Sorry, Izzy," he said as he settled himself on my shoulders.

I paused and watched Izzy, waiting to find out if she wanted me to put the child on the ground. She met my gaze and gave a small shake of her head, giving me the go-ahead to play with the children.

I gave a soft growl and tossed my head back to quietly roar at the ceiling. The children collectively growled back, even Abby. That was game on. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, swarmed. They climbed on my back, demanding rides. I carefully rolled onto my side, dumping them on the ground. That was when they all struck at once.

Little fingers wiggled at my ribs, and I carefully poked their sides to their laughing delight. I hadn't intended to stay and play with the kids, but time slipped by.

"Sam, hey, Sam." Izzy suddenly appeared above us as we rolled around on the ground.

I looked up at her with a grin. "Yeah?"

"Don't you need to go pick up Caleb?"

The grin slid off my face. Izzy looked at me with concern.

"No. Jude is picking him up."

"Jude?"

"Their father."

Izzy's eyes grew wide, but there must have been something in my voice because she didn't ask anything else. Of course, it could have been all the curious little ears surrounding us, too.

"But you're right anyway. Abby and I need to head out." I ruffled my hand through the tiny little girl’s light brown hair. "You ready, kiddo?"

Abby nodded and popped up to her feet. She held out her arms to the other children. "Hugs goodbye."

The other kids swarmed her, except for one little girl. She stood off to the side, watching with a big smile. When Abby finished hugging the others, she walked over and held out her hand, palm up. The other little girl ran her hand over Abby's palm and they grinned at each other. That was new. I looked over at Izzy with a raised brow.

"Mela doesn't like hugs. So this is how they say goodbye."

I shrugged and held my hand out to Mela like Abby had. The little girl studied me, then ran her hand along mine. A little body plowed into me, followed by another and another, as the other children decided to give me a group hug.

"Okay, okay," Izzy yelled over the giggling cacophony. "Who wants snacks?"

The children abandoned me in an instant to mob Izzy. Abby picked up her little backpack, dragging it along the carpet as she walked over to me.

"Ready, half-pint?"

She nodded and I scooped her up before stepping out the door. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, I set her on her feet and took her hand. As we walked over to my Suburban, I unlocked it and opened the back door. I gave Abby a lift and she climbed into her car seat.

She got herself settled and helped me buckle her in. She always insisted on helping. Independent little thing. Just like her mother. I closed her door and hopped into my seat.

"What about Caleb?" she asked as the vehicle roared to life.

"Your daddy is getting him."

"Oh, well, I'm glad he's not getting me."

"What makes you say something like that?" I asked as I pulled out of the parking space.

"I dunno."

"Yeah, you do, kiddo. Spit it out."

I glanced at her in the mirror and saw her stubbornly shake her head as she stared out the window, swinging her legs. "I don't know him. Can't you be my daddy instead?"

My heart clenched. I would like nothing better. But her true father was back in her life. I knew I had to handle this delicately, but I had no idea what to say. As much as I tried to keep myself in check, I was a bear. Delicate wasn't really in my nature.

"Abby, it doesn't work like that."

"Why not?"

"It just doesn't. Jude is your father. That's the way it is. Just like Rhonda is your mother."

"Oh."

When she stayed silent, I decided a change in topic was in order.

"Hey, we're going to be the first ones home. You know what that means, don't you? We get to pick dinner."

"Pancakes!"

I let out a silent sigh of relief when she jumped on my distraction. We spent the rest of the ride home talking about dinner. Well, actually, I spent most of the time trying to convince her that pancakes and ice cream wasn't a balanced dinner.

When we got to Rhonda's, I fixed Abby a snack, then started my dinner prep. We were having homemade tacos instead of pancakes and ice cream, but Abby still seemed pleased.

I couldn't resist glancing at the clock. Again and again. The second hand seemed to stop, then it would jump when I next looked. How long was it going to take for Jude to get ice cream with Caleb? They should be here by now.

My stomach knotted as I chopped the tomatoes. I glanced over to make sure Abby was fine. She sat at the table, happily munching on her celery with peanut butter. I scooped the tomatoes into a dish and washed my hands.

I was about to get out the cheese to start shredding it when my cell phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket and frowned when I saw it was Oakside Elementary. Why was the school calling me?

I hit answer. "This is Sam."

"Sam," Caleb's voice wavered on the other end of the line, "why didn't you come get me?"