Adelaide

“Your boyfriend is here,” Harley says with a big grin, as she rings up the last customer of the day.

I glance out the window and see Gunnar walking up to the store, carrying a bouquet of forget-me-nots. Before he even opens the door, I press into his mind, you look yummy enough to eat.

I’ll be eating you, later, he sends back, his eyes dark with desire and promises when they meet mine.

We hold a silent, playful conversation, that ends with me laughing, and him growling low and needy, his arms wrapping around my waist, and our gazes never wavering.

It’s not until Piper coughs behind me that I realize we haven’t spoken two words out loud to each other. Something that’s become more common between us, and I know it freaks my friends out.

They don’t know about the whole shifter thing. But Piper had said more than once that she swears we can read each other's minds.

“Get a room, you too,” she mutters, rolling her eyes before walking away.

“Don’t worry about her,” Kate says from her spot on the couch. She looks up from her laptop and grins. “She’s in one of her moods. Where are you going tonight?”

Gunnar smiles down at me. “My mom is having a family dinner. I was hoping you’d like to go.”

Two weeks have gone by since we decided to date, and while I’ve met each of his brothers, I still haven’t met the infamous Elizabeth Koleman. I’m more than a little nervous, because she’s not just Gunnar’s mom, but also the mother of four powerful bear shifters. While I’ve come to grips with the whole thing, at least mostly, it’s still intimidating.

Gunnar must sense my apprehension because he says, “We don’t have to go. If you’d prefer a quiet evening—”

“No. I’d like to meet her.”

He grins. “Good. Because she can’t wait to meet you.” As he nuzzles my ear, I hear his voice in my head, And I know she’ll love you as much as I do.

Love.

It isn’t a word that’s been spoken out loud between us. Other than to Harley, Kate, and Piper, I’ve never said the word to anyone else. My parents aren’t exactly emotional people. But even though I bite my tongue on reciprocating the words to Gunnar, the feeling is mutual.

The bond between us is undeniable. And even though I’ve continued to push that we take things slow, I know that he is my future.

Damn right I am, he murmurs in my ear, and I realize I must have opened my thoughts up. I’m still learning to control this whole mind-reading thing.

“Have fun,” Harley says with a wink as Gunnar ushers me out of the bookstore.

Even though the population of Bear Valley is small, the houses are spread out, many of them dotting the lower side of the mountain. Elizabeth Koleman’s house is one of those. A large two-story wood cabin that looks more like a chalet, buried deep beneath the mature spruces.

“This is where you grew up?” I ask, taking in the large wrap around porch, the obvious love and attention to detail that was put into the house.

Gunnar takes my hand as we walk up the steps. “My father built it for my mom when they got married.”

“It’s beautiful.”

He turns me in his arms and pulls me close. “I can build you something just as nice. I’ve got some land—”

“Slow,” I remind him. “We’re taking things slow.”

He sighs. “I know. But I want to give you everything.”

I don’t tell him that he already has. But I still have so many questions for him about his world. If we did get married, and eventually had children, would they be little bears? Kids are hard enough to handle, I’m not sure I could deal with toddlers who could randomly shift into cubs.

Gunnar chuckles and I realize I’ve projected my thoughts again. “You don’t have to worry about that. The bear is sort of locked inside of us until puberty. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t have full control over my animal when...” His expression tightens. “I was new to the whole shifting thing when the incident happened.”

The guilt that never seems to leave him wraps around me like I’m feeling his every emotion.

“It’s the past,” I remind him, leaning up and pressing my mouth to his, but just as I do, the front screen door flies open and a whirlwind of energy and pigtails flies out.

“Uncle Gunnar!” The child jumps into his arms, hugs him, before wiggling down and glancing up at me with interest. “I’m Finley. You must be Uncle Gunnar’s mate. Daddy told me that you know about the bears.” Her last two words are whispered.

“I do.” I smile down at her.

“Daddy says I can’t be a bear when I grow up because I’m a girl. But I think that’s stupid—”

“Hey now,” Gunnar says, placing a large hand on her head.

The door opens again and Weston, Gunnar’s twin brother, comes out. Gunnar told me that he had a daughter, but not much about her. In fact, there’s still a lot I don’t know about the family.

“Hi Addie,” Weston says, giving me a small, tired smile, then saying to Finley, “Grandma needs your help inside.”

The girl bounces back into the house. When she’s gone, Weston shakes his head and says, “We’re going to have to reschedule dinner. I just got a call, and there’s been another grizzly sighting just outside town.”

“Shit.”

“Bennett and Blaine are already heading over there.”

“Sorry,” Gunnar says to me. “I can drop you off—”

“Nonsense,” a woman says as the front screen opens. Dark hair with streaks of grey is pulled back from a friendly face, and eyes that are both speculative and kind study me. “Adelaide can stay with me and Finley. Better for us to get to know each other without all the men’s noise, anyways.”

“Sure. That would be nice.” I force a smile, and Gunnar takes my hand, giving it a small squeeze, but I can tell he isn’t about to argue with his mother.

“I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

I don’t mention that the last time he’d gone on a hunt, he’d disappeared for days.

He kisses me hard before turning and heading toward his truck with Weston following.

“So. You’re my son’s mate.” Elizabeth raises one brow as she opens the door and nods for me to follow.

“I...” What am I supposed to say to that? “Gunnar keeps saying I am. But I’ll be honest, this whole...thing is...”

“Strange.” She gives me a sympathetic smile.

“Yes. Very.”

“I felt the same way.”

“You did?”

Finley is at the kitchen table, husking an ear of corn, brows drawn down in concentration.

Elizabeth takes a casserole out of the oven and sets it on the counter. “And I knew about the bears. I can’t imagine what a shock all of this must have been for you. Especially with what happened with your grandfather.”

“It has been. But I feel like I’ve finally got some answers.”

“I’ll be honest, I was worried when Gunnar told me about you. That boy has been through a lot.”

I nod, seeing the motherly worry in her eyes.

“And you’re not allowed to tell about the bears,” Finley says in a sort of whisper-yell, her eyes wide and serious.

Elizabeth smiles down at her granddaughter, and I see another sliver of concern in her eyes. I don’t know Weston’s story, or why his daughter is motherless, but from the small pieces of information Gunnar has shared, I know their past is laced with tragedy.

“Well, even though it is a lot to accept,” Elizabeth says, wiping her hands on the apron. “Learning about shifters and how they live in Bear Valley, I admit to liking the idea of Gunnar falling for a girl who spent her childhood up here. Means you might be strong enough for an Alaskan winter.”

“I always loved it here. After my grandfather died, my mother forbade me to come, said it was too dangerous, but I always imagined myself back here one day. So, when I learned about my inheritance, it all clicked into place.”

Finley is listening as she finishes peeling the ears of corn. “What did you do up here when you were a kid?” she asks, reaching for a handful of the fresh blueberries sitting in a bowl on the kitchen counter.

“Hmmm,” I say, tapping a finger to my lips. “I loved the lake out past—”

Finley cuts me off, her eyes bright. “Past Honeysuckle Lane?”

I nod, smiling at the memory.

“I love that place,” she says dreamily. “My daddy takes me fishing there sometimes.”

I beam over at her. “That’s the lake my grandfather taught me to fish on.”

Finley frowns. “I don’t have a grandpa.”

I share a look with Elizabeth whose features have softened. “Oh Fin,” Elizabeth starts. “It’s not so bad. You have a daddy who loves you to the moon and back, isn’t that right?”

Finley nods, scrunching up her nose. “He says he loves me more than peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches.”

I laugh. “I’ve never heard of those, but they sound pretty good.”

“It’s the only thing my daddy can cook.”

Elizabeth clucks. “Cook? That is not called cooking. That poor man, he needs a wife just as badly as Gunnar.” Turning to me she asks. “What about you, Adelaide, you know your way around a kitchen?”

Heat rises to my cheeks as I think about cooking for Gunnar. About being his wife. It’s all so much more than I had ever considered for myself. A month ago, I had never even had a relationship.

“Not so much,” I admit. “My friend Kate, who is opening up the new cafe in the bookstore, has all the cooking skills. I can handle the basics, but not much more.”

Elizabeth laughs, then pulls out a recipe card box from a kitchen shelf and waves me over to the table. “Here,” she says, setting a hand on my arm. “Look through these. They are my mother’s recipes. All tried and true. My boys loved them all and I’ll help you learn to make any of them.”

Unexpected tears prick my eyes. The warmth that this family offers is more than I expected. They may have bear blood coursing through their veins, but there is something even stronger that keeps them together.

Love for their family.