It took Devon longer to head into the house than he’d planned. A call from his answering service stopped him on his way back to the door. He wasn’t on call tonight, or through the weekend, but that didn’t seem to deter patients or the service from contacting him. Luckily, he was able to pull the resident on duty into the case, and felt confident the situation would be resolved without him heading to the hospital.

It was the first time he’d ever done such a thing. Before, he would have headed to the hospital without a second thought to take care of whatever emergency, or more typically non-emergency, was happening. With the prospect of a night with his family bonding with his new mate, it wasn’t even an option.

When he walked through the front door, he expected to find his parents in the living room with Carolline. Instead, all of the lights in the front of the house were off, and a glow from the kitchen beckoned.

Heading for the only lit room, he found Carolline sitting on one side of the table, Tabitha on her lap. His mother stood next to her, holding a sleepy Sebastian. Marcus and his father sat across from the group. Tabitha was in the process of telling them all about her quest to be a princess while stuffing cookies in her mouth.

“Hey, princess, I think you’ve probably had enough sugar for now. You’ll never get to sleep at this rate.” He wandered over to his mom and held out his arms. She shook her head and tilted it toward Marcus. Marcus watched Carolline with narrowed, concerned eyes.

“They didn’t want to go to sleep without telling you goodnight,” his mom told him.

“Carolline is going to read me a bedtime story, aren’t you?” Tabitha looked up at Carolline with adoring eyes, and Devon’s heart skipped a beat. The scene before him had only been a dream at one point. In his head, it had always been Sasha. This new version was more powerful and poignant.

Carolline smiled softly. “Of course,” she said. “Do you have a book picked out? It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to read a good one.”

Tabitha’s little mouth rounded into an exaggerated O. “I have a lot of books. I’ll go get one.” She hopped off Caroline’s lap; but before she could scamper away, his mother caught her hand.

“How about you brush those sugar bugs away first? Nana will go up with you so I can put your brother down, then Carolline and your Dad can join us in a bit.”

“Okay,” Tabitha said, skipping out of the room with her grandmother in tow.

Silence rained down on the people remaining in the room. Tabitha accepted Carolline easily and without question. It was nothing short of a miracle. The little girl hadn’t even taken to her teachers at school as well as she did his new mate. Sebastian was too little to realize what was going on. Marcus, on the other hand, was entirely another matter.

Devon turned his attention to his oldest. His mouth was set in a frown. A nervous, almost anxiety ridden vibe rolled off him.

“It was a really brave thing you did, Marcus, protecting your brother and sister,” Carolline said placidly. She leaned back in her chair and put a non-threatening look on her face. “I was scared out of my mind when I saw those men. They sounded so mean.”

Marcus’s eyes rounded in surprise. He looked to his grandfather, then at Devon, and then at Carolline. “But you’re a tigon. You’re strong when shifted. They were just big men.”

“I’m a small shifter compared to everyone else. Well, maybe not the smaller feline shifters like ocelots and lynx. But I am, I was told, smaller than my mother, who was a lioness and father who was a tiger.”

Marcus tilted his head to the side. His face scrunched up in confusion. “What do you mean? Haven’t you ever shifted with your parents? Dad says he’s going to help me when I shift for the first time. That is if I shift. We don’t know since my mom was a human.”

Carolline shook her head. The soft wisp of her hair sounded in the room as it brushed against the chair. “No. I didn’t know my parents growing up.”

Marcus cast his eyes downward. “Did they die like my mom?” He asked, his voice small and vulnerable. Devon moved next to his son and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder, hoping to provide some comfort. Marcus didn’t talk about Sasha much anymore. He thought the little boy had gotten over some of his pain from losing her…apparently not.

Carolline leaned forward, folding her hands together on the table. “No, nothing as terrible as that. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you.”

“She died coming to see me.”

Carolline took her eyes off Marcus and captured Devon’s gaze. Her brow furrowed, and heartache for his little boy shown in the depths of her brown eyes.

“It was Marcus’s kindergarten graduation,” Devon answered the unspoken question. “She was on her way back from Cheyenne when a drunk driver collided with her.”

She nodded and turned her attention back to Marcus. “You know it wasn’t your fault. You have no control over other people making terrible decisions. Believe me when I tell you, adults make horrible choices every day, and it is never because of what a child did.”

“But she was coming to see me,” he insisted.

“Were you driving the other car?”

Marcus snorted. “No,” he said in his best boy-filled putout voice. “I can’t drive.”

“Okay. Do you have telepathic powers?”

“Tele-what?”

“Can you make people do stuff with your mind?”

Marcus shook his head. “If I did, then I’d make my teacher not give us homework, and she’d let us play outside all day.”

“That settles it then. It couldn’t be your fault,” Carolline said decisively. “You weren’t driving either car, and you had no way of forcing someone to do things with your mind.”

Devon felt the air go out of Marcus like a weight had been lifted off his small shoulders. He smiled a small smile. Devon didn’t understand it. He constantly told Marcus it wasn’t his fault whenever the boy brought it up. He’d thought he’d gotten through to him.

Marcus got up without another word. He hugged Devon, then his grandfather. He hesitated next to Carolline, and finally decided to wave. Devon got the impression Marcus knew what Carolline was to Devon. He was old enough to understand what marriage was and having a mate. He also knew Devon tried to fill the gap Sasha’s death left with a different woman once before.

Carolline smiled. “Good night, Marcus. I hope you sleep well.”

“Night,” he said, then ran off to his room.

“Well, I didn’t expect that,” Devon’s father rumbled.

“He knows he isn’t to blame,” Devon huffed. “I tell him over and over again. I thought he knew.”

“It’s one thing to have your family say it, Devon,” Carolline said to him. “It’s quite another to have someone outside the emotional circle confirm it. I would guess you phrased it as a question too. Like saying you know it isn’t your fault, right? When you phrase it in such a manner, you’re in essence letting him know you aren’t sure he isn’t to blame, so he has to come up with what he thinks you want to hear. At some point, he probably began to question his role in the accident.” She pushed out of her chair and rounded the table. Trying unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn, she said, “Let’s go read to Tabitha. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted.”

Placing his hand on her lower back, they made their way upstairs, his father trailing behind them. After checking on Sebastian and tucking Marcus in, Devon met up with Carolline in Tabitha’s room.

She sat on the bed, back against the headboard, long legs stretched out in front of her. Tabitha was curled into her side, eyes barely staying open. Devon stood in the doorway and listened to Carolline read. The soothing tone of her voice melted over him. For the first time in what felt like forever, he was content. His house felt like a home again.

“I think she’s a keeper, Devon,” his mom said quietly as she came up next to him.

“We have some things to work through. We need to get to know each other. You’re right, though.”

“I didn’t doubt I wasn’t. You’ve already claimed her.”

The tips of Devon’s ears burned in embarrassment. His mom knew exactly what claiming meant. The sex. The biting. The heated passion. He was fairly certain he still smelled of it all. He shrugged nonchalantly. “She’s my mate.”

His mom chuckled and patted him on the arm. “I’m happy to hear you say so. Now we need to figure out why someone would want to take my grand-babies. After we do, you and Carolline can start building a life together. Get married. Maybe not work so much. You have a second chance, Devon, and it might do you well to change a few things.”

Devon was beginning to think the same thing. Where he had been content to work long hours while he was married to Sasha, he didn’t think he’d feel the same way with Carolline. Being around her made him want to go on family picnics, or curl up in front of the TV to watch a silly kids’ movie. He wanted time alone with her too. With her around, the frazzled edges of his life were softening, and she’d only been his mate for a short time. He could only imagine what day after day with her would bring.

Twenty minutes later, Devon tucked Tabitha under her covers. Even though she had fallen asleep, Carolline continued reading until the book was done. Leave it to his little girl to pick a long one.

He ushered Carolline to the master bedroom and pushed her toward the bathroom. Running downstairs, he double checked the locks and security alarm in the house, then grabbed her luggage. She’d emerged from the bathroom by the time he got back to his room.

“Thanks,” she said, reaching for her suitcase. “There was a new toothbrush on the counter, so I used it. I hope you don’t mind. I couldn’t remember if I’d grabbed mine.”

“My mom must have put it there. She was hopeful.”

Carolline chuckled. “She’s a very nice woman. Your dad is too.” She yanked out a tank top and pair of plaid sleep shorts. How many of those does she have? Spinning, she ducked back into the bathroom, and came out a couple seconds later. “Right or left?”

Devon couldn’t answer. He’d swallowed his tongue at the sight of all her smooth, toned skin. His dick thickened swiftly, leaving him lightheaded. His breathing turned ragged. The memory of her legs wrapped around his waist bombarded him. Damn, he wanted to feel her around him again.

She cleared her throat, drawing his attention. “Right or left?”

“This side,” he mumbled, and swiftly shucked his clothes.

As she crawled across the bed, instead of walking around, he was aware of his tongue hanging out. Holy fuck, she had a great ass. The plaid shorts barely covered her firm cheeks, her bottom alternately peeking out with each move. Stalking to the bed, his intention was to grab her by the waist, push the fabric in his way down, and slide into her from behind. What he got instead was a sharp rap on the door, and him diving for cover in the bathroom.

“Devon,” his mom called through the slightly ajar door. “Your brother just called. He and Kacie will be here tomorrow. Will you have enough room for them to stay here? Your dad and I can go home tomorrow if you need.”

Devon grabbed his robe and slipped it on. He emerged from the bathroom; thankful his hard-on had died to a semi. “No. I’d prefer you guys stay here with the kids until this is figured out.”

His mom pushed open the bedroom door more. “But with Carolline in the…”

“I’m right here, Mrs. Andersen,” Carolline said. She leaned back against the headboard, covers pulled to her waist. She had the remote for the TV in her hand. And his shot at getting laid again had walked out the door.

“Oh, perfect. Good night you two.” His mother grinned like the cat that got the cream. He had a feeling her impromptu visit had more to do with snooping than letting him know about his younger brother, Dallas. She kissed him on the cheek and pulled the door until it was only open an inch. The television came on, reconfirming his evening plan of fun was over.

Striding to his dresser, he pulled a pair of boxer shorts out, slipped them on, and draped his robe on the upholstered bench at the end of the bed. With a contented, and slightly disappointed sigh, he crawled into bed next to Carolline.

“I hope you didn’t think you’d be getting more sex out of me tonight. Need I remind you, I’m still recovering?”

Devon pulled her down next to him. “No. How are you feeling anyway? I haven’t seen you flinch since I marked you.”

She wiggled next to him, her body rubbing against his, turning him on. “Huh. I feel pretty good. I should be one-hundred percent by tomorrow, I think.”

God, he hoped so. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed having a woman in his bed. The fact she was his mate—it made his mind explode. He snatched the remote from her hand and set the timer. Tossing it on his nightstand, he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her snug against his body. His eyelids drifted shut, and he was asleep within seconds.