The knock at the front door came as a surprise. Everyone Devon expected to be at the house…was at his house.

Carolline.

The kids.

His parents.

Jack, who came by for one last meal before heading back East to take care of things there prior to closing shop and moving to Garden.

Unfortunately, Dallas and Kacie had already headed home. They couldn’t be away from work for an extended stretch of time; plus, they had their own personal issues to deal with. There had been no word yet on the pregnancy front, but Devon didn’t think the family would have to wait much longer to hear good news. They’d caught the subtle scent of pregnancy, which would only get stronger the further along she became.

A solid knock came from the door again, pulling him from his thoughts. Pushing up from his office chair, he went to see who was there. The visible police presence around the house was gone. It had been decided that the time had come to pull back and return to their normal, everyday lives and jobs. Carolline was safely in residence in his home. The kids were under the watchful eye of his parents, or people he trusted when he wasn’t around. Things were good. They felt safe.

Then why did he get an uneasy feeling as he leaned into the door? One glance through the peephole and he knew.

He took a surprised step back. His heart ratcheting up a notch. It couldn’t be who he thought he saw.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and leaned into the door again. Hands pressed up against the sturdy wood. His heart jumped in his chest when he took a second look. The sight before him completely unbelievable. Something he never thought to see. Ever.

Sasha’s parents, his in-laws and people he hadn’t seen in years, stood on the front porch. Nicely dressed in what he would consider their Sunday finest. Philip in a dark suit. His hair slicked back with that pompous, holier than thou look on his face. Tracey had her snub nose stuck up in the air. Lips pursed and the disgust on her face clearly visible.

He could only wonder how they had found him. Why would they show up on his doorstep with looks other than guilt and shame crossing their features?

The last time he saw Philip or Tracey was when he and Sasha told them she was pregnant with Marcus. He never imagined their reaction to be what it had been. Abject horror.

They knew of his pursuit of her, of course. Demanded she not see him when they looked in to his background and found out he was a shifter. It wasn’t as though he’d hidden that information from anyone. He was proud of his background. Shifter life was all he knew. He’d grown up with shifters. As a doctor, he had treated shifters. Wanted to see equality for them. His bloodline was pure and his family held in the highest regards.

He was also loyal and had treated Sasha like a queen. He gave her anything she wanted. Spoiled her. Pampered her. Made her the highest priority in his life. Put her on a pedestal like she deserved. He had been the perfect suitor. At least in his mind. He figured others would think that as well.

He’d been wrong. They disowned their pregnant daughter at the drop of a hat; and now, eight years later, they were standing on his front porch with marginally expectant looks on their faces.

Devon pulled the door open when Philip raised his fist again to knock. “Philip. Tracey,” he nodded at each of them as he spoke.

Seconds of uncomfortable silence passed between them. His brain unable to come to terms with the couple standing in front of him. It didn’t make sense; yet, somewhere in the back of his mind, something tugged at him telling him it did.

“Aren’t you going to invite us in, Devon?” Tracey asked in that high, nasally sound of her perceived privilege he remembered oh so clearly. Just because he hadn’t seen these people in years, it didn’t mean he had forgotten what they were like.

Temptation thrummed through his veins. Urging him to slam the door in their faces after insisting they leave and never darken his doorstep again. They had no right to show up at his home after so long. No right to think he would welcome them. They wanted no part of him or the children up to this point. Why would they want in now?

In the back of his mind, though, Sasha whispered in his ear. She had dreamed of being with her parents again. Of them becoming part of the family and accepting the children into their lives. It could be, she had made progress with them before she died. That was the reason for her trip back home in the first place. One of many over the course of a year. One more visit they didn’t get to talk about. She had been afraid to jinx them. To put it out into the Universe until she felt they would be accepting of the family.

Devon took a calming breath, about to ask what they were doing there, when Marcus came speeding down the hallway. “Dad,” he yelled before sliding to a stop. He pressed into Devon’s side. Pausing to look up at him, then back to the grandparents he’d never met. “Is that Grandmother Tracey and Grandfather Philip?”

Devon took his eyes from his son to look at the couple again. Tracey stood unmoving. Her mouth pinched shut. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Philip, on the other hand, bore shocked and red-rimmed eyes. A telltale wetness pooling in the corners. He held his hand out tentatively, as if to reach out and touch Marcus. His indecision evident in his hesitation. His hand slowly lowering, eventually.

Devon’s instinct was to pull the boy behind him. Protect the cubs. Philip’s wavering voice broke him from the thought.

“He knows who we are?”

“Of course,” Devon answered calmly. “Sasha talked about you two a lot. She wanted to make sure the kids knew who you were and what you looked like. She’d hoped that one day they would meet you. I know it was her deepest wish to reconnect with her family.”

A choked breath worked its way out of Philip.

Devon placed his hand on Marcus’s shoulder and tucked him into his side slightly. The sorrow and longing on Philip’s face made Devon’s decision for him. “Please, come in.” He waved them through, resolve and a promise to Sasha dictating what happened next. Shutting the door behind them, Devon placed his hand on Marcus’s shoulder to ground himself, before directing them to the back of the house. “You’re just in time for dinner.”

Pushing through the French doors, Devon led the small group out back. In a seamless motion, everyone turned to face them. There was a shocked gasp. A tiny squeak. A nervous whimper. Low rumbling purrs traveled to them from his parents.

Marcus shifted tighter against him with the rising tension in the big open space. The other two kids moved closer to his parents. Automatically seeking comfort and protection from them.

Devon needed to do something. Break the tension. Ease everyone’s hackles. Just something. He didn’t know how though. There were a lot of years between them, and he wasn’t at ease with the people he felt were intruding in his home. Except that he invited them in because he’d promised Sasha he would let bygones be bygones if her parents ever showed up on their doorstep.

A rustling came from his left. Carolline stood from her seat, smoothed her long skirt down, and approached Philip and Tracey. “Hello. It’s nice of you to join us. I’m Carolline.”

Philip smiled. “Philip, and this is my wife, Tracey. We’re Sasha’s parents. And you must be the woman that saved our grandchildren.”

She grinned politely, but didn’t answer. Devon knew she was uncomfortable with people saying that. In her mind, she did what anyone would have in that situation. “Please, come and sit down.” She ushered them to the patio table, and they went willingly, much to his surprise.

Tabitha and Sebastian crept forward until they stood near Philip and Tracey. Tabitha’s little face scrunched up in thought. “You’re mommy’s mommy and daddy?”

Philip nodded. His lips wobbled slightly. It was all Tabitha needed before rounding the table and crawling up into his lap. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.

The tension around them broke. With the kids descended on Philip and Tracey, Devon’s parents went to his side.

“What the hell are they doing here?” His father whispered. Indignation clear in his voice.

“I have no idea.”

“Then why let them in? Why invite them back here?”

Devon shrugged. It wasn’t something he wanted to get into with them, not at this moment anyway. He needed time to process. Time to observe them. “I made a promise.” Was all he said.