Furever Yours (11 page)

            Jade
sniffled.
“I... I talked to Dawson
today, the guy I made the baby with.”

            Emily
’s face turned into a thundercloud. “Did that
bastard reject the baby?” she demanded, her cheeks flushing bright pink. “Tell
me where to find him right now, and I’ll go beat some sense into him.”

            Jade
gave a watery laugh, swiping at her nose again.
“No,
he was happy about the baby, actually. I’m the one who rejected him.”

            Emily
looked so shocked
, Jade
thought she could have knocked her over with a feather. “You... you what?”
Emily spluttered. “After all this?
Why
?”

            Jade
swallowed. That question had been eating at her ever since Dawson had left.
“I... he came with some friends,” she said, her
voice barely above a whisper. “And he started talking about crazy stuff that
scared me.”

            Emily
’s brows drew together. “Is he in some kind of
gang?”

           
That’s one way to put it.
“I’m not sure,” she evaded. She didn’t want to
paint Dawson in such a negative light... but what other analogy could she make?

           
“Well, what does he do?” Emily demanded. “Is he
selling drugs? Weapons? Babies?”

            Jade
flinched. When Emily put it that way, Dawson didn
’t sound that bad at all. But still... “No,
nothing like that. It’s just... he and his friends have some really weird
beliefs. I think they're kind of crazy, and I don’t want my child to be around
that kind of influence.”  

            Emily
sighed.
“I don’t suppose you're going
to tell me what those beliefs are?”

            Jade
shook her head. She was too tired to think up a convincing lie.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”

            "Alright.
” Emily plopped onto the couch next to Jade and
wrapped her arms around her in a hug. “You don’t have to. But just for the
record, I’m here for you, and I trust your instincts. If you don’t think Dawson
will be a good influence on your baby, you've gotta trust your instincts. The
only thing that matters is whether or not
you
will be a good mommy, and
we both already know that you will. So chin up, hon. We’ll get through this.”

            Jade
sniffled, leaning her head against Emily
’s
shoulder. She didn’t deserve Emily’s pep talk, and she knew it, because the
truth was she had no reason to believe Dawson wouldn’t be a good father. She
just didn’t know if she believed his story about the wolf thing, and, even if
it was true, she didn’t know if she had room for any of that in her life.
Marriages had fallen apart for less, and she didn’t want to put herself through
that if she didn’t have to.

 * * *

One
week later

            Dawson
sighed as he slid onto the barstool at the Blind Bear
, a local bar on Union Street owned by a bear
shifter pack. The Ursini Bear Clan, while territorial of their own kind, opened
their doors to all shifters and became a favorite watering hole for Dawson’s
pack.

            The
place was decked out for Christmas just like every other place
. There were twinkling lights hanging above the
bar, evergreen garlands with red bows draped across the bar, and tiny little
wreathes edging the tops of the bead board running all around the length of the
room. There was even a fully decorated tree in the corner with presents... and
a sprig of mistletoe hanging above the door leading into the pool room.

            The
memory of Jade kissing him beneath the
ir
mistletoe surged up in his mind’s eye, filling him with warmth until he remembered
that he was never going to be able to do that again, abruptly plunging his mood
into icy blackness.

            "Hey
boss.
” Randy clapped Dawson on the
back as he slid onto the barstool next to him. He signaled to the bartender.
“Shot of whiskey for both of us.” He grinned. “After the kick ass job you've
done, you deserve to have someone else buy your drinks.”

            "Thanks.
” Dawson gave him a half-hearted grin. He picked
up his glass of whiskey and knocked it back in one shot--determined to drink
hard enough and fast enough to overpower the voracious metabolism that made
getting drunk a challenge for shifters.

            More
pack members started filing into the club, taking up the majority of the real
estate on the bar as well as many of the tables. Dawson had spent the last
couple of days gathering everyone back together and reestablishing the pack
’s hierarchy and rules. He’d made Randy his beta
and assigned Jeff and Ricardo officer positions. Between the four of them,
they’d managed to get all fifty members back to Pasadena and were once again
one of the strongest wolf packs in the LA area.

            But
try as he might,
Dawson
couldn’t rejoice the way he knew he should. Jade still weighed heavily on his
mind. She hadn’t called him since he’d walked out of her apartment, and his
heart ached every time he thought about her and the child growing inside.

            "Dude.
” Jeff plopped onto the stool next to him. “Why
the long face?”

            "He
’s still moping about that
chica
.” Ricardo
was already sitting on the stool next to Jeff, taking sips from his bottle of
Dos
Equis
and watching the soccer game playing on the flat screen above the
bar. “Guess she hasn’t called him back.”

            Dawson
lifted his head to growl at the slight sneer in Ricardo
’s tone, causing the other wolf to drop his
eyes—though he didn’t look at all sorry about what he’d said. “Don’t be
an asshole,” Dawson warned.

            Randy
patted Dawson on the shoulder.
“Hey
man. We already know Ricardo don’t got no heart, so pay him no mind.” Ricardo
snorted but Randy blithely ignored him. “What we need to do is pull the pack
together and focus on getting you your woman back.”

            Dawson
sat up straighter, taken aback.
“I
don’t want to put this problem on the pack’s shoulders,” he protested. “If I
can’t handle this on my own, they’ll think I’m weak.”

            Jeff
shook his head.
“We all
understand you're under stress, being the new alpha and all. And, it’s pretty
clear to me that your girl just needs to understand that we're not monsters to
be afraid of. She’s gotta see us as her new family and know that we're willing
to welcome her.” He leaned in. “You know women. It’s not enough to just spend
time with them and make love to them. You gotta woo them, go the extra mile,
really show them that you can take care of them.”

            Dawson
shook his head.
“How am
I supposed to do that?” he asked. “I've already told her I want to take care of
the baby, and she knows how much trouble I went to in order to track her down.
If that’s not showing devotion, I don’t know what is.”

            Randy
shrugged.
“Women are difficult,”
he said. “If you really want her, you're just gonna have to deal with that and
step it up a little.”

            Dawson
nodded slowly.
“Alright,”
he said. “What do I have to do?”

            "Don
’t worry.” Jeff leaned in along with Randy and
even Ricardo scooted a little closer. “We've got it all worked out. Now, here’s
the plan.”

Chapter
Thirteen

Christmas
Eve

           
"Are you sure you're pregnant?” Abuelita
demanded, leaning forward. She and Abuelito were seated on the couch in their
living room, across from where Jade was curled up in the recliner.

           
Jade had gotten onto the road as soon as she’d
received the all-clear from her boss and had arrived a scant hour earlier to
spend Christmas with her grandparents. Her intention had been to sit by the
fire and laugh and talk and share stories... but Abuelita had taken one look at
her pale complexion and the dark circles under her eyes and had called Abuelito
in to demand what was wrong.

            "I
’m positive. I took a test, and I've been
suffering from morning sickness for nearly two weeks now.”
Whoever had named
it morning sickness was in need of a slap
, she thought. The expression was
misleading. Nausea struck her at all different times of the day, without
warning.

            "Have
you told him?
” Abuelito asked, his
thick brows furrowing. “The man you were... skiing with?”

            Jade
wanted to sink between the cracks of the leather recliner.
“I did tell him,” she murmured. “He was happy
about the idea of having children.”

            "That
’s excellent.” Abuelita beamed. “Just how I
expected a man like him to react.”

            "I
wish you
’d told me when he came to our
apartment,” Abuelito groused. “I would have liked to judge him for myself.”

            Abuelit
a ignored him. “But
nina
, if he’s
accepted the baby then why are you so troubled? Starting a family with a man
like that... most women only dream of such a thing.”

            Jade
’s insides squirmed uncomfortably as she tried
to figure out a way to tell them her concerns without telling them exactly what
Dawson had said. But instead, she came out with the truth. “He told me that
he’s a shape-shifter,” she blurted.

            Her
grandparents stared at her for a long moment.
“What?”
her Abuelita finally asked. “What kind of nonsense is that? Are you trying to
say he’s a magician?”

            Jade
shook her head. She
wished
he were a magician. That would be so much
easier to deal with. “No. He... he’s not human, Abuelita. He can change into a
beast... a, a wolf, and he’s the leader of a group of people who can do the
same thing.” She swallowed. “I... I, I
saw
him.”

            Abuelito
’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly did you see?”

           
In detail, Jade described the way Dawson’s face
had changed, a chill spreading through her veins all over again as she
remembered the way his fangs had flashed in the lamplight. “He’d been about to
show me his full wolf form, I think, when his friends showed up and told them
they needed him. I... I didn’t want to believe him, Abuelito, but I think I do.
I think he’s a monster.”

            "Well,
” Abuelita said, sitting back in her chair. “I
don’t know that he’s a monster just because he can change into a beast.”

            "Are
you crazy?
” Abuelito stared at
her. “How do you know he isn’t dangerous?”

            Abuelita
smiled.
“My mother... she was
Portuguese, and they have a local legend about a creature called
lobis-homems.
He is a man who was put under a spell by a witch and every evening would roam
the land in the shape of a wolf. Usually, they were very shy and sad—but
quite nonthreatening.”

            "I
don
’t know that I would call
Dawson either of those things,” Jade said slowly.

            Abuelito
scowled.
“What exactly does that mean?
Has he threatened you in some way?”

            Jade
shook her head quickly.
“No, of
course not. He’s been very sweet and charming and attentive and...” And, well,
basically perfect, she realized with a sinking heart, perfect in every way
except for the shifting thing. Was she really being so stupid as to throw him
away just because of a genetic mutation that made him different? “He’s never
laid a finger on me.” Except to cause her great pleasure, of course, she
thought, heat creeping up her neck.

           
“Well, he sounds like a good man regardless of
whether or not he fits the legend,” Abuelita decided. “You should give him another
chance.”

            Jade
sighed.
“I’ll think about it,” she told
them. “For now, I’d really just like to take a break from everything and
relax.”

            "Of
course,
” Abuelita soothed. She stood
up and then leaned down to wrap her arms around Jade. Jade sighed again as she
sank into the comforting embrace and hoped her grandmother was right. She
really, really wanted Dawson to be the good man Abuelita thought he was.

* * *

            "Jade!
Jade, wake up!
”

            Jade
sat up in bed, the sound of her Abuelto
’s
voice piercing through the fog of sleep. For a moment she experienced a sense
of deja vu, wondering if he needed her to help man the front desk again, but it
was far too early, only four in the morning. And besides, he sounded happy, not
stressed.

            "Jade!
Are you awake?
”

            She
shuffled out of bed to open the door.
“What
is it?” she asked, curious and bewildered at the sheer joy lighting her
grandfather’s face. He was practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his
feet, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement.

            "Santa
came last night,
” he
said, giving her a million-watt grin. “Hurry and dress. You must see!”

            Abuelito
gave her enough time to slip on boots and shrug
on
a robe before dragging her downstairs to the lobby. Jade’s jaw dropped when
they reached the bottom of the staircase. In the middle of the foyer was a huge
tree, twice as tall as the one they usually got, draped in ribbons and
ornaments and twinkling lights of all different colors. An enormous pile of
presents sat beneath the tree, some of them with her name on them in a bold,
masculine script she did not recognize.

            "Oh
Abuelito...
” she whispered, staring
up at the tree in awe. “Did you do this last night?”

            Abuelito
shook his head.
“Not
me. I received a very generous donation yesterday evening from a wonderful man,
which included this tree and all these presents.” His eyes twinkled.

            "We
’ll be able to make the upgrades to the Lodge
and fix all the plumbing and electrical issues for real now,” Abuelita added,
her eyes shining as she joined them.   

            Jade
was flabbergasted.
“Who...
who would make such a generous donation?” She wondered, her mind whirling as
she tried to figure out what she was missing.

            Her
grandmother smiled.
“If you
want to know, he’s waiting outside. Why don’t you go and see?”

            Jade
’s heart began thumping hard in her chest as she
began to realize who it might be. Hesitantly, she crossed the lobby, one small
step at a time until she reached the double doors that would lead out into the
snowy cold. Her hand hesitated on the brass handle, unsure as to what exactly
she would find when she went outside.

            "Go
on,
” her grandfather urged. “It’ll
be fine.”

            She
opened the door and stepped out onto the porch and then gasped. Sitting at the
foot of the porch was a huge, white wolf with silver eyes staring up at her
, patiently. His tail wagged at the sight of
her, and, as he opened his mouth, tongue lolling, she knew that it was Dawson.

            But
, he wasn’t the only wolf out there.

            Spread
out on the lawn behind him were at least fifty other wolves, all of different
colors and sizes... and they were playing in the snow. Some were at least as
huge as Dawson while others looked adolescent, as if they were just coming into
puberty. They pounced on each other and rolled in the snow, spraying white
fluffy flakes all over with their wagging tails and bodies.

            "Oh,
how cute,
” she murmured as she caught
sight of a trio of wolf cubs frolicking in the snow. Dawson flicked his ears
and then turned and barked at the cubs. Instantly they broke apart, tails wagging,
and trotted through the snow and up the steps toward her.

            "Oh
my goodness.
” She crouched down so
she could pet one of them, and it surprised her by jumping straight into her
lap, knocking her down. The other two followed suit, and she giggled as their
wet, rough tongues laved at her face and neck, their little paws pressing into
her arms and chest.

            "Alright,
alright.
” Dawson’s voice startled her,
and she sat up to see him standing next to her, in human form now, dressed in
his heavy winter gear. His lips curved into a smile. “That’s enough, boys. Let
her up now.”         

            The
cubs scrambled off her, and Dawson helped her to her feet.
“Dawson...” Jade said slowly, searching his
face. “What... what
is
all this?”

            "I
came here late last night with the pack while you were sleeping,
” Dawson explained, rubbing his thumb across her
cheek, “to talk to your grandparents and explain. I knew they were having
trouble with the Lodge, so I offered them the money needed to fix things up,
and explained to them just how much you mean to me.” His eyes twinkled.
“Apparently they already knew I was a wolf shifter, so I was denied the
pleasure of shocking them with that news.”

            Jade
smiled a little.
“I told
them last night while I was trying to explain everything to them.” She bit her
lip as she looked up at him shyly. “My Abuelita thinks that I’m being foolish,
and I think she’s right.” She glanced over his shoulder at the wolves, now
sitting with their ears perked as if they were listening to every word and
waiting expectantly... which they probably were. “I was wrong to assume that
you were all monsters.”

            Dawson
’s eyes softened. “No, you were just reacting
like anyone would.” He turned them both slightly so they could look at the
pack. “That’s why I brought them all here... so that you could see that we're
not just beasts but that we have heart, too.”

            Three
of the wolves broke away from the pack, then, and trotted up the steps. They
changed right before Jade
’s
eyes, revealing themselves as Randy, Jeff and Ricardo—the same three
who’d shown up at Emily’s apartment.

            "We
can see how much you mean to Dawson,
”
Randy said, “and we want to welcome you into the pack, if you’ll have us.”

            "This
sap can
’t seem to function well
without you,
chica
.” That was Ricardo, who scowled at her, but there was
a playful smirk on his face. “Dunno what that’s all about, but we need him on
top of his game to lead the pack, which means he needs you.”

            "No
pressure.
” Jeff winked. “Just thought we
should mention it.”

            Jade
laughed at them.
“I’ll
take that all under advisement,” she said and then leaned up and pressed her
lips to Dawson’s. The three men on the porch wolf whistled and clapped, and the
rest of the pack yipped and howled in appreciation, filling Jade with a warm
glow of happiness and acceptance.