Reviving Bloom (10 page)

“
I dropped the gun and just stared.
I was in such shock that I didn’t say anything as she guided me back out of the woods toward the house. I still didn’t speak as she sat me at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee
and
went and got dressed.
Finally when she sa
t down across from me with a cup of her own I asked how. She explained everything; well at least what I thought was everything at the time.
”

“
We sat there for hours
,
me asking questions and her answering. Finally she told me Michael didn’t know. I was shocked
because
I thought they
shared everything and here she’d
kept this huge secret. I told her she had to tell him
,
that he’d understand. He loved her no matter what. That’s when she told me she was pregnant. Only a few weeks along and she hadn’t even told him yet. She wanted to wait till after the baby was born to tell him about being a shifter. I didn’t want to add any stress to a pregnant woman so I agreed to keep her secret as long as she told him after the baby was
here
. She agreed.
”

“
Bloom was born 9 months later. She was the most beautiful baby and already had a head full of blonde hair.
Michael and Rose were so happy they were glowing. I was at the restaurant getting some food together to bring to the new parents when I got a call from Michael. Rose was gone, had left the hospital
,
went to the house grabbed a few things and wrote him a half ass letter about not being ready to be what he needed. Michael was devastated. Bloom was released from the hospital the next day and I was there to help Michael bring her home. He was broken though he tried to hide it. I helped the best I could. I’d watch Bloom when he was at work and would stick around after he got home to try to cheer him up. Eventually he came back a
round but he was never the same man.”

“
About
4
months after she left
,
Rose showed back up when Michael was at work. She begged me to see Bloom but I wouldn’t let her without an explanation. She confessed that she
’d
met her mate at the hospital
the day after she had Bloom. She couldn’t resist the pull the mate bond had and she left with him. She loved Michael but love couldn’t even describe her bond with this man. She wanted to take Bloom
,
she was worried she’d start to shift when she got older and Michael wouldn’t have a clue what to do. I couldn’t let her take her though. I loved that baby girl too much and I knew it would kill Michael to lose her too.
”

“
She argued with me but didn’t try to fight me
on it
, but she made me promise that if she showed any of the signs of
shifting
that I’d track her down in Tennessee. And if Bloom ever got hurt that I wouldn’t take her to a regular doctor I’d take her to Jim Harris
,
the local vet. Apparently he had come across her and her aunt’s secret  like I had and was the only other person in town she trusted to care for Bloom. The regular doctors would start asking too many questions if Bloom’s
shifter
blood kicked in and she healed at a speedy rate. I agreed to her terms but made
her promise not to show back
unless I called on her. It would be way
too
hard on Michael if she kept showing up.
She agreed and I’ve not seen
or heard from her since. Bloom’s
never shown a sign of shifting. Though I do believe some of Rose’s
shifter
genes kicked in because she
’s
never been sick a day in her life, not even a runny nose.”

Finishe
d telling me his story he picks the album back up and places it back in the box. He closes the shed up and then turns
to me, “Pike I can tell you’re her mate. I already see your presence healing her heart. The loss of her father devastated her but since you’ve arrived I’ve seen her smile again. A real genuine smile and I haven’t seen that in a year. Just make sure you treat her right and don’t keep her away from me too long. She’s like my own child.”

I
can’t
reply without s
hifting so I
give him a nod and hope he
take
s
that as my agreeme
nt to care for her. This man has kept Rose
’
s secret for over 19 years and as he
’s
telling it to me I swear I see
hi
s shoulders relax as the burden’s
lifted and
my shoulders sag when he places
it
on mine. He’s
giving me the responsibility of telling Bloom about her Mom being a
shifter
. I guess I’ll just figure a way of throwing that in there when I shift and inform her I’m her mate. How hard could it be?

Hey
,
I’m a
wolf shifter
and you’re my mate. Oh and that mom that abandoned you when
you were born, she’s a
wolf shifter
too. And she’s part of my pack. So you have
shifter
blood and you should be shifting
into a wolf
but for some reason you’re not. Ready to run away from your home and take your place as my mate?

Damn Billy! He should’ve told her
about Rose long before now. He
s
tands
there and watch
es
my inner
turmoil at my new task and begi
n
s
to chuckle, “Not an easy task you have pup.”

I huff and that brings
another chuckle rolling out of
him. It’s
nice to
see that now that the burden’s
off of him he
can
go back to being the light hearted uncle figur
e, but he better realize he’ll
be helping me explain.

Chapter
14
–
Bloom

~
King of Jerks
~

I wa
ke up on Thursday with Pike’s cold nose on my neck. He seems to
be watching me constantly. I
woke up the night before to get a drink of water and there Pike was watching and waiting on me before my feet were even out of bed. It’s like he thinks if he’s not right beside me something will happen. He’s become
protective that way, which’s
surprisingly fine by me. I feel at ease when he’s with me. Some might say I’m craving company of any kind since
Dad
’
s death, but I think I’ve had plenty of people around just none as comforting as Pike.

I gi
ve
him
a quick scr
atch behind the ears then roll out of bed. I rush
through my morning routine
with him by my side, so I can
start getting the fishing supplies together. Today
we’re
going to the party at the lake with Bonnie.

Aft
er getting the poles and tackle
bo
x organized and packed into the truck, I start
making a lunch
for us
.
I toss
slices of turkey to Pike as I put together the sandwiches and even cut up a
n apple to feed him. He won’t touch the dog food I
bought him
at the vet’s office, but he’s
all
too happy to eat whatever I’m
eating.

We’re
just finishing up a second
apple when my cell phone starts
to play
the ringtone I have programmed for Bonnie.
I d
i
g it out of my pocket and
hit the talk button
, “Hi
Bon
!
What time will you be here?
”

“
I’ll be there soon. I thoug
ht we’d hang out till it’s
time to go.”

“I’d love to Bon. We’re just having lunch so I’ll make you a sandwich too.”

“Make me two I’m starved. See you in a few.”

“Ok
ay,
two it is. S
ee ya and be careful
,
” I reply then end the call
.
I mak
e Bonnie’s t
wo sandwiches and cut her up an
apple to
go with them. By the time I have
put everything away and wiped down the counters she
’
s pulling into the driveway and bouncing up the steps.

I ho
ld the s
creen door open for her
, “Your sa
ndwiches are on the table. What do
you want to drink?”

Sli
pping into the seat where I
se
t her plate, “Got any sweet tea?”

“D
o
you even need to ask? Of course I do.”

“I figured as much. I’ll take a gl
ass of that please
,
” She mumbles
around a mouth full of apple.

I pour
us both a glass and s
i
t down in th
e seat across from her. “So who’
ll be at this party tonight?”

She swallows her apple and then says
, “Well most of the people from our
graduating
class and maybe a couple others. Why
,
is there someone in particular you’re hoping to see?”

“Oh no, nothing like what you’re thinking.”

“And what am I thinking Bloom Michael?”

“That I want to see one of those skeezy guys we graduated with because I have some long harbored crush that I’ve been keeping from you. Well you can get that out of that cute little head of yours Bonnie Anne Harris. I’d rather eat my own toenails then date one of those guys.”

“
Your own toenails, really Bloom?
They aren’t
that bad.
Trace is easy on the eyes and he seems to have taken a shine to you.”

Trace Clark
, hearing his name makes my skin crawl. He
c
o
me
s
across as one of the sweet country boys but he definitely
isn’t. He’s
hothead
ed
and arrogant. And he did not enj
oy being turned down by me. We
dated a few times but nothin
g came
from it. It didn’t take m
e long to learn that Trace likes
to colle
ct women like Jay Leno collects cars. And I wasn’
t interested in being h
is shiny new car. Last time I saw
him was abou
t 3 weeks before
Dad
died. I’d
agreed to go to his friend’s party with him, but w
e never made it that far. He
pulled over on one of the side roads and attempted to stick his tongue down my throat and his hand up my shirt. Luckily I had my handy little mace keychain and sprayed him right in the eyes before hopping out of his
pick-up and walking home. I haven’t seen him since and I never
thought to tell anyone what had happened. I was a l
ittle too embarrassed that I
fell
for his lies in the first place.

“Trace can find someone else to take a shine to because I’m not interested. Trust me Bon he’s the king of the jerks
,
you need to stay clear of him.”

“Ok
ay
, ok
ay
! It’s not me that
he’s
interested in anyways
,
it’s you.
But I definitely wouldn’t choose my toenails over him.
”