Vega Brothers: Khan: Secret Baby BBW (The Bear Shifters of Vega Ranch Book 2) (6 page)

She smiled as she pulled out her phone and began scrolling through photos of a gorgeous little boy. Khan’s pulse quickened and he felt a lightness in his chest as he stared at the four-year-old that had a strong resemblance to him. He had the same color eyes and the same long chin. He was spectacular.

“Is he a shifter?” he asked, feeling his adrenaline rush.

Bailey smiled. “A brown bear, I think. He phases every five days or so.”

Khan leaned forward in his chair. “Can he control it yet?”

“I don’t think so,” she said, biting her fingernails. “It’s getting him into all kinds of trouble.”

Khan’s chest tightened. Liam, his son, needed some guidance from an older bear shifter. He needed to learn how to control his bear.

“I’d like to meet him,” Khan said. “Do you think that would be okay?”

“Definitely,” she said with her face lighting up. “I work tomorrow but I’m off the next day. Can I bring him over?”

Khan’s hands were trembling with excitement. “Of course!”

six

“You can’t do this to me!” Bailey complained. “Please. Just one more week. Let me find a new daycare.”

The daycare worker on the other line sighed.
“I’m sorry, Bailey. It’s just too risky. I’m nervous all of the time with him around. I can’t sleep at night. What if he hurts one of the other kids?”

“He’s not going to hurt one of the other kids,” Bailey replied. But she didn’t know that for sure. She didn’t know what Liam’s bear was capable of and the thought kept her up at night as well.

“I’m sorry, Bailey. Liam is officially kicked out of Sunnyside Daycare.”

Bailey hung up the phone as her breakfast crept back up her throat. “Fuck,” she whispered, slamming her fist on the kitchen counter.

“You said a bad word,” Liam said, pointing at her accusingly.

“You’re right, baby. Mommy is sorry.”

“You have to go to jail!” he said, running into his room, probably to get his toy police hat and Sheriff badge.

Jail would seem like an upgrade to how I’m feeling right now. I’d get to sleep and read all day. Jail seems like a paradise.

She dropped her head on the counter and ran through her options. Her sister Jodi had left the day before for a last minute, impulse trip to Cancun.
Lucky bitch.
Sometimes Bailey envied her sister and her responsibility-free life.

There was no way that she could find another daycare on such short notice. She had to go to work in two hours and there was no way that she could call in sick or take the day off. It was a Friday at the vet clinic, one of the busiest days of the week, and her boss was already breathing down her neck. She would be risking her job if she didn’t show up today.

There were only two options: call Khan or leave Liam in the ball pit at Ikea. She debated both ridiculous options and then sighed as she picked up the phone to call her ex.

Khan paced along the driveway as he stared down the dirt road, waiting. He was about to see his mate once again and meet his cub for the first time.

He waited for what felt like an eternity, the whole time wishing that time would speed up. But when her green car turned onto the Vega Ranch he started to panic and began wishing that time would slow down.

He took long slow breaths as the car crept up to the driveway and squealed to a stop. Bailey opened the door and got out, flashing him a tight, nervous smile.

Khan approached her, keeping his eyes away from the little boy in the back seat. “Does he know?” he whispered.

She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “Not yet. I told him that you were an old friend.”

Khan nodded. It was best to take it slow. Let the boy get comfortable with him first and then explain it to him.

Bailey walked around to the other side of the car and opened the back door. She disappeared under the roof as Khan’s stomach quivered.

When she popped back up she was holding the little brown haired boy from the photos on her phone. “Hi!” Liam said with a big smile. “What’s your name?”

He was so beautiful that Khan could hardly speak. “Khan,” he finally spat out. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Liam,” he said, wiggling out of his mother’s arm. “But I’m going to be a superhero one day and my name will be Super Duper Liam.”

Liam ran around the car and stopped right in front of Khan, tilting his head all the way back and gawking at the huge bear shifter. “You’re so big,” he said in awe. “Are you a superhero?”

“Of course,” Khan said, sticking out his chest. “I’m Captain Khan!”

“Can you fly?” he asked in a squeaky voice.

“I sure can,” Khan said. “And so can you.”

He scooped up the boy by his legs and chest and held him up flat. “Woah!” Liam cried out between laughs as Khan swung him around like a tiny Superman.

“Careful,” Bailey said. She was watching over the hood of the car with soft eyes.

Khan lifted Liam up and subtly sniffed his head. He had the scent of a Vega. He truly was his son.

He lowered him down to his Batman shoes and the boy ran around on the grass in circles with his hand out like he was flying. “Whoosh!” he said as he ran.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Bailey said, closing the door and walking back over. “I think I can get my friend to come in so that I can leave early.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Khan said, watching the boy drop to the grass to stare at a grasshopper. He was looking forward to getting to know the boy.

“Thanks again,” she said, touching his chest with her hand.

“You don’t have to thank me, Bailey. He’s my son.” He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her goodbye but that wasn’t a good idea with Liam watching.

She lowered her eyes and climbed into the car. “You two have fun. Bye, Super Duper Liam,” she said, waving out of the car window.

“Bye, Princess Mommy!” Liam said with a wave.

Khan watched the car until it disappeared onto the road. He looked at the little boy staring at him and gulped.

“Where did Mommy go?” Liam asked, suddenly a bit less brave now that his Princess Mommy was no longer there.

“She just went to work,” Khan said. “She’ll be back. What do you want to do?”

Khan noticed that Liam kept glancing at the horses grazing outside of the stables. “Want to go see the horses?”

Liam nodded his head.

“Cool,” Khan said, holding out his hand. “Let’s go.”

Liam crossed his arms and frowned. “I want the horsey to take me.”

Khan looked around in confusion. “We’re going to go see the horses. We have to walk there.”

“I want to ride the horsey there.”

Khan looked around at the lack of horses in their area.
Is he seeing something that I’m not?

“On your back,” Liam said, pointing to Khan’s shoulders.

“Oh.” He dropped to a knee and the little boy climbed onto his back, wrapping his skinny arms around his thick neck. “Go horsey!” he squealed in his ear and Khan started skipping to the stables.

Ah shit.
Alexander was riding on top of his huge black stallion and heading right for them.

“Wow,” Liam whispered as Alexander got closer. “He’s a giant.”

“Who is that kid?” Alexander barked as he pulled the horse to a stop in front of them.

“I’m just babysitting,” Khan replied, not looking his brother in the eye.

Alexander sniffed the air. “He has the scent of a Vega,” he said, jerking his head back in shock. “Is that your child?”

Khan shot him a fierce warning glare. “Now is not the time!”

Alexander straightened up on the horse. “We’re talking about this later.” He kicked the horse’s back thigh and took off towards the house.

“Who is that guy?” Liam asked. “He looks like the Hulk if the Hulk wasn’t green.”

Khan laughed. “He sure does!”

Luckily, Alexander’s comment about him being Khan’s child went over Liam’s head. He didn’t ask any questions and didn’t seem to notice. Khan felt lucky that the boy was only four years old. He didn’t want to have to explain to Bailey why Liam knew the truth.

Khan showed Liam around the stables and the boy had fun petting and sitting on the horses. They walked back outside and Khan cursed under his breath. Hannibal and Julius were walking over, staring at the boy. Alexander must have ratted him out.

“Go show me how you run around like a horse,” Khan said, gently pushing the boy into the open field. Liam began neighing like a horse and trotting around the tall grass.

“It’s true,” Hannibal said, staring at the boy as he ran in circles. “I thought Alexander was lying.”

“Nope,” Khan said.

“I don’t understand,” Julius said, staring at the kid in shock. “He’s not ugly at all like his father.”

“Shut up,” Khan said with a laugh. He was filled with pride showing off his son.

“How did this happen?” Hannibal asked.

“You see,” Julius said, “when a man loves a woman, he-”

“Bailey was pregnant when we left for war,” Khan said, interrupting his brother. “I just found out yesterday.”

“Look,” Hannibal said, pointing to the kid.

“Oh no.” The boy was rolling on the floor twisting and kicking out as little whimpers escaped from his mouth. Light popping and crunching sounds filled the air before the boy burst into a tiny bear.

“A Kodiak,” Hannibal said with a smile. “Just like his father.”

Khan beamed with pride. He was magnificent.

The little bear ran and pounced on a grasshopper. He lifted up his front leg and the grasshopper jumped, sailing away to safety.

The cub spotted Hannibal and growled. He showed his teeth and ran clumsily right at his leg. Hannibal stepped to the side, easily avoiding the bear, reached down and held his head, keeping him at arm’s length.

“He needs to learn some manners,” Hannibal said, jumping out of the way of his swinging claws.

Julius slapped Khan’s shoulder. “Get in there, Papa bear.”

Khan took a deep breath and took off his shirt. He folded it and then handed it to Julius who then tossed it on the ground. Liam’s bear, his son, needed some guidance. He needed to learn how to act and behave in his bear form. All bear shifters had to learn this when they were young or else the human would grow up with an unruly inner bear.

Khan stepped out of his shoes and slipped off his pants as Liam got increasingly frustrated at not being able to reach Hannibal’s leg. He handed Julius his folded pants who took them and then tossed them over his shoulder onto the ground.

Khan’s Kodiak was pacing inside him, struggling to get out. He had been surging forward ever since Khan inhaled Liam’s Vega scent. The bear wanted to meet his son as well. Khan let him come forward and the Kodiak exploded from his body.

He walked over to the tiny cub and knocked his snout into his ribs. The cub flew forward, turned and attacked his father.

Hannibal and Julius both laughed as Liam’s bear scratched and bit at Khan’s muzzle. He lowered the bottom of his snout onto the bear’s back and rumbled lightly. The small Kodiak stilled at once and stood calmly, probably for the first time in his life.

He needed some work but Khan was up to the task. They just had to spend some time together in their bear forms so that Khan could correct him and guide his behavior.

“They’re so cute,” Khan heard Hannibal say as he walked to the forest with his cub following behind, struggling to keep up.

“They really are,” Julius said. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

In that moment, he had no more anger and no more resentment towards Bailey. His mate was back in his life and he had a son. Nothing could ruin that.

His heart was full of gratitude and love. Nothing else.

seven

Bailey pulled into Vega Ranch in the early evening and gasped when she saw two bears rolling around, wrestling in the tall grass. Her eyes flooded with joyous tears as she saw the little cub who normally looked so scared and crazed as he tore apart her apartment, lying on his back with his paws in the air as Khan’s large Kodiak bear licked the scruff of his neck.

She turned off the car and sat in silence, watching the pair play like only a father and son could. Bailey felt both terrible for keeping them apart for so long and relieved that they were finally together.

It was the right decision to bring him here. She had worried and debated about it all day but just watching them together, even for a few minutes, she could tell; this was exactly what Liam needed.

This was exactly what
she
needed as well.

The large Kodiak raised his wet nose in the air and sniffed. He caught her eye and she held her breath as the large bear shook. She closed her eyes and covered her ears as Khan phased. Bailey had seen the pain and heard the horrifying noises that occurred when a shifter phased. She had learned early on to just cover her eyes and ears and block it out.

A few seconds later she came back to reality and Khan was standing naked in the field, talking to the cute little cub. She began walking over.

“Come on, Liam!” Khan said in a stern voice. “Grab him. Pull him. It feels like you’re in a tent, right? Well grab that tent and pull it into yourself.”