Tad

by Harmony Raines

“This is a celebration.” Josephine nodded in Heather’s direction. “Why don’t you two go and get some fresh air? I’ll watch the children for you.”

  Tad saw right through the hidden meaning in Josephine’s offer. “Thanks. I’d like to show Heather the view.”

  “I bet you would.” Josephine jabbed him in the chest.

  “Are you messing with my brother?” Max asked, coming over to join them. His arm slipped around Josephine’s waist and he kissed her cheek.

  “I’m encouraging him to make the most of some alone time with his mate.” Josephine sobered for a moment. “She’s a lucky woman, and you are an exceptionally lucky man.”

  “So go spend some time alone and we’ll take care of everything here.” Max shooed him away. “At least Jake has made new friends.”

  Tad nodded and carried the two drinks back to Heather. “Shall we go out and look at the view?”

  “Is that code for do you want to make out?” Heather asked as he handed her the rum cocktail.

  “You saw right through me.” He glanced over his shoulder. “We could sneak out for a little while.”

  “You make me feel like a teenager again.” She looked at her children, her expression filled with conflicting emotion before she gave a nod. “Come on.”

  He leaned past her and opened the kitchen door which led out into the back yard. Heather took a step out into the cool air and wobbled as the alcohol in her system affected her balance. Tad reached out a hand and cupped her elbow, stopping her from falling flat on the ground. Which would not have been a good start to their time alone.

  “This way.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and guided her along the stone path that meandered across the lawn. “There is a great view of the mountain, just behind those trees.”

  “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to find a secluded spot for us to make out.” Heather darted in front of him and then spun around to face him. “Is that your plan, Mr. Bear?” She batted her eyelashes at him as she walked backward one slow step at a time.

  “I never was a man with a plan.” He reached out and threaded his arm around her waist, pulling her close. “I like to go with the flow and see where it takes me.”

  Heather cupped his face in her hands. “I like the sound of that.” She pressed her lips to his. She tasted of rum and a flavor that was all her own.

  He groaned, his arms tightening around her as he scooped her up and carried her along the stone path. He’d walked this path so many times he could do it blindfolded. Although, with his mate in his arms, he was certain his feet didn’t touch the ground once. Instead, he was floating above the ground.

  His bear guffawed, but he couldn’t break the spell cast over Tad and Heather.

  “Are you sweeping me off my feet?” Heather asked as he stepped sideways off the path and ducked down under the weeping willow, shielding his mate from the low-hanging branches with his body.

  “I am.” He ducked lower. “Which is not as easy as I thought.”

  She giggled and clung to his neck. “Why don’t we stop here for a moment?”

  They reached the center of a small grove of trees. The best view of the mountain was only a few more feet away, but the best view in the world was right here in his arms. “We could stop for a moment. While I catch my breath.”

  “I thought you were fit for your age, with plenty of stamina,” Heather teased as Tad stopped and looked around for a suitable spot to set her down.

  “I am.” He looked down at her beautiful face. “But you take my breath away.”

  “Smooth. Very smooth.” Heather kissed his neck, nuzzling the sensitive skin as he lay her down on a bed of soft springy grass. “Are you going to come sit beside me?” She patted the grass as he looked down at her. “There is plenty of room.”

  Tad dropped to his knees. “You are perfect.”

  “Did you hit your head on a branch?” Heather asked. “I’m all soft and round.”

  “I like soft and round.” He slid his hand across her soft belly and over her curvy hips. “You are all woman to me.”

  “And there was I thinking I couldn’t fall for you any harder than I already had.” Heather slipped a hand around his neck and pulled his face closer to hers. “I think I might be in love with you, Tad Harrison.”

  “Only think?” he asked with a wicked flash of a smile. “I know I’m in love with you.” He paused and pulled back a couple of inches. “I am not in love with you. I love you. It’s not something I’m ever going to be out of.”

  Heather’s eyes misted with tears. “I can’t believe how lucky I am to have found you.”

  His lips brushed hers. “Believe it. My love for you will never grow old or wither away.”

  She slipped her hands down to the hem of his T-shirt, Tad was back in his comfy clothes, complete with paint stains. Although his fingers were scrubbed clean of clay. He needed to set some kind of good impression. “Lift your arms.”

  Tad obeyed, raising his hands so she could pull his T-shirt over his head before casting it to one side. The cool mountain breeze caressed his skin and he shivered, not from the cold, but from anticipation as Heather sat up and began to unbutton the front of her dress. As she pushed it down off her shoulders and wriggled out of it, she cast him a bashful smile.

  “I haven’t undressed in front of a man other than my ex-husband since I had the children.” Her hands brushed over her soft belly, hiding her silvery stretch marks.

  Tad reached out and took hold of her hands, gently pulling them away. “I love every part of your body. Every inch of your flesh. Each curve, each scar, and wrinkle. They tell the story of your life.” He leaned forward and kissed her soft skin.

  “You do know how to sweet talk a woman.” Heather closed her eyes for a moment as his lips dropped butterfly kisses over her stomach.

  “Only you.” He raised his eyes to look at her before his hands went to his belt and he unbuckled his jeans, sliding them down over his thighs. “Damn it.” They got tangled with his boots and he realized just how out of practice he was when it came to seduction.

  Sitting up, he shoved his boots off and then dragged his jeans over his feet. He jumped. Heather stroked his back with her hands, her fingertips teasing and tantalizing as they left his skin inflamed. Another shiver passed through him and he half turned to look at his wonderful mate.

  “Are you going to sit there staring at me or are you going to make love to me?” she asked boldly.

  “I thought I’d sit here and stare.” He chuckled as she slapped him playfully and then grabbed hold of her dress and clutched it to her bosom. “In that case, I’ll go find a man who can satisfy my needs.”

  “Hey. I am that man.” He grabbed hold of her dress and tore it from her hands. “I am the only man.”

  “Is that a promise?” Heather teased as she placed her hands on his naked chest and stroked his nipples, which hardened as she tweaked them.

  “Yes,” he replied hoarsely as he threw her dress to the ground and unclasped her bra in one fluid movement.

  “I’m impressed already.” She hooked her fingers in the elastic of her panties and pulled them down over her curvy thighs. “Now we are both naked. What’s your next move?”

  He grinned. “How much rum did you drink?”

  “Not enough to lose my senses or my inhibitions.” She curled her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and inched his head toward her until their lips were only inches apart. “I know what I want. I’ve wanted it from the moment we first met.” She placed her hand over his beating heart. “I felt the connection then. Just as you did.”

  “And the connection has grown stronger with each minute, each hour that passed.” He cupped her breast in his hand and rubbed his thumb over her nipple.

  She gasped as her lips hovered so close to his that he could taste her. “There you go with your sweet talk again.”

  He kissed her. Deep. Passionate. The bond between them filled with the same depth, th
e same passion. Tad slid his tongue along her lower lip, and she opened her mouth, letting him in, just as she had let him into her life. Their meeting might have been a little later than he’d have liked, he would have loved to spend all his adult life with Heather, but late was better than not at all.

  Tad was grateful they would grow old together.

  Older, his bear joked, but Tad was far too preoccupied with kissing his mate.

  Heather rolled onto her back, inching her thighs apart as Tad moved in unison to nestle between her legs. Reaching between them, she curled her fingers around his hardened length and stroked him.

  Tad bit his lower lip, fighting for control as his arousal surged. The touch of his mate was electrifying, making his skin overly sensitive and his nerve endings tingle. Focusing on Heather and his need to make their first mating as pleasurable as possible—he had promised—he regained control.

  Resting his weight on one elbow, he adjusted his position and stroked her thigh with a feather-light touch. She sighed and inched her thighs wider apart. Tad stroked his hand over her mound and pressed a finger against her most sensitive nerve endings. Heather lifted her knees, her toes curling with pleasure as he pushed a finger deep inside her. In and out, he curved his finger and applied pressure to her inner walls.

  She gasped, her hand tightening around his hardness as she guided him toward her. “Make love to me. I want to come around you.”

  Tension grew in his body and he nearly exploded in her hand. He summoned the patience he used each time he sat down to complete the finishing touches on one of his sculptures. But Heather wasn’t one of his sculptures. She was real, she was warm and alive.

  He entered her, his fingers curling around to dig into the dirt as he fought for control. Skin against skin he thrust forward, pushing deeper. Heather placed her hand on the small of his back and grazed her fingernails over his skin. Tad jerked forward, lunging into her. Heather’s inner muscles tightened around him and his head swam as if he’d drunk the whole pitcher of rum.

  Intoxicated by his mate, his fingers tingled, and the blood pumping through his veins was like liquid fire. Heather scraped her fingernails down his back, her body tensing as he thrust in and out of her. She was his. His mate.

  He claimed her, two mates joined as one, climaxing as one. His seed spurted into her. Maybe they might be lucky enough to make a child, a baby who would complete their relationship.

  But if that didn’t happen, he was okay. Whether they had a child together or not, he would be the father Bella and Zack needed and deserved. Protecting them and nurturing them was as instinctual as breathing for a bear shifter.

  “You know, I think I just discovered the one great thing about being a shifter,” Heather said as she stroked his hair.

  “But you aren’t a shifter,” Tad replied, nuzzling her neck.

  “You know what I mean.” She cupped his chin with her fingers and raised it up, so he was looking into her eyes.

  “I do.” He could stare at her for hours. “So what do you think is the one great thing?”

  “You have a big…” The corners of her mouth turned up as she ran her fingers down over his stomach. “Heart.”

  He chuckled. “All the better for loving you.”

  “You say the sweetest things.” She kissed his lips and he hardened again. He was ready to claim her again and again.

  “If only we had more time,” he groaned.

  “We have the rest of our lives together.” Heather grazed his chest with her lips. “For you to fulfill your promise.”

  “A promise I intend to always fulfill. Just as I will try to fulfill every promise.” Tad caught her chin in his fingers and lifted her face to his. “I love you and if I had a ring, I would ask you to marry me right now and promise to love you and be faithful to you for the rest of eternity.”

  “Rings are overrated,” Heather whispered against his lips. He moved to sit up, but she pulled him back down beside her. “So is getting down on one knee. I much prefer to hold you in my arms.”

  Tad looked into her eyes as the sun began to set over the mountains. “Heather, would you do me the honor of being my wife?” He half-smiled as he added, “Please.”

  Desperate, his bear said in his head.

  “Yes. I would.” She grinned. “Thank you.”

  He laughed, a deep belly laugh full of relief. He’d found his mate. And she had agreed to be his wife.

  To love and to cherish even after death do us part, his bear added.

  As Tad held her in his arms and thought of the future, an idea of a sculpture came to him. Heather, Bella, Zack, and Milly, with a bear at their side.

  And he’d call it My Family. Although if he was going to call it that, he might have to add in Josephine and two other bears. The Harrison family certainly was growing rapidly. Tad’s only hope was that it hadn’t stopped growing yet.

  There was at least one more person they needed to add to it. Jake’s mate.

  Epilogue

  “Ready?” Tad asked as Heather circled the craft barn one last time. It was closing time at the end of another busy day and Heather was checking that everything was switched off and no disasters would befall either the barn or the various pieces on display overnight.

  “It’s a big responsibility.” Heather took one last look around. “Since the barn opened, many of the artists and crafters have gained a lot of genuine followers and the price tags for individual pieces have skyrocketed.”

  “Including your mom,” Tad observed.

  “Including my mom.” She gave a small smile. “I thought she would leave you in charge of her stuff while she’s on the cruise with Rosemary.”

  “I thought she would leave Edgar in charge.” Tad’s forehead creased as a secret smile spread across her face. “What did I miss?”

  “Edgar has a villa on a small Mediterranean island. Very exclusive.” Heather raised her eyebrow. “When they dock in Spain on the way home, he is going to pick them up in his yacht and take them back to his place.”

  Tad laughed. “I have a lot to live up to.” He turned around and went to sneak away. “Excuse me while I go and carve enough clay to make the hundreds of sculptures I need to sell to buy you a Mediterranean island.”

  She took a couple of quick steps forward and grabbed hold of his arms. “I am happy just the way things are.” Heather threaded her arms around his neck and entwined her fingers together so he couldn’t escape.

  Tad slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t escape. Not that either of them wanted to. They were happy together. Heather was happier than any other time in her life and she wanted to enjoy it. There was no need to rush on to the next thing.

  The children were happy, the craft barn was earning more than enough to give them a comfortable life, while still saving up a contingency fund for ruts in the road, and for expansion.

  “I lost you there for a moment.” He gazed down at her and she locked eyes with him.

  “I’m so happy. I like things the way they are. For now.”

  “Does that mean you have changed your mind about moving in with me?” Tad asked.

  “No way, my kids would leave me and move in on their own.” She shook her head at him. “You didn’t have to buy Bella a pony.”

  “I did.” Tad slid his hand up the small of her back. “When she saw Beauty, her face lit up like a star in the heavens. I could not deny her.”

  “Bella will wrap you around her little finger.” Heather slipped one hand from around his neck and held up his little finger. “Right around it.”

  “And there is no place I’d rather be.” He rolled his eyes. “What does that look mean?”

  She pointed at her face and said, “This look means you are in danger of spoiling my daughter.” Heather’s mood sobered. “All they really need is a father. Someone who will be there for them. Who will sit down at the kitchen table when they can’t do their homework and help them with patience and e
ncouragement.”

  He took hold of her hand and raised it to his lips. “That, I can do.” He lowered his head and dropped a kiss on the soft skin on the back of her hand.

  “You know, I just realized I need to check that I locked my office.” She pulled away from him and hooked her finger, beckoning him to follow her. “Want to come and check that there are no intruders?”

  “Do you want me to go first?” He caught hold of her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. “It’s my job to protect you.”

  “You can go first,” Heather agreed. “But only so I can watch your butt in those tight jeans. Do you mold them to your body in the same way you mold clay?”

  He chuckled. “You like them?” He opened the door leading out of the barn and waited for her to go out into the early evening air.

  “I do.”

  “Then I’m never taking them off again. Ever.” He pulled the barn door closed behind them and stood by Heather’s side as she locked it securely. They would set the alarm after they’d checked her office.

  “I beg to differ.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “I think you will be taking them off in the very near future.”

  “Oh, do you?” His eyes widened.

  “Don’t you?” Heather asked, her eyes dropping to look at his bulging jeans.

  “Maybe.” He laughed as he hurried along the path to her small office. “You are a bad influence on me, Heather.”

  “I thought I was a very good influence.” She brushed her hand along his thigh by accident.

  Heather loved his funny and flirty nature. As much as he was mature and protective, he also knew when to laugh at himself and the world around him. He made her happy.

  Pulling the key out of her purse, Heather quickly unlocked her office and went inside. The small desk was still pushed to one side, but the notes pinned to the wall were no longer details for the opening. Instead, they were notes about expansion together with a waiting list of local artists who would be interested in joining the craft barn.

  “Are you okay?” Tad entered the office and stood next to his mate in the cramped space. Although, it didn’t feel cramped. She loved how the warmth of his body comforted her and how his strong, protective arms encircled her.