by Sky Winters
“I took my bike,” Luke replied.
“Oh,” Zebe said awkwardly. “We drove. We’ll see you at home in about half an hour?”
Luke seemed reluctant to leave his brother alone with Jolene but he was beginning to loosen his grasp on her. He wasn’t happy about her choice—or the fact that she had chosen at all—but he was coming to terms with it. She was relieved that he was going to sit and chat with them instead of just running off and getting drunk out of his mind. This proved that he was still a step above a lot of the bad boys she had dated in the past.
The ride back to the house was not as majestic and carefree as it had been before, when Zebe was showing the lake view and trees to Jolene. Now they were quiet, thinking about the conversation that they were going to have to have with Luke. She felt better about her feelings now that she and Zebe had talked about things. It did not hurt that he loved her back. Maybe they could make this all work out the way that Anjelica had told them.
When they arrived at the house, Zebe carefully helped her out of the car as usual. He held her hand as they made their way up to the front door. Luke’s motorcycle was already in the driveway, as well as another one that must have been Anjelica’s.
Jolene took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” Zebe asked her kindly. “Do you need anything once we’re inside?”
She gave him a little nervous smile. “A glass of water would be nice, thank you,” she said. “I think I mostly just need to sit and relax for a while. Please promise me that you two aren’t going to kill each other.”
Chuckling, he shook his head at her. “I can’t promise for him, but I promise that I won’t do any killing tonight.”
Killing? What have I gotten myself into? she thought as she walked into the house, hand in hand with Zebe.
Anjelica and Luke looked at them from their places at the long dining room table. It looked like they were there for a business meeting. That was a sign that they were about to have a serious discussion.
Jolene didn’t know why, but she felt guilty and like she was about to be punished. She hadn’t felt this way since high school, and she did not like it. These werewolves could sure be downers.
Thankfully, Zebe was not like that. He kept on holding her hand as they made their way to the table and sat down. He made sure to sit across from his brother rather than next to him, he was out of claw range that way. Jolene sat next to Anjelica, hoping that she might find some kind of feminine solidarity with her.
It did not seem likely when she caught the other woman’s eye, however. She seemed more annoyed than Luke was.
“How could you let this happen, Zebe?” Anjelica asked. “You knew the plan. You know how important this is. It’s not about any of us anymore.”
Zebe set his jaw at that, taking offence at her tone. He did not like being spoken to as though he was a child who had stolen from the cookie jar. “I’m pretty sure this happened before Jolene’s pregnancy,” he said. “At least before we knew about it.”
“Regardless, you’re putting the twins in jeopardy by letting your feelings get involved,” Anjelica snapped. “This sort of stress and irresponsibility can have detrimental consequences.”
“Don’t you think I know that?”
Jolene looked up from the table. She felt sullen and like she was not being considered as an equal part of all this. In fact, she felt as though Anjelica didn’t see her as a living person who was carrying these babies. To her, Jolene was just a shell. A casing for these precious, historic offspring.
Maybe this was why she had never thought about being a mother. Now that she was going to be one, she wished that she could feel at least a little excited about it, instead of constantly being shamed about who she chose to spend her time with or what she wanted to do. She could not sit in bed every day, goddammit!
She hit her palms against the table. “I want feelings to be involved!” she shouted, her voice coming out a lot shriller than she intended.
The six eyes of the wolves were on her now.
Emboldened by their attention, Jolene proceeded. “I know that all three of you care about my babies, but have you ever stopped to care a little about me? They aren’t just your werewolf twins. They’re my twins. My children. And I want my children to live in a happy family. I don’t know, I’ve always had the crazy notion that if I started a family it would be with someone as the father… I know that you all want to help. And I know that we don’t know if Luke is the dad or if it’s Zebe… But I love Zebe. I want to be with him. And I don’t want to be shamed for wanting that. It’s more stressful for me if you just make me sit in the bedroom and not have a life of my own.”
Anjelica was looking at her skeptically now, but Luke at last seemed to understand. It wasn’t easy for him to hear that the lovely redhead he had the hots for was more interested in dating his brother, but he was beginning to see where she was coming from. Now was not the time for bickering or trying to control her. The babies were her babies too, as she said… As a matter of fact, they were her babies first and foremost.
Once Luke looked past the jealousy, he realized that Jolene was right.
“She’s right,” he said then, turning to look at his sister. He still could not bring himself to admit his defeat to Zebe, but at least he could say it to Anjelica while his brother was right there in the room to hear it. “What’s done is done. I can’t keep being mad at them for wanting to be together, and we can’t keep treating Jolene like she’s the babies’ host. That’s not right.”
Then he turned and smiled at Jolene. “We’re wolves, but we don’t have to be animals.”
Jolene smiled back at him, gasping out a pleased and grateful breath. She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it in a show of thanks.
“I won’t lie and say this isn’t awkward,” he said, looking at Zebe then and giving him a slight smirk. “But I am happy for you two. Here’s hoping you name one of these babies something that is less stupid than The Lone Wolves.”
Zebe laughed a little. “Hey!”
Anjelica sighed, but she threw her hands up and gave Jolene a small smile. “Just… be careful. Maybe no more outdoor activities like that?”
Blushing, Jolene nodded. “Okay. That’s fair.”
Suddenly, her stomach growled. She brought a hand to her belly and felt a little kick along with the rumblings of her hungry stomach. Reaching over, she took Zebe’s and Luke’s hands and placed them onto her belly so they might be able to feel the movement of the twins too.
“Are you ready for some dinner?” Zebe asked her, more concerned about her than the babies, which she loved him even more for.
She smiled at him. “Yes, please.”
Luke pulled his hand away from her then, though he smiled at her. It was a slightly sad sort of smile, but it was not without kindness. “Come on, Anjie. Let’s leave these two love birds to it. I’ve got a Vermonster burger calling my name.”
He and Anjelica got up from the table.
Jolene smiled appreciatively at him. “Don’t drink too much,” she said with a soft chuckle.
“That’s impossible,” he said, giving her a wink.
Once he and his sister were gone from the house, Jolene looked over at Zebe and felt a little awkward for some reason. They were well past feeling shy now. The fact that they had essentially been given permission and Luke’s blessing made things feel official in a way that making love in an open field did not.
“I think there’s grass in my underwear,” she said.
They laughed together. At least that decreased the tension.
Zebe nodded towards the front door. “I’ll go get the food from the car,” he said. “Hopefully it’s okay.”
Jolene’s eyes went big when she remembered that she had put his casserole in the bag. “Oh god, I forgot. Your casserole!”
The likelihood of all of that cheese still being edible after sitting out in a car all day was not a very high one. She felt crushed. “I’m so sorry. I mea
nt to eat it now that I was with you… I had saved it.”
Zebe’s smile only grew. “Aww,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and giving her head a kiss. “It’s okay. Let’s see if we can salvage it. Otherwise, I’ll make you another.”
With that, he got up from the table and went out to the car. Jolene put her head in her hands, her eyes filling with tears. She could not stop herself from crying. She knew it was irrational, but she was disappointed in herself for forgetting Zebe’s sweet gift to her in the car. There had been distractions galore, but she still felt stupid.
A few minutes later, Zebe came back inside with the bag of food. He brought it into the kitchen and placed it on the counter, pulling out the casserole container. Jolene stood up and joined him.
“It doesn’t look good,” he said. “But it’s okay. I’ll make you a fresh one.”
She leaned into him, sniffling but letting her tears subside. “I didn’t eat it when I had the chance because I didn’t want to lose the sweetest thing you had done for me,” she said. “You know? I didn’t want to ruin your gift to me by eating it.” She laughed then, realizing how silly it seemed. “But I’ve learned my lesson. I will eat whatever you give me now.”
Zebe raised his eyebrows at her, smirking a sideways smirk. “Don’t tempt me. I might start testing that promise.”
Jolene giggled. She sat at the small kitchen table, letting herself relax now that he had brought in the food and it had been decided that he would just make a new casserole for dinner. “Let me help you,” she said. “Don’t let me just sit here while you do everything.”
He looked at her skeptically, as if cooking a meal was too taxing for a pregnant woman. “You can read the recipe for me?” he suggested. “Look up tuna casserole on your phone and read off the first recipe you can find.”
“Ugh, so I do have to get up,” she joked, standing and going out to the living room to fetch her phone from her purse. She brought it back and sat down, searching the internet for the perfect tuna casserole recipe.
Meanwhile, Zebe dumped the old one into the trash and carefully put away all of the other items that she had so meticulously packed away in the bag. He laughed and held up the box of Pop Tarts.
“That’s my signature breakfast,” Jolene joked. “Get used to it. You can back out now if you want.”
He shook his head, beaming down at his casserole pan. “Read me the recipe.”
As Jolene told him what ingredients to use and the order to put them into the pan, Zebe made her a tuna casserole. When it went into the oven, she could smell it and her mouth watered as though she was now a werewolf too.
Her tummy growled and her baby wolves growled along with it, ready to eat the delicious meal their father was making for them. She was eating for three now, after all. That was the perfect excuse. She hoped that there would be many surprise casseroles in their future. Forget cakes or pies. This was somehow even sweeter.
Watching him, she knew she had made the right choice. There was no question in her mind. Zebe’s kind of love was special. It was relaxed and filled her up with happiness, and didn’t make her worry if he would come back to her again. She knew he would.
It was the kind of love she had been hoping to find. It was the best kind of love.
Bear Shifter Romance Bonus
Biker Bear’s Baby
“Dixie! Can we get another round down here, doll?” Harlan Simmons called out from the table where he sat with his fellow bikers.
“Sure. On the way,” she called back, turning to grab a tray and start pouring their drinks. It was a typical Saturday night in As the Crow Flies, a dive bar she had just started working in for the summer. The Crow, as the locals called it, was usually full of bikers and truckers that called her pet names and touched her inappropriately. It wasn’t exactly her dream job, but it would net her some extra cash over the summer before she returned to college in the fall.
“Thanks, cutie,” Harlan told her as she balanced her tray on the table and passed out the drinks.
Her large breasts brushed the arm of one of the bikers sitting by Harlan and he smiled at her, but said nothing. She was used to it. Different men reacted differently to her due to her size. She wasn’t slender, athletic, like many of the girls that worked here. Unlike their more stickish figures, she had curves that flowed wickedly in a true hourglass fashion. She was more Anna Nicole Smith than Kate Moss, not everyone’s cup of tea. She could never be sure if the smiles like his were interest or a nonverbal declination. It didn’t really matter much either way to her.
In her high school years, she had been sensitive about her size, but college had opened up a new world to her. College guys seemed to take much more interest in her than high school boys ever had. Of course, she had quickly learned that many of them were more interested in a physical relationship than anything more meaningful. It had led to a general disinterest in dating after a couple of years. Now, entering her junior year, she was fairly impervious to the advances of the opposite sex. Her disdain was only accented by Harlan’s usual slap on her backside as she walked away.
“Harlan, cool it,” she heard one of the guys tell him. It was the same one she had inadvertently brushed against as she had served their drinks.
“What? You can’t just ignore an ass like that, man,” Harlan replied with a laugh.
“If she had wanted your hands on her ass, she would have asked you to put them there. Did she see her flirting with you? No. She is just doing her job and has to put up with jerks like you touching her. Keep your hands to yourself when you are out with me,” the other man growled at him.
“Alright, man. Fine,” Harlan said sullenly.
“Glad we got that straight,” the other man replied, taking a drink of his beer.
Dixie pretended she hadn’t overheard, continuing her walk toward the bar as if nothing had happened. The next several rounds of beer served during her shift went by without further manhandling, at least not from that table. She was vaguely aware of the reputation of the men that sat there, members of a local motorcycle gang known as the Thunder Bears. She assumed it was a nod to the loud sound of their Harleys and the overabundance of bears in this neck of the woods.
“Dixie?” a man said from behind her, disrupting her thoughts as she cleaned the bar back in preparation to leave for the night. She turned around to find herself looking at the man who had called Harlan out for touching her inappropriately.
“What can I get for you? Another beer?” she asked.
“No. I’m good. I just need to take care of our tab and we’re going to get going,” he replied.
“Okay. Let me get that for you,” she replied, taking in his deep brown eyes and dark lashes for what was probably a few seconds too long.
It had been hard to see him well in the dimly lit corner where he and his guys had been sitting, but standing here by the bar shed new light on him. He was tall and muscular, easily six four. She guessed he was in his late twenties, no more than seven or eight years older than her. His jet black hair hung in loose curls to his shoulders. A chiseled jawline set off high cheekbones and full lips. He was insanely attractive and rugged looking.
“Thanks,” he replied, pulling some cash from his pocket and waiting for her to bring him a total. She could see his friends already filing out of the bar behind him.
“Here you go,” she said, laying the check down in front of him and waiting while he shelled out several hundreds to cover their bar tab.
“That should do it,” he told her with a smile.
“I’ll get your change,” she replied, noting the large amount of overage.
“No. The rest is yours,” he replied.
“I appreciate it, but that is too much,” she replied, unsure of accepting an almost eighty dollar tip from the likes of him.
“Consider it an apology for Harlan’s poor behavior, not just for tonight, but for whatever other nights he has been a jackass,” he told her.
“That is not
necessary. I’m used to it,” she replied.
“You shouldn’t be. Just because you work in a bar doesn’t make you the property of a bunch of miscreants. If you have any trouble from anyone here, you just let me know. The name is Luke Roberts,” he said.
Dixie knew the name. He wasn’t just a member of the Thunder Bears, he was the leader, and well known in the community as the best mechanic for miles. She had heard of him, but they had never met before now. If his reputation was true, he was a real badass. He might be pretty, but definitely someone she should steer clear of if even half of what she heard was true.
“I really appreciate it, but still, it is too much. Let me get you some change,” she repeated.
“How about you keep it and give me your number instead,” he replied.
“I rather give you your change,” she replied with a polite smile, feeling uncomfortable with the way his eyes drew her in and made her want to do unmentionable things with him.
“Playing hard to get. Okay. Just know that I don’t give up that easily,” he replied, walking out of the bar.
“Wait. Your change . . . .” she called after him, but he only laughed and tossed up a hand in a backwards wave as he disappeared out the door. She heard the roar of motorcycles cranking up as she made change and tucked it in her tip stash. Finishing her work cleaning up the bar, she cashed out and left work, digging in her purse for her keys.
“I knew you would come out eventually,” a voice said as she stepped out the front door and began walking toward her car. She jumped, startled, as she found herself looking up at Luke Roberts towering over her. Looking around, she saw that the parking lot was empty except for the two of them. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she stood facing him in the near darkness outside the bar.
“What do you want?” she asked, fiddling with the keys in her hand so that several of them protruded from between her fingers in case she needed to defend herself with what she had at hand.
