by Terry Spear
His heart beating wildly, he rushed out of the room and down the hall into the living room. He saw the boys' pajamas on the floor, the front door wide open, and he didn't have to guess what had happened. He ran outside, expecting to see them playing as polar bears nearby, but they weren't. They cried out and he swung his head in the direction of their cries, his heart thundering. In their polar bear forms, the boys were huddled together on an ice floe, crying out to him as they were being dragged out to sea. Hell! That must have been the sound he heard that woke him this morning.
He raced back into the house and to the bedroom where he and Robyn were staying. She was still sleeping. "The boys are on an ice floe!" he warned.
Still looking sleepy and like she wasn't sure what was going on, Robyn sat up in bed. "What?"
"Call my cousin Craig to fly out here. My phone's on the bedside table. He's on my contact list. I'm going to swim out to the boys. They're on an ice floe," he repeated. "They might not be able to swim that distance back here on their own. I'll stay with them until Craig can get here. You stay here. Wait for the boys’ return. He'll bring them back in the seaplane."
"Ohmigod, Edward." She was out of the bed in a flash, grabbing clothes.
"I've got this." He kissed her, then raced off to the front door. He tugged off his boxer briefs, ran outside, and shifted. Then as a polar bear, he ran as fast as he could to the water, calling out to the boys in his polar bear roar that he was coming to get them. He prayed they didn’t get off the ice floe and try to join him. As soon as Edward was in the water, he swam as fast as he could toward the darn floe that was moving out to sea just as fast.
ROBYN FELT PANICKED, and she nearly dropped Edward's phone as she hurriedly tried to call Craig. She was grateful to Edward for trying to rescue their sons. "Craig," she said, tears in her eyes, her voice unnatural. "We need you now! The boys are on an ice floe, and Edward's gone to be with them. But he needs you to pick them up. They're too far out."
"I'm coming. I'll be there in an hour."
An hour would be a lifetime.
7
Edward was swimming as fast as he could to reach the boys on the ice floe. They looked like they were getting ready to abandon their little, floating ice island, but he brayed at them, warning them to stay back, away from the edge. He was coming for them, to be with them, to protect them like their momma would have done.
Edward was a fast and able swimmer, but it was taking him too long to reach the boys. All he could think of for now was reaching the boys, joining them on the ice, and keeping them calm, warm, and safe until Craig arrived.
He was getting closer now and he was damn glad the floating ice island was big enough to accommodate him and the boys. He wanted to get to know them, but this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Fishing trips, sure. Swimming, of course. But danger and peril? Not with the boys. He realized that he had a lot to learn when it came to raising a couple of kids too. He was getting his first real test on how to handle kids in a crisis situation.
Once he reached the ice, he slid up on top and the boys looked at him for a moment, not approaching, appearing scared, like papa bear was going to scold them for being so foolhardy and for disobeying him in the first place. They would have no idea how he would react, and truthfully, it was all new to him. It gave him new respect for his parents and all that they went through raising him and his brother before they died. To the boys, Edward was just a very big, menacing-looking, male, polar bear.
He lumbered toward them and then stopped, sat, and waited for them to join him. They both ran over to him and pressed themselves against him. He hugged them both, hoping no one saw the uncharacteristic scene of a male polar bear hugging two youngsters instead of momma bear being there for them and wanted to send scientists to document the unusual behavior.
He finally laid down on the ice, trying to relax so the boys wouldn't be so anxious. They could be here for a good long while. They probably figured he had a plan. Kids could be trusting that way. They snuggled up against him to stay warm.
About an hour later, Edward and the boys heard his cousin's seaplane flying nearby, searching the ice floes. He stood up tall, hoping Craig could spot him standing on the ice. Both boys joined him as if that would enable Craig to see them better. It was still dark out, but the sun was just beginning to come up. White bears in a sea of white ice floes could be difficult to spot. He hoped Craig could land safely in the water too. Edward could just imagine Craig crashing the plane, and having to strip and shift and join them as a polar bear also, and then what? No more rescues.
Then Craig was landing in the water some distance off, unable to reach them.
Craig called out, "I'll take the boys to shore and come back for you."
Edward had thought to swim back home, but he figured Craig was right. This was the best plan. He chuffed at the boys, telling them to join him in the water. Then he slipped into the water and one after the other followed him. He swam with the boys around other ice floes in their path and finally reached the seaplane.
Andy was in the seaplane also and helped to get the bear cubs inside, then Edward climbed onto the nearest ice floe to wait for his cousins' return. The cubs looked anxious about leaving Edward behind. He appreciated their concern.
"He'll be fine. We'll take you back to your momma and then come back for Edward," Craig said, then they flew off for the land mass.
Edward hadn't really planned their day as far as the activities they could do, but this certainly wasn't anything like how he thought of enjoying the day with the boys. Maybe helping them build a snow fort and having a snowball fight. Fishing. Exploring the area. Swimming as bears, but not hitching a ride out to sea on an ice floe and having to get a seaplane rescue.
ROBYN WAS SO upset with her boys and she was so proud of Edward for having the presence of mind to rescue them. She just hoped he wouldn't change his mind about having them around any longer, thinking they would disrupt his orderly, bachelor life too much.
She couldn't believe the boys had done such a thing. Then again, she remembered her own brothers doing something just as risky when they were little.
As soon as they were ashore, she thanked Edward's cousins and then she hurried the boys back to the house. "You go inside and shift, dress, and stay in your room until Edward returns.”
The boys shifted and ran for the bedroom.
"He's going to be mad at us," Garrett said.
"Yeah, he is," Bryan said.
"I'm mad at you. Go. We'll deal with you when I return." She waited for them to enter their bedroom and then she went back outside to watch for Edward's return. It seemed like it took forever as she paced in the snow and watched for any sign of the seaplane. Then she heard the sound of the engine rumbling off in the distance and she prayed Edward was safe on the plane.
When they finally reached a safe place to park, Edward jumped into the water. So glad to see him, she took a relieved breath as she watched Edward swim to shore. He shook off the icy water and ran up to her and nuzzled her. She patted his wet, furry head and she thanked his cousins again. She couldn’t appreciate them for all their help any more than she did.
"Sure thing," Craig said.
"Just call if you need anything else," Andy said.
“Hopefully, no more sea rescues,” she said, still frowning.
Edward's cousins both smiled as if they knew the trouble Edward was in with hooking up with her again—except this time with two five-year-old, male twins—then they flew off.
As a bear, Edward walked beside her as they headed for the house.
"Thank you for risking your life to save the boys," she said.
He grunted, and she hoped that didn't mean he was really angry with them. She was still their protective mother, though she believed that Edward needed to be assertive in this case and she would let him decide the boys' punishment.
As soon as she and Edward went inside the house, the boys were peeking outside their bedroom door, not coming out
, but just checking to see for themselves that Edward was there.
He grunted at them, then headed into his bedroom. A few minutes later, he was dressed and walking back down the hall.
"What did you want to do for punishment for the boys?" he asked her.
She pulled Edward into her arms and kissed him, tears trailing down her cheeks. "Thank you, Edward. I would never have reached them in time. Thank you. After you set the rules last night about not going out alone without one of us being with them, and because you risked your life to rescue them, you can decide their punishment."
He smiled and kissed her back. "I hadn't planned on that little adventure this morning first thing, but everyone's fine. We're all safe. We just need to set some ground rules. Again." He glanced back at the bedroom where the boys were still peeking out. "And when I say you don't go out to play without an adult being with you, I mean it."
They both nodded.
Then Edward said, "I'm starving. What about everyone else?"
The boys both looked at Robyn.
"I'll make us some eggs and ham." She glanced at Edward, thinking the boys should be confined to their room at the very least.
"We'll start building a snow fort while you’re making breakfast. Just call us when it’s ready. And thanks in advance for fixing breakfast. Come on, boys. Get your coats and gloves and hats on. We're going to have a snowball fight as soon as the fort is made."
She couldn’t believe it! She could see the kids believing she was being the mean parent and Edward was the fun parent and not taking parenting seriously.
"All right!" "Yes!" the boys said, but looked to make sure that she agreed, and she nodded.
They rushed back to their room to get their outside gear on.
She folded her arms and gave Edward a stern look. "That's your punishment for the boys? Don't tell me boys will be boys."
Edward pulled her arms apart and wrapped them around him and gave her a warm hug. "No, I wasn't going to say that. The boys and I will have a little talk while we're snowball fighting outside."
She smiled then. Okay, so maybe he was right.
"That's how my father handled my brother and me when we did stupid and dangerous things.”
She sighed. "All right. Have fun then."
"You could join us and then we could fix food afterward," Edward offered.
"No. You need this time with the boys. I’ll play with all of you later.”
The boys raced out of the room and stood next to them, looking eager to play, hopeful she hadn't changed Edward's mind about his choice of punishment for them.
And then Edward headed outside with the boys.
Robyn still couldn’t believe the boys and Edward could have died at sea, without Edward's quick thinking and actions. She was glad to see the boys were fine with Edward being their dad, though she wondered if they would have changed their mind if he had decided a harsher punishment for them.
She started making a breakfast casserole of shredded potatoes, eggs, ham, and cheese and set it in the oven to bake for an hour. She watched out the window to see the little boys and the big boy all having fun building a fort. She was so glad they were here with Edward, and for the first time in a long time, she felt she and the boys were safe from her late-mate’s family, and her own family too. She loved watching Edward play with the boys. That’s what they needed. A dad who was really there for them.
Glad she had told the boys the truth about Edward, confirming what her mate had told them about having not been their father, she felt relief.
She wanted to try to make it work between her and Edward and she was certain Edward did too. After last night and their making love, it was a perfect way to renew their feelings for each other.
She returned to the kitchen and set the oven timer. Since the food wouldn’t be ready for another hour, she put her coat, hat, and gloves on, pulled on her snow boots, and headed outside to have some fun too.
As soon as everyone saw her, the boys yelled, “Mom! Be on our side!”
She laughed, not wanting to gang up on poor Edward, but he only smiled at her and gave her a hand to help her into the boys’ fort. It had one partial snow wall up on a slight hill, but Edward said, “Okay, have your mom help you build your fort and I’m going to make my snowball pile.”
And the battle was on. Robyn was trying to build their snow fort taller and the boys were piling up the snowballs for ammunition. Edward started lobbing the snowballs over the fort’s low wall and the kids took action—tossing their own snowballs. Robyn gave up on the wall and began throwing the snowballs at Edward too. Edward finally ran toward them with snowballs in both hands and the kids ducked behind the fort’s wall. Robyn socked him with a couple of snowballs, but he didn’t throw his. As soon as he reached the wall, he peered over and saw the boys smiling and hiding.
He dropped the snowballs on top of them, and everyone was laughing. They played for about an hour and she remembered the casserole. “Who’s ready to eat?”
“We are!” the kids shouted, and scrambled out of their fort and into the house.
Edward drew Robyn into his arms and hugged her, then kissed her cold nose and lips. “Thanks for coming out and playing with us.”
“I had to. You three couldn’t have all the fun. Besides, it was going to take so long for the meal to be ready, it meant I had time to play too.”
“You sided with the boys,” he teased her.
“Yeah, well, I figured a big guy like you could take on the three of us and still win. Thanks for playing with the kids. They needed that more than a big scolding and being sent to bed for the rest of the day.”
“They’re good boys. They just need to know how dangerous the wilderness can be and learn to respect it. I think they learned their lesson as far as hitchhiking on an ice floe. They told me they thought it would be fun—just float around on it for a while. They didn't realize the currents could carry them out to sea. It doesn’t mean they won’t get into other mischief in the future though.”
“And you know this because of you and your brother’s shenanigans?”
“Uh, right, and because of what my cousins were up to. I mean, with five of us together, we could get ourselves in all kinds of difficult situations. Not intentional, just being kids. And not that our sons could inherit any of this from me.” He walked her to the house.
“Right.”
He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. “It’s just in kids’ nature to want to explore and be adventurous. Don’t tell me you weren’t like that too.”
“Sure I was. But it’s a lot different when you’re the kid, than when you’re the parent worrying about your kid.”
“I agree with you there.”
They headed inside the house and peeled out of their outerwear, hung it all up, and then Robyn and Edward served the meal while the boys set the table.
“I thought we’d go on a polar bear run after we eat,” Edward said.
“Yes!” the boys said.
“All of us, right, Robyn?” Edward asked her.
“Of course. I wouldn’t be left behind.” She loved to shift into her polar bear coat and go for runs with her cubs. It would be fun to do it with Edward too. She hadn't run with him in years.
“You really did hope you could run into me in town, didn’t you?” Edward asked, all-knowing like.
“Yes. I didn’t know how you or your family would feel if I showed up though. Or if you'd even have a mate.” And she wanted to tell him her kids were his too. But she really hadn’t known how he would react. She should have known he would want to be part of their lives also.
“You made it impossible for me to ever find a mate. Everyone wants you back in my life, our lives. I know they were as upset as I was that you had left.”
“Why did you go, Mommy?” Garrett asked.
“Yeah, why?” Bryan asked.
“Your uncles don’t like Edward and his family. They threatened to hurt him. I didn’t want them to hurt him, so
I left. I was protecting him.”
“I don’t know those uncles, do I?” Garrett asked.
“No, you’ve never met them.” If Robyn was going to be with Edward and his family again, she could never let her own family know of it. She didn’t want to bring their wrath down on his family, not when they were still dealing with issues with her late mate’s family. Someday, when the boys were older and could understand better, Edward could tell them what had happened between her brother and him, but that would be for another day.
8
After Edward and Robyn finished cleaning the dishes from breakfast, she sighed, examining his eyes. "The one black eye you had is gone, but the other is turning purple. I'm so sorry Richard hit you."
"All in the name of protecting you and the kids."
"Well, at least we heal faster than humans." She kissed his cheek and then they got ready to run, shifted, and dashed outside as bears.
The kids loped behind Edward and Robyn, staying with them and not running off. Edward wondered if the boys were still a little traumatized from their adventure this morning and were afraid to get into trouble again. Or maybe with both adults running with them, they figured they couldn’t get away with too much. He was glad they were sticking close though, no matter what the reason was.
They saw moose roaming through the forested areas. They didn’t see any humans on their trek, thankfully. Though the polar bears, the non-shifter kind, lived up north, the shifters went anywhere they wanted to go that they figured they wouldn’t be seen by humans. Occasionally, a local Inuit would see them, and know they were not regular bears. The Inuit felt honored to see the bear shifters and only shared their sightings among their own people.
