“Let me help you with that,” Mason said, grabbing the bags. He placed them on top of the futon.
“’Melia! ’Melia!” Cassie ran into her legs, nearly knocking her over. “You came.”
“Of course I did.” She bent down to her level. It had seemed like ages since she last saw Cassie. She brushed her hair away from her face. “I wasn’t going to leave you alone.”
“I’m glad.” She wrapped her small arms around Amelia’s neck and squeezed.
“Me too,” she whispered in the girl’s ear.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
Amelia stood up and faced Mason. “I didn’t have any plans or anything. Besides, I wasn’t going to let you take a little girl to a bar,” she laughed.
“I appreciate it.” He glanced at his watch, and then the door. “Tim’s waiting.”
She waved him away. “Go,” she urged. “I’ll take care of things here. Has she had dinner?”
Mason nodded. “Fridge is stocked if she’s hungry, but no sweets.”
“Daddy!” Cassie whined.
Amelia chuckled. “We’ll be fine.”
Mason leaned down and kissed Cassie on the cheek. “Be good, baby,”
“I will, Daddy.”
He gave her another grateful nod. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’m only across the street if you need me and you have my number.”
“I know.”
He ruffled Cassie’s hair, and then headed out the door.
“Now,” she looked down at Cassie. “Do you want to draw? I brought some paper and markers.”
“Oohhh! I can’t draw too good yet, but I can color,” Cassie declared.
“Well, why don’t I draw for you and you can color?”
Amelia found it easy to keep Cassie entertained. Although she hadn’t any experience watching over kids, it seemed easy enough. Cassie was talkative, eager, and very bright. She was also very affectionate, always touching Amelia and hugging her. And Amelia couldn’t help but return the affection. After four years of being alone, it felt good to have some contact, even if it was from a little girl.
The hours passed, and they watched movies, played some board games, and Cassie colored about twenty of her drawings. Amelia realized that Mason didn’t tell her what Cassie’s bedtime was, but it was nine o’clock and Amelia was pretty sure that was already way too late for a three-year-old.
“I think it’s time for bed,” she declared.
“Awww!”
Amelia put on her best stern face. “C’mon young lady. Let’s get you ready.” She helped Cassie wash her face, brush her teeth and get into her pajamas. “Want me to tuck you in?”
Cassie nodded. “But I’m not sleepy,” she protested.
“Get into bed, while I turn down the lights.” Amelia turned off the lights in the room, except for the lamp by the futon. She knelt down beside Cassie’s bed. She had pulled the covers away and was lying down in the middle.
“Will you tell me a story, ’Melia?”
She wrinkled her nose. “A story? What kind? A princess story?”
Cassie shook her head. “No. I don’t like princesses.”
“Right,” she chuckled. “What story do you want then?”
“Something with a bear,” Cassie said. “And a dragon.”
“Ah, you’re in luck, because I happen to know a story about a dragon and bear.” Amelia pulled the covers over Cassie’s shoulders. “Once upon a time, there was bear shifter. His name was Silas. Silas lived deep in the forest, all by himself.”
“Why?” A small wrinkle appeared between Cassie’s brows.
“Why?”
“Why did he live by himself? Didn’t he have other bears like him? Like Daddy?”
“Well…” Amelia paused. “Silas did have a family. A big bear family. But he was just … different. All his brothers, sisters, and cousins found their mates and he was the last of his family without one.”
“What’s a mate? Is that like a wife?”
“Yes, it’s kind of like that,” Amelia explained. “So, since Silas couldn’t find a girl bear to be his mate, he thought he would just live in the woods alone for the rest of his days. He built a cabin by a lake, and spent his days hiking, hunting, and fishing. One day, Silas was out fishing when he saw a great big shadow over him. When he looked up, he saw it was a dragon.”
“Was it a scary dragon?” Cassie clutched the blanket to her chest.
“Maybe. I’m sure Silas was scared to see the dragon; he’d never seen one before. But, the dragon was hurt. It had this great big tear in its wing and it fell in the lake. Silas dove into the lake and rescued the dragon, who turned out to be a girl.”
Cassie looked at her with a skeptical face. “Was it a princess dragon?”
“I told you there weren’t any princesses in this story,” Amelia reminded her. “Anyway, Silas rescued her and brought her onto the shore. He laid her down on the ground and tried to wake her up. He breathed air into her, to get the water out of her lungs and she woke up. The moment he looked into her eyes, he knew that she was his mate.”
“How did he know?”
“His bear told him. And her dragon told her too, that Silas was her mate.”
“Did they get married?”
Amelia shook her head. “Not right away. Anastasia was very sick. She couldn’t fly or turn back into a dragon. Silas nursed her back to health, until she was able to change back into a dragon and fly away.”
“And did she?”
“Did she what?”
“Fly away?”
Amelia nodded. “She did. And Silas was very sad. He loved Anastasia, but she had to go home to her family. You see, dragons aren’t supposed to have mates who aren’t dragons, and Anastasia’s family wanted her to marry this other dragon. A prince.”
“A prince dragon?” Cassie made a face. “But I don’t want her to be a dragon princess.”
“Don’t worry,” Amelia assured her. “Anastasia loved Silas too, you see. She told her family that she didn’t want to marry the dragon prince, and she ran away again, back to Silas. And—”
“They lived happily ever after?” Cassie asked, hope in her eyes.
She smiled down at the girl. “Of course they did.”
Cassie let out a yawn. “I’m glad. I wouldn’t want Silas to be alone.” She blinked. “Like my daddy. I think he’s lonely, too.”
Amelia gave her a tight smile. “He has you, he’ll never be alone.”
“I know that.” Another yawn. “But he needs a mate, right?”
“I—I guess.”
“He does. And …” She let out another yawn. “You …” Cassie fought sleep for just a second, but then closed her eyes.
Amelia leaned down and pressed her nose to Cassie’s cheek, memorizing her scent. Strawberries—probably from the bath gel she saw in the bathroom—and that fresh and sweet scent only kids had. She brushed her hair aside, and then tucked the covers around her, waiting until her breath evened and she was fast asleep.
She stood up and looked around her, realizing that there wasn’t anywhere else for her to relax on except the futon. Mason’s bed. She could sit on the chairs by the table or the floor, but her body felt so heavy and tired. Trudging over to the futon, she sat down, took off her shoes, and then lay on the mattress.
As she took a deep breath, she found herself surrounded by Mason’s fur and fresh mountain air scent. She groaned and rolled onto her stomach. That made it worse as now her nose was buried in his pillow. But her body refused to move.
As she lay there, surrounded by Mason’s scent, her mind drifted back to the story of Silas Walker and Anastasia Lennox. It had been a long time since she’d thought about that story; it had been her favorite growing up, and her dad would tell it to her at least once a week. Amelia always imagined she would one day tell it to her kids, so they would know all about their family history.
She sighed, her eyelids drooping until she just couldn’t fight it any
more, and she closed them. She was slowly sinking into sleep when she felt something move beside her. The scent of strawberries told her it was Cassie, who had somehow crawled into bed with her.
Amelia moved over to give her some room. Cassie snuggled up to her, laying her head on her chest and wrapping her small hand around a lock of her hair. Amelia pulled her close, throwing an arm over the small body.
Just before sleep claimed her, Amelia thought she heard the sound of a deep, satisfied rumble.
Chapter Ten
As soon as Tim told him he could go, Mason didn’t waste any time and ran back to his apartment. His uncle really had been in a bind, with Heather breaking her leg. Tim had said he could manage, but Mason wanted to help out.
Of course, Mason would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy about how things turned out. It was the perfect excuse to call Amelia and see her, even just for a few minutes. He still hadn’t worked out how he was going to fix her and the mating bond, but he just needed an opportunity or an excuse to spend time with her. Plus, he already knew she wouldn’t be able to say no if it was Cassie. It was kind of a dick move, using his daughter, but he was desperate.
His animal had been on a rampage, ever since that day he discovered what Amelia was hiding. It had been so bad that his manager at the mines asked him to go home, since he was making all the other shifters agitated. He knew he had to fix this, or else he might go mad and feral himself.
Mason jogged up the stairs and opened the front door with his key. The room was dark, save for the lamp by the bedside, so he didn’t bother to turn on any of the lights. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, the sight that greeted him took his breath away.
Curled up on his futon were Amelia and Cassie. His daughter was cuddled up to Amelia, who was lying on her side. She had an arm protectively over Cassie, and both were fast asleep.
A tightness in his chest made it hard to breathe. This is how it should have been. But Mason quickly put those thoughts away. If he played it right, this is how it could always be.
Mason walked over to Cassie’s side as quietly as he could, then knelt down. Amelia looked so peaceful and beautiful like this, her eyelids closed and mouth slightly parted. He reached over to brush her cheek with his hand.
“Shh,” he said as her lids fluttered open. Sleepy blue eyes looked up at him. “I’ll put her back in bed.” He lifted Cassie into his arms, and though she stirred, she didn’t wake up, even when he tucked her in. When he turned around, he saw Amelia had sat up and was putting her shoes on.
“Thanks again,” he said as he walked over to her. “You really saved my butt.”
“You’re welcome.” As she stood up, she lost her footing and toppled back.
Mason’s reflexes kicked in and he snaked an arm around her waist. He was a little too forceful, so ended up with her body pressed to his. He stifled a groan at the feel of her soft curves.
“Mason?” Blue eyes blinked at him.
“Yes?”
“You can let go now.”
“Oh.” He dropped his arm. “Right.” She was still so close though that he could almost feel the warmth of her skin.
“I should get going. I have work tomorrow.”
“Yeah, sorry to keep you.”
She glanced over at Cassie. “No worries. I’m glad I could help out. She’s a good kid.”
“She is.”
Amelia made a grab for her purse, which was sitting on top of the futon. Unfortunately, he didn’t move out of the way quickly enough, and she swung the bag and hit him in the chest.
“Oops!” She let go of the bag and it fell to the floor with a soft thud, the contents spilling out. “Damn.”
He bent down. “I’ll get it, no worries.” As he picked up her stuff, he noticed a wadded up piece of paper on the floor. It was old and crumpled, covered in red ink. His fingers trembled when he picked it up. He got up and handed Amelia her purse, tucking the napkin into his pocket. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She slung it over his shoulder. “I’ll head out now.”
“I’ll take you to your car.”
“No,” she said quickly. “I mean,” she looked at Cassie, “you shouldn’t leave her alone here, even for a few minutes. She shouldn’t wake up to an empty house. My car’s right outside.”
He nodded in agreement but walked her to the door. “Good night, Amelia.”
“Good night, Mason.” And with that, she left.
Mason stared at the door for a few seconds, then turned and walked back to his futon. He took his boots off and stretched out on the bed, then took the napkin out from his pocket.
The drawing was just as he remembered, if a little faded. He remembered as she lovingly traced the lines with her ink-stained fingers, describing the dream home she had envisioned. He was surprised that she kept it all this time. Maybe they weren’t a lost cause; maybe, just maybe, Amelia still held onto the past and the feelings she used to have. He refused to think it was all gone, and this was proof, right in his hands.
He looked at it for a few more minutes, then tucked it back into his pocket. He rolled over and closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion and sleep take over as the smell of honeysuckle and fur followed him into his dreams.
“Where are we going, Daddy?” Cassie asked as he unbuckled her from the car seat.
“We’re going to see Amelia,” he explained, then lifted her out.
Cassie’s face lit up into a smile. “We are? Yay! I’m glad you took me out of day care early.”
Mason grinned at his daughter. Cassie had been legitimately sad when he’d arrived early to pick her up. She really did enjoy staying at Lennox day care facility, and being the newest and youngest girl there, she was kind of a celebrity. All the other kids watched out for her and wanted to play with her. Of course, Cassie was such an extroverted and happy child, it wasn’t a surprise. Mason himself realized that he’d never spent an extended period of time around his daughter and was slowly discovering her personality. She wasn’t a perfect little girl and she had her bratty moments, but Mason loved her even more.
“Is ’Melia going to babysit me again?” Cassie asked.
Mason locked the doors to the truck. “No, baby. We’re going to thank her for last night by taking her out to dinner.” He cleared his throat. “You’ll have to help me convince her to come, though. She might be too, er, shy to let us buy her dinner again.”
“I will, Daddy.”
With Cassie still in his arms, he walked across the street to Amelia’s office building. He didn’t have to wait long, as Amelia soon came out.
“Mason? Cassie?” she asked, her brow wrinkling.
“’Melia!” Cassie cried. “We’re taking you to dinner!”
“Is that so?” Amelia raised a brow at Mason. “I don’t recall being asked.”
“It’s a thank you dinner,” Mason said.
“Like when you helped me with shopping and ate the tacos,” Cassie pointed out. “Pwease, ’Melia?” Mason had to hand it to her, his daughter was laying it on thick with the big eyes and pleading look.
Amelia bit her lip, but there was a smile curling up at the corners. “All right. But, where should we go?”
“I want Rosie’s!” Cassie exclaimed. “Daddy and me have only been once.”
“That’s my favorite place! I used to go with my parents and my brother.” Amelia looked at Mason. “I’m good if you are.”
Mason nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Amelia said, fishing her car keys from her pocket. “See you.”
Mason watched her walk toward the parking lot, and then ruffled Cassie’s hair.
“Did I do good, Daddy?”
He chuckled. “You did more than good, baby. Let’s go.”
They went back to the truck and were soon on their way. Mason drove past the lot where Amelia parked and waited. When he saw her car pull out of the lot, he followed right behind her.
Rosie’s Bakery and Cafe wasn’
t too far from where they were and they arrived there in less than ten minutes. He followed Amelia to the lot behind the cafe and parked right beside her.
“Let’s go!” Cassie said as soon as Mason set her on the ground. She immediately ran to Amelia and took her hand. “I want chocolate mud pie!”
“Only after you’ve have your veggies,” Amelia said with a wag of her finger.
“Aww!”
Rosie’s wasn’t packed yet when they entered, but there was one other couple waiting for a table by the hostess stand. The man had his back to him, but Mason could see he was very tall and built like a linebacker. He had an arm around a petite, redhead who was obviously very pregnant.
“Ben?” Amelia said, and the man turned around.
“Amelia!” He greeted, and then pulled her in for a hug. Mason’s polar bear growled instinctively, but when he got a whiff of grizzly, he instantly knew who this was.
“Penny!” Amelia embraced the short redhead. “What are you doing here?”
The woman rubbed her tummy. “I think the baby’s definitely taking after your brother. He or she wants Rosie’s all the time.” She chuckled, then glanced at Mason and Cassie. “Oh, hello.”
Ben’s gaze turned to Mason. “I didn’t realize you weren’t alone, Amelia.” He kept his gaze straight at him, and Mason could feel the power of the grizzly inside Ben. Controlled, but it was difficult to ignore. It reminded him of the first time he met Amelia.
“Oh, yeah.” Amelia’s eyes darted around. “Ben, this is Mason Grimes and his daughter, Cassie. Mason, Cassie, this is my brother, Ben, and his wife, Penny.”
“How do you do?” Penny greeted.
“Grimes?” Ben said, his brows drawing together.
“Tim’s my uncle,” Mason explained.
“Oh. I didn’t realize Tim had other relatives.” He offered his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same.” Mason took his hand and gripped it tight. Their bears seemed to size each other up, but with the women and Cassie around, both backed down from any type of confrontation.
The Blackstone She-Bear: Blackstone Mountain Book 7 Page 10
