by Renee Carr
I lifted my brow. “Wow, that’s a beautiful story. I really feel like the Holbrook family has enough beautiful stories that they could write a book and sell millions of copies of it. Like the hallmark moments of the Holbrook family.”
Brighton laughed, shaking his head. “And where does the whole wolf thing fit in? Is that a Hallmark moment?”
I tilted my head to the side. “Well, we could turn it into one. You three brothers could shift into your wolves, I could tie Christmas ribbons around you, and put you in big boxes. We could decorate a ginormous tree so that you looked to scale and I could take pictures of you guys. Everyone would melt at the adorableness.”
He blinked at me. “Don’t ever say that in front of my brothers. I’m pretty sure their wives have already thought of something like that.”
We both laughed as the waitress walked up, showing Brighton a bottle of wine that he had called ahead to request. He nodded and she undid the cork, pouring him a sample and waiting for him to try it. He winked at me as he tipped his glass back, making me smile and blush. “That’ll be just fine, thank you.”
The waitress poured me some and set the bottle in the center of the table before walking away. Brighton reached across the table and held my hand, looking at me with love in his eyes. It was a feeling that sent shivers down my spine and butterflies into my stomach. Through the course of dinner, we talked about everything in our lives, from our families to our hopes and dreams. We opened up about things that we hadn’t had a chance to talk about yet, but were important if our relationship was going to go any further than it had.
“I always feel strange talking about my dreams of running the business, because I know that will mean that my father will have passed away.” Brighton smiled at someone walking past before continuing. “The reality of it is, we don’t live forever, and though I never want to see my father die, of course not, I still have to make preparations for when he does. It would be stupid of me not to. I’m pretty sure that’s why my brothers had a hard time swallowing the idea of becoming part of the business. They knew that from the moment they stepped in there, they would be trained to take over when my father passed away.”
I took a sip of my wine. “My parents want me to take over the business so they can retire early. I couldn’t imagine doing all this, with the whole idea that I had to wait until my parents passed away to assume my responsibilities. But then again, I’ve been pretty sheltered my whole life. I lost my grandfather when I was in high school, but other than that, I don’t know what the loss of a parent is like.”
He nodded at me. “I think in some ways, it prepared me for all of this. My mother’s passing showed me that life still continues and that you have to be prepared for it. I think everyone should grieve, that’s very important, but the world doesn’t stop during that process.”
I took a deep breath and looked around, realizing we had been there for hours. “This place is busy.”
Brighton glanced around. “Yeah, it’s the only really nice place in town.”
My phone buzzed and I smiled. “I’m sorry, excuse me one minute.”
I looked down at the text message from my grandmother. “My neighbor said they saw you at Charles Jones’ restaurant with one of the Holbrook boys. I hope he’s feeling better. I love you and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Chuckling to myself, I put my phone back in my pocket. “It was my grandmother. I guess her neighbor was here and saw us come in. She’s always had a really good sense of humor.”
“I love that about people,” Brighton laughed. “I’ve talked to your grandmother a couple of times. She’s definitely got a fire in her. How’s she doing these days? I came home for your grandfather’s funeral six years ago, but didn’t get to talk very long because there were so many people there.”
“I’m surprised I didn’t see you,” I replied. “But we were so busy and my mom put me to work as soon as we got there. I wanted to stay busy anyway. It’s kind of what I do in such situations. But my grandmother is okay, getting older.”
Brighton bit the inside of his cheek. “And you came here to take care of her?”
I nodded. “Yeah, though when I came, I really didn’t know that she was doing as bad as she is. I mean, she’s still going out all the time and being my grandmother, but she definitely has some health issues that worry me. She fell not long ago, right before my graduation, and now they’re talking about possible surgery for her or maybe physical therapy. It just seems like every time someone talks about an old person having hip surgery, the next thing you know, something happened to them.”
“Yeah, but your grandmother is tough,” he said with a smile. “She’s the kind of woman that would fight death until he gave in.”
I giggled, finding it absolutely true. “I know, but I love her. I love my parents, but my grandmother has a special place in my heart. She was not far from us in Maryland growing up, and then when I was about 10, that was when she and my grandfather moved here to Galena. They got tired of the crime and the congestion of Maryland, which, after being out here for a week, I can completely understand. I would come up here for the summer and spend time with them and we always had such a great time. I can call Grandma at any point and tell her anything and she would never judge me, or scold me; she would just give it to me straight. It breaks my heart that there are things wrong with her that I can’t help.”
He reached out and took my hand. “But what you don’t understand is you are helping. Just by being here, I’m sure it lifts your grandmother’s spirit and gives her that extra push of toughness. The things you do around her house are probably incredibly helpful. If she’s anything like me, a mess makes me anxious, which is why I think I don’t get as much work done in my office as I should. Mental health is just as important to your grandmother right now as physical health. So, don’t think you’re not making a difference, because you are.”
My heart fluttered in my chest, listening to his words. He was being so supportive and sweet to me and it nearly melted me in my seat. All throughout the rest of dinner and dessert, we talked about life, growing up, and what our dreams were. Brighton wanted to take his father’s company into the new age, but keep the same moral and familiar feeling to it. He wanted to make his father proud and to carry on the family legacy. It was funny, but being there in Galena had kind of shifted my thoughts on the future. I used to think not only was I destined to work and take over the family business, but it was truly what I wanted. But after going through what we had and seeing the beauty of the town, I wasn’t sure that was exactly the path I wanted to take anymore.
At the end of dinner, Brighton paid the check and we walked hand in hand out of the restaurant. The air was cool, and the whole town at that point had their Halloween decorations up and ready. It was one of my favorite times of the year, heading into the major holidays in the warmth and glow that they brought. On that night, the warmth and glow came from within me and it was completely because of Brighton.
18
Brighton
When we walked into the house, I meandered into the living room while Lily headed into the kitchen. Even with my skin as warm as it was due to the wolf, my cheeks were rosy and chilled from the cold wind outside. It was always colder in Galena in October than in most other places, but I loved it. I got that extra time, that extra feeling of excitement and warmth that the upcoming holiday season brought.
I walked over to the mantle and glanced at Lily’s pictures. They were pictures of her and her family at her college graduation. She looked so happy, so bright, just as she did at dinner. I stepped back and looked up at the empty spot above the fireplace. Yelling over my shoulder to the kitchen, I jokingly suggested improvements for the décor. “What you really need to tie everything together is an enormous portrait of me as my wolf, standing regally in front of the fireplace.”
“And a lot more blankets,” she said, her voice coming from behind me.
I laughed as I turned around, stopping in my
tracks. My jaw fell open as I stared at Lily, standing in the archway, wearing nothing but a blanket. “I figured since you seemed to be so comfortable sashaying all over the place naked as a jaybird, I would…” she dropped the blanket to the ground, “give it a little try.”
Her body was so beautiful, curving across her hips with her soft, pale skin. I immediately walked forward, stopping and staring into her eyes. Slowly, I slid my hand around her back and pulled her closer, tilting my head as I passionately kissed her lips. Pulling away, I leaned down and scooped her into my arms, turning and walking up the stairs.
When we entered the room, her eyes glanced around. The moon had cast a deep amber color all across it, and it was both sensual and mysterious. Gently, I laid her down on the bed and took off my shirt and pants. She scooted back, watching me as I climbed on the bed and spread her legs apart. Keeping my eyes on her until the very last second, I lowered myself down between her legs and gently ran my tongue through her wet pussy. She gasped, her body jolting as my tongue swirled up and around her clit. She tasted so good, and if it weren’t for my throbbing cock, I could have stayed there for hours.
Sensing my needs, she reached her hand down to my chin and pulled it toward her. I crawled up her body, letting my lips drag across her skin. I kissed her chin and then her lips, running my hand down her thigh as she pulled it up next to me. The head of my cock pressed against her and she moaned as she reached her other hand down and gripped it tightly, rubbing it through her juices. As she set it in place, I slowly began to thrust, feeling her body pull me into her.
My eyes fell down to her face, and I locked onto hers, feeling the deep rhythm of my body as we intertwined in a world of ecstasy. She gasped loudly, reaching up and digging her fingers into my shoulders. Our mouths both fell open, our breathing heavy and needy. She closed her eyes and moaned, and I could feel her body begin to roll beneath me. There was a connection between us, an invisible rope that attached us at our very cores. I could feel her ecstasy and I was sure she could feel mine. Every inch of her felt so right, so pleasurable.
We rolled to the side and I lifted her leg up, keeping my cock deep inside of her. Reaching over her, I rubbed her clit as I pushed in and out. She leaned her back into me, tilting her head on my shoulder as she whispered erotically to me, “Oh, oh, yes. Can you feel that? How amazing your cock is inside of me?”
The air left my lungs at the sound of her quiet, raspy voice. My fingers moved faster and I pumped harder, feeling myself reaching the edge. She gripped down on the bed as our bodies wailed against each other, pulling ourselves to the tip of climax. Her hand came down to mine, and she pushed my fingers hard against her clit as she gasped for air, arching her back in orgasm. I growled and pumped faster, following behind her in just seconds. We continued to writhe as my cock pulsated against her echoes of passion. It felt like an explosion of pleasure bursting from every part of me.
As the air returned to my lungs, I slid my fingers up and gripped her around the waist, pulling her into me tightly. I brought the covers up over us and nestled my nose into the back of her neck. She held onto my arms as we snuggled into the pillows, letting the whole of the world turn on without us for just another few moments.
“Goodnight, my sweet handler,” I whispered.
She chuckled sleepily. “Goodnight, my wild beast.”
As we lay there, I took in the smell of her hair and the sensation of her body against mine, comfortable and safe. It was probably the best place I had ever been, and I hoped that there were many more nights just like this one in our future plans. It didn’t take long for Lily to fall fast asleep, rolling over on her stomach and snuggling up to the pillow. I turned on my back and put my arms under my head, staring at the ceiling. I was wide awake, and not even the two bottles of wine we had drunk at dinner made any difference with that.
Inside of me, I could feel my wolf getting restless, trying to desperately tell me that he needed some space to run. I couldn’t be upset with him—he was doing exactly what I had asked him to. It was a hell of a lot better than just randomly changing, that was for sure. With Lily by my side, it was a life I was beginning to think I could get used to.
Carefully, I crept out of the bed, kissing Lily on the forehead before grabbing my clothes and taking them downstairs. I didn’t get dressed, though, knowing full well that I was going to have to undress to shift into my wolf. Instead, I carefully folded my clothes and set them on the couch before turning off the outside light and quietly sneaking down the street and to the edge of the woods. I stopped at the tree line and turned back, smiling at the little house where the girl that had completely taken me by storm slept safely and quietly in her bed.
I didn’t know what the future brought for her, for me, or for anyone else for that matter, but at that moment right there, everything seemed perfect. With a smile, I took off into the woods, changing as I ran, letting my wolf run free.
19
Lily
The warmth of the sun slowly crept across my bedroom until it had blanketed me in light. It felt good compared to the chill of the room since I hadn’t yet turned on the heat. I scrunched my shoulders, keeping my eyes closed as I tilted my head toward the sunbeams. Very slowly, I turned over, reaching my hand out for Brighton. However, instead of his warm skin next to me, I found nothing but a cold, empty place in the bed. My eyes opened quickly, finding exactly what I thought I would—no sign of Brighton.
I sat up, holding the blanket to my chest, and glanced around the room. His clothes weren’t up there, and the door had been shut to the bedroom. For some reason, though, I knew he was in the house; I could feel his presence near me. Either I had slept really deeply all night long, or he hadn’t stayed in the bed that long after I fell asleep. I knew that there were nights that he was restless, that his wolf gave him a hard time, so I didn’t take offense at the fact that he was gone. Just having him close by was a comfort for me and a feeling of safety I hadn’t felt since I lived under my father’s roof.
I got out of the bed and went to my drawers, grabbing a pair of panties and bra, and some sweatpants that I had been wearing since college. I pulled them on and walked over to my closet, taking a cropped sweatshirt out and pulling it over my head. I took a few seconds to brush my teeth and pull my hair back in a ponytail after painfully brushing the knots out of it. While I enjoyed dinner the night before, the wine had been incredibly dry and it made my mouth taste like an old shoe and the Sahara Desert.
Picking up the glass bottle my mother had given me as a gift for graduation, I spritzed a bit of lavender body spray on myself and slipped my feet into my flip-flops before heading downstairs. I walked quietly, knowing I would find Brighton somewhere in there and figured he was probably still asleep. When I reached the bottom of the steps, I turned into the living room, smiling as I found him just as I thought I would. He was curled up on the couch, no shoes or socks, but dressed, with two twigs in his wildly messed-up hair, and a layer of wolf fur beneath him on the couch. I couldn’t help but giggle, backing up out of the room so as not to wake him just yet. I figured breakfast and some coffee would be the perfect way to offer a rise and shine to him.
Flipping the lights on in the kitchen, I headed over to the coffee maker and started preparing it to brew. It dawned on me that with everything going on recently, I hadn’t had my normal four to five cups of coffee a day. I smacked my lips together as I smelled the ground beans, remembering exactly why I loved coffee so much. It wasn’t necessarily for the wake-up that it gave me, but I liked the taste and had vowed to myself that one day, when I built a house, I would stock it full of the best coffee beans that I could find. I would have them imported from all over the world and stock my shelves with them so that no matter what container I used, it would be an amazing cup of coffee.
As I filled the coffee maker with water, I chuckled to myself, finding my goals a bit lacking. While Brighton was being incredibly responsible and preparing for the future of his company, I was planni
ng for jars and jars of coffee beans on my shelves. Then again, I had always been so serious about the business that I thought I had earned a few daydreams here and there.
I measured up the coffee, and as I shut the lid and pressed the button, my phone began ringing on the counter. I glanced down the hall and hurried over, answering it quickly. “Hello?”
“Lily,” my grandmother’s voice whispered. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
My heart began to beat wildly in my chest. “What’s wrong? You sound funny.”
“I feel kind of funny as well,” she replied. “When I got home last night and didn’t feel so well, dizzy, nauseous, I went to bed thinking I would sleep it off. When I woke up this morning, I felt even worse. I didn’t want to call this early and wake you up…”
I shook my head. “Grandma, you can call me at any time, night or day, it doesn’t matter. I’m up and I was just making some coffee. You need to go to the hospital, right?”
My grandmother coughed, pausing for a moment. “I suppose I should. It’ll be my first ever trip to the emergency room, but I haven’t felt this bad ever in my life.”
I glanced down the hall and turned away, cupping the phone around my mouth. “What about the treatments you have been getting? Why isn’t it working?”
My grandmother sighed. “My dear girl, I’m afraid my time in that world has come to an end. When your grandfather died, so did that part of me. So here I am, for the first time in 80-something years, 70 if you ask anybody in the town, I’m having to fight these things on my own.”
