Mated To My Brother’s Best Friend: Werebears Of Glacier Bay

by Ripley, Meg

  “Yeah.” Jace reached up and traced his thumb over my lower lip. “So… um…”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “What are we doing here?” he continued. “Just talking, or…?”

  “Or.”

  I resumed kissing him and found the urge to take it slow had gone out the window. We’d gone slowly enough.

  “Touch me,” I whispered.

  He moved his hand under my panties and rubbed me, then slipped his thick finger inside and I moaned. It wasn’t enough, though; I needed more than his finger.

  I reached down to free his erection from his boxers. I stroked him for a moment, appreciating the smooth hardness of his member, and he withdrew his finger slowly.

  I sat up and slid down on him, and as he entered me, a thrill coursed through my body.

  “You feel so good,” I sighed.

  “So do you,” he breathed.

  I rode him, sending waves of ecstasy through me each time he moved deeper. The pleasure built until the motion became too much for my knee. Even having it somewhat straight with my foot on the floor, the movement was a little too much.

  “We need to find a new position,” I said.

  “Um…” He thought. “I can try getting on top.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  I considered several positions as well. Until that moment, I’d never realized how much of a role the knees played during sex. “Wait. I have an idea.”

  Instead of lying on top of him, where my leg was still required to aid me in riding him, I lay on my side. We lay on our good sides so that both of our bad legs were up and had no pressure on them. I put my leg over his and guided him back inside me.

  “This is a good position,” he breathed. “I’ve never done this one before.”

  “Neither have I. I just thought of it.”

  “You’ll have to think of some more.”

  He was able to thrust into me harder from that position. As he sped up, I could feel myself getting closer. It was obvious he was, too.

  “I’m about to,” he whispered in my ear.

  I pushed my hips into him, sending him deeper and harder. I let myself go as he pounded into me, and he pushed me over the edge. Gasping, my walls clamped down on him, and he joined me a moment later.

  We panted together for a while, tangled in each other, cuddling. “I love you,” I murmured.

  “I love you.”

  Even though that position had been better for my leg, I still needed to get up and move.

  When he slipped out of me, he his eyes widened. “Oh fuck!”

  “What?” I sat up and helped him up.

  “We did it again.”

  “Yeah?” I chuckled.

  “I mean, we didn’t use protection.”

  “Right.” My eyes grew wide.

  The first time, I’d still been on birth control, but I’d had to stop it because it was having a bad interaction with my other medications. I hadn’t thought anything of stopping it since Jace and I weren’t even talking at the time. But I was so used to being on it that I hadn’t thought about other means of protection.

  I quickly checked the app that I used to track my period. “It’s okay, I’m not in my fertile window.”

  “I don’t think most men know what that means.”

  “It’s not the time of the month when I can get pregnant.”

  “There’s a certain time?”

  I laughed. “Yes. Didn’t you pay attention in Mrs. Hurley’s health class?”

  “Nope.”

  “The first time we had sex I was on birth control, and this time, it looks like time was on our side. We should be good. No baby. But we’ll need to get some condoms or something.”

  “Do we?” he asked.

  “Uh…” I turned to look at him. “Are you ready to be a father in nine months?”

  He shrugged.

  “I’d say, if you’re not sure, and we’re not married, then we should use some kind of birth control.”

  “Maybe I want to have babies with you.”

  I swallowed hard. Obviously, I’d dreamed of that. For most of my life. But they were the sweetest words anyone could say, hearing it from him.

  “Have you thought about it?” he asked.

  “About having babies with you?”

  He nodded.

  I guffawed. “Only like every day for about fifteen years.”

  He grinned. “Can we step outside to get some fresh air? My stomach isn’t great.”

  I tucked my arm under him and helped him to his feet, then out to the balcony.

  “This really is a great balcony,” he said.

  The sun was just setting behind the Fairweather Range and the sky was a brilliant pinkish-red. A streak of orange ran through it and off to one side, and a few streaks of yellow-green aurora borealis could be seen.

  “It was worth the higher rent.”

  “Agreed.”

  He took my hands and turned to me. “Kylie, I love you. I’ve loved you for years and you’ve loved me back. We’ve been there for each other so many times throughout the years. Your family is like my family. I can’t imagine my life without you. But this isn’t enough for me.”

  The joy I’d been feeling vanished with his last sentence. “What do you mean this isn’t enough?”

  “I mean, I don’t want to date you. I—”

  “Jace! Don’t do this to me now. How can you say that after you just got through telling me you love me and can’t live without me?”

  He pressed his lips together. “I love you, but you do have this annoying way of jumping to conclusions and interrupting a person before he can finish explaining what you’re questioning.” He laughed. “I’m trying to freaking propose here!”

  “What? Oh!” My face grew hot. “Shutting up now.” I pressed my lips together and closed my eyes.

  Jace laughed again. “That’s how you know I’ll love you forever. Because even when you annoy me, I still love you. And I apologize. I should be doing this down on one knee, but since I can’t physically do that right now, you’ll have to just pretend I am. Kylie, I don’t want to date you. I want to be much more than your boyfriend. I want to be your husband. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes!” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”

  “I got a ring and everything.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a ring.

  I gasped as the brilliant, princess-cut diamond sparkled on its rose gold filigree band. “It’s perfect! Wait, how did you know?”

  “I do get online, you know. And I know you have that pinboard account and you love that site, so I checked your profile and sure enough, you have a wedding board with a pin marked ‘dream ring.’ You made it way too easy for me.”

  I burst into tears then and he pulled me closer. I couldn’t believe he’d gone to such lengths to buy the perfect ring. He knew me so well, it was unreal. Maybe one day that would get us into trouble, cause fights or tension, but it could be a benefit if we let it be.

  I had no doubts when it came to Jace. He’d already been part of my family and my life for so long. It was kind of like we’d always been meant for each other and we’d always been together. Our relationship went far beyond the recent development of friend to fiancée.

  “I have to say, though”—he kissed the tip of my nose—“I am a little disappointed about one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’d actually been thinking there was a good chance you might be pregnant. I’d kind of been preparing myself for it. Even though I still forgot to use protection again this time. I’d been thinking what it would be like. I do want that. With you.”

  “I know.”

  “You do?”

  I nodded. “Jace, you said that forever ago when you played house with me. That we would have a Colonial with four bedrooms. One for our two boys and the other for our girl—who would be named Cooper, Jace, and Kylie, by the way—and we�
�d have a cat and a dog to keep it even since you’re a dog person and I’m a cat person. And we’ll have a playground in the backyard, and I think at the time you mentioned a rollercoaster leading into a pool, though I can see that maybe that part needs to be reconsidered.”

  “I did say all that, didn’t I?” he laughed. “What was I, ten years old? Still sounds good to me. And yes, probably without the roller coaster.”

  “And maybe with different names, too? I mean, if you want a junior, that’s one thing…”

  “We’ll see. I’d forgotten about that dreamhouse. I guess this is something I’ve been wanting for a long time.”

  “Me, too. We don’t have to wait long, Jace. We can have a nice little wedding and then get started on our family if you want.”

  “What if we ran off and got married this weekend?”

  “Really?”

  “We could go to down to Vegas, limp down the aisle, and get married by an Elvis impersonator.”

  I thought of the wedding pinboard he’d mentioned not that long ago. “You want to skip the wedding?”

  He must’ve realized where my mind was going. “Oh.”

  We looked at each other a minute. He spoke first.

  “You want a wedding. I should have known better than to suggest eloping.”

  “It doesn’t have to be a long time from now. It doesn’t have to be big and fancy. But I do want my family and our friends there. I want a white dress and flowers and to smash cake in your face.”

  “What!” he protested. “You wouldn’t feed me nicely?”

  “How many times in our lives have you smushed some kind of food into my face?”

  “Fair enough.”

  I kissed him. “I don’t want to wait, but I don’t want to rush, either. We don’t have to hurry.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “Why?”

  “You might change your mind.”

  “Not a chance,” I confirmed.

  “Promise?”

  “Of course. You and me forever,” I said.

  “Just like it’s always been.”

  21

  Kylie

  Epilogue: Six Months Later

  It was the morning of our wedding. Not a usual time to be running to the drugstore, but I had to know, so I left my hair appointment and ran in. Of course, everyone looked at me strangely, so I felt I had to tell a few fellow customers that I’d be getting married in a few hours. After they congratulated me, I continued down the aisle. The cashier had the best reaction. I smiled at her, told her that I was about to be married, and she raised an eyebrow at me.

  “I guess your timing is perfect, then.” She scanned the pregnancy test and dropped it into a bag. “Congratulations. On both counts.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “I won’t know until after I take this.” I didn’t know which was making my stomach worse—the wedding, or the possibility I could have been pregnant.

  Ever since our second time together and the conversation we’d had about it, we’d only been mildly careful about using protection. We figured it’d be better to wait until we were married to get pregnant—if for nothing else than to be able to enjoy sitting on the beach during our honeymoon without having morning sickness. Even if the test results were positive, we’d both be thrilled. But I hadn’t been feeling sick yet.

  When I pulled up to the house, women—and a general fog of hairspray—were everywhere. I’d opted to get my hair done professionally, but my bridal party decided to style their own. We’d tried to keep the wedding small, and I hadn’t put any restrictions on my bridesmaids. They’d each picked a blue dress, both in varying shade and style, and I told them to do whatever they’d like with their hair, including nothing, if that was what they wanted. But, of course, who wouldn’t want an excuse to get all dolled-up?

  “Here she is!” My mother wrapped me tightly in her arms. “Finally! Here, come eat something. I have a tray of deli sandwiches over in the kitchen.”

  My stomach turned again. “I have to go to the bathroom first.”

  I turned to walk down the hall, but Gabby stopped me. “Oh, there you are! Hey, do these earrings look okay? I have these, too.” She held a different earring to each ear.

  “I’d go with the left one, for sure.”

  She blew me a kiss and rushed off. I made it a few more steps before someone else called my name. I turned toward Alexis.

  “Hey, sorry,” she said. “I think someone is at the door. Maybe it’s the guy with the flowers? I didn’t want to just let anyone in.”

  “Thanks.” I pivoted to walk back toward the front door.

  “Have you eaten yet?” my grandmother asked as she intercepted me, pushing a chicken salad sandwich my way.

  “Not yet, Grandma. I have to answer the door.”

  “Oh, well now, you shouldn’t have to do that on your wedding day. Come now. Eat.”

  She took my arm and tried to lead me away. “I’ll be right there, Grandma. I promise.”

  I smiled as I gently removed her hand from my arm to open the door. The delivery guy stood there, looking not too happy at my delay.

  “They can go right on the table.” I pointed to the dining room and he carried the boxes of flowers inside, sat them on the table and shoved a clipboard at me.

  “Thanks,” I said, signing my maiden name for the last time.

  “Yeah, have a good day. Oh, and congratulations.” He turned and hurried to his truck.

  I took in a long breath, trying to clear my thoughts. No wonder brides lost it; everything was chaos. Luckily, my mom was handling a lot of the details, and for most things, I actually didn’t care that much. I mean, yes, I had my pinboard and a thick planner of ideas that hadn’t left my hands in months. But at the end of the day, I realized as long as Jace and I were there and we had someone to make it official, that’s all that really mattered. And in that moment, what mattered most was that I could take five minutes to go to the freaking bathroom.

  I walked away, determined. But there was my mother again. “You still haven’t eaten anything, and the photographer will be here before you know it.”

  I put my hands on her shoulders. “Mother, I will eat. I promise. Right now, my bladder is about to explode, so I’m going to the bathroom and I’m going to take a few minutes to collect myself.” I flashed her a big smile and pointedly walked away.

  I overheard her say, “She’ll be right in,” to someone.

  I dashed upstairs to my parents’ bathroom. No one would be in there, and since I’d had Gabby and Alexis sleep over the night before, the guest room and bathroom were full of our things. And at least one person would be in there as well, finishing up.

  Safe in my seclusion, I opened the test and aimed the stick under me as I sat on the toilet, doing my best to not make a complete mess. I set it down, looked at the time, and tried to breathe. It was hard not to watch it. I forced myself to stare at the wall until the three minutes had passed, then picked up the stick and my heart leapt in my chest.

  Positive.

  My pulse quickened as a wave of joy rushed over me, hard enough to make me sob.

  As shocked and excited as I was, I had to pull myself together; I was already running out of time and I couldn’t ruin my makeup. I took a deep breath, then carefully dabbed my eyes. The hard part now would be hiding the news when all I wanted to do was rush out of the room and scream it to the world. I have to tell Jace first. It’ll be the perfect wedding gift.

  Somehow, I managed to keep silent throughout the remainder of the primping process. Shoving a sandwich into my mouth along the way certainly helped—and finally satisfied my mother and grandmother. After brushing the crumbs from my lips and giving my hands a quick wash, it was time to slip into my dress: an embellished white, fitted gown with a lace overlay that flared slightly at the knee. Gabby fastened the last of the silk-covered buttons along the backside of the keyhole bodice and adjusted my cap sleeves, and I was finally ready.

  As we piled into the limo and r
ode to the church, I had to keep biting my lip to keep from grinning too much. But then I thought, Well that’s stupid. It’s my wedding day. People will expect me to be beaming. So, I let it fly and everyone commented on how happy I looked.

  Jace and I had decided to be traditional and stick with the ‘no-contact-the-day-of’ rule—what a stupid idea that had been. I pictured a few different ways of how to tell him, but none of them felt right. I already felt like a traitor, having the information for hours and not telling him.

  The black stretch limo pulled up to the rear of the church, and as we began to file out, I whispered to Gabby, “I need Jace.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, holding my modest lace train as I carefully stepped outside. “You’re about to marry him; you’ll see him in a few minutes. We’ve got to head up to the bride’s room.”

  “I know, but I need to see him now. I need you to go find him and get him to meet me upstairs in front of the fountain. Hurry, it’s important.”

  She looked worried but rushed off. A few minutes later, she returned, looking even more concerned. “He’s waiting.”

  I quickly gathered the skirt of my dress and rushed to him. When he saw me, his face lit up.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, laughing, wiping a tear away. “You look amazing, but I’m not supposed to see you.”

  “I know, but something came up.”

  A look of unease spread over his face. “Something came up?”

  With a shaking hand, I reached into the tiny beaded clutch I’d brought along. I wanted to speak the words, but all I could do was hand the test to him. He stared at it, then at me, and his eyes widened.

  “No way!” He snatched me into a tight hug and swirled me around. “Oh, man.” He stared at the test in his hand, then laughed again, tears running down his face. “This really is the best day of my life. Not only do I get to marry the woman of my dreams, my lifelong best friend and soulmate, but now I find out we’re going to have a baby?” He gently rested his hand on my belly. “I’m going to be a father,” he whispered, and I wiped fresh tears away, too.

  “I’ve been dying to tell you all afternoon. I couldn’t keep it a secret any longer.”