by Rayne Reilly
"Hey, if she's his mate there is no arguing it." He winked at Acacia and she gave him an embarrassed smile.
Grant comforted Acacia by stroking her hand affectionately.
Marcia crossed the floor to Acacia and stood before her, grinning sweetly.
"I am pleased to meet you Acacia. Don't let my stubborn bear of a husband put you off our family. He really is a teddy bear at heart."
Acacia didn't know how to respond so she sat grinning like a fool. Maybe things were going to be okay after all?
Marcia had the staff call Forrest to the table for dinner when they were ready to eat. He took his place at the head of the table. Acacia noted that he looked unfriendly and unhappy. She avoided his gaze and focused on the abundance of incredible food in front of her and chatted with Marcia and Holden. She was pleased to see that Holden was actually a lot more like his brother than even he realized. He was perhaps even a tad more sensitive than Grant was, and she reminded herself to ask Grant later about what Holden felt or thought when he met Kellie.
After the main course was served, Grant and his father began discussing business. She hoped that this was a sign that his father had decided to accept her relationship with his eldest son.
Acacia enjoyed the dinner as well as the company of Marcia and Holden. The evening had turned out better than she expected. As the night drew to a close and she and Grant were leaving, she was surprised to receive a hug from Marcia. As she stepped back from the hug, Forrest approached and said gruffly, “It was nice to meet you.” He then turned to his son and added, “You two, don't be strangers now.”
Acacia and Holden exchanged a look while Grant smiled, his brows shooting up in surprise.
Holden put his arms around Acacia giving her a big hug and whispering into her ear, “Welcome to the family!”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Several more weeks passed and the relationship between Grant and Acacia had only gotten better. There were no more secrets between them and Acacia felt relieved to know that. Grant’s father was slowly warming to the fact that his son was with a human female. The happy couple spent plenty of time together getting to know everything about one another. Acacia looked forward to every moment that she and Grant spent together and hoped that they would one day be married.
On a sunny afternoon about a month after their first date, Grant showed up at her home with an invitation to another picnic.
“I thought we could recreate our first picnic date but make it even better this time,” he said with more than just a hint of sexy in his voice.
Acacia put her hands on her hips and beamed back at him.
“Considering that the last picnic was one of the best days of my life, how can I say no?” she responded.
The happy couple headed to the same park and made themselves comfortable under the shade of a large grove of trees to keep from being scorched by the hot, afternoon sun.
Acacia and Grant enjoyed a lunch of various salads, cold meats and fresh baked bread. She sensed that Grant wanted to say something and hoped that everything was okay.
“You seem a bit distracted, is everything okay?” she asked him.
He grinned at her. “Yes. It’s just that I’ve been thinking about something and I don’t want you to be offended.”
Acacia frowned and scratched her head. “I doubt I would be offended. What is it?”
“I know that you have been wishing you could have finished university and if you still want to do that, I want to offer to pay for it,” he said, placing his hands on his knees.
The young woman was taken aback by his kind suggestion and it took a moment for her to speak. “I don’t like the idea of taking your money. That’s not why I am with you,” Acacia replied.
Grant pressed his lips together in a smile. “I know that. It’s one of the many things about you that I love.”
Grant pushed himself up off the ground and reached into a bag that he had brought with their water bottles. He pulled out a small blue velvet box.
Acacia inhaled sharply, a tingling excitement coursed through her. Oh, my God!
Grant held the box out.
“Will you let me spend money on you if you are my wife?” he asked winking at her. He moved to his knees in front of her. She began to cry as she opened the box and stared at the most beautiful diamond and emerald ring she had ever seen.
“Are you serious?” she squealed.
“Of course I am! Will you marry me?” he asked.
“Oh, God yes! I will marry you!” she cried. Overwhelmed with emotion, her eyes filled with tears as Grant took the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. Everything she could have ever wanted was coming true. What have I done to deserve this? She gazed upward toward the sky, letting the tears trickle down her cheeks and fall onto her heaving breast. Acacia said a silent prayer of thanks to her mother who she felt certain had brought Grant into her life. Then she fell into the waiting arms of the man she loved and held on tight.
***
The afternoon in the park was even more perfect than the first time they had been there. Acacia and Grant had discussed marriage already but she expected him to wait a little while longer before proposing to her. She felt a huge well of excitement inside her at not only the surprise proposal but the offer to pay for her to complete university. The last month with Grant was like a dream come true. The relationship with him was better than she could have ever imagined. He was respectful, attentive and thoughtful.
She squeezed his hand tightly as they walked slowly back to his car in preparation to leave the park. When they reached the car Grant turned to Acacia and placed his hands on her upper arms, stroking them.
“Are you ready to go home?” he asked with a mischievous grin.
“Home? To my place you mean?” She raised her brow and smiled back at him.
“No…I mean to our home…I want you to move in with me Acacia.I love the time we spend together and I want to wake up with you every day for the rest of our lives...And I don't want to wait another day to do that. What do you say?"
"Are you kidding me? I would love to live with you...Are you sure you've thought about this?"
"I have and I want this. I love you Acacia."
"I love you too Grant."
Acacia stood on the tips of her toes and pulled Grant's face toward hers, giving him a long sensual kiss. She stepped back and gazed up at him with hooded eyes.
"There is one more thing that we need to do today though. If we are going to replicate our first picnic date," she murmured.
Grant pulled her close and leaned to whisper in her ear. "I haven't forgotten, nor has my inner bear." he stood tall and licked his lips before adding, "Let's go."
Opening the car door Acacia quickly sat in the passenger seat excited at what would come next. Grant got in and turned the key to start the car. Acacia could see the look of anticipation on his face and she grinned as she watched him drive them home.
Arriving at Grant's large home, Acacia was ecstatic about the entire afternoon. She and Grant hurried into the house. Both of them laughing out loud as they kissed and tore at ease others clothing once the door was closed behind them. Grant's housekeeper only showed up a couple of days a week and Acacia hoped that today was not one of those days. She ran her hands under Grant's tee shirt and across his chest. He reached down and pulled it over his head and threw it to the floor then tugged at the buttons on her blouse fumbling with getting them undone quickly.
"Do you like this blouse a lot?" he asked between hot kisses.
"Not particularly, why?" She responded breathlessly as his lips pressed against hers again. Suddenly he pulled the blouse open sending the buttons flying. Acacia was too turned on to care. She pulled the blouse off and began undoing the fly of his jeans. They continued to undress each other as they made their way to the bedroom barely stopping to breathe while their lips hungrily devoured one another. Acacia felt turned on by Grant’s intense display of passion.
Dressed only in their underg
arments now, they finally stood at the end of the bed. Their arms were wrapped around each other locking them in a passionate embrace. Acacia felt as though her heart would jump from her chest it was beating so loudly. Grant pushed himself up against her, his erection pushing against her abdomen filling her with desire. The feeling of his body against hers was so intense that it left her aching to feel him inside her. She pushed him backward toward the bed. Grant stopped for a moment and peeled off his boxers. Acacia giggled as she pulled her panties down and stepped out of them, kicking them to one side. Grant lifted her and placed her onto the mattress eyeing her with delight. She glanced down at his huge erection and smiled. Reaching up and placing her hands on his sides she pulled him closer. Grant climbed onto the bed. He removed her bra and began to fondle her breasts. Without a spoken word between them, Acacia pushed Grant onto his back on the bed then straddled him. With her hot moist center, she hovered above his hardened length. He groaned and closed his eyes as she stroked him with her wet folds, moving up and down on him seductively. He moved his hands to her hips, guiding her movement against him, now moaning loudly. She could see that the movement was driving him as crazy as it was her. She adjusted herself so that she could guide him inside her with one hand. She placed the tip of his hard-on against her and allowed the silky smoothness of him glide inside. Grant responded with a passionate thrust filling her completely and nearly bringing her to climax. At the end of their frenzied love-making session, Acacia turned to Grant moving the palm of her hand back and forth across his chest.
Grant beamed back at her.
"You have made me the happiest man alive and I want to make you happy, always," he said. He moved a hand to her cheek caressing it. Acacia smiled.
"You do make me happy and I'm sure you always will," she said confidently.
In the short time that she had known him she had noticed her own self-confidence improving, to the point that Kellie had even mentioned it to her. Acacia pushed herself up and grinned at Grant.
"Kellie! I have to tell her we're engaged she’s going to be so happy!" Acacia blurted and got out of bed to go phone her best friend. She couldn't wait to tell her that she and Grant would be getting married.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Eight Months Later
The day of the wedding rehearsal dinner had quickly approached and Acacia couldn’t wait to hear Kellie sing in front of the Beringer family. If all went well that evening, Kellie agreed to sing a couple of songs on Acacia’s wedding day.
“Are you nervous about tonight?” Acacia asked Kellie while the women enjoyed a visit with one another at Kellie’s father's home that afternoon.
“Only a little, and only because Holden will be there. I haven’t seen him since that night at the restaurant. I'm looking forward to hearing what he thinks of my singing,” Kellie said excitedly.
Acacia had listened to Kellie go on endlessly about seeing Holden again. She didn’t mind at all but she hoped that Holden wouldn’t hurt her best friend by being careless with her feelings. Acacia had not spent much time with him herself and could only go by Grant's opinion of his brother. As far as Kellie’s vocals went, she was incredible and would surely reduce everyone to a blubbering mess with the songs she was performing that night and the next day at her wedding.
The women had gone shopping for dresses and worked hard to arrange the perfect wedding day for Acacia and Grant. Not only was Kellie going to be singing, she was also the maid of honor. Her support and friendship throughout everything in the last five years made Acacia feel immense gratitude and love for her.
“Are you excited about tomorrow being your wedding day?” Kellie asked her.
Acacia couldn’t wait to marry Grant. They had already moved in together and she had put her home up for sale. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who cared about her and the feeling was mutual. Life had taken off and was about to get even more interesting as she had re-enrolled in University for the next year.
“I am looking forward to seeing all our planning and preparation come together. Grant has been almost as helpful as you have been!” she laughed.
Grant had arranged some aspects of their special day, such as the caterer, the location of the reception and the live music. Marcia and Acacia had spent an afternoon doing the invitations and sending them out. But she and Kellie had done everything else.
“Did he ever explain the bonding ritual to you that I’ve heard about?” Kellie asked inquisitively.
Acacia smoothed her hair down and made herself more comfortable while she began to explain the process to Kellie.
“He did and we are planning it for our wedding night. It seems that we are already bonded to one another because we are mates. But when we have our first night together as husband and wife, he will bite me...during...you know...” she motioned with her head and Kellie grinned. “I might even turn into a bear shifter from it,” continued Acacia. “Sometimes it happens, apparently. I don’t know if I will become one or not but it would probably make Forrest...I mean...Mr. Beringer happy,” she laughed, and rolled her eyes.
“Are things still awkward with him?” Kellie asked.
“No, not really. He’s just very strict and likes to control things that his sons do. I don’t let him tell me what to do. He respects me for speaking up to him. At least, that’s what Marcia told me.”
“That’s good. The bonding thing sounds sexy. I wish I was marrying a shifter!” Kellie said wistfully. “I’m so happy for you Acacia. You deserve your 'happily ever after.' I know that it's been hard since your mom passed and you didn’t like having to work at the restaurant. I miss you at work but I totally get why you left. I am so happy to see you happy.”
Kellie threw her arms around Acacia and hugged her tightly.
Acacia giggled. “Thanks for agreeing to sing and be my maid of honor. I wouldn’t have any of this without you having encouraged me to go out with Grant in the first place.”
***
Acacia hugged herself tightly, becoming lost in Kellie's beautiful voice as she sang in front of everyone. Glancing around the room, she noticed Holden watching her friend with a look of surprise and that trademark smirk planted on his face.
What surprised Acacia most was Forrest Beringer’s response to Kellie’s singing. His face bore a smile that Acacia had not seen to that point. She nudged Grant gently in the ribs. He reached around to hold her elbow and whispered in her ear.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Look at your dad! He’s smiling!” she whispered back. Grant peered over at his father and shook his head in disbelief.
“You mentioned that Kellie could sing but I had no idea she was so talented!” He kissed her forehead and pushed a few strands of hair off her face.
“I think Holden agrees with you,” Acacia said softly. Both of them looked over at Grant's little brother. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Acacia’s best friend. Maybe there is hope for them yet.
When Kellie had finished and dinner was being served, Reece, the Beringer's middle son, arrived from the airport. He had gotten in late from New York City and had to check into his hotel before showing up at the restaurant.
Acacia liked Reece from the moment she saw him. He was the polar opposite of Holden, who demanded to be the center of attention most of the time. Reece was about six feet tall with hazel eyes. He was quiet and reserved throughout the meal, in spite of Grant and Holden both trying to engage him in conversation. Acacia sensed tension between Reece and the rest of the family.
Several times Reece stared at Acacia and smiled warmly. She wasn’t sure if he was uncomfortable around women or just shy. Quietly, she ate her meal and listened to Holden and Kellie chat about her goal to become a singer as her chosen profession.
The sound of raised voices at the other end of the table pulled her away from watching them. She turned to see Reece’s face flushed with anger, courtesy of none other than Forrest. She caught only the tail end of their conversation but guessed th
at his father was not pleased at rarely seeing his son.
“I have a company to run, I can’t just take off all the time to come home,” Reece insisted.
“Family comes first. You know that. Your mother misses you,” Forrest insisted.
Reece let out an exasperated sigh and stared down at his plate.
Grant sat up straight and engaged Reece in conversation in hope of defusing any further problems. Everything settled down and the rest of the evening went well.
Later on, Acacia hugged Grant as they stood watching everyone leave to head home for the night. Reece had been quite formal, shaking Acacia’s hand as they said goodbye. She hoped he would warm up to her the way Holden had.
“I hope everyone is on their best behavior tomorrow,” Acacia said as they made their way to the car.
“They will be, or they will have to deal with me,” Grant said firmly.
Later that night, Acacia snuggled into bed next to Grant and kissed his face. He let out a low growl and she squealed in delight. “I love you Grant. I can’t wait to marry you tomorrow and I can’t wait to bond with you and your bear tomorrow night,” she said, feeling blissful.
“I can’t wait either. I love you Acacia. You have made me the happiest man in the world.”
Acacia swirled her fingers softly around his naked chest, feeling the rigid muscles under the soft skin.
“I don’t think that we are the only two that are happy. Did you see the glances exchanged between Holden and Kellie at dinner? They were talking up a storm.” She paused and kissed the side of his chest as she leaned closer.
Grant reached for her hand and pulled it to his lips to plant a delicate kiss on the backs of her fingers.
“I noticed. Did you want me to have a talk with him?”
Acacia laid her head against his muscular shoulder while she continued to touch him playfully.
“No. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I think they should explore any feelings they might have. Kellie is an incredible, loyal person. She would make a great partner for him.”
