Growth of the Bear (Bear Kamp Book 3)

by Rachel Robins

Everybody waited. Some talked quietly, but mostly everyone was silent. Roni paced the room. It felt like it had been hours, but she knew it hadn’t been. Austin and Jasper sat in their usual places along with their mates. The baby was keeping them all engaged and smiling. Roni wished she could sit with them and enjoy the smiles from the small baby, but her nerves were too wired.

  “He’ll be fine. Justin’s strong,” Rick commented next to her, breaking her stride.

  “I know. I guess I’ll just feel better when he’s physically standing in front of me.”

  Rick smiled at her, and then diverted his gaze. Rick seemed a bit older than the rest of Justin’s close friends. He had a wariness about him that made Roni feel bad for him. She looked around for the middle-aged woman he had been sticking close to most of the night.

  “Is your mate here?” Roni asked.

  Rick’s eyes went wide for a brief second, and then he immediately resumed his usual bored look.

  “I don’t have a mate. I guess now with Justin being mated, that leaves me as the only stag one of the bunch.” His words seemed sad, but his tone had been playful.

  “What’s that saying, about saving the best for last?” she said jokingly.

  “I like you, Justin’s mate,” he said, getting up and heading out the back door.

  Roni hoped she hadn’t offended him. Maybe asking a shifter if they had a mate was like asking a woman if she was pregnant. Roni decided from now on if she wasn’t sure, she wouldn’t ask. She was about to go after Rick and apologize when the front door opened, and her entire body buzzed with recognition. She turned and saw Justin in his human form, a little bloody and bruised but alive and well.

  With a pair of jeans on and nothing else, he also looked deliciously sexy. Roni closed the distance between them and threw herself in his arms. His arms wrapped around her and his head sunk into the crook of her neck as he took a deep breath. They held each other like that for a while before finally stepping back.

  “I love you, Justin.”

  “I love you, too, Veronica. I’m sorry for taking so long to tell you that.”

  “It’s okay, I knew you’d figure it out one day,” she said laughingly.

  “What do you need from us now?” Austin asked, interrupting their reunion.

  “It’s just cleanup for now,” Justin said, never taking his gaze off of Roni.

  She didn’t know what he meant and she didn’t care. They were both alive and well, and he loved her. She knew the rest of her life was about to start.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Justin

  Seeing Veronica’s face light up when he walked in the room easily brought Justin back to reality. He was struggling to bring himself away from how dangerously close he got to losing it, fighting his brothers. They were an afterthought now. He was moving on with his life, with his mate. She had completed him. He was stronger and better with her.

  Austin came back from doing what Austin did. Justin looked at him, and after receiving a nod, he took a deep breath. It truly was behind him now. Veronica hadn’t left his side since he had gotten back. Drinks poured out of the bar, as everyone celebrated. Another member of the pack mated and off to his happily ever after.

  Justin watched as Rick stood in the corner silently watching everybody. Mostly Justin watched him watch Emma’s mom. The two had been circling each other, and it wasn’t lost on anybody that there was something going on. Rick’s bear hadn’t come forward to claim his mate, so everybody left them alone. Maybe they just genuinely didn’t like each other, or maybe Rick’s bear was close to becoming feral. They had all been worried about it for several years, but now with everyone else mated it was a bigger fear for them.

  “The law office is on the phone,” Austin said, interrupting Justin’s thoughts.

  “Okay.”

  Justin sat down and listened to the lawyers that were handling his grandfather’s estate. Veronica sat by his side talking and laughing with his friends. All that was waiting for Justin to take over the estate was a few signatures, and he would be a millionaire and business owner. A law office in downtown New Orleans would be able to handle all of the signatures, so Justin wouldn’t have to leave the state. It also made it easy for Justin to sign the papers faster before any other trouble was able to rear its head. After everything was understood, he hung up.

  “Well.”

  “Well, I have to go down and sign some papers, but now that I’ve formally accepted, it’s pretty well settled.”

  “That’s great. Your grandpa would be so proud of the things you’ll accomplish with his legacy!” Veronica said as she wrapped him in a hug and placed a kiss on his neck.

  “Speaking of what I’ll do with his legacy, I have an idea.”

  “I’m listening,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

  “You were excited about the job with the organization. Now that we own it, how about we open up a location here, and you run both of them? We could partner with your dad’s stables; you know Pooh would love working with kids.”

  “That would be amazing! Justin, let’s do it!” Her excitement caught hold and squeezed his heart. He never dreamed he would be as happy as he was right now watching her face light up while looking up at him. Immediately his thoughts turned, and apparently so did Veronica’s.

  “You ready to get out of here?” she whispered with a giggle.

  “Hell, yes!” he said, picking her up and heading for the door. Everybody cheered as they walked out, and Veronica covered her face in embarrassment.

  Justin made quick work of the drive over to the house. Instead of going to the main house, he led her back to his apartment. The only box unpacked had been the box she had unpacked in what seemed like months ago. He bypassed it all and led her back to his room. Once they were inside, he shut the door and leaned back against it, watching her as she walked around his room.

  “You really need to unpack.”

  “There’s no point now. I plan on buying us a home.”

  “I don’t care where we live, I just want to be with you. If that’s right here in this little apartment I’ll be happier than I’ve ever been.”

  “Really? You don’t want a mansion like your parents?”

  “None of that stuff matters to me. This apartment is close to all my favorite things in this world: you, my parents, and my horses.”

  “I love you,” he said huskily. He wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve such a humble, beautiful, and kind mate, but he would spend the rest of his life worshipping her.

  “I love you, too. Now come to me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Veronica

  Justin took two steps and ate up the space between them. He raked his hands gently up her sides, taking her shirt with him, and then lifted it up over her head. Her breath caught in her lungs at the love and desire in his eyes. He continued in his gentle disrobing of her until every inch of her skin tingled, waiting for where he would touch next. Then he made quick work of unclothing himself.

  When he laid her down on his bed, she hooked her leg around his waist and rolled them so she was on top. Her hair cascaded around them. She leaned down and finally captured his mouth in a kiss. It was slow and sensual, making her burn that much hotter for him. His hands continued to lazily stroke her body. He finally cupped her breasts and grazed his thumbs over her nipples, causing her to cry out in pleasure. Her hips rocked over his erection, giving them both unfulfilled pleasure.

  They continued their lovemaking, touching, tasting, and taking their time exploring each other’s bodies. She kissed her way down Justin’s body until she made her way to his erection. She slid her tongue down its length, and he moaned her name. His fingers threaded through her hair as he tried to guide her where he wanted her to be. She refused, continuing just to kiss and touch here and there, but never fully taking him into her mouth.

  His touch grew frantic. He grabbed her breasts and kneaded them, pinching the nipples, bringing a shot of desire soaring through her
body. That fueled her on. Finally, Justin had had enough. He lifted her up as he rolled and slid her under him. He didn’t waste any more time as he sunk deep inside of her.

  They both moaned. He leaned up and then gently pushed her knees back closer to her. The pleasure from the new angle was so intense Veronica climaxed as soon as he thrust back inside of her.

  “Justin!” she screamed.

  He kept her in that position and continued to rock into her. Veronica never took her eyes off of him. He leaned down and took one of her nipples into his mouth, causing her legs to spread wider to accommodate him. He held her knees back still; she arched into him and dug her fingers into his back. The pleasure was so intense, she felt like she would explode. He released her nipple and then made love to the other one in the same way.

  She brought him up to her lips and they kissed while he rocked their bodies together in perfect rhythm. He increased his pace, and his muscles tensed and she knew he was close. His finger found its way to her core, and they both cried out in pleasure as they found fulfillment together.

  It took a while for her breathing to steady itself. Roni was nestled against him with her head on his chest once again, listening to the beating of his heart. Her hand ran up and down his stomach. They went together perfectly, and she wanted to spend forever wrapped up in his arms, loving him.

  “I’m sorry I took off this morning. That was stupid and selfish.” She wasn’t sure where the apology had come from, but she was glad she said it.

  “I won’t argue with you there. I can’t say I blame you, though. I pushed you away. I hope you know the reasons I did had nothing to do with you.”

  “I know. Now that it’s all behind us, I’m just glad we’re together,” she said, settling back against his chest.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Justin

  Justin left the lawyer’s office the next day with a briefcase full of documents and account numbers. He now owned two homes, one company, and more money than he had ever dreamed of. The only thing he cared about, though, was the woman walking next to him. It had taken a little longer to do the paperwork because he wanted to make sure Veronica’s name was on everything.

  Veronica had insisted that they hurry and finish the mate bond, and then they even had Austin become ordained online so that they could be legally married. She didn’t want her name to be Veronica Miller on any of the documents. Justin couldn’t believe how amazing it had felt to introduce her as Mrs. Veronica DeWeese to the attorneys. All he wanted to do was take her home and spend the rest of the day wrapped up in each other.

  Once again, though, Veronica had other plans. Her parents were back home, and even though they knew she and Justin were mates, Veronica wanted to catch them up on everything. Justin knew the sooner they told them everything, the better. He was actually dreading trying to explain them getting married without having asked her father’s permission or even having them present.

  “Moment of truth,” Veronica whispered in his ear before they walked into her parents’ house.

  “Not funny,” he countered, squeezing her hand.

  “It’ll be fine.”

  Her parents were in the kitchen. Her mom was busy fixing something to eat, while her dad read over the newspaper.

  “Mom, Dad, we need to talk to you,” Veronica said happily.

  “Come in, sit. I haven’t seen you since I got back,” her dad said, eyeing Justin wearily.

  “Actually, I’d rather stand,” Veronica said as she wrapped her arm around Justin.

  “Sir, I told you that your daughter and I were mates. At the time when I told you it would be a while before I pursued her, I truly thought that.” Justin knew he was rambling but he was beyond nervous to explain everything to Jerry.

  “Mom, Dad, we got married, and we completed the mate bond ceremony. We wanted you there, but there were some extenuating circumstances that forced us to handle the paperwork faster, so to speak.”

  Neither of them said a word. Her mom still had the spatula in her hand and looked like she wanted to beat them both with it. Jerry hadn’t put his newspaper down, but his eyes jumped back and forth between the two of them.

  “Sir,” Justin started, but Jerry put his hand up.

  “I couldn’t have asked for a better man to be with my daughter. I knew your grandpa, son, and he was so proud of you. We had no way of knowing that she would be your mate, but luck was on our side, I see.” Jerry finally stood and put his paper down.

  Veronica ran into his arms and hugged him tight. Her mom joined in as well, and then motioned for Justin. Justin had never been a part of a family group hug before. Before Veronica he had rarely even experienced a hug. Knowing that Jerry had known his grandpa made him feel even more at peace with his decisions. It was like the old man was up there handling everything as if Justin was a puppet and he was the puppeteer.

  “Why didn’t you say you knew my grandpa sooner?”

  “I didn’t want you to take off and think you just got the job because of that. He said you might.”

  “I hope you aren’t angry with us. His grandfather made it a condition of his will, and we wanted to make sure we got it all taken care of before Justin’s family had any more time to react. They didn’t take the news so hot.”

  “He figured as much. I’m not upset in the least,” Jerry said.

  “Well, speak for yourself. I am,” her mother said, putting her hands on her hips. “I want a freaking wedding to plan. You two may have tied the knot, but we’ve got a party to plan, young lady. I’m talking white gown and all.”

  “Sounds perfect, Mom.”

  “Anything you want, Mrs. Miller,” Justin added.

  “Don’t Mrs. Miller me, call me Mom.”

  Justin’s heart jumped. His whole life he dreamed of a pack and a family that loved him and that he could love. He never thought he would be so fortunate to find both. He looked down at Veronica as she and her mom were already discussing color schemes and dress shops. Her dad was throwing in odd comments on occasion. It was the perfect scene. His family. His mate.

  Epilogue

  Justin

  “I’m telling you, this is ridiculous. Shifters don’t even recognize weddings. Not to mention the fact the woman’s already my wife legally.”

  “Just take the damn handkerchief, you’ll need it,” Jasper said, shoving the piece of cloth down into Justin’s tux pocket.

  The men were all standing at the top of the aisle waiting for Veronica. The music had started and all of the girls were already down the aisle. The wedding march came on, and everybody in attendance stood. Thanks to Veronica’s parents, there were close to 400 people in attendance. Justin only knew his pack; everybody else was for the bride.

  The door finally opened, and out she came. She was a vision. His heart skipped a beat, or maybe several. Her blonde hair was loose and flowing down her back. The white gown was tight and beaded, ending in a long train behind her. When their eyes collided she smiled, and everything was right in Justin’s world. He’d walk through hell for her, even if that hell was a completely over-the-top wedding her mother planned.

  When she finally reached his side and her father officially gave her away, everything else faded away for Justin. It was only him and Veronica in the room. The ceremony seemed to fly by, and the reception her mom had planned came and went. Before he knew it they were back at The Kamp with their closest friends.

  “So when are you going to start having kids?” Emma asked Veronica. Justin about spit out the beer he had just drank. Veronica seemed to take it all in stride, though.

  “As soon as he gets me out of the dress, we’ll start trying.” Everybody around them erupted into laughter then. Justin felt his eyes start to glow at the thought of removing her dress.

  “Easy, boy, you can’t steal her away just yet,” Kate said.

  “Yeah, we never see her. You keep her cooped up all the time,” Emma said.

  “Ignore them,” Jasper said, turning Justin’s a
ttention away from the women talking. “When are you going to need my crew to break ground on the new house?”

  Justin and Veronica had decided to move out near the rest of his pack mates. As much as he wanted to stay close to her family, the drive across town wasn’t bad. Justin needed the seclusion for his bear. Even though her parents’ neighborhood had some trees and a few wood lines, it wasn’t enough for his bear to run and roam freely. Naturally they had contracted Jasper’s construction company to build it.

  “Whenever you are. Veronica has made all the changes she wants. We’re good to go.”

  “When’s the first round of kids coming out to the new stable?” Austin asked.

  “They should arrive a week after tomorrow. Veronica wanted more time for us to make sure the horses were adjusted to their new home.”

  The conversation continued on that way. Justin added his parts in when necessary, but he was itching to take his bride home. They had one more week before the new location opened and they would be all hands on deck. Veronica was amazing with all of the planning and business details. He knew without a doubt that she would make it run like a well-oiled machine.

  Veronica’s comments on cubs made him turn and look her over. Imagining her carrying his child almost brought tears to his eyes. Maybe Justin would need the damn handkerchief after all. He decided he was done being polite to everyone. He needed to be alone with his bride.

  “It’s time to go,” he said in Veronica’s ear.

  She didn’t have to be told twice. Veronica waved goodbye to everybody, and they headed towards the door. Everybody cheered them outside and into his truck. Veronica laughed at their enthusiasm. Justin drove them out to where their new house would be built.

  “What are we doing here?” she asked.

  “Since I can’t technically carry you over the threshold for a while I figure we could at least christen the spot,” he said, wagging his eyebrows at her.