“And what about you two, have you set a date yet?” his mom asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.
Leah glanced at Matt and found that he was already looking at her.
Have we? Leah thought.
You tell me, Matt replied.
Tomorrow if you’re ready. Leah smiled as Matt took her hand.
“Not yet, perhaps we can come up with something together. It would be no good unless you’re both there as well,” Matt responded to his mom.
“But of course, we’ll be there. Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Matt’s dad said.
“First, though, what are you all doing for Christmas? Wouldn’t it be lovely to finally have a proper family Christmas again? Unless you’re going to celebrate with your parents, Leah?” Matt’s mother asked.
Leah shook her head. “No plans yet. My Dad passed eight years ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. What about your mother?”
Leah shrugged. “She died when I was very young. It had been just Dad and me for as long as I can remember.”
Matt squeezed her hand gently. Even though it had been years since the loss of her dad, talking about it still hurt.
“Ah,” his mom said. “Well, it’s been decided then. You must come up for Christmas. What do you think, Jamie?”
Jamie, who had been sitting silently in the corner, cleared his throat. “Umm, actually I have to work over the holidays. Sorry about that.”
Weird. The Alliance were a strange bunch from what Leah had heard, but to work over Christmas was still a bit extreme. Was it just an excuse on his part?
“Oh, that’s too bad.” His mom’s voice was loaded with disappointment.
“We’ll definitely be there, though,” Matt said.
“All right then.” She smiled. “I’ll do a roast like we used to have when you were little.”
After this little hiccup, the conversation picked up again, leaving the previous awkwardness behind. Clearly the return of their lost son wasn’t enough to repair whatever damage had been done to this family, but it was a start. There obviously was still a lot of love in this house, mixed in with old pain and regret.
The visit lasted for the better part of the afternoon, with everyone - except maybe Jamie - wishing for it not to be cut short. But the Alliance never waited, and he had to be back in Edinburgh early the next day, so they had to make a move.
Their goodbye was bittersweet, with Matt’s mom getting emotional again. But at least everyone knew they’d be reunited again soon, for Christmas.
THE END
The Scottish Werebears Series continues with Book 5, which is all about Henry…Sign up for my mailing list to find out when it’s out!
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About the Author
Dear Reader,
Thanks for reading Scottish Werebear: A New Beginning, Book 4 in the Scottish Werebears Series. Although this is my first published series, I’m not new to writing in general. In fact, my mom still tells me to this day about how I would make up stories, and attempt to record them in my clumsy, shaky handwriting from the moment I learned to read and write. From there I went on to write fan fiction and other stuff meant for my own eyes only.
I’ve always enjoyed stories of the paranormal. Vampires, shape shifters, witches and magic, all featured in the books I loved the most, even when I was still growing up. But it wasn’t until much later that I got into romance. One of the first writers (a self published author just like me!) I came across was Tina Folsom, via her Scanguards Vampire series. I was hooked. From there I went on to read more paranormal romance until I found a new favorite kind of hero: bear shifters, like the kind written by Milly Taiden, Zoe Chant, and T.S. Joyce. What I love about bears is how they can be all strong and independent, a bit reclusive, and almost grumpy, but they always end up having a heart of gold (plus they tend to know their food, and we all know that a man who can cook is doubly sexy). All that (except for the shifting into a powerful bear) almost exactly describes the sort of man I ended up falling for and marrying in real life, so it’s no surprise that this is what I started my publishing career with.
As thing stand right now, I plan to release all my work on Amazon Kindle and make it free of charge as part of the Kindle Unlimited programme, though this may change in future. All my books will also be available as paperbacks, as well as in audio.
To find out more, check:
LoreleiMoone.com
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x Lorelei
My Books
Sugar & Spice: A Scottish Werebear Xmas
Scottish Werebear: An Unexpected Affair
Scottish Werebear: A Dangerous Business
Scottish Werebear: A Forbidden Love
Scottish Werebear: A New Beginning
Scottish Werebear: A New Beginning: A BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Scottish Werebears Book 4) Page 9
