The BEAR Gene: A Gripping Paranormal Romance (WereGenes Book 2)
Page 18
“I’m so, so glad you're all right. I’m so glad everyone else is all right. But I’m just not sure why all this gladness should make me cry.”
Reed lifted the corners of his full lips in just the hint of a smile, even though his eyes had become shiny and pink. “I don’t know, either, but I definitely understand. I’m very glad, too.”
That night, for the first time in a while, we didn't make love. Instead, we just held each other, both of us completely exhausted.
Just before I drifted off to sleep, Reed spoke in a low voice near my ear. “I love you, Samantha. I don’t know if that’s already become obvious or not.”
I smiled because it kind of had. I could feel love in Reed’s touch as he lazily caressed my shoulder.
“I don’t know about obvious, but I’ve known for a little while that you love me. But do you know that I love you back?”
He paused in his slow caressing and brought his lips to mine, giving me a soft, incredibly tender kiss. “I didn’t know for sure, but now I do, and I couldn’t be happier.”
Early the next morning, he left at dawn to finish cleaning up the carnage on the field with his men, and I just hung around the house. Marie came to visit in the late afternoon, reporting that from what she'd seen during a quick trip to the hospital, Alex was very angry with Polly for what she’d done.
“Or, I should say he was very angry, at first, anyway, but then I think his anger quickly cooled when he saw her crying in bed, mumbling something about how she’d just been scared of ‘everything,’ she said, poor thing. But then later, his anger at her putting herself in such danger seemed to flare again. But then before I left, Alex was holding her, actually sitting in the bed with her. So, it may take a while for all the dust to clear, but I think those two will be okay in the long run… and I do think they’re heading toward the long run. I could see it in their eyes… and although it’s going to take some time before I can look at them together and not feel a pang in my chest over Sean, I’m very happy for them… and I think Sean would be, too.”
Tears shining in Marie’s eyes told me that she wasn’t just putting up a brave front; she truly was happy for Alex and Polly.
I didn’t see Reed until about nine in the evening, when he entered the kitchen just as I was finishing a fruit smoothie alone, kind of stewing a bit about the fact that I hadn’t been able to use my knife skills in the battle. I’d been telling myself that in light of the fact that everyone in town was okay, it was extremely selfish of me to even be thinking about how I hadn’t been able to use my skill, and I knew it was. I also knew I needed to get over it. Just maybe when I was damned good and ready to. I’d give myself until the following day.
After giving me a quick kiss, Reed washed his hands, poured himself a whiskey, and joined me at the island.
“Well, the field’s more or less all cleaned up, and all Bloodborn carcasses have been buried.”
I poured myself another half-glass of smoothie from the blender and took a sip. “Well, that was that.”
“I guess it was. That was that.”
Both of us sipped our respective drinks silently for a little while, until I suddenly set my glass on the table.
“I need a favor. Whatever you do, please don’t give me some after-school special speech about how even though I didn’t get to use my special skill, I got to use the power of friendship and love and sacrifice, or something like that.”
“I wasn’t even thinking of saying anything even remotely along those lines.”
A look of complete sincerity on Reed’s handsome face told me that he really hadn’t been going to. Not that I’d really thought he had. I’d just felt a flash of anger, or irritation or something all of a sudden for some reason.
“Sorry. I'm really sorry, Reed. I just completely snapped at you for no good reason at all, and you so didn’t deserve that. I’d like to blame it on pregnancy hormones, but that’s not even fair.”
After setting his glass down, he took my hand with his touch firm and tender at the same time. “It’s all right. I know you're upset and disappointed that you didn’t get to use your special skill, and that's okay. It would even be okay if you’re a little upset and angry with Polly for what happened.”
“Well, I can’t deny that maybe I was a little at first, when she first came onto the field, but I’m really not angry at her anymore. I really don't blame her for anything.”
I really wasn’t, and I didn’t.
“I know she’s been going through some really tough things lately. If I’m angry at anyone, or anything, I guess I’m really just a bit peeved at destiny, or fate, or whatever it can be called. Which I admit makes absolutely no sense, because everyone’s okay, and I’m so grateful for that… and I got what exactly what I’ve been hoping for, which was for all the Bloodborn bears to be destroyed so that we can move on with our lives, and live in peace, and be happy, and welcome our baby. But, still... I’m just slightly bent out of shape tonight. And I’m not going to let it last, but...”
“Well, just my opinion, but I think you should let it last however long you want it to last.”
Becoming a bit pleasantly lightheaded, more even just from the sight of Reed than my pregnancy symptoms, I lifted my smoothie glass. “Hey… I’ll definitely drink to that.”
My irritated feeling didn’t even last another five minutes, as Reed soon had me laughing almost hysterically while he suggested different ways I might get my angst out, such as stomping on his foot until he cried “like a newborn baby,” a scenario I found more than a bit implausible. Saying I was too afraid of sending him to the medical clinic to join his recovering friends, I declined to take him up on that particular offer. Soon after, he picked me up and carried me off to our bedroom. There, we enjoyed a long shower together, which somehow led to us making love until about one in the morning.
Afterward, while he held me, smoothing my hair, he spoke in a low voice near my ear. “Although I don’t want to take the risk of veering into after-school special territory, I do want to point out that even though you didn't get to use your knife-throwing skills against the Bloodborn, you did save someone how you wanted to, and you were, once again, a hero. Without any way to defend herself, Polly could have easily been killed during the battle if you hadn’t taken her to safety. I’m sure you probably saved her life… and I know that your dad would be very proud of your strength and bravery. I'm very proud of your strength and bravery myself.”
With my eyes filling with hot tears, I could only nod in response, reaching for his hand in the dark.
We were married not even two months later, and just two months after that, to our extreme joy, we learned that my mom had been declared cancer-free. The experimental treatment that had led to me meeting Reed in the first place had been a complete success. When I shared the good news with Polly, she celebrated with me and then shared some happy news of her own. Alex had asked her to marry him an hour earlier, and she’d said yes. Making both of us cry, she said that he’d formally asked Marie for her blessing first, and she’d given it, saying that she’d be honored to consider Alex as a son-in-law of sorts, because Polly would always be her daughter-in-law.
A few months later, on Christmas Eve, with Reed by my side at the clinic, I delivered a baby girl, and she was as precious, sweet, and perfect as any baby girl could ever be. The first time I held her, I cried harder than she did, and for several minutes, I couldn’t even speak, could only hold her to my chest while I cried. Reed just gazed at the both of us while smoothing my hair, having a powerful emotional reaction himself, if his welling eyes were any indication.
Once our tears had dried and our brand-new daughter had fallen asleep, we decided to name her Noelle Joy, both agreeing that it just seemed perfect.
One day in April while Noelle was down for a nap, I stood out on the wraparound porch that surrounded the house, drinking in the sight of the surrounding green trees bursting into fresh, vivid green.
Presently, Reed came out a
nd joined me, putting a strong arm around my shoulders. We both looked out at the dazzling display of springtime quietly for a little while, until Reed spoke, pulling me a little closer.
“It’s all just so amazingly beautiful, isn’t it?”
With my throat suddenly developing a distinct lump and my eyes watering, I turned my face up to look into his eyes. “It is… all of it. Spring, the trees… but especially our life here in Somerset. It’s all so beautiful that sometimes, I just can’t even put it into words.”
Reed gave me a little smile with his pale blue eyes radiating warmth. “Then, don’t.”
Wrapping both arms around me, he brought his lips to mine and kissed me with such sweetness that I felt his love rushing through me like a river.
{{**}}
Dear paranormal lover,
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