“OK. Good night then.” He stepped out of her way, although he kept his eyes fixed on her, as if he was drinking her in.
“Good night,” Louise replied. “We can talk in the morning.”
“I like the sound of that,” Zak said. “That’s if I can sleep. It’s not every day a man meets his mate.”
Louise walked past him, grateful when he didn’t reach out and grab her again. She understood how hard it was for him. Before she left the kitchen, she paused, and said, “I want this to work, Zak. For both of us. But there is one other person we have to think about.”
“Storm. I know.” He swung around to face her. “She is more important than you, or me, in all of this. I understand that completely. But I want to be her father, as much as I want to be your husband.”
“Husband,” Louise repeated. “I wasn’t sure I was ever going to have one of those. I’m not even sure I want one.”
“It might be the one thing I insist on,” Zak said with a goofy grin on his handsome face. Gone was Mr. Cool. “I want to put a ring on your finger, Louise, I want the world to know you are mine.”
“Good night, Zak.” She wasn’t ready for a marriage proposal.
“Good night, Louise.”
Louise left Zak in the kitchen, looking as if a bomb had just detonated under him. Climbing the stairs, she had to keep reminding herself this was real and she hadn’t dreamt it. But knowing it was real did not make any of it easier to comprehend. She was the mate of a bear shifter.
Not so long ago, that news would have made her so happy. But Zak was not the bear shifter she had dreamed of spending the rest of her life with. That man was Ollie. But he was not hers.
Wearily, she undressed and put on her pajamas before checking on Storm. Her sweet baby lay sleeping peacefully in her crib, unaware that their futures had just changed forever. If Louise allowed it.
There still was the option of telling Zak to walk away. Hadn’t she sworn to give up men forever after Ollie told her his news?
But Zak was her chance at happiness. Happiness that would last. She might not feel the same way he did. Not yet, but his promise to never leave: that was something she could get used to.
That was something worth taking a chance on.
Chapter Ten – Zak
“So how are you kids this morning?” Dean asked when he entered the kitchen. He’d picked up on the strained atmosphere at once. Zak would not have expected anything less.
“We are good,” Zak said, in a noncommittal way. He had not had chance to ask Louise what her thoughts were this morning. She did not appear to be in the mood to talk, and he was not going to push her.
“We’re OK.” Louise nodded.
Dean looked from one of them to the other. “Do you want me to babysit while you two kids go and do something together?”
“No,” Louise said quickly, then she glanced at Zak apologetically. “It’s just that I wanted to spend the day with Storm, since I was working yesterday and will be tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to change your plans for me,” Zak said. “I can tag along if you want me to. Or I can make myself scarce. Your choice.”
Dean smiled to himself and shook his head. “You two should spend some time getting to know each other. This is the greatest gift of your lives, don’t pussyfoot around.”
“We aren’t,” Zak insisted.
“So what was last night about?” Dean asked. “You were asking my permission, as if Louise was mine to give away, not yours to take.” He glanced at Louise. “No offense. But bears in my day took control.” He reached out his hands as if grasping onto something.
Zak chuckled. “You have just undone all the things you have taught me, Dean. I thought you were all about listening to the other person, walking in their shoes…”
Dean nodded in agreement. “I know, but you are mates. That is enormous. It is a gift, and the sooner you embrace that gift, the better.” He reached for a piece of paper stuck to the refrigerator. “And part of being a couple is learning to shop together. Here is a list of groceries we need from the store. I am going to spend the day in the garden and this evening I’m meeting up with the guys.”
“Slick,” Zak said. “Very slick.” Although Zak did wonder how quickly Dean had made arrangements to be busy, forcing Zak and Louise to spend some alone time together.
Louise smiled and put Storm in her high chair. “I don’t mind. I like grocery shopping.”
“You do?” Zak asked.
“Yes.” She looked at him sideways as she did battle with Storm’s feet, which did not want to go where they were supposed to in her high chair. “Don’t you?”
Zak pressed his lips together. “It’s not something I’m used to.”
“Did you have your own personal shopper in Australia?” Dean asked, half joking.
“Something like that.” Zak poured a cup of coffee for Louise and handed it to her.
But Dean had picked up a bone and wanted to gnaw at it. “Are you serious?”
Zak looked sheepish. “The band I was in is famous down under. If fans saw me in a grocery store, I would not get out without my tight leather pants being ripped off.”
Louise nearly sprayed her coffee over Storm, who found it hilarious, and began to copy her mom’s actions.
“You are actually really famous?” Dean asked. “Now I am impressed.”
“More impressed than you were last night? I never took you for a groupie.” Zak leaned back against the counter, enjoying himself. “And I thought you were deeper than that, Dean. But no, it seems you are as capable of being star-struck as the next man.”
“You are talking to a man who was proud of you when you baked a cake at school,” Dean informed Zak. “I even enjoyed the burnt bits.”
Zak laughed. “It was the first time I put anything in an oven. I’d only ever used a microwave before. I certainly had no idea what an egg was.”
“Wow, that was my job at home, to cook the meals for the family,” Louise said. “It was a way of escaping.”
“There, you are a perfect match,” Dean said jokingly. “Since Zak never got the hang of cooking.”
“Room service has spoiled me even more, I hate to tell you,” Zak replied. “Last night’s BBQ is the height of my culinary skills.”
“You offered to help me make dinner,” Dean accused. “I thought that meant you had learned to look after yourself.”
“I’m willing to pitch in and learn.” Zak moved across to the countertop, took out two slices of bread, and held them up. “I can use a toaster.”
Dean rolled his eyes. “Come on, sit down, you two. I’ll rustle something up.”
Zak winked at Louise, who looked as if she was about to offer to make breakfast for them all. “I have not had a breakfast like Dean cooks for two years. He can spoil us this morning and then why don’t you let me help you in the kitchen and we can make dinner together tonight?”
“Sounds like we all have plans,” Dean said. “I’ve been meaning to make a vegetable garden in the left-hand corner.” He pointed out of the window. “I’m going to start on it.”
“Do you need help?” Zak asked.
“No,” Dean said quickly. “I’d like the exercise.”
Zak knew what Dean really meant, spend time with your woman. Still, Zak felt bad not helping Dean with such heavy work. Before he left, Zak had followed Dean around like a shadow whenever jobs needed doing. Although he scraped by at school, and graduated, Zak was more of a hands-on kind of a guy. He liked creating things.
“I know what I would like to buy in town. I really need a guitar,” Zak said.
“You don’t have one?” Dean asked. “I know it would be hard to carry one on your bike. But I figured you had stuff in storage.”
“Nope, honestly, I left most of my stuff in Australia. Not that there was much to leave, I’m used to traveling light,” Zak said.
“What about the bike, is it new?” Louise asked.
“No, I’ve had her for
years. I bought her with the money I earned working for Will Frasier. Do you remember?” Zak asked Dean.
“I do.” Dean had the breakfast sizzling in a pan. “You used to go over to his place and mow the lawn, and tend that biker bar.”
“It wasn’t until I left that I realized he didn’t need me to do those jobs,” Zak said.
“He saw the potential in you,” Dean replied.
“Are you sure it wasn’t your badgering that made him hire me?” Zak asked. Dean knew just how to persuade people to help his kids.
“Me? No.” Dean turned to Zak. “It was all you.”
“I should go over to his place and thank him,” Zak said. It didn’t matter if it was Dean behind it, or whether Will truly had seen his potential. It was all in the past, and Zak was grateful either way.
“Well, if you do, you might be able to repay him. Or pay it forward. He’s got a thing going where he employs young folk like you used to be. Those who have been in trouble, or need a fresh start. I bet he doesn’t have a bona fide rock star on his workforce.”
“No one over here has ever heard of me,” Zak insisted.
“Zak, if you can help one single person fulfill their ambition, you will have paid your dues.” Dean fetched a couple of plates and set them on the table. “Are you OK, Louise? You are awfully quiet.”
“I’m fine. I like listening to you talk. It makes me feel as if I’m part of a family. My folks mostly yelled at each other, and me. It’s nice.” She smiled happily while Storm drank her bottle.
“It is good to be home.” Zak caught Louise’s eye and heat crept to her cheeks. He could get used to seeing his mate on the other side of the breakfast table each morning. And their children, of course. Zak hoped that one day, they would have another baby, a brother or sister for Storm. He wanted the family he’d never had, one filled with love and laughter. Just like Dean had taught him families should be.
“Breakfast is served,” Dean announced, setting the pan down on the table. “Help yourself. Here, I’ll dish yours up, Louise, before Zak eats it all. I am guessing your appetite has not changed, Zak?”
“It sure has.” He smiled broadly. “It got bigger.” Then he took a long draw of air. “That is making my mouth water.”
“It’s good to have you home, Zak. I’ve missed you,” Dean said, and then he looked at Louise and Storm. “You too. You’ve given me something I never thought I’d be part of, a child’s life. I love watching your daughter grow each day.”
“I think we both owe you a great deal of thanks, Dean,” Louise said, reaching out and touching his hand with affection.
“Can we eat already?” Zak asked, wanting to break the tension building. Both Dean and Louise looked as if they might burst into tears, and he wanted this morning to be filled with joy. It was a new beginning, for all of them.
“Dig in.” Dean sat down, and the conversation turned to his vegetable garden.
As they talked, Zak wondered if the rest of Bear Creek had remained unchanged, just like Dean. He hoped so, and if he could work with Will, he would be honored. All he had to do was persuade Will that he was no longer the bad boy of Bear Creek. Yeah, there was a time when that was exactly what he was known as.
“Let us at least do the dishes,” Louise insisted after they had eaten their fill, and drunk their coffee.
“I’ll do them while you go and get ready,” Zak offered.
“OK. Storm needs a diaper change before we go.” Louise went upstairs with Storm, without any further argument.
“Take care of them,” Dean told Zak. He was standing at the back door, his old worn gardening cap on his head.
“We are only going into Bear Creek,” Zak replied. “What can go wrong?”
“I used to think that about you. Until you came back with the old sheriff holding your ear.” Dean sighed.
“I still have one ear longer than the other,” Zak complained.
“It was what you deserved for trying to hotwire a car. To this day I don’t know where you intended to go. I know for sure it wasn’t home.” Dean’s eyes narrowed. “Am I ever going to know?”
Zak left the water to run while he collected his thoughts. “I was running away. I thought you were too good for me. I thought I was going to break your heart and be the only kid in your gallery who didn’t turn their life around.”
“Why? You were brighter than most who passed through his house,” Dean said.
“I was a kid. What goes through a kid’s mind doesn’t always make sense.” Zak skirted around the truth.
“Do you know I was always the most scared out of everyone,” Dean said.
“You were larger than life, nothing scared you,” Zak replied, remembering how he looked up to Dean. He was the first good male role model Zak had ever met.
“Every time one of you kids comes through that door, I think this is it, this is the one that is going to make me into a failure.” Dean tugged at the peak of his cap. “And every time I tell myself that I cannot let that happen. I owe it to each and every one of you to make you see the opportunities life gives you.”
“And I thought you lived and breathed that positive crap you spout,” Zak teased.
“It’s not crap,” Dean insisted.
“I know, I know.” Zak put the dishes on the drainer. “I have paid that forward too.”
“What do you mean?” Dean asked.
“It means I taught the guys in the band what you taught me. If you ask any of them, they credit me with turning the band’s fortunes around.” He paused, remembering the wild days he spent in Australia, but not missing them; this was where he belonged. “Which means the credit belongs to you.”
“No, I might have put the ideas in your head, but the credit is all yours, Zak. It’s what you do with the knowledge that counts. OK, I will see you later. My backyard is calling.”
“See you later,” Zak said, turning to dry the dishes. He breathed in and let the air out slowly. Today was going to be a good day. That’s what he’d told himself every day for a long, long time, and most of the time, that was exactly how it worked out.
And today might just be the best day since he was going to spend it with Louise and Storm.
Chapter Eleven – Louise
“There you go, Storm,” Louise said, sliding her baby’s arm into the sleeve of a pretty cardigan. “You look adorable.” She kissed Storm on the cheek, and then lifted her into her arms and grabbed her purse before making her way downstairs to where Zak was waiting.
“Two pretty girls, how lucky can one man get?” He grinned as Storm gurgled and smiled at him. “I am off to a good start, Storm likes me.”
“She likes a lot of stuff that is not necessarily good for her,” Louise warned.
“Ouch. Wounded.” Zak put his hand over his heart.
“Sorry, but you need to know how important this is to me. That we get this right.” Louise shrugged apologetically. “It’s putting a lot of pressure on us, I know. But I can’t just swallow the true mate thing and naively think we are going to live happily ever after.”
“I understand. But for today, let’s forget all about the future and concentrate on the present.” Zak opened the front door and Louise followed him outside.
“We have to get the car seat for Storm, it’s in the back of Dean’s car,” Louise told him as he walked toward her vehicle.
“I’ll go grab it,” Zak said, wheeling around and going over to Dean’s old truck. Now, this was a family heirloom, it was the same truck Dean had driven since Zak came here.
“Really? You must have so many memories of this place.” Louise unlocked her car and placed her purse inside. When Zak came back with the car seat, she said, “Can you hold Storm for a moment, and I’ll get this securely fitted?”
“Sure.” He traded the car seat for Storm, and Louise was relieved when she saw he was a natural around babies. Despite all his words, and the excitement she felt about them being mates, if Zak and Storm did not get along, she would have been
panicked. “We are going grocery shopping, Storm. Do you like shopping?”
“She does.” Louise was half inside the car, clicking the seatbelt securely home. When she crawled out, a warm glow of affection for Zak erupted inside her. He was holding his hand up, palm facing Storm, who was trying to play pat-a-cake with him. “Here we go, Storm, let’s get you inside.”
Storm wriggled as Louise took her from Zak, and fit her into the confines of the car seat. With the baby harness secured around Storm, Louise stood up and shook back her hair. Zak breathed in deeply, and something deeper than affection stirred inside Louise. It was animalistic, as if his presence was waking a part of her up. A part of her she didn’t know existed.
He made her feel like a woman. A desirable woman. And despite her feelings for Ollie, and Ajax, she knew that neither of them had ever made her feel like this. She wasn’t a girl to Zak; she was a woman.
“Ready to go?” Zak asked.
“Yes, do you have the list?” Louise opened her car door and got in.
“I do.” Zak patted his chest pocket as he walked around to the passenger side of the car.
“I hope Dean enjoys his day in the garden,” Louise said, glancing over her shoulder. She could see Dean as he worked the patch where he intended to grow vegetables.
“He always did love his backyard.” Zak rolled down his window and rested his arm on the door. “Smell that Bear Creek air.”
“Does the air here smell so much different?” Louise asked. “Being a shifter, you have heightened senses, right?” She remembered growing up when Ollie used to hear things and smell things that she couldn’t.
“Yeah. It smells different. And our senses are heightened. Like I can sense you approaching before I see and hear you.”
Louise looked at Zak sharply. “Really. You can sense me?” Somehow that made her feel more special.
“I sensed you on the road yesterday. I sensed you coming down the stairs last night. It’s as if you have a built-in homing beacon that calls to me.” He cupped one hand around his mouth and called, “Zak, Zak, I’m over here.”
Bad Boy Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 9) Page 6
