Her Doctor Mate: Seasoned Shifters #3

by Black, Tasha

  Soon he would bring his mate to this place, watch her dangle her small, human feet in the water as he cavorted in it, amusing her. And then he would shift and pull her in with him, show her she was his in the way only his human form knew how.

  23

  Addison

  Addison took a deep breath and then leaned on Ryan’s doorbell with her elbow.

  She was carrying a laundry basket with two huge casserole dishes of stuffing, wrapped in towels.

  She probably looked like she was coming home from college to do her wash.

  And if he didn’t let her in, she wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to balance the basket to get the car key back out of her pocket.

  He will let me in, she told herself. There is no escape plan.

  But she couldn’t help picturing herself huddled on his doorstep, rejected, eating stuffing out of the dishes with her hands and crying.

  At least the rain had stopped.

  “Addison,” Grandma Stevenson called out happily from inside. “I thought you weren’t feeling well today.”

  “I’m, um, I’m feeling better,” she said sheepishly.

  A wave of relief washed over her. He hadn’t told his grandmother. Addison had grown fond of the older woman even in just a few short days. She was glad she hadn’t caused her any trouble.

  “Whatever you’ve got in there, it smells delicious,” Grandma Stevenson declared. “Let’s get it into the kitchen.”

  Addison followed Grandma Stevenson down the hall to the kitchen. She hadn’t seen it last night, but she knew it must be a large room based on the number of voices coming from it.

  “Here’s Addison,” Grandma Stevenson announced. “She’s feeling better.”

  Addison scanned the room for a place to put the basket. It was a large, sunny space that had a definite seventies feel to it. The dark slate floor and wooden cabinets were brightened by a large bank of windows over the sink and twin skylights over the breakfast area.

  Every possible surface was crowded with side dishes. The table and countertops were barely visible beneath a sea of green bean casseroles, mashed potatoes glistening with pats of melting butter, wooden bowls of fluffy rolls and homemade wheat bread, and endless glass dishes of parfaits and pies still steaming from the oven.

  Despite her nerves, Addison’s mouth was watering already.

  “I’ll clear a place on the island, Addison,” Grace Kwan-Cortez said, grabbing a huge cheese tray in one hand and a jug of wine in the other. The friendly police officer was tiny but apparently pretty strong.

  “Thanks,” Addison said, resting the basket on the edge of counter. “I’ll get these out and then put the basket back in the car. They won’t take up too much room.”

  “No worries,” Grace said. “I’m Grace, by the way.”

  “I remember,” Addison said. “Addison.”

  “Oh, I remember you too,” Grace chortled, eyes twinkling mischievously. “You were hysterical at charades. My mother says you can come back anytime.”

  “Great, now I’m famous,” Addison said, rolling her eyes. But she felt warmth in her chest. This town was starting to feel more and more like home.

  She lifted one large baking dish out of the basket and realized her mistake a second too late. She’d taken the one on the inside - the one that had been keeping the laundry basket balanced on the counter. She felt the basket tip and fall behind her, helpless to stop it. All she could do was wait for the inevitable crash and spray of glass and stuffing.

  But nothing like that happened.

  She turned to find Grace holding the undamaged baking dish.

  “That was a close one,” Grace told her.

  “That was impossible,” Addison replied. Both of Grace’s hands had been very full when the basket had tipped.

  “Just lucky,” Grace said with a wink.

  Whatever it was, Addison wasn’t about to question it.

  She got the stuffing secured, then dashed back out to the car with the empty laundry basket and towels. The sky was dove gray and there was a sweetness to the cold air. Addison shivered and jogged back up to the porch.

  The warmth that greeted her when she reopened the front door was almost magical. There was something about this town, and it wasn’t just the shifters. The sense of community was palpable, bright as the firelight, fragrant as the feast in the kitchen.

  “Addison, have you seen the family photo albums?” Grandma Stevenson asked her.

  “Um, no,” Addison replied. She had been sort of wanting to bump into Ryan as soon as possible. It would be awkward, but better than this sense of anticipation. Where was he?

  “Ryan had to run out for something,” Grandma Stevenson said, as if reading her thoughts. “He’ll be so glad you’re here.”

  Addison nodded, hoping he wouldn’t be long.

  “Here, let’s curl up with this one,” Grandma Stevenson said, selecting a thick album from one of the bookshelves flanking the crackling fireplace.

  “Are you sure they don’t need help in the kitchen?” Addison asked.

  “Oh no. Eva Cortez is here,” Grandma Stevenson said, as if that was enough explanation. And, from what little Addison knew about Mrs. Cortez, it was.

  They sat on the sofa and paged through the pictures. It was nice to see a real photo album. Most of Addison’s pictures were digital. Her family didn’t bother to print them out anymore.

  She was just giggling over a shot of Ryan as a toddler, bundled up in his snow pants, when the front door burst open.

  “Good heavens,” Grandma Stevenson said.

  Ryan appeared in the living room doorway. For a moment he looked like a despondent god. His hair was wildly windblown as if he had been running in a brisk wind. There were dark circles under his eyes and his jaw was tense.

  “Ryan,” Addison murmured.

  Ryan’s eyes locked onto hers.

  Instantly the wild look in his eyes calmed. He smiled gently at her.

  “Addison,” he said, looking from her to his grandmother and back. “I’m so glad you’re… feeling better.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I was under the weather but I’m feeling better now.”

  He moved toward her, then hesitated.

  She patted the seat beside her.

  He sat, putting an arm over the back of the sofa to encircle her protectively without actually touching her.

  “Well, I’m glad you two aren’t on the outs anymore,” Grandma Stevenson said briskly. “I think you could be great together if you just gave it a try for real.”

  “I… I mean we…” Addison began, but was too caught off guard to form a real response. Had Ryan told her the truth? The slack-jawed look on his face said he definitely had not.

  “Oh, child,” Grandma Stevenson said fondly. “You two were never engaged. You don’t even have a ring.”

  Addison looked away, mortified.

  Unfortunately, her gaze went straight to the center hall, where the entire party was standing.

  They must have just decided to set up the dining room table. At least a dozen people, each carrying a side dish, were staring back at Addison in abject horror.

  Every single one of them must have heard what Grandma Stevenson had just said.

  24

  Ryan

  Ryan watched, frozen, as Addison squirmed.

  Fury blossomed in his chest.

  “Enough,” he said.

  “Ryan, it’s okay,” Addison began softly.

  “Enough,” he said, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then ran a hand through his hair and began to pace.

  No sooner did he reach the opposite wall and turn back than he noticed that all of his company was standing in the center hall, staring at him.

  Well, let them stare.

  “Grandma Stevenson,” he said as calmly as he could. “I’m sorry. I lied to you. I let you believe that I was engaged, because I thought it would make you happy. You’ve always wanted to see me settle down, and I didn’t want
to disappoint you. But the truth is that I’m not engaged. Addison only went along with this because she’s a loyal friend to me.”

  There were a few noises of surprise in the hallway, but he ignored them.

  “Addison,” he said, meeting her gaze in spite of the pain it caused. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put you through this.”

  She looked down at her hands, his beautiful mate, calm on the outside but troubled on the inside. He could feel her humiliation as if it were his own. And it was. He had done this, made her feel embarrassed and miserable in front of everyone.

  He would make it up to her somehow - he had to. Otherwise he wasn’t sure he could ever look at himself in the mirror again.

  He turned to his grandmother, prepared for censure or worse, disappointment.

  “Do you think I didn’t know?” Grandma Stevenson asked him lightly. “I knew it even when we were talking on the phone.”

  Ryan stared at her, unbelieving.

  “You wouldn’t have a serious relationship with a young woman without telling me,” she told him. “We’ve always been too close for that. The miles between us wouldn’t matter.”

  She was right, of course she was.

  “The two of you,” Grandma Stevenson shook her head and glanced at Addison. “All this time you thought you were fooling me. But you’ve only been fooling yourselves.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ryan asked.

  Grandma Stevenson gave a gentle caress to the diamond ring on her finger, then slipped it off and held it out to Ryan.

  “Give it to her already,” she said softly.

  Ryan looked down at the diamond.

  It winked back up at him, the same diamond his great-grandmother had worn.

  Tears stung his eyes.

  A blur of movement drew his attention away from the ring.

  Addison was running from the room.

  She headed for the front door, but the center hall was crowded with guests who were watching the scene as if it were a soap opera.

  Addison let out a sob and headed back toward the kitchen and the back door.

  “Go, boy,” Grandma Stevenson shouted like a drill sergeant. “Take the ring and do what’s in your heart.”

  He snatched it up and sprinted out the back door.

  Somewhere behind him, he swore he heard someone clapping.

  25

  Addison

  Addison ran for the backdoor, choking back sobs.

  She nearly knocked a latticework cherry pie to the floor on her way through the kitchen, but somehow managed to barely avoid it and keep running.

  She had no idea where she was going, but she wasn’t likely to get far. Her keys were still in her purse in the front hall closet. She didn’t care.

  She only knew she had to get out. She couldn’t stand another minute in that warm, wonderful house with all those people staring at her.

  How could she have been so stupid?

  Ryan was a successful man, a doctor. He was handsome and experienced.

  Of course his grandmother had known that Addison would fall for him hook, line and sinker.

  But the poor lady hadn’t realized that Ryan didn’t feel the same.

  Addison had no idea who Ryan’s fated mate might be. But surely she was someone older and more established, someone sophisticated, someone who deserved him.

  She flew out the back door and stood on the porch, looking out at the garden.

  Ryan’s lawn was fenced. Bare rose bushes grew up over the wooden trellis-topped barrier as far as Addison could see.

  She jogged down the stairs to scan the lawn for a break in the thorny branches. Surely there was a gate somewhere. She couldn’t really be trapped in Ryan’s backyard.

  There was a pretty covered pavilion in the back corner. Addison ran to it, hoping that from that vantage point she would be able to find the gate.

  She had just cleared the steps and turned when two things happened at once.

  The back door banged open again, and Ryan appeared in the threshold.

  And huge lazy snowflakes began to fall through the air between them.

  “Addison,” he called to her, his voice breaking.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to ruin your Thanksgiving.”

  “You didn’t ruin anything,” he said. “Please, can we talk?”

  “I just want to go home,” she said.

  But he was moving toward her, with slow and steady footsteps, as if he was afraid he might frighten her away.

  Snowflakes, like scraps of lace, kissed his hair and caught in his eyelashes.

  Everything began to feel so familiar, like her dream all over again.

  But Addison was sure she was very much awake this time.

  She waited for him, wondering if maybe she had been wrong.

  “Was it true what my grandmother said?” Ryan asked her when he arrived at the steps of the pavilion. “Do you have feelings for me?”

  “Yes,” she told him, unashamed.

  She gazed into his eyes, knowing it might be the last time.

  He smiled down at her.

  “I have feelings for you too, Addison,” he told her, his voice husky.

  Her heart skipped a beat, but she knew his feelings weren’t enough.

  “You’re a shifter,” she said. “One day you will find your fated mate. I can’t be in the way when that time comes.”

  His eyebrows went up in surprise.

  “But, Addison,” he sputtered. “I’ve already found my fated mate.”

  “Who is it?” she asked, horrified. Had he really snuck out to see someone else?

  Ryan began to laugh.

  She stared at him in complete bewilderment as his helpless laughter rang through the snowy garden.

  “Addison, my love, my angel, my mate,” he said at last. “It’s you. Haven’t you felt it? Don’t you sense the bond between us?”

  “B-but you never said…” she trailed off.

  “I was afraid to,” he told her. “You weren’t acknowledging your feelings, but I thought it was because you weren’t ready, because you didn’t want me.”

  She stared at him, utterly speechless.

  “You’re so young,” he continued. “I know all this was never in your plans. I don’t ever want to make you feel trapped. And I promise you that whatever you want to do in your life, I’ll follow you. If you accept me as your mate, you will not have to compromise. You can leave all that to me.”

  “Ryan,” she murmured, her whole world turning on its axis. She couldn’t find the words to tell him how happy she was. But she hoped he could sense it through the bond he had finally acknowledged.

  She knew she could feel his bright hopefulness lifting her heart.

  “Now, I don’t want to alarm you, but I’m pretty sure that my grandmother and maybe every single person at this dinner is staring at us from the kitchen window,” he told her quietly. “So if you want privacy before I ask you two very important questions, you have to tell me now.”

  “I can’t wait anymore,” she said quickly, her facility of speech returning.

  “Will you accept me as your mate?” he asked, his voice husky.

  “Yes,” she told him.

  His handsome face lit up with happiness.

  Then he knelt down.

  “Will you marry me, Addison?” he asked. “If you want to wait, I’ll understand.”

  It was too good to be true.

  She looked up, having to break their eye contact to take a deep breath before answering.

  Snow filled the air, but she could still see the many happy faces pressed close to the glass in the kitchen.

  It wasn’t just Ryan she was accepting today. It was his family, his friends, his community. Tarker’s Hollow was its own little universe, a snow globe of a world today.

  And Addison couldn’t think of a single place she’d rather be.

  She gave a little wave to the people in the window.

  Some of the
m waved back.

  Then she looked back down at her mate, who was pulling a pretty diamond ring out of his pocket and holding it out to her.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked again. “When you’re ready?”

  “Yes,” she squealed. “I’m ready.”

  He slid the ring onto her finger where it twinkled up at her merrily.

  “Now what?” she asked him as he straightened and folded her into his arms.

  The sounds of cheers from the house were audible from their perch on the pavilion.

  “Well, I want to take you to bed,” Ryan murmured into her hair. “But I think we may have to eat dinner first.”

  “Dinner sounds perfect,” Addison said. “We have the rest of our lives to go to bed.”

  “God, I love the sound of that,” Ryan said, licking his lips.

  “Let’s go tell your grandmother we’re really engaged,” Addison said, determined not to melt at the sight of his clever tongue.

  “Yes,” Ryan said. “Let’s tell her right away.”

  He swept Addison into his arms and headed back across the lawn before she could protest.

  Addison threw her head back and laughed.

  She’d been a little down about missing the holiday with her family. But it turned out she was about to spend her first Thanksgiving with her new family.

  And there was so much to be thankful for this year.

  26

  Ryan

  Ryan stood at the front door as his grandmother smiled up at him.

  “You don’t have to go tonight,” he told her again. “We don’t need privacy. We’re both so glad to have you here.”

  “I’ll be here tomorrow.” Grandma Stevenson winked and patted his cheek. “Besides, I want grandchildren. The sooner the better.”

  “One step at a time,” Ryan said. “I just got a ring on her finger today.”

  “She’s not getting any younger,” Grandma Stevenson cautioned him playfully.

  “Thank God for that,” he said, running a hand through his hair.

  “See you tomorrow,” she said. “I’ll be home around lunchtime.”