by R. E. Butler
“Are you having two boys or two girls?”
“We want to be surprised.”
Faith gave Hope a smile and raised her brows. “Faith is a great name for a baby.”
Chuckling, Hope shook her head. “We haven’t picked names out yet, but we’ll keep it in mind.”
“And so is Honor,” Hope’s mom said.
“Oh, and Jackson.”
Hope looked at Holden. “Aren’t you going to throw your name in the hat?”
“Heck no.” He shook his head. “Holden’s old-fashioned. I like unique names, but whenever we went on vacation as kids, Jax could find things with his name on them, but I never could.”
“I never thought about that,” Hope said.
“I suppose the more unique the name, the less likely a person is to find a personalized coffee mug or keychain,” Ben said.
“Now that we’re all here,” Honor said, “let’s have some fun.”
She brought out several trays of sugar cookies cut into fun holiday shapes, from snowmen to reindeer. Jax and Holden laid out piping bags filled with different colored frosting, along with small bowls of sprinkles, edible pearls, and sugar decorations.
Nathan looked at Honor. “We used to decorate sugar cookies at Sam’s parents’ house on Christmas. We haven’t done it since we graduated from high school.”
“Maybe she thought you outgrew it?” Hope offered.
“Maybe.” Nathan shrugged. “Or she got tired of us having contests to see who could decorate the craziest-looking cookie.”
“Or breaking them on purpose so we could eat more,” Ben said.
“I think a contest is a great idea,” Hope said. “How about best-looking cookie gets to leave it for Santa tomorrow night?”
“Who judges?” Hope asked.
“I will,” Jax said. “And just remember that I like a lot of frosting.”
Holden put on Christmas music and they sat around the island, decorating cookies and talking, filling her parents in on their lives, the pride, and work. Jax and Holden owned the King garage, Honor was a secretary at the high school, and Hope’s grandfather Eli was the principal.
“Where’s Pop anyway?” Hope asked, licking bright green frosting from her thumb. She leaned over and piped a few green leaves on a tree-shaped cookie.
“He’ll be here in about an hour for dinner,” Honor said.
She couldn’t wait to see him. Eli had raised her after her biological father had been killed crossing the street when she was a baby. He’d never tried to hide that he wasn’t her father; she grew up calling him Pop. When Honor had come back into her life when she was fifteen, she and her mates bought the house down the road from Pop’s and eventually Hope moved in with them. She often spent weekends at Eli’s, where they’d play cards, eat popcorn, and talk until the wee hours.
When the cookies were decorated and the island cleaned, she stayed in the kitchen with her mom to help put the finishing touches on dinner, while her mates sat in the family room with her dads and sister.
Hope set a heavy glass platter of small pickles, olives, and maraschino cherries on the table. She popped a ripe olive into her mouth. “Ah, that’s the stuff.”
“What is?” Honor asked, looking over her shoulder.
“Ripe olives.” She took another one, savoring the salty taste. “I see Pop still loves cherries.”
Honor chuckled. “He’d have a cow if we didn’t have some on the table.”
“I only like them on ice cream. Oh, do you have ice cream?”
“Several kinds in the deep freeze in the garage. Anything else you’re craving?”
“I’m good. For now, anyway.” She smiled at her mom and rested her hand on her belly bump.
Hope heard the unmistakable sound of Pop’s older-model sedan pulling into the driveway, and she let out a happy cheer.
“There’s something I want to tell you first,” Honor said, grasping Hope’s wrist gently.
She looked curiously at her mom. “Is something wrong?”
“No, not really. But he’s bringing a friend to dinner, and I don’t want you to be shocked.”
“He’s dating?” She let out a surprised hum. Pop had dated some over the years, but the last serious relationship he’d had was when Hope was in high school, and the human female hadn’t wanted to date a man who had a kid at home. Even if the kid in question was the granddaughter he’d selflessly raised.
“Yes. He made me promise that he’d be the one to do the introductions, but I didn’t want you to be surprised that he wasn’t alone.”
She rolled the idea around in her head. She and Pop talked on the phone and video-chatted regularly, so she was amazed that he hadn’t told her he was seeing someone special. A thousand questions flitted through her mind, but she decided to wait and see what the deal was before she sprang any on him.
The front door opened. “Hello? Anyone home?”
“We’re in the kitchen, Dad,” Honor called.
She heard a few whispered words between him and his friend, and the sounds of them taking off their footwear. It seemed to take forever, but he finally appeared in the kitchen, wearing a bright red flannel and khakis.
“Honey!”
She met him with a hug, happy tears stinging her eyes. She hadn’t seen him since the summer, and despite the phone calls, there was no substitute for being together in person. “Hey!”
“How are you?” he asked.
“I’m really great. How are you?”
“Excellent.” He turned slightly and offered his hand to the female behind him, who was smiling nervously. She took it and slowly drew close. The first thing Hope noticed was how familiar the female looked, even though she was positive she’d never seen her before. Tilting her head, she quickly studied her, inhaling silently and letting her cat sort out her scent.
“Oh!” she exclaimed when realization hit her. “You’re a mountain lion.”
Honor came to stand next to Hope. She looked up at her mother, who was smiling in a curious way.
Pop cleared his throat and said, “Honey, this is Bethany Greten. She’s from the Ohio pride.”
Bethany stuck her hand out toward Hope, and she noticed the fine tremble in it. “I understand I have you to thank for freeing me from the curse.”
Owen, Nathan, and Ben walked into the kitchen, and she looked back at them in confusion. For a moment, no one said anything, and then she turned slowly back to the female standing next to her grandfather and realized why she looked so familiar.
“Are you my...grandma?”
“Yes.”
Pop smiled broadly and said, “She came back to King after the curse was broken and looked me up. We’ve been together ever since.”
While she’d heard the story before from Pop about the female he contracted with to bear a child, she’d never known her name. All she’d known was that once Honor was born, she’d disappeared without a trace with some other females, and that was the last Pop had heard of her.
“I...I can’t believe it.” Emotions flooded Hope, elation chief among them. With a happy purr from her cat, she closed the distance between them and hugged Bethany.
Her grandma’s purr matched Hope’s as her arms closed around her and held her close. “You’re so beautiful, sweet lioness,” Bethany said, her voice filled with emotion.
Tears stung Hope’s eyes. She sniffled, but didn’t try to keep the tears from falling. She’d heard from her mom that females were slowly coming back into King, but she’d had no idea how things were going for them now that they were free of the curse. She’d hoped that they’d be happy, and maybe someday she’d meet a few.
Bethany opened one arm and drew Honor into the hug. The sound of pounding feet drew near, and Faith jostled to be part of the embrace. “Me, too!”
Hope laughed and dropped her hand to rest on her sister’s golden curls. “You bet.”
Owen handed Hope a tissue and she blotted at her eyes, giving her mates a watery smile. “This is
my grandma, Bethany. Can you believe it?”
Her mates smiled and shook her hand, introducing themselves.
“I feel like I know you all already because of Eli,” Bethany said. “He talks about you all the time.”
Hope gave her grandpa an arched brow. “Why did you keep it from me?”
“That was all me,” Bethany said.
“Why don’t we sit and get dinner going,” Honor interjected. “We can talk while we eat.”
They all sat at the large kitchen table. Ben and Hope helped finish setting it, filling glasses with lemonade or sweet tea and then sitting across from Pop and Bethany. After Pop said grace, platters were passed and plates were filled. Once Hope had taken a bit of everything, she lifted her fork and smiled at her grandpa. “So, let’s hear the details.”
He gave her a fond smile and began to tell the tale of the females appearing in King. A handful showed up and went right to Honor, asking for help in reuniting with members of their families. Among them, Bethany.
“I didn’t recognize Honor because I hadn’t seen her since she was born, but my cat recognized her. It was instant, sweet, and also a little sad because we’d lost so much time together.”
“When was this?” Hope asked.
“Toward the end of September,” Honor said. “I wanted to tell you right away, but Bethany asked for time to get used to things, and then she and Dad started dating and we decided to wait for a big reveal.”
“So you’re mates?” Hope asked Eli and Bethany.
Pop nodded. “I always felt connected to her, and even though I dated over the years, I never could get over her. I think the curse dampened the males’ emotional ties to the females, too. If it makes sense, my cat felt when she came back to town, before she even knocked on my door. And now here we are.”
“I’m so happy for you,” Hope said. She felt like she was going to cry all over again.
“Thank you, honey,” he said. “We’re very happy for you and your mates, too.”
As the meal progressed, conversation flowed around the table, from Hope’s pregnancy, to Faith’s dance recital the day after Christmas, to Pop’s decision to retire at the end of the school year.
“I thought you’d work there forever,” Hope said. She finished the last bite of pumpkin pie and smiled when Ben replaced her empty plate with his, which still held half a piece loaded with whipped cream.
“Yeah, me too,” Pop said. “I could have retired a few years ago, but I didn’t have anything going on to keep me occupied. I spent my whole adult life as an educator, and I didn’t know what I’d do with myself if I wasn’t going to school every day. My whole identity was wrapped up in the school, and I let that happen because I was trying to fill the void in my heart.”
Hope nodded in understanding. Male mountain lions seemed to have the most trouble moving on. There was always some part of them that couldn’t give up on the females coming back someday and being different. When she was younger, she hadn’t realized the reason Pop worked so hard at his job was because he was lonely, but once she moved out she saw that his dedication hid something deeper. She’d felt sorry for him, had even considered moving back into the house so he’d have someone to talk to, but she’d known even in high school that her life wasn’t going to be in King. Of course, she hadn’t known where she’d end up, but she’d also realized it wasn’t her job to make sure everyone was happy.
“What are you going to do once you’ve retired?” Nathan asked.
“Well, we’re going to travel a bit,” Pop said, smiling at Bethany.
“I have a son who lives with a pride in South Carolina. He and his family invited us to spend some time with them this summer,” Bethany said.
“How did he end up in South Carolina?” Hope asked.
“He’s a computer engineer,” she answered. “He was recruited by a big tech company out of college and they transferred him. The pride he’s with isn’t mountain lion, it’s African lion, but they welcomed him into their ranks after he helped the alpha with some computer issues at the company they own. He has a mate who’s a lioness, and a few cubs.”
“That’s really neat,” Hope said. She smiled at her mom. “You’ve got a half-brother.”
“I know, right? That also means you have another uncle. His name is Byron, and his mate is Karen. We video chat a few times a month.”
“The family keeps getting bigger,” Hope said.
“Well, it’s not done growing yet,” Holden said.
Hope’s immediate thought was that her mom was pregnant, but a curious look in her direction sent Honor into a loud snort that morphed into a belly laugh. “Oh girl, bite your tongue. I’m absolutely not having another baby.”
“Then how is it growing?” she asked.
“Our mom found us,” Jax explained. “She was in the Ohio pride, too. She’s living on the other side of town with a few of the females who are still trying to figure things out. Some of them are having a harder time coming to terms with all they lost because of the curse, so the males are giving them space.”
Hope’s brows went high. She looked slowly around the table and then picked up her glass. “I think we should make a toast.”
Everyone immediately lifted their glasses, looking at her expectantly.
“To the Ashland Pride for making it possible for the males to break free, ultimately leading Holden and Jax to break the curse for Mom, so I’d be inspired to find a way to end the curse for everyone. And to the King Pride, for being a haven the females could come to after all this time. Finally, to our family, the originals and the new additions, young and old.”
The whole table resounded with “Hear, hear!” and Hope smiled as she clinked glasses with her mates and family.
Later, on Christmas Day, when the presents had been opened and the floor was littered with colorful bits of wrapping paper and ribbon, Hope looked at a pair of stuffed toys that Faith had saved her allowance for and bought herself. The little lions, with embroidered eyes and soft bodies, were sweet and perfect. Hope hugged Faith.
“Thank you so much,” she said.
“I think they’ll like having me for an aunt.”
“I’m sure they will,” she promised. “You’ll be their only blood-related one, you know.”
“Oh.” Faith’s brows went high. “Then I’ll definitely be the favorite.”
With a chuckle, Hope hugged her a second time and then looked around the room. Pop and Bethany were sitting on an overstuffed chair, whispering to each other with secret smiles. Jax and Holden’s mother, still wary of all the family togetherness and her place in the world, sat next to the tree and watched everything with the curious look of someone whose only memories of Christmas stopped at age fourteen, when she was fully poisoned.
Hope got up and joined her on the couch. “Can I call you Grandma Rose?”
Rose blinked in surprise and then let out a sharp breath, like she’d been holding it in, waiting for something to happen. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” Hope smiled and gave her a nudge with her shoulder. “I spent almost my whole life without female family members, so I want to be close to everyone.”
“I feel the same way, actually.” Rose tucked a lock of graying blond hair behind her ear. “My mom passed away when I was twenty-five. We were in the same pride in Ohio, but I had no idea she was my mom until the curse was broken. I cried a lot after I found out.”
Hope put her arm around Rose’s shoulder and gave her a hug. The curse had been so devastating in so many long-reaching ways. “We could find her grave and go visit.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Of course. She’s my great-grandma. She deserves a real goodbye.”
Holden joined them, squatting on the floor and resting his hands on his mother’s. “Mom, we’d love to do that. We’ll find where her grave is and go as a family to pay our respects.”
As Rose’s eyes filled with tears, Hope slipped away to let Jax and Holden comfort her.
“That’s really sweet, honey,” Honor said, coming to stand by her as the sad scene unfolded.
“It’s the right thing to do.”
“I don’t know where we’d be without you, sweetie. I don’t know where any of the females would be.”
Hope leaned against her mom and rested one hand on her belly. Looking around the room, she saw the result of her hard work and determination. The pride was whole once more, after eons apart. Not only had Pop reunited with his mate, but Honor had connected with her birth mother, and Jax and Holden with theirs. She had two grandmas now, when she’d never thought she’d ever know her mom. The path of her life hadn’t remotely gone as she’d planned when she was first reunited with Honor; at the time, she’d been happy to just meet her. But now, standing in the room with three generations of mountain lions – male and female – and the next generation growing in her belly, she was so thankful for the twists and turns of her life.
She’d never been happier, and she couldn’t wait to see what the future brought.
Chapter Eighteen
Ben parked in front of their house and smiled at the scene before him. Snow had blanketed the area, covering everything with pristine white flakes that glittered in the setting sun. In the SUV, Hope was asleep in the second row with her head in Nathan’s lap, and Owen was playing a game on his phone.
They’d originally only planned to stay in King until the day after Christmas, but they’d extended their trip so that Hope could get to know her maternal grandmother, as well as Jax and Holden’s mom. While all that had been surprising, the biggest news for him and his brothers had come when they’d gone to pick up bagels for breakfast the morning after Christmas and were approached by a female. Immediately their cats had recognized her as their birth mother.
Like countless other females, Niecy had left King to be part of an all-female pride, and Aaron had never known where she ended up. All the years that Ben had dreaded Mother’s Day, and been silently jealous of humans whose mothers had stuck around, had disappeared in an instant when she’d looked at them with tear-filled eyes and asked if she could speak with them. Every female seemed to be going through a similar process, of coming to King and looking up their children. He hadn’t heard of any males being unfriendly to the females, but both sides seemed to be wary. Niecy apologized for the years apart, and especially for her part in their attempted kidnapping when they were young, when Sam had intervened and nearly been killed. Niecy asked if she could spend time with them, and all three immediately said yes. They made arrangements to stay in King through New Year’s Eve so that they could get to know the woman who birthed them, and he could honestly say that his childhood Christmas wish had finally, after so many years, been answered in the sweetest way.
