Chapter 19
OLLIE
I spent three weeks organizing, building storage shelves, and making room for Blake's things in my closet, cupboards, drawers, and garage.
Though sooner than either of us had expected, combining our lives felt right.
My bear was especially pleased. Along with, "Mine," and "Claim," "Family" had become his new favorite word.
The last weekend in January was bitter cold.
I borrowed the box truck we used for our tools and equipment from my boss on Saturday morning, and then I drove across town to Blake's apartment.
The roads were slick with frost, but it was early enough that no one saw me skid across two lanes of traffic.
I secured the few items Blake wanted to put in storage in the back of the truck, and then he directed me to the huge complex where he'd rented a space.
Once he had the orange door open, I glanced around the cramped cube.
This was all that remained of his parents' lives.
A few boxes of vinyl records, a coffee table propped upside down on a vintage velvet couch depicting harvest scenes, and a line of white kitchen and laundry appliances against the back wall.
There was just enough room to tuck the glass-topped desk between the couch and the wall.
The recliner, we flipped upside down over the back of the couch, resting the seat on the desk.
It was the strangest puzzle game I'd ever played, and the only way everything would fit.
"These are for Cassie when she graduates," he said. "If she doesn't want them, she can sell them."
I knew Cassie was his sister, and that they'd had a falling out after their parents' deaths, but that was all. "What's she like?"
He grinned. "If you took the smartest person you know times the most sarcastic and added a dash of goth, you'd get Cassie."
"Are all your family members mathematic equations?"
He laughed. "No, but she is. She deserved better than what we got. How am I supposed to make it up to her when I don't have a job? We just started getting along, and I'm worried I'll let her down again."
"Don't worry about finances," I told him for the millionth time since the day I'd asked him to move in with me. "I can spot you."
"She's only a sophomore," he said. "What if she needs more than four years to graduate?"
"You've already covered the first four," I reminded him. "That means you have two years before you need to worry about it, and only if she needs longer."
He muttered something more about time and money. I steadied him with my hands on his shoulders, and he met my gaze.
"Tell me about her." I slid my arm across his shoulders and guided him back to the door. He glanced around the room once, and then he and I lowered the door back into place. The padlock snapped into place with finality, and he slid back under my arm.
"She's fierce, and smart. So smart. Funny. Kind. She's the best little sister anyone could ask for, but I fucked everything up."
I tugged him closer to my side. "Everything?"
He knocked the side of his head against mine. "You know what I mean."
"You both have been through a lot this year. Give her time and give yourself a little grace."
"She's worried about the money. She thought I used it to buy your house."
"Does she have access to the account?"
He blinked at me. "No. I didn't want her to worry about it."
"Too late."
"Yeah." He hung his head and slid his arm around my waist as we made our way through the wide hallway between rows of storage units. "I could do that, if it would give her peace of mind."
I wished I could bring Blake peace, too. Beyond my offer of shelter, so many aspects of his life were still uncertain.
One thing I knew for sure: I liked Vic. When we arrived back at Blake's apartment, he handed me a caramel latte and used it to pull me in for a bro hug. "Nice to meet you! How are you putting up with this guy?"
"Hey, no ganging up on me!" Blake crossed his arms over his chest.
"I didn't do anything!" Vic rolled his eyes and turned back to me. "Do you like Halloween? Blake says you have a gingerbread cottage on your property."
I laughed. "You could call it that, and I love Halloween."
"I'm planning a fantastic party on Halloween night with the folks who live in my building."
"Already?"
He laughed. "It's never too early to plan for Halloween.
If you all want to host a party at your cottage the weekend before, I could help you.
" He must have noticed my hesitation, which had nothing to do with Halloween and everything to do with my bear's sudden insistence we would be too busy to party. "Totally up to you, only if you want."
He reached up and patted my shoulder like we'd been friends forever. Then, he grabbed another cup off the kitchen table and offered it to Blake, who was tossing the clean dishes from the dishwasher into a large box.
Blake took a sip of the delicious-smelling ginger and lemon tea.
"Everything all right?" Vic asked him when he thought I couldn't overhear. "Ginger's not your usual."
"Nothing serious. My stomach's a little queasy. It's probably just the move."
Vic clapped his hands together and raised his voice so I could hear him from where I packed Blake's speakers into a single cardboard box, so we didn't have to unhook them from the subwoofer. "What do you need me to do?"
Three hours later, the apartment stood empty, and we had stacked all Blake's furniture and boxes inside the truck. Vic and I chatted in the parking lot until Blake returned from the rental office.
"Thanks for helping," Blake said as he hugged Vic.
"You're sure you don't need me to unload at your new place? Maybe see the cottage?" He waggled his eyebrows at me.
"This summer," I offered. "You can come stay with us for a weekend and tell me once and for all if it's haunted."
"Haunted?" Vic's eyes were as wide as saucers.
"My mom insists a spirit has moved in. She won't stay there by herself, even though it's brand new. I told her new logs take time to settle, but she doesn't believe me."
"If it's haunted, we'll never get rid of him," Blake said as Vic pulled away from the curb in his Kia Soul.
"I like him," I said.
"Yeah, he's pretty great." He shoved me toward the driver's side door of the truck. "We're losing daylight."
Once we moved Blake's things into my cabin, it was like he had always lived with me.
He had a more regular schedule with his classes, so I cooked and cleaned the house while he was gone.
When it snowed, I had a few days' work cleaning parking lots and driveways, but then my bear and I returned to doting on Blake.
On the morning of Blake's birthday, my bear woke me long before dawn, insisting I go outside and shift.
It was the middle of March, and the snow had started to melt in southern Illinois.
It wouldn't be long before my boss called with a job or two out of town to get us ready for spring home construction.
Despite my boss's plans, my bear would have rather hibernated at home. He avoided shifting from January until April or May. Begging to go outside on a March morning when the windchill would make my balls shrivel in an instant was unheard of.
I draped my fuzzy robe over the back of the couch and half-shifted so my feet wouldn't stick to the frosty porch.
I dropped to all fours in the deep snow just off the edge of the porch and rolled in it, shimmying my back against the frozen ground to itch between my shoulder blades.
When I'd had enough, I rolled back to my feet and shook, sending shards of snow flying everywhere.
"Window. Sniff." My bear directed me toward my bedroom window, where Blake lay sleeping only a few feet away.
I inhaled deeply, and the frozen air stung my nostrils. I smelled the snow, the pine logs, and Blake, except Blake's scent had subtle hints of something more.
"Family," my bear insisted. "Help."
I would help Blake with anything he needed. He was my mate, and our little family was growing inside him.
Before he woke for the day, I got dressed and made a run to the grocery store for ginger tea, saltines, and a case of ginger ale. I added the sweet and simple vanilla cookies he liked so much to my cart along with graham crackers without honey.
I walked into the kitchen with the items as Blake came out of the bedroom. "Happy birthday!"
He grinned, and then a shadow crossed his face. "Thank you." He tugged his robe tighter around his waist. "I might have to skip class this morning. Are you all right?" He walked over to me and touched the back of his hand to my forehead.
"Shifter genetics, remember? I can't catch human diseases, but you're not sick."
"The fuck I'm not. I just threw up an entire glass of water, and my head is pounding. Happy fucking birthday to me. It's like my parents are getting revenge on me."
"Oh, Blake, no." I pressed my lips to his forehead and pulled him into a hug. His breath smelled minty fresh. "If anything, they're giving you a sign everything will be okay."
"What?" He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"You should probably sit down."
"Okay?" He leaned his head on my shoulder, and I walked him to the kitchen nook, helping him sit on the nearest bench.
"Remember how I said suppressors don't work for my family?"
He laughed. "Your brothers' wonder sperm. I remember."
"And it's been a few months since your heat."
He dropped both hands to his abdomen and blanched. "Fuck. It's not over."
"Hold on." I ran to the counter and pulled a can of ginger ale from the packaging, almost slicing the can with my claws in my haste. "Drink this."
He cracked the top open and took a sip. "That might make it worse. It's too sweet."
"I can make you some ginger tea, but first …"
"You think I'm pregnant." He nodded. "It has crossed my mind."
I sat down across from him. "I know it." I touched my index finger to the side of my nose.
He frowned at me and took another sip. "I can't be pregnant. I'm gaining a little winter weight, is all. I live with a bear shifter."
"You are pregnant," I assured him.
He dropped a hand to rub his belly again. "How soon?"
"Early September is my guess. Our clan has a birthing assistant. I'll give her a call."
"We're having a baby?" His voice was soft, and his lips curled into a slight grin.
"Is that all right?"
He met my gaze. "It's wonderful, as long as you're okay with it, too. This is all so sudden. We met, I went into heat, I'm jobless and pregnant …"
I reached across the table and took both of his hands in mine.
"You're my mate, and this is the best news I've had since I got triple overtime on President's Day.
" We'd had a huge snowstorm that weekend, and I'd spent sixteen hours clearing snow, mostly from government building parking lots, to prepare for the next business day.
He laughed. "This might delay my new job."
"It's fine." I made enough money to support Blake if he never got a job, but he didn't want that. He wanted to provide for his little sister, and he was too proud to let me do it for him.
"We're having a baby." He rubbed his belly and grinned.
My face ached from smiling so wide. "We are!"
I had a feeling, but I would let the birthing assistant tell him if we were having more than one.