Chapter 13 #2
A few hours later, I sipped the hot cocoa that had been laced with a small bit of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur. It was smooth, warm, and filled my insides with heat, but my mind was still racing. Bears. In the bedroom. Sleeping with me. Yeah, I felt like Snow Fucking White.
“Is something wrong, Uly?”
I wanted to tell her. To say that this house was a loony bin if two bears could waltz in and get to the bedroom without being seen. Still, Brent said the boys were safe, so I shouldn’t say anything, right? But what if there was another bear loose? What if it hurt someone?
“Are there… a lot of bears in the area?”
I thought she’d be surprised at the question, but she simply shrugged. “More than a few, I’d say. Why do you ask?”
Say it. Tell her what happened. “Just curious. Thank you again for the cocoa, by the way. It’s absolutely delicious.”
“You’re quite welcome. Mr. Lockhart calls it his private hot chocolate, but we’ve all partaken on those nights it’s hard to fall asleep. After Mrs. Lockhart died, it was the only thing that helped us to get some rest. He rarely drinks it anymore, though.”
“From everything I’ve heard, she was an amazing woman.”
Amelia sighed. “She was. Mrs. Lockhart was rich, but she never once put on airs. She always helped when needed, even rolling up her sleeves to get the place cleaned after a flood many years ago. It was something, seeing these people who were in charge of the town, their pants rolled up to their knees, wading through brackish water that filled the house. And then, after we were done, they went through the town, offering anyone who needed help a hand.”
This town seemed so close knit, more like family than anything else. Pain clutched my heart again, knowing that I would forever be on the outside looking in. When Amelia put a hand on my wrist, I startled.
“Are you okay?”
“I… think so. Still kind of tired. Brent—I mean Mr. Lockhart—told me not to wander off, though.”
“That sofa in the great room is amazing to nap on,” she informed me with a conspiratorial wink.
“Maybe I will,” I replied, suddenly exhausted.
“I take it the boys are still asleep?”
“I… Yeah, I think so.”
“I could check on them while you get some rest.”
“What? No!”
She stepped back. “What’s wrong? Are the boys not doing well?”
“They’re fine,” came a deep voice from the doorway.
Brent was home! I got up and rushed to him, throwing my arms around his waist, then realized what I was doing and tried to move away, but he held me still.
“We need to talk,” he said, his voice so gentle. “Come with me.”
He kept an arm around my shoulder and led me to the bedroom where the boys had been, but walked by them and into the one I’d slept in. As soon as he opened the door, the two bears popped up and surged forward, headed for me. When they got to where we stood, they practically danced around us.
“Stop!” Brent ordered. And just like that, they did. He knelt down and rubbed a hand over their noses. “I am so proud of you.”
And the bears… smiled? “What’s going on here?”
“Can you shift back for me?” he asked. “Just focus and it’ll happen.”
As I stood there, watching the scene, the bear’s bodies shuddered.
The thick, dark hair receded back into their skin, which was becoming paler.
I gaped when I realized what I was seeing.
The bears were becoming the kids! As soon as this…
transformation took place, two naked boys stood up and stared at me.
“Momma, did you see?” they asked at the same time.
My head was spinning. I thought I would fall over, but then Brent was there, beside me, holding me up.
“How?” I asked.
“Come sit with me and I’ll tell you everything,” he promised. “You’re about to become privy to a secret very few humans know.”
Humans? What the hell was that about? He helped the boys get dressed in blue jeans and light blue shirts, then we all went back to the great room.
As soon as we entered, he asked Amelia to start something light for dinner, then ushered me to the couch where he pushed me back onto it.
Chaim and Benjy were there, sitting in big leather chairs that flanked the sofa, both staring at me.
Their kids snuck through the room and headed upstairs.
“Okay, I’m sure you have questions,” Brent said.
“Gee, you think?” I demanded. “What the….” Then I realized the boys were there, looking at me expectantly. “Heck did I just see?”
“Momma? Are you mad at us?” Eddie asked, worrying his lip with his teeth.
I turned to him and could see the fear in his eyes. I’d done that, and it was up to me to fix it. “No,” I promised. “C’mere.”
I opened my arms and both of them rushed to me, then sighed when I embraced them. They were little boys, and shouldn’t wonder if I was mad at them for whatever I’d just witnessed.
“We’re sorry, Momma,” Jack whispered, burying his face into my side.
“No, no, no,” I crooned. “You surprised me, that’s all. You both did so well,” I told them, even though I had no idea what the hell I was talking about.
They peered up at me. “Really?”
“Yes, absolutely. I’m so proud of both of you.”
And that seemed to settle their fears as they snuggled against me. I slid an arm over each of them and held them there, needing them to know I was freaked out, but not angry—never angry.
“Cub?” Chaim nodded in my direction.
“Are you sure about this?” Brent wheedled, sounding like a kid himself.
“We are,” Benjy stated flatly.
Brent sighed and walked over to where we sat. “Uly, would it be okay if I… if I sniffed you?”
Wow, talk about random questions. “Why?”
“Benjy and Chaim seem to think—”
“We know, cub. This is no longer a possibility, it’s definite.”
“Fine, Benjy and Chaim tell me that you and I are… connected. The only way I can find out for sure is if you allow me to sniff you.”
Weirdest. Trip. Ever.