Chapter Seventeen
Greyson
Mya was feisty.
Jeanine had been all sweetness and softness and content to let me make many decisions.
Like those about cars. As long as her vehicle started and took her where she needed to go, she had no interest in knowing how it worked.
She was not about painting the siding or fixing a clogged sink.
Not that she was a traditionalist or anything.
If asked, she wouldn’t have said that it was a sexist thing.
Jeanine did not believe that males and females had different jobs based on gender.
She just didn’t prefer to do those things.
So, when I made a decision to send off Mya’s car to be repaired—legitimately not my best skill, although I could do minor repairs in a pinch—I didn’t think to let her know.
Also, I didn’t plan to have her pay for it.
She was doing a lot for us, and getting her car repaired was the least we could do in return.
That and, of course, her salary. Room and board.
From the moment Mya walked into our home, everything was better than it had been before. The mood lighter, not just Benji and I staring at each other over grilled cheese sandwiches, not sure how to act without his mother in the picture.
We had begun to heal, of course, and I did my level best to make a happy home for Benji, but sometimes I’d felt like a real failure in that department. I would always miss Jeanine. Of course I would. But Mya had helped us with that healing. Had made things better.
But I didn’t need to act as if she was Jeanine because she was not. Our new nanny was a real firecracker, as I’d learned when I overstepped my bounds by having her car towed away. In my feeble little male brain, she had the use of the other car, and we’d see if this one was even worth fixing.
Mya was not my mate.
Mya mate.
No, she’s our nanny. She takes care of Benji, remember? Not our mate.
Mate. Then he fell silent.
All of this thinking and arguing with my bear was happening at the office where I had a meeting in ten minutes and a phone conference right after that.
But it was a reminder that Mya needed to know about us at some point.
Fortunately, Benji would not be shifting for a number of years, probably a decade.
But I would be, and it would be very awkward to have to drive somewhere every time instead of going out through the backyard into the woods.
Still, best to let her get settled before we went into anything like that. Most humans would be very shocked to learn about their boss turning into a bear.
My meetings went on as scheduled, but I couldn’t keep my mind off Mya and Benji at home.
My bear was getting louder by the minute about her, fascinated in a way he’d never been about Jeanine.
He thought she was our mate. He didn’t know why I wasn’t leaping on it and immediately mating and marking her.
And I was tired of explaining. But at the same time, I kept comparing Mya and Jeanine. Both amazing females, but one of them was gone. And had extracted that promise from me before she passed.
A promise I’d only made because she was in so much pain, and arguing would only make it worse.
She had to know how heartbroken I’d be when she left me behind.
And being the kind, loving mate and mother she was, she wanted us to continue with our lives.
I wanted to go with her. Only Benji made it possible to continue on and live day to day.
I left early, canceling my last meeting.
Driving home, I was once again thinking about how I would have to sound her out and make sure she wouldn’t be frightened off when she learned about us.
I should have thought of it sooner, but she was hurting and needed a place to stay.
Welcome, don’t mind me if I get all furry with big claws and fangs could be off-putting to some humans.
That thought made me laugh. Mya was doing great with Benji and didn’t need any additional stress. I was overthinking the whole thing, worrying about nothing. I even stopped and bought ice cream for dessert. What would Mya be making for dinner? That pot roast had been very good.
Pulling into the driveway, the oil puddle where her car had stood reminded me of how mad Mya had been at me. I sure hoped she was over it, although I wouldn’t blame her if she wasn’t. Should I tell the mechanic just to hold off and not even look it over if he hadn’t? Have it towed back here?
Maybe.
But the logic was there.
I’d speak with her and do whatever she wanted me to.
Feeling like I’d reached the best decision, I climbed out of the car and walked up to the door.
Letting myself in, I expected to see Benji in the living room playing with Mya, but there was no sign of either of them.
Jeanine’s car was outside, so they couldn’t have gone far.
I carried the ice cream to the kitchen and was putting it in the freezer when I heard something crash upstairs.
Slamming the freezer door, I ran for the stairs.
The noises seemed to be coming from Benji’s bedroom, so I headed that way only to freeze in the doorway.
Mya faced me, holding a wriggling bear cub in her arms.
Holy shit.