Epilogue
One week later …
“Come on,” Nessa whined playfully, pouting when Murphy sighed. “You promised me, Murphy. Now get naked and let’s do this.”
She’d been thinking about this moment for days, and she knew, despite his hesitancy, Murphy was excited.
Now was the perfect time. The weather had finally started heating up. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and they had a few hours to kill before her first official family dinner was underway.
Nessa was anxious about tonight, but she knew with Hunny and Tabitha by her side, it would go off without a hitch.
There was the small issue of Angelo being present—it wasn’t fair to exclude Colter just because he’d agreed to jail her brother, so her brother had to tag along—but Nessa didn’t feel the same unease toward her brother as she had before.
Instead, she felt … an overall peace and acceptance of the past. And happiness toward the future without a dark cloud hanging over the emotion, just waiting to turn her joy into turmoil.
It was kind of funny how someone’s death could make her feel so hopeful.
She’d thought she’d be plagued with nightmares and trauma after Tony had kidnapped her. Instead, she’d slept more soundly than she had in years.
Then again, it was easy to sleep so contentedly when she was cradled in her mate’s arms every night.
Speaking of …
Nessa narrowed her eyes. “I’m serious, Murphy. Take your clothes off.”
Her mate chuckled. He tugged his sweater up and over his head, revealing his muscular chest and arms to her gaze. She drank him in, appreciating the view. Every inch of him was like a piece of art she could study for hours.
He’s so sexy.
Murphy tossed his shirt carelessly onto the grass before reaching for the button of his jeans. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he slowly unbuttoned the denim, sliding the material down his hips and thighs, and then finally shoving them from his bare feet.
Her mouth watered, her core spasming as she took in her fill of him.
He inhaled, eyes flashing gold. “You smell fucking sublime, little mate.”
She wagged a finger at him. “No flirting. We’re on a time crunch, and this is important.”
He quirked a brow. “I still don’t know why you won’t just tell me what’s going on.”
“Because I’ve got a score to settle with Big Murphy, not you.”
“Big Mur—” Murphy’s voice cut off abruptly. He scowled, looking more offended than she’d ever seen him before. “I’m nearly six and a half feet tall, Nessa. I’m Big Murphy.”
“Oh?” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “How tall is your bear?”
Murphy huffed, the sound so full of exasperation that Nessa couldn’t keep her grin from forming. It stretched across her face, and she giggled.
Immediately, his eyes softened. “You love teasing me, don’t you?”
“Only because you make it so delightful.”
“You’re lucky I love you,” he joked.
Nessa sobered, her smile turning gentle as warmth spread through her body. “I really am.”
With a low growl, Murphy stalked over to her, pulling her into his arms. His mouth crashed onto hers, the kiss searing and all-consuming. Her world tilted on its axis, her breath stalling in her lungs as he sipped from her lips.
All too quickly, he pulled away, taking a large step back. Giving himself plenty of room.
Then Murphy shifted. She’d never seen him turn into his bear before—only witnessing the opposite transition—and the process was as remarkable as watching his counterpart retreat into his human body.
The sound of bones crunching was jarring and unpleasant, but she brushed her discomfort aside the moment fur rippled across his skin.
He clearly didn’t seem to experience any pain.
His body contorted seamlessly, elongating as it grew larger and larger.
Almost as soon as it began, it was over, leaving a massive grizzly bear staring back at her.
Despite expecting it, Nessa’s eyes still widened in surprise, in complete awe of the transformation. She’d never seen anything so profound in her life.
That her mate was capable of something so magical … He was amazing.
Her mate stepped forward, his massive body crowding in front of her. He craned his head forward, and she reached up, lightly petting his cheek. Coarse, thick fur touched her palm. Giddy, she pet him again, distracted from her task.
This was so freaking cool. And of course, even in bear form, Murphy was handsome. Well, adorable, really. She just wanted to squish his face together and give his nose kisses.
He gave a low grunt after a few minutes, startling Nessa out of her daze.
“Sorry! I completely forgot what I was doing.” She shook her head to clear it. “Now, this is a little confusing, so bear with me. Murphy and you share the same body, but when he’s in this form, your conscience is at the forefront, right? It’s more you than Murphy?”
Murphy’s bear nuzzled her hand in answer.
“Great.” Now it was time to lay this to rest. She placed her hands under his jaw, lifting his head until those golden eyes were staring into her very soul.
Even in this form, it was impossible to miss the love shining back at her in his gaze as he watched her.
“You never had mating sickness, did you?”
He clacked his teeth together, a sound she’d learned recently meant his bear was anxious. Why would he be anxious unless she’d figured out his little secret?
“Big Murphy,” Nessa warned lightly. “Don’t you act nervous. You nod yes or no right now. Did you have mating sickness?”
Murphy’s bear slowly shook its head, his fur sliding over Nessa’s palm in a ticklish caress.
I knew it! That cute little shit.
“Did you pretend to have mating sickness so Murphy would mate with me?”
The bear nodded, sending her a pitiful look she could only describe as ‘puppy-dog eyes.’
“That was very mean,” she scolded. “Murphy didn’t deserve to feel like that, did he?”
The bear nodded again, adamantly, and Nessa snorted out a sharp laugh. “You’re supposed to shake your head no! Not yes. That’s evil.”
But it was funny as hell.
The bear huffed, the sound so similar to Murphy’s own expression that she laughed again.
“I suppose if you hadn’t been a jackass to Murphy then we probably wouldn’t be here, huh?”
She shivered, just thinking about the horrible implications. If they hadn’t fallen in love, mated … She’d have been alone when Tony showed up.
She pushed the thought away. She refused to dwell on the possibilities. They didn’t matter anymore.
She was right where she was supposed to be.
Officially living with Murphy, mated to him.
She’d even set up a few interviews for the positions she had opened at her teahouse.
She would still work there, of course—she loved the place—but she didn’t want to be there full-time when she could be enjoying her mate.
Murphy’s bear licked her hand and then backed away, his eyes never leaving her. He shifted, and after a few seconds, her naked mate stood in front of her, a bewildered look on his handsome face.
“He really did that to me and had zero remorse. He tormented me for months, Nes. Months,” Murphy muttered. “How did you figure out what he’d done?”
Nessa shrugged. “It was something Hunny mentioned while we were out the other week. Nothing major, but it made me really question how you’d gotten over your mating sickness so quickly. Especially when we hadn’t even mated yet.”
Murphy hummed, stepping forward. He ran his hands through her hair before cupping the nape of her neck. “My mate is an intelligent female.”
She preened at his words. “You keep complimenting me like that and we’ll be late for our own dinner,” she joked, her voice dropping to a sensual note.
Murphy growled appreciatively, the sound sending a shiver of delight over her skin. His cock hardened, and she licked her lips, suddenly starving for his touch. “You’re beautiful,” he continued. “And sexy, and so—”
“Yeah, we’ll just push dinner back by an hour.” Nessa grabbed Murphy’s hand, tugging him toward their house, a gleeful bounce in her step as he hurried along behind her.
If anyone showed up on time, they could entertain themselves with snacks and drinks while Nessa entertained herself in a much more pleasurable manner.
Besides, it was called a cocktail hour for a reason, right?
“Can I speak with you both in private?” Colter asked, approaching them from the hall near Murphy’s office.
Nessa looked up at Murphy in confusion but followed her mate and Colter away from the gathering of people in the living room.
Dinner had gone off without a hitch, and contrary to her horny thoughts earlier, she’d had plenty of time to prepare a full spread before their guests arrived.
She’d wanted to make a mix-match of food, providing a blend of Filipino cuisine with the usual dishes Tabitha made during her own family dinners.
Given how much bear shifters could eat, she’d been nervous about making enough food.
Luckily, Tabitha worked like a well-oiled machine in the kitchen, expertly whipping up dish after dish. She’d even helped with the lumpia and the leche flan, both items she’d never made before today.
Given how well Murphy’s mother had done after watching a quick tutorial video and receiving some verbal instructions, Nessa had to wonder if her true calling was actually in the culinary arts, as opposed to medicine.
Hunny, while she wasn’t well-versed in the kitchen, had enjoyed learning different methods for cooking, claiming that she needed to know the basics. Tank, who’d been lurking near the fridge at the time, had grumbled that he liked providing meals for her.
Now, everyone was finished with their food and relaxing, the buzz of conversation light in the air as she followed her mate down the hall.
As Nessa entered Murphy’s office, he closed the door behind her. Placing his palm on her lower back, he guided her to his office chair, helping her into the seat.
He turned to Colter then, who was standing on the other side of the desk. “Is everything alright? Angelo isn’t giving you problems, is he?”