Absolutely not,James insisted, though a dark corner of his mind couldn’t help wondering exactly what Doreen’s ex would look like, running in fear for his life through the woods.
“I’ll never hurt her,” James vowed fiercely.
“I know,” Sorcha said gently. “Butshedoesn’t know that yet.”
James’s throat tightened as he at last looked back at the cabin. The primal need to go to her now was replaced by a deep sense of longing. Longing to make her happy, to help heal her scars.
“I’ve been waiting for her for so long,” he admitted. “I thought maybe it wasn’t going to happen for me.”
“I know how you feel,” Sorcha said. “Before I came to Bear Creek and met Christopher, I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life alone.”
“Exactly. I’ve spent so many Christmases,” he murmured, almost to himself. “So many dinners, so many nights watching other people find their mates, have kids, build their families.” He swallowed down his emotions. “I was happy for them…I was. Iam... But there comes a point when you start wondering if maybe you were meant to live your life on the sidelines. Watching everyone else get their chance while yours never comes.”
“But she’s here now,” Sorcha said.
“Yes,” James nodded. “She is. But now I’m…”
“What, James? You can tell me…” Sorcha whispered.
He shook his head, the words suddenly too tangled to articulate. “Terrified,” he finished.
Terrified?his bear rumbled.This is the best day of our lives.
“Over the years, I’ve watched so many other shifters find their mates, their happy ever after,” James said as he tried to explain his feelings. “I’d finally accepted that was something not meant for me.”
“Well, you were wrong,” Sorcha told him flatly.
“I know,” James said, his mouth curling up in a smile. “Oh, I know.”
“You’ve got this, James.” Sorcha touched his arm. “All you have to do is go slow. Be patient. Let her get to know you as James first. Then worry about the…” She put on a deep voice, “‘hey, by the way, I occasionally turn into a bear’ part.”
James let out a startled laugh, grateful Sorcha was here with him. “When you put it that way…”
“You know I am a writer. That means I have a way with words,” Sorcha teased.
“Oh, you do,” James said. “And I am going to be eternally grateful to you for choosing to come to Bear Creek and write an article about Christmas here. Because if you hadn’t come to Bear Creek and met Christopher, then the chances are I’d never have met my mate.”
“I’m not sure you should be thanking me,” Sorcha said. “This is all fate’s doing!”
“Fate…” James tilted his head and looked up at the stars in the sky.
“Your wish came true,” Sorcha said, linking arms with him as she looked up at the heavens.
James remembered that night clearly when he, Michael, Christopher, and Daniel had made a wish upon a star. It was the night they chose the tree for the town square. The four of them were standing in the freezing dark, staring up at the sky as they each made their wish.
His had been simple: Let me find someone to build a life with. Someone to come home to. Someone to love. He’d felt ridiculous at the time, a grown man making childish wishes… yet here he was. The universe had heard him after all.
“It sure did,” James said, in awe.
In the best possible way, his bear said with a contented sigh.
“It’s not just the mate bond,” he admitted. “I’m scared because… what if she gets to know me and decides she wants something else? Someone else? Someone who isn’t tied to this town, to this life?” He let out a breath that fogged between them. “I’ve been alone for a long time. I don’t want to lose her before I’ve even had the chance to show her who I am. And if I do get the chance… what if what I have to offer her isn’t enough?”
His bear growled sharply.We are enough. We’ll protect her. We’ll cherish her. We WANT her.
What if she wants someone exciting?James said bleakly, as he dragged a gloved hand over his face.
We ARE exciting,his bear argued.We shift into an apex predator.
