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“I was raised by a single mom,” he says.
“You were?”
“I was. She was wonderful.”
I have so many questions for him.
Like how did she do it?
How did she keep her sanity?
How did she raise a bear?
He laughs.
“You look like you have a lot of questions, and I’ll answer any of them. Just eat your food, okay? I’ll talk while you eat. Then you can ask.”
I manage to nod.
“My dad died when I was young,” he says. “Hunting accident. You can see how that happens with shifters.” He shakes his head. “Sometimes humans see us in our natural habitat and assume we’re up to no good. Other times, shifters are poached.”
I close my eyes for a second and when I open them, he nods.
“Your boys aren’t guaranteed safety,” he says. “And it’s important for you to know this.”
I don’t want to know this.
I don’t want to think about them being hurt or in trouble.
Or someone hunting them.
“My mother never remarried. She poured her heart and soul into my brother and I, but our lives only worked because she also took care of herself. She didn’t become a shell of who she was. Jean the Mom was only part of who Jean was.”
Was?
“My mom passed away a few years ago,” he continues. “And the most important thing I remember about her is that she loved life and she loved adventures. She was happy woman. She was a wonderful woman. She took time for herself and the people around her. She took time to care for everyone. Most importantly, Theresa, she didn’t let being a mom become her entire world.”
“It’s hard,” I say. “When they’re little. You know, it’s not like I have anyone who really helps me with them.”
“Their dad never comes around?”
I’m not ready to tell him about that.
“Nope. Never.”
“Pity,” he shakes his head.
“What is?”
“If I had cubs, you can bet your ass I’d never leave them. Not for a second.”
Chapter Five
Heath
She finishes eating and then I help Theresa get comfortable in front of the fire. She sits on the couch under a blanket with Spot curled up next to her. I look at them both for a minute before I head over to the sink and clean up the dinner mess.
Okay, so tonight went very differently than I planned.
