Page 24 of Claiming the Shifter's Heart

For weeks he’d stood guard, watching over them from afar. Oh, he’d talked to them a time or two, but that was mostly in passing. But today, well, he’d just lucked out.

“Hello Santa!” Sean shouted, pulling against his mother’s hand.

“Hey there, Bud,” Kris said, smiling widely.

“I knew you was real! Some big kids at school said there was no Santa, but I still believe in you,” he said.

“I’m so glad, Sean, because I believe in you too.”

“Okay! Let’s get set up for the photo,” Della said too brightly.

Kris frowned. She looked strange. Not worried, but there was something going on. He hated her distress. Everything in him demanded he fix it for her. Thank goodness he’d been reading up on relationships and dating a single parent.

Of course, that wasn’t what they were doing. And Shifters were far different from humans. Still, the ebooks he’d been checking out from the library app he had downloaded had some sage advice.

He understood that Della did not need a man to fix her life. Fact was, it wasn’t broken. She had built herself back up after everything life had thrown her way, and now she stood strong on her own two feet, fiercely independent and self-sufficient.

She wasn’t some damsel waiting to be saved—she was a woman who had learned to rely on herself. He admired that about her, respected it deeply.

But he also knew something else. Though she might need time to adjust to the idea, she did have one man she could rely on. Him.

He was going to show her that she could lean on him without fear of being let down. He could not imagine all she’d suffered.

His Sweet Girl had carried so much weight alone for so long, the thought of sharing that burden with anyone could feel like a leap into the unknown.

Kris was okay with going slow. What mattered most was that she understood the truth—the absolute truth, one that he was sure of in his soul.

Della was destined for him. He was her match, her partner, in every sense of the word. And he wasn’t going anywhere.

Not now, not ever.

He would never hurt her, never bring harm to her or her children in any way, shape, or form. That was a promise he would die keeping.

Sure, he might mess up now and then. He was only human. He was imperfect, like everyone else, and he knew that. But where Della and her babies were concerned, his heart was pure.

Every decision he made would be with their well-being at the forefront of his mind. He might stumble, but he would always strive to do better, to be better for them.

If she needed time to trust that, to believe in him, he would give it to her. He wouldn’t rush her or push her—he would wait. That was something he could give her, and not just because it was Christmas.

Kindness, attention, protection, trust, patience, and most of all, his heart. These would be his gifts to her.

He understood that the foundation of their bond needed to be built on trust, and that couldn’t be rushed. Kris thought he proved he was willing to take the time, go at her pace, until she saw that he was more than just a man who loved her—he was the man who would never leave, never fail, and always have her back.

And when she was ready to accept that, he’d be waiting.

“How about a family picture? Mama too?” he asked, his eyes softening as he looked at her.

“Yeah, Mommy. You sit, too!” Sean agreed.

“Oh, um, okay,” she murmured.

She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to sit down since Sean insisted he was too big for Santa’s lap. God help him, his mind kept wandering to dirty things every time he looked at her soft, plump lips.

Like Della’s sweet kisses and the sexy little sounds she made in bed last night.

“I know it’s against the rules for anyone else, but you can sit right here, Little Mama. You sit on me, and put Janie right here,” he said, trying to keep his growling to a minimum.

The line was building fast, and kids were whining they were taking long. Kris knew that was the only reason Della sat down abruptly.

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