Page 143 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“It’s great. I love being back here. In fact, I could use some advice.”

“Wow, I can’t wait to hear this. What can I help with?”

I took a breath, trying to steady myself for this talk. It seemed like the idea took on more substance every time I spoke it. “What would you say if I told you I was thinking of retiring?”

There was such a long pause that I thought the line had gone dead, but then she said, “Well, the first thing I would think was that I was jealous of my daughter for retiring before she even got to thirty-five. The next thing I would think is that if you think you’re done with that part of your life, then I support you. Yourdad and I both. We only want what’s best for you. Whatever makes you happy makes us happy.”

It was like she’d lifted a boulder off my shoulders. Hearing someone, anyone, say that I could do what made me happy was a great change of pace. It was one of the things I’d noticed since being back here. Everyone was of the opinion that I could and should do what made me happy. My brothers, Steff, now my mom? They all wanted me to do what made me happy. In my other life, I was always doing what everyone else wanted me to do. I went where Larry said I needed to go; I wore whatever the designers wanted me to wear; I said what my publicist wanted me to say. It wasn’t freedom. All that money and celebrity, and it was like I was a slave to everyone but myself.

“Speaking of making you happy,” Mom added, “I’ve been getting some calls and texts from my friends in town. Lilly Valley, I mean. They’ve been telling me that a pretty lady has been seen around town with a very handsome man. A man she was seen with back in high school, and she looks really happy.”

“Oh, geez, Mom. Nice. How long did you plan on holding that in?”

“I’ve had it written on a notepad for a few days and waited for you to call.”

I laughed. “Well, we’ve sort of rekindled the romance we had back in school. We’ve talked and patched up everything. It’s… Mom, it’s really nice. I missed him, but I didn’t truly understand how much until I was back with him.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so happy!” she exclaimed, and it sounded like she was close to tears. “I never told you this, but I always had a feeling you two would find your way back to each other. You were perfect together. Baby, I’m glad the two of you found your way back to each other.” She chuckled. “Your father, however, will probably give Steff loads of hell the next time he sees him.”

“Steff and I have already talked about that.” I laughed. “We’ve talked about coming down to visit you guys this fall.”

“Nothing would make us happier.”

“Thanks for talking, Mom. It helped. I think I’ve got a lot of things to think about.”

“April, no matter what you decide, I am so proud of you. Don’t ever forget that. I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom, thanks. Talk to you later, bye.”

I stared out the window after ending the call. Steff was in the backyard playing fetch with Bently. I still hadn’t told him I’ve been thinking about retiring. He’d talked about being my fated mate, and I still wasn’t sure what that meant or how strong that bond was. He’d told me he was willing to travel to be together. For me, the thought of being away from him was unpleasant. How much of that was love and how much was the curse? Who knew? I wasn’t really bothered about finding out. It didn’t matter to me.

The curse was why I’d felt so compelled to come home. It was the reason Steff and I had reunited. Other than that, my feelings for him were 100 percent my own. No spell could make my feelings for him stronger than they already were. There was no doubt in my mind that if he hadn’t had to leave me fifteen years ago, we would be married right now. We had been on that trajectory. Even if the spell had been designed to make us fall in love, it was too late. We’d already been there. Now the only thing remaining was the final step of the curse.

When I’d been at Harley’s place, I’d waited until Chelsea had gone to the bathroom before asking her how it felt to be turned. To become a shifter.

“I was scared, I can admit that. It’s crazy, but in the end, I’m still me, and Tate is still Tate. We just share a special secret. The connection to my dragon? It’s sort of like walking around with your best friend. The link is so strong, I can’t really even describeit. It’s both me and something else too. A whole different personality inside me. It’s not a bad thing, though. Not at all.”

“Do you have any regrets?” I asked.

She squeezed my shoulder. “None at all.”

I sighed and stood up, remembering the conversation with Harley. I stepped outside to join Steff. He tossed the ball into the air, and Bently caught it before it hit the grass.

“Hey, I wondered when you were going to come out. It’s a beautiful day. No reason to be cramped up inside.”

“Yeah, I had some calls to make. Can I ask you a question, Steff?”

Obviously hearing the seriousness in my tone, Steff took the ball from Bently and focused entirely on me.

“When I was over at Harley’s the other night, we spoke about her becoming a shifter. She said her dragon was like a different person living inside her, but you share emotions and things. Is that what you feel?”

He took a while to ponder over that. “That’s pretty accurate. My bear and I coexist. We share emotions and sensations. It’s a give-and-take sort of thing. I’m always mostly in charge. When I shift, he comes to the forefront, but I’m always right there. I’ve lived with it most of my life, so it’s difficult to explain it. When something is so completely part of you, there’s no way to tell someone who’s never had it what it’s like. Imagine meeting someone who’s been blind since birth and trying to describe to them what it’s like being able to see. They have no frame of reference, you know?”

It made sense. How did you explain something to someone who had no idea what you were talking about? “Is it hard to control the bear?”

“It’s hard getting used to sharing a body with another being. It usually happens close to puberty, so I had a few years without it. After a while, it became second nature.” He took my hand inhis. “If you decide to accept my bite, to be claimed by me, I’ll be there every step of the way to help you figure it all out. I promise that. I’ll show you how to control it so your career won’t be affected. My experience will help you stay in the public eye and not have a meltdown or accident like I did.”

It was the opening I’d been looking for to mention that I’d been thinking of retiring and see what he would say. For some reason, though, I held off on saying anything. I had to be certain that I was ready to retire before I said anything to Steff.

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