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When half her steak was gone, she aired her most pressing concern. “Do—do you want me to move to Boise? Or will you relocate to Bearpaw Ridge?”
Lucas sighed and put down his fork. “To be honest, I haven’t thought ahead that far. It’s traditional for cougar shifter men to leave their mother’s family and join their mate’s clans. But my ex-wife lives in Boise, and sees the girls nearly every weekend. Things might be a little complicated because of the custody agreement and visitation schedule.”
“That’s understandable,” Malia said. His answer led her to her next question. “What kind of shifter is your ex?”
She badly wanted to ask why he’d been married but not mated, but shied away from intruding that far.
“Emily isn’t a shifter. She was my college sweetheart.” His smile was sad. “My cat never took to her, though. It wasn’t hostile or anything. Just indifferent. We’ve been divorced for almost three years.”
“And your daughters? Are they shifters?”
He nodded. “Yeah, both of them have been shifting since they were toddlers. It freaked out Emily the first time it happened. And it’s the reason I got primary custody after we divorced.”
“That must be difficult, being a single dad with your job, and all,” Malia said.
“It’s hard sometimes, but I can’t imagine life without my girls.” He smiled crookedly at her. “I thought I’d enjoy my footloose and fancy-free hunting vacation, but I already miss them. What about you? Do you want kids?”
She gulped.Looks like we’re plunging right into the tricky stuff. Does he want more kids, or is he done? Only one way to find out,she thought.
“I do,” she replied. “Someday. Not right away.”
“Law enforcement means long hours and dangerous situations,” Lucas said quietly. “That’s a factor when you’re considering becoming a parent…though maybe not so much in a small town like this.”
It was funny—he sounded like he spoke from experience. He added, “I wouldn’t mind another kid or two. But maybe not for a couple of years.”
She nodded, relieved that more kids weren’t off the table for him.
“Well, when the time comes,” she said, “I know we can count on the support of my pack. We have a saying, ‘It takes a pack to raise the cubs.’ I spent a lot of time during high school babysitting and stuff. All of the young people in our pack are expected to do their part to support the parents. It’s meant to be good training for when we’re ready to have our own kids.”
Lucas looked impressed. “Wow. I can only dream about having a support system like that. My parents step in to help with Taylor and Savannah when Emily isn’t available, and I’m grateful for that. But I hate to impose on them too often.” He took a sip of his wine and changed the subject. “So, you mentioned you had a brother. Did you grow up here? Do you have any other siblings?”
She shook her head. “Rob’s my only sibling, and he’s my older brother, but only by about ten minutes. I was born and raised in Bearpaw Ridge. My mom is the police chief here and my dad owns a construction company.”
His eyes widened a little when she mentioned Mom.
They continued trading information, getting to know each other as they resumed their dinner. It was funny—she might be mated now, but this felt like a first date.
At least he wasn’t married any longer, and he didn’t have a girlfriend. That was a relief. His father Dave was a retired National Park Service ranger, and his mother Claire had taught high school science for many years.
The steaks had been reduced to clean-picked bone and only a few soggy lettuce leaves remained when Lucas refilled their glasses with the last of the wine.
In the distance, Malia heard the rumble of thunder. The weather forecast had a storm rolling in from the west tonight. She hoped the lightning wouldn’t spark any wildfires this time around.
Rob and the other volunteer firefighters had been kept busy so far this summer. And several teams of professional wildland firefighters from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management were currently camping in the sports field of Bearpaw Ridge High, where they had access to the school’s bathrooms and hot showers.
Lucas leaned back in his chair, and swirled his wine gently around his glass. He smiled at her, and her breath caught. Even now, he was still the most attractive man she’d ever met.
“This is nice,” he said. “I’d almost forgotten what it was like to do grown-up things, like enjoy dinner with a beautiful woman.”
His reference to “grown up things” unexpectedly set a train of deliciously dirty thoughts in motion as Malia contemplated other enjoyable adult activities.
That’s how you got yourself into this mess in the first place, she scolded herself.
But now that the worst had happened, could another round…or two, or three…of sex really make things any worse?
Should I ask him to stay over? He is my mate now, after all!
She was gathering up the nerve to inquire when Lucas’s phone alarm sounded.
