Page 22 of Flare
From Uncle Dane’s glower and Grandma Elle’s thin-lipped expression, they felt the same way Ward did. Maggie just looked distressed.
After a moment of silence that hung like a thick fog over the table, Grandma Elle said firmly,“Well, you’re safe now. He won’t dare come after you here.”
Ward saw his parents trading worried looks.
In the old days, depriving Andrew of his rightful mate could’ve led to a bloody, brutal war between the Brunborn and Swanson clans. Then again, in the old days, a bear shifter would’ve been cast out from his clan for daring to mate an Ordinary human.
Nowadays… who knew what might happen?
“If you need a restraining order or any other legal help, come talk to me,” Ellie offered.“I specialize in domestic violence cases.”
“And if that asshole comes after you, I’ll protect you,” Ward’s bear said, using Ward’s mouth.
Ward agreed whole-heartedly, but his normally laid-back inner bear taking charge like this knocked him for a loop.
Emily’s eyes widened.“Thank you both.” Then she bit her deliciously plump lower lip and looked down at her plate.“I just want him to leave me alone. And I’m so sorry about the trouble—”
“Keeping you safe isn’ttrouble, Em,” Maggie interrupted.
Everyone seated at the table murmured agreement.
Another uncomfortable silence followed.
Then Dad asked Grandpa Justin,“So how’s the restaurant expansion coming along? Did the owner accept your offer?”
After years of trying to buy the building next door to his restaurant, Justin had finally convinced the owner to sell, but the negotiations had dragged on for weeks.
Justin let out a good-natured groan.“Yeah, and that actually turned out to be the simple part,” he said in his soft Texas drawl.“Now, I’m just about drowning in permits. The building’s from 1916, so I’ve got to get historic review sign-off just to replace the damn windows. And don’t even get me started on the fire code requirements.”
“You’re still planning to knock out the shared wall, right?” Ward asked.
“IfI can get the structural permit approved before next month,” Justin replied.“And the health department wants a separate inspection for the new prep space. But once that’s done, I’ll have twice the seating, and can finally add a few more smokers out back.”
As the conversation continued, Ward concentrated his attention on the excellent pot roast instead of staring at Emily like a lovesick stalker. He let the talk flow around him.
When Emily laughed at something Maggie said, the sound went through him like a physical touch. His bear moved inside him, urgent and possessive.
Mine, it insisted.Ours. The one.
Ward took a deep breath as pain stabbed him in the chest.
It didn’t matter what his bear wanted. Emily was another shifter’s mate. Off-limits. Forbidden.
But as dinner wore on, he found his gaze drawn back to her again and again. He memorized her smile, the way the light caught in her golden hair, the sound of her laughing at Maggie and Aunt Annabeth’s stories about the weirder customers they’d encountered at Cinnamon + Sugar.
For the first time in his life, Ward understood what some of the older shifters had meant when they talked about the agony of recognizing your true mate too late.
∞∞∞
Ward plunged his hands into the soapy water, carefully scrubbing his grandmother’s cherished serving platter. It was one of the special antique pieces Grandma Elle insisted they wash by hand.
The kitchen hummed with the efforts of two industrial dishwashers, a necessity for feeding the small army that was the Swanson clan.
After dinner, Aunt Annabeth had served her light-as-a-cloud baked cheesecake, topped with huckleberry preserves from last summer’s harvest. Then the other guests had departed after helping to clear the table.
Grandma Elle and Grandpa Justin had gone upstairs, and Cade had taken D.A. home, leaving Maggie and Ward alone in the kitchen.
As they worked side by side to load the dishwashers and scrub the pots and pans, Ward’s thoughts kept circling back to Emily. An impossible tangle of longing and disappointment churned in his gut.
