Authors: Lynnette Bernard
“You’re both so beautiful,” she told them softly. “I bet you could just steal someone’s heart with your gorgeous eyes and beautiful fur.”
The black wolf chuffed, and the brown wolf rubbed his face across her leg. Both raised their paws to jump up onto the lounge, and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud as she was suddenly surrounded by their big, heavy, and warm bodies. The night was quickly gaining on them, and the temperature was turning cold. She welcomed their heat, the thought never crossing her mind that she should be afraid. They were gentle wolves, and the rumblings in their chests were almost purrs of contentment—if a wolf could purr, that is.
“Oh, you guys are heartbreakers for sure,” she told them, laughing as they both laid their heads on her chest and looked up at her with their beautiful eyes.
Martha looked through the window at the wolves as they sat so comfortably with Laurie. She felt a sense of rightness.
Yup. She was definitely the one.
Martha hummed a sweet song to herself as she turned to concentrate on the meal she was preparing, her heart light with happiness.
* * * *
Laurie took the seat that Jace held out for her, settling comfortably to his left as he sat at the head of the table. She leaned back and placed a maroon, linen napkin on her lap. She looked across the table and smiled shyly at Jackson as he sat at Jace’s right. She couldn’t help but think that he belonged there at Jace’s side. It confused her, but she sensed that there was a hierarchy of power that the men shared. Her thoughts drifted to how powerful they both were, and couldn’t stop herself from imagining what they could do to a woman. What they could do to her. She blushed and lowered her eyes, chastising herself for thinking anything about any man—especially these two men.
Get a grip, Laurie. No one would ever desire you in that way. Especially the two men who are sitting beside you.
Her inner voice did not mock her. It was the voice of reason and acceptance of what her lot in life was.
Jackson and Jace had come in from outside shortly after she had left the deck. By that time, Martha had taken Laurie into the circle of her family and had introduced her to her daughter Janine, her sons Alexander and Adrian, her daughter-in-law Julia, and her four-year-old granddaughter Tammy. Colin and Butler, the two other men that seemed to complete the family, were also introduced to her. Laurie couldn’t help but feel the warmth of their family and felt welcomed and at home with them immediately.
She saw that Julia and Adrian were a couple and was a bit confused by the third man Colin, who also seemed to be a part of their relationship. Even though it was not something she understood, she couldn’t deny the genuine caring that the three of them seemed to have for each other.
Martha’s son Alexander and his friend Butler were nearly as massive as Jace and Jackson. Laurie watched them with caution as she saw how they stood inside the kitchen, reminding Laurie of sentries who remained on alert for an impending attack. Despite their obvious seriousness, she couldn’t help but feel comforted by their presence. Even more than that though, she saw how all the men treated Martha and Julia with obvious caring and respect. And they touched her heart with the way they teased and showed love to the little girl.
Sitting at the table, she looked around it to the people who made up the Beckett family and was impressed by the ease with which they interacted with each other. She couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face as she became immersed in the love that they seemed to feel deeply for each other.
She felt calm. She felt content. These were unique feelings for her. She could picture herself sitting here with this family and experiencing the warmth of this home. Her time outside on the deck, looking out at the beautiful land that surrounded the ranch and sitting with the two wolves who had come up to spend time with her, seemed to settle her and feed a need that she had to connect with something that she couldn’t quite put into words.
She thought of the two wolves who had already wormed their way into her heart. What sweet animals they were. She hoped that they would come up on the deck often. She would be sure to be out there every night in case they decided to share their time with her again.
Both wolves made her feel good. Their warmth and their contentment as they settled themselves beside her on the lounge chair made her feel a sense of peace and security that she hadn’t felt in her life—ever. And she looked forward to feeling that way again.
“So how do you like it here so far, Laurie?” Jackson asked her as he passed the mashed potatoes to his alpha, smiling at the growling man. He was enjoying this way too much, and he knew Jace would eventually make him stop, but he was having too much fun to care.
“I really like the peacefulness of your ranch,” Laurie told him with obvious honesty, smiling at Tammy as she sat beside her, handing the sweet child a dinner roll with a wink. “Here you go, honey,” she told her quietly, smiling as the little girl shyly accepted the roll.
“Thank you,” Tammy answered, giggling and
leaning forward to bury her face in Laurie’s shirt, hugging her tightly before looking up at her. “You smell like Unca Jace and Unca Jackson,” she said quietly, smiling brightly.
“Do I?” Laurie laughed, hugging the child quickly and helping her scoot her chair closer to the table. “I’ll take that as a compliment, because they sure do smell good,” she whispered, kissing the top of her head lightly.
Jace and Jackson looked at each other briefly. Although Laurie had whispered, they had heard her perfectly, and what she said pleased them both.
Tammy’s mom laughed and reached forward to cut up the chicken on her daughter’s plate. “Sorry if she’s a bit forward, Laurie,” Julia apologized quickly, looking at her alpha and beta worriedly.
“She’s adorable,” Laurie spoke up immediately. She gently pushed the little girl’s hair back from her face. “I think she’s already stolen my heart,” she told them honestly.
Julia smiled at Laurie, genuine happiness shining at Laurie’s acceptance of her child. Tears filled her eyes, and she found that she was unable to talk, so taken by the genuine kindness and caring of this young woman.
“Unca Jace, are you gonna read me a story tonight?” Tammy spoke up, looking at Jace with all the innocence of youth.
Jace smiled at the little girl with obvious caring in his eyes. His expression was one of tenderness as he looked at her, and Laurie felt her chest squeeze with emotion at the sight of this obviously powerful man looking at this child with such love.
“Have you been good today, cub?” he asked her seriously.
“I have, Unca Jace, I promise,” she answered him quickly with a seriousness that made Jace smile, her light brown curls bouncing as she nodded her head enthusiastically.
“Then I guess I’ll have to read you a story,” he told her calmly as he picked up his fork and speared his steak.
“I love you, Unca Jace!” Tammy told him happily.
“Love you, too, cub,” Jace answered her immediately, smiling at her with open caring.
“Hey, what about me?” Jackson chimed in, pulling the little girl’s attention to him.
Tammy smiled at Jackson. “Oh, Unca Jackson!” she told him, giggling. “I love you, too.”
Jackson smiled at her, winking. “All right then. Just don’t you forget it.”
Laurie felt herself smiling despite her resolve to remain aloof. She couldn’t help it. The men’s honest love and caring for the little girl touched her heart and nearly made her cry.
I guess it is possible for men to really love children.
Her inner dialogue was interrupted when Tammy leaned over and spoke to her in a voice that would rival any stage whisper.
“I have to tell Unca Jace and Unca Jackson every day that I love them.”
“You do?” Laurie asked, matching Tammy’s whisper with her own. “Why?”
“Because they don’t have a little girl to tell them that.”
Laurie looked at the two men quickly, unsure of their reaction. She saw the flash of sadness that consumed them as they looked at her before they carefully schooled their emotions. But she had seen the raw pain and loneliness that had consumed them, even if it had only been for a brief moment. Her heart went out to the two men. She knew what it was like to be so sad because of isolation. It seemed to her that the men desired their own family. And her heart softened toward them because of it.
“Even when they do have a little girl to tell them, you should still tell them that you love them,” Laurie finally whispered back to Tammy.
“Why?”
“Because it would be nice for them to know that the people they love, love them back.”
Tammy looked up with wide, soft brown eyes. “Do the people you love, love you back?” she asked Laurie with obvious concern.
“Yes, my children love me very much,” Laurie answered immediately. “Just like you love your parents.”
Tammy smiled and giggled as she lifted her miniature fork and speared one of the pieces of chicken that had been cut up for her, looking at her parents and smiling as she popped it into her mouth and chewed.
“You’re very lucky to have her,” Laurie spoke quietly, reaching out to touch the small child’s head and gently stroke her hair before turning her attention back to her own plate.
“Yes, we are,” Julia’s husband Adrian answered, taking the bowl of mashed potatoes from Martha.
“She
is
wonderful,” Colin agreed, reaching out to touch Julia’s hand.
Laurie watched the three of them and couldn’t help but smile at the love the three of them seemed to share. When she had first seen the three of them together, she had been confused by the relationship, but as she saw how they were together, she realized that they made a truly loving team. Throughout the day, she had seen the same three-person relationship throughout the group of people that worked and lived at the ranch. She had quickly realized that it was the norm here, and she had come to accept it without reservation. They all seemed so happy and so supportive of each other. Who was she to question it?
“Can you be any more nauseating?” Janine complained as she took the bowl of potatoes from her brother.
“Janine!” Martha snapped, horrified at her daughter’s rudeness.
“It’s okay, Mom,” Adrian spoke up, trying to placate his mother.
“No, it’s not,” Jace spoke up, his voice deep with anger as he looked at Janine.
“I’m sorry, Alpha,” Janine whispered, lowering her head and placing her hands in her lap.
“Do not disrespect anyone in this family again, Janine,” he warned her quietly.
The anger he felt at Janine’s uncaring comment to her brother, his triad partner and their mate, as well as her mother, nearly made Jace lose control of his wolf. His eyes glowed golden as he struggled to calm himself. Janine’s constant and ever-growing coldness and cutting remarks had hurt the people he loved and protected, time and time again. He would not tolerate her insolence for much longer. Only his love for Martha had caused him to show any lenience toward her at all.
Laurie looked from Jace to Janine. Some of the words Jace used confused her, but she was more concerned with the fact that he was so upset with Janine. She was worried by the way she saw Jace trying to control his anger. Without hesitation, she reached out and touched Jace’s hand as it lay clenched on the table. Jace’s fist slowly opened, and she moved to cover his hand with her own, gently stroking across his knuckles with her thumb in a soothing fashion.
Jackson watched as Laurie reached out to Jace, and his heart melted at the unconscious need Laurie displayed to soothe Jace. When he saw Jace finally open his hand to take hold of Laurie’s and gently wrap his fingers around hers to hold her hand, he knew at that moment that everything was as it should be. He could feel the way Jace relaxed under her touch, and he in turn felt the same relaxation. He reached out his own hand and touched Jace’s forearm, feeling the link between the three of them, their triad, immediately.