Mail-Order Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 5) (7 page)

Reid frowned deeply as he
opened the car door for Lauren. He was getting married and he had
his assets protected. He should be congratulating himself. Instead,
he was swearing and cursing at himself.

His bear shoved against him,
showing its marked displeasure and disdain.

Protect mate,
not
protect yourself
!

Reid scowled and threw
the envelope containing the prenup angrily in the back seat. His
bear wanted to protect its mate, whereas he was looking to protect
himself. His bear thought what he was doing was petty, pointless and
contemptible. And his bear thought he was a bloody fool.

This time, Reid knew that his
bear was absolutely right.

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

Reid frowned when he heard
the doorbell. Who could it be so early in the morning? Lauren was
still sleeping, and he had slipped out of bed to prepare breakfast
for Lauren and Eddie.

“Hi, Reid!”
Gramma and Ne-ma chirped as soon as he opened the door. “Where
is she?”

“She?” Reid
blinked at the two little old ladies. “You mean...”

“Lauren, your bride,”
Gramma said, pushing past him into the house.

“You are getting
married today, aren't you?” Ne-ma peered at him.

“How did you know…?”
he began. But it was a rhetorical question. The two elderly witches
knew almost everyone in town, and they kept themselves up to date
with the latest gossip and news.

“We heard Damien
telling Nick that he's taking the day off, so he can be your best
man,” Gramma said.

“I didn't ask him to be
my best man,” Reid retorted.

Ne-ma narrowed her eyes at
him as she pushed her glasses up her nose. “For a groom, you
seem real grouchy. It's your wedding day. Lighten up!”

“Anyway, we're not
here for you. We're here for your bride,” Gramma said, looking
around. “Where is she? We need to get her ready. We'll be
doing her hair and makeup for her. And—we're her bridesmaids!”

Reid's jaw dropped. “Does
she know…?” he spluttered.

Gramma waived a hand
dismissively. “Come on, time's a-wastin'! There's so much to
do. Your ceremony is at two o'clock, right?”

Reid nodded, speechless.

“We have to do her
hair, makeup, nails, and shop for a nice, sparkly pair of shoes.
You've got the rings, right?” Ne-ma frowned at him.

“Actually...”

“Go get the rings,”
Ne-ma said sternly. “She may be your mail-order bride, but you
treat her right, understand? We're her bridesmaids, so we will stand
behind her, not just for the ceremony, but all the way. If you hurt
her in any way, you'll have us to contend with,” Ne-ma warned.

Reid nodded. He didn't want
to have to contend with Gramma and Ne-ma. Those two witches might be
pint-sized and elderly, but they were formidable. They were
determined and resourceful, and they always carried out their
promises and their threats. Plus they had four burly grandsons who
were bear shifters as well.

And he genuinely liked Gramma
and Ne-ma. Everyone did. They frequently poked their noses into
other people's business but their hearts were in the right place.
They were caring and loyal, and they were always there for their
friends.

The fact that they were here
for his bride so early in the morning proved that they saw him, or
more accurately, his bride, as a friend.

Reid knew Gramma and Ne-ma
were perfectly serious when they warned him that they wouldn't let
him off if he hurt Lauren.

He would never hurt Lauren.
He was doing this to protect her, wasn't he? Why did everyone seem
to see him as the bad guy here?

The bedroom door opened and
Lauren stepped out, yawning. “What's going on? I heard
voices.” She stopped in her tracks when she saw Gramma and
Ne-ma.

“There you are!”
Ne-ma beamed. “We're here to help you get ready for your
wedding.”

“B-but...who are you?”
Lauren stammered, her eyes rounding in shock and bewilderment.

“I'm Gramma, she's
Ne-ma…”

“And we are your
bridesmaids!” they announced together.

CHAPTER
TWENTY

“Come along,”
Ne-ma said, stepping forward. “Gather your things and we'll
drive you to our inn. We have an empty suite we can use.”

“Inn?” Lauren
blinked at them.

“Yeah. We own
Broomstick Inn. I'm sure you've heard of our inn. It's very highly
rated in the travel magazines,” Gramma bragged.

Lauren smiled. “Yes,
I've seen the pictures. Your inn looks beautiful, so cute and cozy!
I've always wanted...wait, did you say you're my bridesmaids?”

“Yes! We even got our
frilly pink dresses ready!” Ne-ma answered, grinning.

Lauren pressed a hand to her
mouth. “I...I didn't think anyone would be present at the
ceremony. I thought Reid will just get his cousin and one other
witness, and that's it. I don't know what to say...” Her
voice quivered with emotion. “Thank you for being my
bridesmaids, Gramma and Ne-ma. It means a lot to me.”

“We're happy and
honored to be part of your special day,” Gramma said as she
gave Lauren a hug. “Do you have a dress that you plan to wear
for the ceremony?”

“Y-yes, I have a white
dress...I'll go get it now,” Lauren stammered and hurried back
into the bedroom.

“Grab your other things
as well. We'll keep you away from your groom until the ceremony,”
Ne-ma called after her. “That's what bridesmaids do!”

“Aunt Lauren?” a
small voice said.

Everyone turned to see Eddie
standing at his bedroom door. “What's happening? Where's Aunt
Lauren?” Eddie asked nervously.

Reid went over to him and
crouched so that he could look the boy in the eye. “Your Aunt
Lauren and I will be getting married today. Your Aunt Lauren will be
going with these lovely ladies to get ready for the ceremony. And
we...” Reid gestured between himself and Eddie. “...have
to go pick out the rings for your aunt. I don't know what your aunt
likes, so you'll have to help me choose her ring.” He lowered
his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “We'll choose the most
beautiful ring and surprise her, okay?”

“Yes sir!” Eddie
nodded excitedly.

Lauren came out clutching her
backpack. She had changed into a simple t-shirt and shorts. When
she saw Eddie, she beckoned to him and said, “Eddie, I have to,
um, get ready for the ceremony this afternoon. I'll take a few
hours. Do you want to grab your book and come with me? You can...”

“No, I'll stay here,”
Eddie answered confidently.

“You sure?”
Lauren looked uncertain.

“Eddie and I have
things to do,” Reid answered. “Don't we, Eddie?”

“We sure do.”
Eddie thumped his chest.

Lauren looked at Reid in
surprise, then narrowed her eyes at Eddie. “What things?”
she asked suspiciously.

“Guy things,”
Eddie retorted.

“Really?” Lauren
raised a brow. When Eddie nodded adamantly, she laughed and said,
“Okay then, I'll see you later.” At the door, she turned
and added, “You guys have fun. Love ya!”

“Love ya,” Eddie
said automatically.

Lauren glanced at him, but
Reid only nodded. She had addressed her remarks to the both of them
but only Eddie had responded.

When Reid opened his mouth,
the words just lodged in his throat.

Lauren's smile wavered a
little, but she waved quickly and followed Gramma and Ne-ma to their
car.

Reid stared down the street
long after their car had disappeared. “Love ya,” he said
through gritted teeth.

He looked down and saw Eddie
standing silently at his side. “I heard that,” Eddie
said softly, and grinned. “You just said you love Aunt
Lauren!”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE

Lauren listened intently,
absorbing everything Gramma told her about the small town of Shadow
Point as she styled her hair. She learned that the majority of the
population in Shadow Point were paranormals, but there were many
human families in town as well.

Gramma was skilfully
fashioning her hair into a stylish chignon when Ne-ma came bounding
back into the room. Ne-ma rushed up to Lauren, her eyes feverishly
bright behind her glasses. She was holding a plastic bag and panting
slightly.

“Here,” Ne-ma
said breathlessly. “For you!”

Lauren took the bag and saw a
shoe box inside. She lifted the lid of the box and gasped at the
sight of a pair of beautiful satin shoes. Reverently, she held one
shoe up and admired it. The heel was adorned with shiny crystals and
there was a graceful, silver bow on the front.

“So, so beautiful...”
Lauren breathed.

“Wear them for your
wedding,” Gramma said happily. “This is our wedding
present to you.”

Lauren looked up at the two
beaming grandmothers and felt tears welling up in her eyes.

“Now, now, don't cry,”
Gramma tut-tutted and grabbed a tissue. “You'll ruin your
makeup.”

Lauren dabbed at her eyes and
blew her nose noisily. Then she threw her arms around Gramma and
Ne-ma and hugged them hard. “Thank you so much,” she
whispered. “No one has ever bought me something so beautiful
before.”

Gramma and Ne-ma patted her
shoulder and smiled kindly at her. “You're getting married
today. This is the start of your new life, your happily ever after.”

“I don't know about
happily ever after,” Lauren mumbled. She was just getting
married to escape from the Dire Wolves. Love had nothing to do with
this.

“You will have your
happily ever after,” Ne-ma declared. “We'll make sure of
it.”

Lauren laughed. She was sure
they were joking even though they looked perfectly serious.

Eagerly, she slipped the
shoes on and gasped when she saw herself in the full-length mirror.
She was wearing her simple white dress, but with her shoes and
makeup, she looked like a million bucks.

“I...” She
swallowed.

“You look beautiful!”
Gramma and Ne-ma exclaimed.

Lauren blushed. “Thank
you.”

“Don't forget your
bouquet,” Gramma said, handing her a pretty bunch of flowers.
“We made this in a hurry, so...”

“I love it!”
Lauren said at once. “Thank you.”

Gramma and Ne-ma whipped out
their mobile phones and huddled close to Lauren. “We have time
for a few wefies! Wefies with the bride are a must!”

Lauren smiled as they snapped
a dozen “formal” photos. Then they did a few goofy ones,
striking superhero poses, pulling faces and crossing their eyes.

Lauren giggled when she saw
their pictures. She was feeling much more relaxed now. She had been
too tense and jittery to even eat a bite earlier.

“It's almost time,”
Gramma said, glancing at her watch. “Let's go get married!”

CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO

Reid winked at Eddie as the
boy gripped the box tightly in his small hand. Reid had rented a
tuxedo for the ceremony, and he straightened his suit repeatedly as
he waited for Lauren to show up.

Eddie was their ring bearer.
The boy was in his best jeans and long-sleeved shirt, and his black
hair was neatly combed to the side. He had dressed himself, combed
his hair and was standing by the door by the time Reid came out of
his room.

“We mustn't be late,
sir,” Eddie had said solemnly. “We shouldn't keep the
bride waiting.”

Reid looked up in surprise
when Damien came sauntering into the reception room. His cousin was
in a monkey suit, and for once, his hair looked combed. Reid's eyes
widened further when he saw Nick and Graham striding in behind
Damien. The two men were smartly dressed in ties and jackets.

“What…?”

“Ta-da!” Damien
announced. “Here we are!”

“I can see that,
but...”

“I'm your best man,”
Damien huffed, stating the obvious. “And they—are your
witnesses.”

Reid shook hands with Nick
and Graham. He knew them well, having worked with Beck's Builders on
many projects. Graham was one of the crew, and like Damien, he was
always trying to prank his hapless work mates.

“I asked Nick for the
day off, and I asked him to be your witness as well,” Damien
said. “Graham was hovering nearby and overheard.”
Damien jerked his thumb at Graham. “He volunteered to be the
other witness, so I can concentrate on my best man duties. Lauren
has her bridesmaids, so we're your groomsmen.”

“I wasn't hovering,”
Graham protested.

Reid clasped his cousin's
hand and pulled him in for a quick one-arm hug. “Thanks,”
he managed.

Nick slapped him on the back
and said, “I saw you with your mate the other day in town.
There's no claiming mark on her. You're waiting to claim her on your
wedding night, eh?” Nick chuckled. “I don't think I
know many men who has that kind of restraint.”