Page 47 of His Omega Bear
Cooper chuckled at my predicament, then looked at Jaxson. “How do you like living in a small town? I made the move from California and honestly I thought I would miss L.A.” He glanced over at Graham. “But I don’t.”
“Aww babe,” Graham teased, “You say the sweetest things.”
Cooper stifled a love-sick smirk and rolled his eyes at my brother. I didn’t miss how they leaned into each other like magnets.
“It’s different from Chicago, that’s for sure,” Jaxson replied. “Quiet. But much better than I ever expected.”
I caught his gaze, and my cheeks heated again at his words. I was a damn Christmas tree, and of course everyone took that as open season to torture me.
“Ooooh! New love so sweet,” Nash teased.
“Hey!” Graham said. “What does that make us?”
Everyone laughed at his offended tone, but before Nash could reply, Kian entered the room. “Dinner is ready, everyone. The kids are all fed, so come grab a plate and serve yourself. This isn’t a restaurant.”
I smiled at my best friend. He could be a spitfire when he wanted to be, and when he met my gaze, he gave me a knowing wink.
After everyone had served themselves, we all gathered around the table. The conversation flowed smoothly, everyone making an effort to get to know Jaxson better. I tried to relax, but my ears were constantly tuned to the sounds from the playroom.
Suddenly, a small growl came from the monitor. We all froze.
Jaxson frowned, then leaned into me. “Did you hear that?”
Cooper was quick on his feet. “I’ll go check on them. Don’t want any of them to be frightened. Don’t know why the twins love A Bear’s Life so much,” he said, standing up. Kian and Nash stood and followed him from the room.
“Never know how kids are going to react,” Kian mused, glancing at me.
I leaned into Jaxson. “The kids love nature movies. All the movies about animals.” My laugh was on the edge of maniacal, but I turned away to check on Emilia in her highchair in order to hide my face.
Jaxson chuckled. “Guess we better start collecting DVD’s then, if we’re ever going to babysit.” He seemed to accept the explanation, but I knew it was only a matter of time before something happened in front of him.
When they returned a short time later, dinner resumed. “False alarm,” Kian said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Now my mind raced. If Emilia was going to spend time around her cousins, she might shift soon, too. Kian’s kids had shifted before their first birthday, after all. And my scent could definitely trigger her shift, not that I shifted much these days.
The rest of the evening went by without any more growling, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of impending disaster. Jaxson was laughing with my brothers, completely oblivious to the tightrope we were walking. I envied his ease, his oblivion to what was truly at stake.
As the night wound down and we prepared to leave, Gabe pulled me aside. “We need to talk about Emilia’s shifting soon,” he said quietly. “You know it’s only a matter of time.”
I nodded, the weight of his words settling heavily on my shoulders. “I know.”
My brother looked at me with concern. “Don’t wait too long, Rhys.”
The only thing I could do was nod, because I knew he was right.
On the drive home, Jaxson was full of stories and laughter, recounting the evening’s highlights. I smiled and nodded, but my thoughts were elsewhere. The clock was ticking, and I needed to find a way to explain a world he’d never imagined to Jaxson.
As we pulled into the driveway, he turned to me, his eyes searching mine. “You okay?”
“Yeah, of course,” I said, forcing a smile. “Just a lot on my mind.”
He squeezed my hand again. “We’ll figure it out, whatever it is.”
I hoped he was right. For now, all I could do was hope and pray that our world would stay intact just a little longer.
Chapter 18
Rhys