Chapter Twenty-Eight
Parker glanced at Jolene’s happy face and then turned to Ryan. He was watching her intently. “Did I miss something?”
“How about some food?” Barrick cleared his throat. “This steak is amazing. My mom is the best cook in the pride.”
She decided to keep her questions for Ryan until after dinner. Her understanding of this whole shifter mating thing was not as clear as she thought.
“Your father would be so happy to meet your mate,” Jolene told Ryan. Then she passed a plate of mash potatoes to Parker. “Their father was the top enforcer of the pride. He died during an internal war several years ago.”
Parker gulped. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“I am, too,” Jolene said. “I miss him every single day. But we were happy while he was alive.” She beamed a smile at her sons. “He gave me the biggest gift I could have ever asked for. My boys.”
“We’re the lucky ones,” Barrick said and kissed his mom’s hand. “You’ve busted your ass for us.”
“Yeah,” Ryan agreed. “When you gave us all the money you had saved to start our company, that wasn’t something we took lightly. You’re the best, Mom.”
Parker’s heart filled with love watching them. It was a real family. Real emotions. She’d never had that. How she wanted that for herself so bad.
“Don’t worry,” Jolene said to her. “Your parents will come around.”
She shook her head. “That’s sweet of you to say, but they won’t. They have never been the type of parents that are interested in me or my projects. They only had me because that was what Grandpa expected.” She let her shoulders drop. “He was more of a father to me than my dad has ever been.”
“Well, you’ve made a difference for our pride,” Jolene said.
“You definitely have,” Barrick nodded. “I’ve never seen these kids volunteer to do anything.”
Ryan squeezed her hand. “You’ve done that. You flipped that switch and brought our community together.”
She cut into her steak. Maybe she’d done something that would endure in helping the pride. Her grandpa would be happy.
“There’s going to be a storm,” Barrick said, glancing at his phone. “We need to make sure everyone’s safe.”
“A storm?”
“It was supposed to just be some rain and wind. But now it looks like a hurricane,” Barrick frowned. “Took a turn toward us, and it was definitely not expected.”
“Mom, you stay here with us. No need having you go up that mountain and be unreachable.” Ryan picked up a roll. “We’ll need to make sure everyone’s somewhere they’re safe.”
“I have an idea!” Parker gasped then bit her lip. “It might be too much, but what if we have one of the younger kids stay with an elder or have the elder stay with a family that can help them in case they’re stuck home for a while?”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Ryan smiled at her. “I’m sending Kell a message to let them all know. For anyone who needs somewhere to stay, they can go to the inn and we’ll make sure they are taken care of there.”
After dinner, she went out to the porch with Ryan and watched the rain come down. “Why does your mother think I’m going to be your wife?” She glanced at him. “I think I’m missing some information on how tigers mate and what it means for me.”
“I’m not going to ask yet,” he said firmly. “Not until you’re aware of what you’re getting into. Mating is like marriage. Yes, we can have the human wedding after, but once I mark you and bite you, you’re mine. There’s no divorce or anything of the kind.” He scowled. “We’re making this work and nothing’s going to get in the way of our relationship. It’s me and you.”
She swallowed at the way he said that. “You said you love me.”
He slipped his fingers into her hair and cupped her neck. “I love you with all of me, Parker. But this is beyond love. A mate is like what you humans call a soul mate. You’re my other half. Once you allow us to seal the bond between us, we’re one.” He kissed her softly. “You’ll have my cubs. You’re it, Parker. I already feel this way, but I don’t want you to agree to being my mate without being sure.”
She frowned. “You said I’m it, and you already feel this way?”
He nodded.
Her throat closed up. “What would happen if I say I’m not sure and can’t do this right now?”
Pain and fear filled his gaze. “I’d have to accept that, but that means I will still only see you as my mate.”
“You mean, you wouldn’t move on to another woman?”
“No. When I said you’re it, I was serious. You. Are. It.”
She sucked in a breath, and the lights flickered before they lost power. The rain and thunder sounded around them. His cell phone went off.
“It’s Kell,” he called out to Barrick. Barrick and Jolene joined them at the porch. “Mr. Dunbury is stuck at home. Nigel went up to get him, but he hasn’t heard from either of them in a while.”
“We should go find out what happened,” she said and raised a hand. “Before you try to stop me from coming with you, I’ve been at the center of storms and have weathered catastrophes with villages that had homes made of mud. I can help.”
He released a low growl and turned to Barrick. “We’ll call you when we have everyone accounted for.”
She grabbed the sneakers she’d left behind the last time she’d been there from the front entrance and slipped them on. Then she put on a poncho and dashed toward his SUV.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The plastic steering wheel cracked under the pressure Ryan’s hands put on it. He loosened his grip, turning onto the twisty mountain road leading up to Mr. Dunbury’s place. He glimpsed a vehicle on the road behind him before he turned.
He thought they’d better be going home right now. Seeing that only residences were along the street, he didn’t worry overly much.
“Ryan,” Parker said from the passenger’s seat, “I’m sure they are fine. Mr. Dunbury is probably smacking the shit out of Nigel for doing something stupid.”
That made Ryan grin. The old man was still strong and held to his beliefs and ways. He remembered Mr. Dunbury as the most popular teacher before he retired.
Even though history was the most boring of subjects, the stories he used to tell enthralled all the kids. As the pride historian, he brought some of the old relics from the pride to show the students. He taught what the current elders suffered and fought to get the pride as comfortable and profitable as it was today.
The deceased alpha didn’t encourage the pride bonding activities they used to have. Perhaps that was where the disconnect started. That was going to change.
Raindrops tapped against his windshield hard. Fuck, not what he needed right now. He was glad to see the once-gravel path had been asphalted. In the rain, it would turn into a muddy river impossible to navigate with a vehicle.