Scottish Werebear: A New Beginning: A BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Scottish Werebears Book 4) (12 page)

Matt considered the idea and considered the man standing before him. Ever since he found out about his true nature, he'd questioned the same things, wondered if things wouldn't have turned out better if he had known about his true nature sooner.

And Henry... the frustration he had shown earlier about what he had been sent in to do here seemed genuine. Matt took a deep breath and decided to take a chance.

"Okay. I'm in," Matt said.

Henry exhaled, as if he'd been holding his breath the whole time while waiting for Matt's response.

"Right, well, that's good news. Just so you know, you won't have to worry about your neighbor snooping around anymore. I've got her in the back of the van already."

"Great," Matt said, though he still couldn't quite believe Carrie's involvement in all of this.

"I'm going to head back now and tell everyone I found no evidence of you and the human woman being involved with one-another. You take care now."

"Okay, thanks," Matt mumbled, and watched Henry turn around and march out of the lounge, through the adjoining entrance hall and out the front door.

What a bizarre conversation.

Outside, an engine purred to life, and a vehicle - the van, most likely - pulled away and drove off.

"Who were you talking to?" Leah asked, resting her hand on Matt's shoulder. He hadn't even heard her walk up behind him.

"That's a long, weird story." Matt turned, and put his arms around Leah's waist.

She smiled at him and tiptoed to give him a peck on the lips. With her around, it was easy to think that everything was just going to work itself out.

"I'm not going anywhere. Now how about we have that cup of tea, and you tell me everything," she suggested.

He smiled back at her. "All right."

She took his hand, and they walked back into the kitchen together. A quick glance out the window revealed that all was quiet. As if Henry had never even come by.

It had been a long five-hour drive to Applecross Bay, filled with awkward silences. Leah was glad that Jamie, Matt's eerily similar looking brother, was driving. Not only did it give her the chance to admire the pretty scenery on the way, she wasn't even sure her little car would have made it this far.

Matt, who sat in the front seat next to Jamie, wasn't quite as receptive to the views; he had other things on his mind. Leah had been able to sense his concerns, obviously.

At last, they pulled into a gravel driveway leading to a solitary house nestled among the sand dunes surrounding the coastline. So this was where the two brothers were born.

"You ready?" Jamie turned the key to switch off the ignition and then turned to face Matt.

Matt didn't answer straightaway.

Leah squeezed his shoulder.
It'll be fine. They're your parents. They'll be thrilled to have you back.

I know, but... Ah, screw it.

"Sure. Let's go," Matt said.

One by one they undid their seat belts and got out of the car. Jamie led the way up the gravel path leading to the porch, and Matt followed reluctantly. It was strange how similar the two brothers looked, and yet how different their personalities were.

Jamie was so serious, almost cold in everything he did, while Matt was a lot more sensitive and warm. Perhaps it only felt that way because Leah didn't know Jamie all that well. Or more likely, because she could tell he thought it unwise for her to be here with Matt. She was an outsider, after all, no matter how hard Matt tried to convince her otherwise.

Either way, Jamie's disapproval hadn't dissuaded her. Matt had been worrying about this family reunion for a while now, and she was set on being here for emotional support if nothing else.

As they climbed the steps, the net curtain beside the front door moved, and almost immediately after, someone opened the door.

"I don't believe it! You're really here!" a female voice said.

The elderly woman who appeared in the doorway was obviously Matt and Jamie's mother. The similarities between the three of them were striking, but it was Matt who had taken after her the most.

"Your father is inside. He's not been keeping too well, I'm afraid," Matt's mother said. "I still can't... When we last saw you, you were so little. We thought you were gone forever." Her voice cracked with emotion.

Matt seemed lost for words, and even Jamie didn't have anything to add. Not that that mattered to their mom, who couldn't stop talking.

"Anyway, I've made your favorite. At least, it used to be your favorite when you were little. You do still like Apple Pie, don't you?" she asked.

Matt nodded. "Thanks, Mom."

"Oh, you sweet boy." She reached out and put her arms around Matt. "Why don't we go inside and say hello to your father. And who's this?"

Suddenly Leah found herself in the foreground. Matt's mother stepped up to her and smiled. "Forgive the boys their manners; they've forgotten to introduce you!"

"Leah," Leah said while offering her hand. "Matt's..." she wasn't sure how to finish that statement. Girlfriend sounded awfully juvenile.

"My fiancée," Matt chimed in and put his arm around Leah's shoulder.

Although they'd been inseparable ever since his return from the Alliance, they hadn't formally discussed the future yet. Hearing him introduce her as his fiancée made Leah's heart skip a few beats.

"Oh! How lovely to meet you," Matt's mom said. "What wonderful news, congratulations, you two! We've not just got our youngest son back, but a daughter as well. Jamie, you should take a leaf out of your brother's book and settle down as well. You're not getting any younger."

Jamie sighed. "Yes, Mom."

Leah couldn't suppress a smile. For someone as stoic and in control as Jamie seemed, it was hilarious to see this family dynamic.

Now that the introductions were over, they all moved indoors, Matt and Jamie's mother leading the way. The interior of the house looked like a time capsule left over from the 1970s. A lot of earthy tones and old-fashioned floral drapes. They probably hadn't changed a thing in years.

Leah glanced over at Matt, who silently took it all in. He seemed to recognize bits of the house and watching him as he made his way through his childhood home made her a bit emotional as well.

"David, look who's here," Matt's mom said as they entered the lounge.

Matt's dad, who had been watching TV up to this point looked up and cracked a smile which seemed to wrinkle up his entire face.

"My boys. Together at last. Don't mind if I don't get up. The old leg's been giving me a bit of trouble lately."

"Dad," Matt whispered and walked up to the armchair.

The old man reached out for him, and they embraced awkwardly.

"And look, Matt brought his fiancée, Leah, as well." Matt's mom beamed.

"Ah, I see." Matt's dad smiled at Leah. It was awkward suddenly being the center of attention. "Welcome to the family, lass."

Leah smiled and shook his hand. "Sit down, everyone," Matt’s mom said "I hope you're a tea drinker, Leah? I haven't catered for coffee."

"Oh yes, tea would be lovely."

Matt and Leah sat down on the sofa, while Matt's mom left the room, only to reappear shortly after carrying a tray full of cups, saucers and a teapot. Jamie sat further away, pulling up a dining chair for himself.

It was only natural that Matt felt awkward in the company of his folks. After all, they'd been separated for so long. They all waited in silence while Matt’s mom distributed the cups and poured the tea.

Once everyone had a cup in their hand, and conversation slowly did get underway, suddenly it was Jamie who looked most out of place.

"Pie?" Matt’s mom offered, and Leah gladly accepted a plate.

"Do tell us what you've been up to all these years? How have things been for you?" she asked Matt.

He answered diplomatically, leaving out the difficulties he'd faced in his adult life and focused on his teen years instead.

"How about work, son? What do you do for work?" his dad asked.

"I write, mostly articles and reports about financial matters."

"Oh, a writer! That's wonderful," his mom chimed in.

The more they talked, the more comfortable the atmosphere became.

"And what about you two, have you set a date yet?" his mom asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

Leah glanced at Matt and found that he was already looking at her.

Have we?
Leah thought.

You tell me,
Matt replied.

Tomorrow if you're ready.
Leah smiled as Matt took her hand.

"Not yet, perhaps we can come up with something together. It would be no good unless you're both there as well," Matt responded to his mom.

"But of course, we'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for the world," Matt's dad said.

"First, though, what are you all doing for Christmas? Wouldn't it be lovely to finally have a proper family Christmas again? Unless you're going to celebrate with your parents, Leah?" Matt's mother asked.

Leah shook her head. "No plans yet. My Dad passed eight years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. What about your mother?"

Leah shrugged. "She died when I was very young. It had been just Dad and me for as long as I can remember."

Matt squeezed her hand gently. Even though it had been years since the loss of her dad, talking about it still hurt.

"Ah," his mom said. "Well, it's been decided then. You must come up for Christmas. What do you think, Jamie?"

Jamie, who had been sitting silently in the corner, cleared his throat. "Umm, actually I have to work over the holidays. Sorry about that."

Weird. The Alliance were a strange bunch from what Leah had heard, but to work over Christmas was still a bit extreme. Was it just an excuse on his part?

"Oh, that's too bad." His mom's voice was loaded with disappointment.

"We'll definitely be there, though," Matt said.

"All right then." She smiled. "I'll do a roast like we used to have when you were little."

After this little hiccup, the conversation picked up again, leaving the previous awkwardness behind. Clearly the return of their lost son wasn't enough to repair whatever damage had been done to this family, but it was a start. There obviously was still a lot of love in this house, mixed in with old pain and regret.

The visit lasted for the better part of the afternoon, with everyone - except maybe Jamie - wishing for it not to be cut short. But the Alliance never waited, and he had to be back in Edinburgh early the next day, so they had to make a move.

Their goodbye was bittersweet, with Matt's mom getting emotional again. But at least everyone knew they'd be reunited again soon, for Christmas.

~ THE END ~

The Scottish Werebears Series continues with Book 5, which is all about Henry...
Sign up for my mailing list to find out when it's out!

Genuine customer reviews are really important for indie authors such as myself. If you take the time to leave a review for this book, I would love to send you an early review copy of Book 5 as soon as it's ready! Please contact me at 
[email protected]
 (please send me the link where I can read your review, this is very important!) and ask for your free copy.

Dear Reader,

Thanks for reading Scottish Werebear: A New Beginning, Book 4 in the Scottish Werebears Series. Although this is my first published series, I'm not new to writing in general. In fact, my mom still tells me to this day about how I would make up stories, and attempt to record them in my clumsy, shaky handwriting from the moment I learned to read and write. From there I went on to write fan fiction and other stuff meant for my own eyes only.

I've always enjoyed stories of the paranormal. Vampires, shape shifters, witches and magic, all featured in the books I loved the most, even when I was still growing up. But it wasn't until much later that I got into romance. One of the first writers (a self published author just like me!) I came across was Tina Folsom, via her Scanguards Vampire series. I was hooked. From there I went on to read more paranormal romance until I found a new favorite kind of hero: bear shifters, like the kind written by Milly Taiden, Zoe Chant, and T.S. Joyce. What I love about bears is how they can be all strong and independent, a bit reclusive, and almost grumpy, but they always end up having a heart of gold (plus they tend to know their food, and we all know that a man who can cook is doubly sexy). All that (except for the shifting into a powerful bear) almost exactly describes the sort of man I ended up falling for and marrying in real life, so it's no surprise that this is what I started my publishing career with.

As thing stand right now, I plan to release all my work on Amazon Kindle and make it free of charge as part of the Kindle Unlimited programme, though this may change in future. All my books will also be available as paperbacks, as well as in audio.

To find out more, check:

LoreleiMoone.com

Sign up to my mailing list
 and be among the first to find out about new releases and sales,