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The Trash Panda, and Rue, had made a splash on the community of Oliver Creek. Other businesses were now giving portions of their proceeds to good causes. The disabled. The abused. The unhoused. Teens and kids who were shunned from society for one reason or another. My mate had single-handedly started a kindness revolution. A wave of love for our fellow humans and shifters alike.

I couldn’t have been prouder of him. He was a miracle.

A few days a week, I helped in the store. There were donations coming in from all over the state, and on social media, he was being called out as a philanthropist and a genius. Now, many thrift stores were associated with charities, but there was something about how he did it that made all the difference. He’d gone viral.

There would always be bad news in this world, but as long as there were people like my Rue, we might all make it out on the other side okay.

“Speaking of the bear,” Alfred said as I walked into the store, making the little bell chime.

“Someone talking about me?” I asked. There were a few customers still, and Rue was running a sale on all the furniture since he’d been inundated with pieces and needed to make room for other things. This weekend, whatever didn’t sell, he would put outside on the sidewalk and sell it for pennies. It was worth itto free up the square footage. I’d eyed the adjoining empty store and intended to ask Rue about expanding. People were coming to Oliver Creek now, not just for the food but to buy cute items from Rue’s store, knowing a share of the proceeds were going to a good cause.

“We were, actually.” Rue came over and hugged me but pulled back quickly.

“What about?”

“Let’s talk after we close.”

I helped out with setting some things into the glass case. Someone from a town over had donated an entire collection of vintage porcelain figures. Three sets. I’d suggested Rue sell them online for more money, as we often did, but he didn’t care about that. He said someone in town or a tourist would snap them up soon.

My mate was usually right.

Alfred and I dusted some things in the cases and while the last of the customers got rung up, I went to the back to fold baby clothes. Rue took some of the profits and bought a washer and dryer for the shop. He made sure everything baby related was washed with sensitive detergent and then folded. If a needy omega or couple, or even a pregnant human came in, they were given a huge box filled with a crib, a mattress, clothes, and other things they might need. Rue liked everything organized, categorized by size and gender. I was in awe of my mate, but he always said it was simply the right thing to do.

I listened while Rue said goodbye to Alfred and locked the door for the day. Through our bond, I could feel his anxiety about something. My mate was worried.

“Hey,” he said, coming in and sitting down next to me. Even though the shop was closed, he never stopped working for this place. The hours on the door were just for the customers, not forhim. I sometimes had to put him over my shoulder and make him go home and rest and eat. He was so damned dedicated.

“Hey, yourself. Long day?” I asked.

“The day’s not over.”

I let him decide when he wanted to talk about what was going on in his head. We had forever, so there was no use in rushing him. I’d learned in time that my raccoon did things in his own time.

He put down the onesie he was folding and turned to me. “I have something to tell you.”

“You can tell me anything.”

A breath whooshed out of his mouth. “I have been feeling sick for a few days in a row. I laid off the meat thinking that was it. Sometimes my raccoon likes me to eat more fruits and veggies but it didn’t go away.”

“Do we need to go to the healer?” I asked, ready to take action.

Rue put his hand on my thigh. “Alfred figured it out. I went to the drug store and got a test.”

“What kind of test?”

His cheeks turned a beautiful shade of red. “I’m…I took a pregnancy test today. A few minutes before you walked in, actually.” I sat there, stunned while he fished the test out of his pocket. “We’re having a baby, Pascal.”

“We are? Are you sure? Is one test enough?”

He nodded, and tears began to stream down his face. “One test is enough. Besides, my raccoon is sure, and that’s better than any test. I should’ve listened to him sooner. He said something about a kit the other day, but I thought he just wanted one.”

“Come here,” I said, pulling him in for a long hug. I kissed his head and began to cry as well. Rue was my dream, but this? Beyond my imagination. We were a family, just me and him, butnow, were building a bigger family. I was so happy I could barely manage any words.

“Pascal? I know we haven’t been together very long. I…I’m so happy, but I understand if you’re not.”

“What?” I asked, pulling back. “Rue, you’ve made me happier than I ever thought possible. But this? Having my cub or kit? I’m so damned happy, I’m about to go out on the sidewalk and tell everyone who will listen.”

Rue’s tears doubled. He giggled and put his hands on his still-flat belly. “I’m happy, too. We made this, you and I. I can’t believe I’m going to be a daddy.”