Page 2

Connor Arkadion sighed, sat up, and turned to sit on the edge of the bed.

He glared at his computer. Lately, he had come to hate the damn thing.

When he moved back to Arkadia he swore he would leave the past behind him.

But, given the current state of affairs in their world, he didn’t have a choice.

His past was haunting his waking moments and disturbing the quiet life he had built for himself.

He stood and let the sheet fall. Walking naked to the bathroom, he turned the shower on and let the steam fill the small room. It was already November and the weather had turned chilly. He was a bear-shifter, but that didn’t mean he was immune to the cold in his human form.

Once the small room had become heated by the steam, he stepped into the shower. Standing with both hands on the tiled wall he let the hot water run down his body in rivulets. With no thought to his actions, he quickly washed and stepped from the shower.

Wrapping his robe around him, he walked into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he stared at the contents. Same shit, different day . He decided to skip making himself breakfast and just head to the diner early. If he was going to cook, he might as well do it all at once.

Going back to his room, he opened his dresser, removed a black T-shirt and jeans and got dressed.

Heading toward the door he pulled on his thick fall jacket and grabbed his truck keys.

He stepped out of his house and locked the door behind him.

Normally, he wouldn’t worry about locking up, especially living on the Arkadion ranch, but lately Emmett and Duncan had been pulling pranks, and he saw no reason to make it any easier on them.

He fired up his truck and headed into town.

Lately, even the relaxing drive into Arkadia did nothing to settle him.

Shaking his head, he turned on the radio and blasted the music loudly.

Feeling his spirits lifting, he rolled his windows down and let the crisp fall air fill the cab of his truck.

God, how he loved the smells of fall! He pulled into his parking spot at the diner and turned off the engine.

Hopping from the truck he walked over and unlocked the diner doors.

It was still early if he had beat Ma in.

Shrugging, he made his way to the kitchen and started pulling out everything needed to start breakfast.

He was just popping the biscuits in the oven when he heard the bell on the door chime.

He looked up and was surprised to see Ashby standing in the doorway.

Connor had always felt a particular closeness to Ashby since he was one of the first ones to meet the tiny fox when he first appeared in town.

It wasn’t surprising to see Ashby early in the morning, as he often stopped by before opening the ice cream parlor, what was surprising was seeing him alone, without his overprotective mate.

“Ashby, what can I get ya?” Connor asked, walking up to the counter and motioning to the barstool.

Ashby gave a small smile and hopped up to sit across from Connor. “Just some coffee for right now,” Ashby said, quietly.

Connor nodded. People usually only asked for a cup of coffee if they needed to talk.

Connor poured him a fresh cup of coffee and stood across from Ashby as the small fox-shifter fixed his coffee the way he liked it.

Connor could have made it for him, he knew that Ashby loved a little bit of coffee with his sugar and cream.

Personally, he would gag if he ever tried to drink it that way.

He leaned against the counter and let Ashby take his time. He knew better than to rush someone when they came to him for advice.

“So, the pregnancy symptoms are getting better,” Ashby said, turning his mug in his hands.

“That must be a relief to you and Gabriel,” Connor said, pouring himself a cup of coffee as well. If Ashby was talking about the pregnancies, it would probably take a while. Connor sipped his coffee the way he liked it, black.

“He’s relieved that I’m not puking all over the place anymore,” Ashby said, giving Connor a grimacing smile.

“I know that he was worried about you losing weight.” Connor watched Ashby’s features carefully. He knew most of the townspeople well enough to accurately read their body language.

“He is always worrying about me.” Ashby stirred his coffee with the spoon. Connor watched and knew that these small nervous habits were huge red flags.

“That’s because he loves you very much.”

“I wish I deserved that love,” Ashby whispered so softly, Connor almost missed it.

“What makes you think you don’t deserve his love, Ashby?” Connor set his cup down and leaned forward. People usually whispered their deepest fears or greatest worries. It was as if speaking them out loud made them true.

“I’m not like Sebastian or Felix. I can’t give him children,” Ashby confessed.

Connor walked around and sat on a barstool next to Ashby.

“Ashby, Sebastian, and Felix are extremely rare exceptions when it comes to gay male couples. It’s not the norm for two men to be able to have children together.

Why would you think that Gabriel would hold this against you and withhold his love for you?

” Connor asked, scared that this concern concealed a more deep-seated issue.

“I’ve seen the way he looks at Rebecca and Sebastian and Kate. He gets this soft smile on his face when he is around them. I know he has to be regretting mating me.” Ashby sniffled and wiped his eyes.

Connor pulled Ashby into a one-armed hug. Maybe Ashby had spoken up in time for this misunderstanding to be nipped in the bud.

“Gabriel loves you so much, that sometimes, it’s almost painful to watch you two.

Don’t sell him short, Ashby. If he truly wanted children, you have many options open to you, from surrogate mothers to adoption.

Do me a favor. Call him. It will be easier to express your concerns over the phone when he’s not in front of you, where you can see his expressions.

Get it all out and see what he says.” Connor ruffled Ashby’s hair playfully.

Small hands batted him away.

“Do you really think he still loves me?” Ashby asked, looking up at him hopefully, his large eyes filled with tears.

Connor nodded. “I think that maybe, just maybe, you might be projecting your own desires for a child onto him. You have experienced everything that goes along with a pregnancy, yet, you know that you won’t have a child at the end of this experience.

It might be affecting you more than you know,” Connor suggested softly, and watched Ashby’s face.

The small man’s lips began to tremble and his eyes filled.

“I think you may be right. I’m going to call him now. Thanks, Connor, you’ve always been there for me. Your brothers are lucky to have you.” Ashby gave him a quick hug.

“Anytime, runt,” Connor said, before picking up both mugs and walking back behind the counter. Ashby waved and hurried out of the diner, more than likely in a rush to call his mate.

Connor shook his head. No mating was ever perfect, no matter what it looked like from the outside. He went back to the kitchen and pulled the biscuits out before putting a couple pounds of bacon on the grill. He heard the back door open, and soon he smelled his Ma’s perfume.

“Good morning, baby boy,” his ma said, and pulled him into a hug.

“Morning, Ma,” Connor said, returning her hug. He breathed in the familiar scent that belonged only to his Ma and sent up another prayer of thanks to whoever was listening for giving them Doc Claybourne.

“You got an early start today,” she said, stepping back. She turned and hung her coat up on the coat rack.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Connor said, going back to the bacon.

“You’ve been coming in early for the past couple weeks,” she said, checking on the biscuits. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I’m okay, Ma, really.” He smiled brightly at her before turning back to the grill. Seconds later his head jerked forward as his ma cuffed him upside the back of his head.

“Ma!” he groaned.

“Don’t ‘Ma’ me, Connor Christian Arkadion, and don’t lie to me either. I always know when something is wrong with my boys. If you can’t tell me, just say so, but don’t lie,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

He rubbed the back of his head, and he looked at his ma then smiled. “There are some things bothering me about a job that I took. I can’t go into the particulars, but I should have it wrapped up soon.”

“That’s all you had to say, son. Now, head to the sheriff’s station. You’re not the only one with an early start. Your brother may need someone to talk to. It won’t add to your plate, will it?” She eyed him, with worry written all over her face.

Connor waved off her concerns. “I can handle these types of problems all day long. They soothe me.” He chuckled and grabbed his jacket.

“Here take some biscuits, honey, and jam. He’ll open up more if you feed him,” she said, handing him a small, white paper bag.

“You know us so well. Love ya, Ma.” Connor dropped a kiss on her cheek.

“Of course, you’re my boys. Now, get out of here before the breakfast rush hits and I change my mind about sending you out.” She patted him on the shoulder.

“Bye, Ma,” Connor said and quickly headed out the door.

Connor trotted down the street and headed to the sheriff’s station. He pushed open the door and walked in. Aleks sat in his chair staring blankly at his desktop. Concerned, Connor decided to lighten the mood.

“Hey, bro, trying to escape Rebecca?” he asked teasingly, setting the bag of biscuits on the desk. Aleks’s head snapped up and a panicked expression haunted his face.

“Whoa there, you know I didn’t mean anything by that. What’s wrong? Is Rebecca okay?” Connor asked, dragging a chair over to sit beside his big brother. Aleks nodded and looked away to stare out the window.