Page 16 of Mismatched Mates (Special Bear Protectors)

GRANT

A sudden echo of laughter, followed by the sound of the front door closing. Jane's eyes widened, her face draining of color as she registered the sound. Her kids were home. I watched as panic settled across Jane’s face. Disbelief at first, then when she glanced at the clock, something almost approaching hysteria.

“Shit,” Jane hissed, running a hand through her hair. The expression of peace she’d had moments ago was long gone. “Shit, shit, shit. Where are my clothes ?”

“It’s fine.” I handed her the lacy bra she’d removed and tossed to one side, and found my jeans. “It’s not like they don’t know we’re dating. The entire town knows.”

“That’s not the point. They’re my boys. My kids. I swore to myself when Jason left that I wouldn’t invite my personal life into theirs. They’ve had enough to deal with.”

“Relax.” I tipped her chin up and kissed her again. This whole tenderness thing was new to me, but it came naturally with Jane. Like I could sense her fears and my body knew precisely what to do, even if my mind didn't. “It’s not like they’re going to know what just happened. Keep it light, keep it casual. It’s going to be fine.”

She nodded, her movements jerky as she fumbled with her clothes. I adjusted my jeans, hyper-aware of the domesticity of the moment. Family photos lined the wall, and I found myself straightening one as I passed. The smiling faces stared back at me, stirring something I usually kept buried.

I’d arrived at two after getting Konrad to cover me for the remainder of the day. The flowers, the implication that it was for the sake of our reputations was all for show—in actuality, I’d been craving her nonstop, until I couldn’t take it anymore. The whole ruse was a convenient excuse. I’d lured photographers into following me driving to her house with the flashy sports car—but that was a secondary motive.

I hadn’t bargained on staying this long, though. I wasn’t sure how the time had gone so quickly.

“Listen to me,” I said, turning her head so she met my gaze. "It's okay. They won’t notice a thing so long as you don’t panic.”

She met my eyes, a flicker of something unreadable passing through them. "Is it?"

The question hung between us, loaded with more meaning than I was ready to unpack.

“Mom?” one of the boys called again, footsteps climbing the stairs. “Are you home?”

“Go into the bathroom,” she hissed at me, shoving my shoulder. “I’ll go talk to them.”

Shrugging, I slipped from her bedroom and into the bathroom, my wolf reflexes kicking in as I moved silently across the carpet. The bathroom door was ajar, and I slid inside, easing it closed with barely a click.

"Mom?" A young voice called out, full of excitement. "We're home early! Mr. Thompson let us out for good behavior."

Her voice was steady, betraying none of the panic from moments before. "That's great, honey. Did you have a good day?"

The muffled conversation continued, punctuated by the clink of dishes and the rustle of backpacks being dumped. a part I wasn't ready to examine too closely, wanted to step out there. To ruffle those boys' hair, to stand next to Jane in her kitchen, to be... what? A part of this?

The second the boys started to ask her questions about the car on the drive, I flushed the toilet, washed my hands and emerged.

The boys' chatter stopped abruptly, their eyes widening as they took me in.

"Hey there," I said, offering what I hoped was a friendly smile. "I'm Grant, a friend of your mom's."

The twins – I couldn't tell them apart yet – stared at me with identical expressions of curiosity. They were miniature versions of Jane, right down to the slightly stubborn set of their jaws.

I liked them instantly

"Whoa, are you the guy with the cool car?" the one on the left blurted out.

I chuckled, extending my hand to each of them. "Guilty as charged. You guys like cars?"

“This is Lance,” she said, gesturing at the slightly taller of the twins. He had a firmer chin and struck me as the eldest—or at least the most confident. “And this is Brandon.”

“Hey guys,” I said, sticking out my hand to each of them; I remembered being a kid and craving that because it made me feel like an adult. “Nice to meet you.”

“What kind of car is it?” Lance asked.

“It’s a Maserati,” I said, accepting his proffered fist for a fist-bump. “It might be my favorite car, out of all the ones I’ve ever driven.”

Technically, some days I favored the Aston, and both were family cars, but seeing as father didn’t mind us driving them to keep up appearances as Pine River’s most influential family—I figured I could get away with calling it mine.

“I bet it is,” the other twin—Brandon—said. “It looks fast.”

“It is,” I agreed.

“Can we ride in it?” Lance asked.

“Lance!” Jane pulled him backward into her. “Sorry, Grant. I know you have to go.”

Right. Hint taken. “Sorry,” I said to the boys. “Maybe next time?”

“Yeah!” Lance punched the air. “That would be awesome.”

As I turned to leave, my gaze swept over the room. Family photos crowded the walls, a stray sock peeked out from under the coffee table, and there was a faint scuff mark on the arm of the couch. It wasn't perfect, but it radiated a warmth I'd never known growing up in the cold, pristine Elston mansion.

For a moment, I imagined myself belonging here. It was a dangerous thought, one I quickly shoved aside.

Until then, I hadn’t thought about kids much at all, except to assume I’d never have them. Bringing kids into my messed-up family dynamic felt like a bad move, and the idea of getting involved with a single mom had equally never occurred to me.

But being here in front of the boys now felt strangely normal. If we were in a real relationship, this would be the next step.

“Okay,” Jane said, ruffling their hair. “Grant needs to head off and you guys need to get changed and finish your homework. Think you can do that? The sooner you get it done, the sooner you can play on the Xbox.”

Bribery worked as well for these guys as it would’ve worked for me twenty-some years ago. They sprinted upstairs, practically bouncing off the walls, and Jane sighed, sagging a little.

“God, I’m so sorry,” she said, massaging her forehead. “This is a whole load of mess.”

“Nah.” I pulled her into me, one eye on the stairs, and wrapped my arms around her shoulders. “It’s my fault for coming over without warning. Don’t sweat it.”

“How are you so calm? I thought you’d be freaking out.”

I wasn’t sure either, in all honesty. The idea of being introduced to someone else’s kids as their mom’s partner would usually have been all the catalyst I needed to slink out of the door and never come back. No kid deserved to have someone like me as a father figure. Not like I had much to go on—my own father hadn’t set much of a loving example.

“It’s not something to freak out over,” I said, rubbing across her shoulder blades. “They’re good kids.”

“Yeah. They really are.” She sighed again, but this time the tension eased from her body. “You should probably go.”

For the first time in my life, I didn’t want to leave after a hookup like I was never supposed to be there in the first place. I wanted to sit down at the kitchen table I saw over her shoulder and make dinner while she finished the work I interrupted.

“You probably don’t want me calling you,” I said, resolving to toss my phone in the trash because that was the only way I could imagine not contacting her. “Until next week and the wedding, right?”

Her shoulders stiffened a little, but she nodded. “Until next week.”

I slid into the driver's seat, the familiar leather cool against my back. The engine purred to life, but I didn't move. Instead, my eyes fixed on Jane's house in the rearview mirror. "This isn't you," I told my reflection. "You don't do... this."

As I pulled away, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was leaving more than just a house behind.