The Playboy Bear's Baby: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (5 page)

Chapter Five

Over the next few weeks, Gray came over often,
bringing her little trinkets and food, more often than not. He went with her to
her first doctor appointment and then her second, where they got to hear the
baby’s heartbeat. Her resistance to him melted a little more every day, but it
thawed completely when she’d looked up at him through tear-filled eyes at the
joyful noise of their baby’s heartbeat and noticed his eyes weren’t any dryer
than hers. Despite his playboy reputation, the man had a soft side no one
talked about. She was pleased and flattered he felt comfortable enough with her
to share that side of his personality.

When she arrived home later that night, she called
Sara—who’d left town with her boyfriend to return to the little college town
they called home. After relaying the latest updates on the baby and her
relationship with Gray, they gossiped for over an hour before Mara pled
exhaustion and ended the call. As much as she enjoyed talking to Sara, she’d
much rather do it in person. Even though it had only been a few weeks since
Sara left, Mara already missed hanging out with her friend.

Her stomach gurgled, reminding her of how little
she’d eaten that day. Her appetite sucked, but that didn’t mean she could ignore
her body’s needs now that she was eating for two. She caressed her stomach,
imagining the tiny life growing inside her, and forced herself up and into the
kitchen for an evening snack. Maybe if she was lucky, it would even stay down.

* * * *

The next evening, Gray picked her up and drove her
back to his place for dinner. It was the first time she’d been invited to his
home and she was curious to see where he lived and potentially learn a little
more about him. So far they’d mostly chatted about the baby or made small talk,
both of them walking on eggshells around the other.

Pulling up outside his house, she was already
impressed. The massive estate sat on the edge of town and bordered National
Forest land. The house itself was a brick Victorian with ginger bread trim
around the eaves, two turrets, and what looked like three floors. She whistled.
“Nice house.”

Gray cut the engine. “It’s home.”

She opened her door and hopped out. Gray came
around the front of the vehicle and joined her. Together they followed the
cobblestone pathway and climbed the porch steps leading to the house. Gray
unlocked the front door and waved her in ahead of him.

She entered a large, open foyer and gazed up in
amazement at the honest to God crystal chandelier hanging over her head. That
was something she’d never seen outside of a movie or magazine. On her right,
there was a grand dining room with a table big enough to seat at least twelve
people. To her left sat a formal living room that looked like it hadn’t been
used in a hundred years. She’d never seen so many antiques in one space before.
Directly ahead of her was an ornate wooden staircase leading upstairs.

Gray stopped beside her and rubbed her back. “Would
you like a tour of the house?”

“Sure.” What she’d seen so far was beautiful, if a
bit intimidating. She wouldn’t mind seeing the rest of it.

“All right.” Gray smiled down at her. “Lets start
this way.” He held his hand out to the left.

“It’s a beautiful room,” she said. “You obviously
like antiques.”

“I like them about as well as the next guy,” he
said. “Most of the house is the way my mother designed it. I haven’t changed
much.”

That made sense. “What have you changed?”

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you.” He led her into
the living room and through an open doorway she hadn’t noticed along the back
wall. It led down a long hallway toward the back of the house. They passed
several closed doors, which Gray pointed out as guest bedrooms, bathrooms, or
closets. Two open thresholds stood at the end of the hall. She glanced through
the one on the right and discovered a large, open kitchen with stainless steel
appliances, floor to ceiling cabinets, and a huge center island.  

Gray kept walking. “I updated the kitchen a few years
ago and remodeled the den.”

“The kitchen is amazing. Do you cook much?”

“When I have the time, which isn’t as often as I’d
like.”

“That’s a shame. A kitchen like that should
definitely get used as often as possible.”

She walked ahead of Gray and peeked into the den,
which probably had the same square footage as her house. Her gaze flitted over
a leather sectional sofa, matching recliners, a giant flat screen television,
pool table, and wet bar. She looked back over her shoulder and grinned at him.
“Unlike the rest of the house, I can definitely picture you spending time in
here.”

“Guilty. It’s my favorite room in the house.”

“I can see why.”

“I didn’t have the heart to change the whole house,
but this was always a family room, so I didn’t see the harm in making it my
own.”

Mara thought that was sweet. She could definitely
understand the need to hold onto the things left behind by lost loved ones. She
still hadn’t finished boxing up her grandma’s things yet. Every time she tried
to start, she ended up taking a long trip down memory lane, and her heart broke
a little more. She reached for Gray and twined their fingers together. “I think
your house is a perfect mix of old and new.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you think so.”

“So,” she said, changing the subject. “I believe
you said something about feeding me. Are we cooking or ordering takeout?”

“We’re grilling. Or rather, I am.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m starving.” Mid-afternoon
seemed to be the best time for her appetite these days.

“Good. Let me grab the meat and fixin’s out of the
fridge and then I’ll fire up the grill.”

“I’ll help.” She followed Gray into the kitchen and
stood back while he pulled out smoked sausages, peppers, onions, and fajita
wraps. “I can cut the veggies, if you want to go out and get the grill
started.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

“All right.” He opened a cabinet next to the sink
and pulled out a cutting board and then plucked a knife off a stainless steel
magnetic strip holding an assortment of knives on the wall above the stove. He
set them on the center island next to the vegetables. “You don’t have to worry
about washing anything. I took care of that when I bought them last night.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“Be right back.” He grabbed the sausage and a roll
of aluminum foil off the counter and walked outside through the French doors on
the other side of the room.

She set to work chopping the peppers and onions
into small strips. She’d just finished up and was rinsing her hands at the sink
when Gray reentered the room.

“These look perfect.” He pulled out a sheet of
aluminum foil, set it on the counter, and poured the veggies onto the center.

She dried her hands and watched as he folded the
aluminum foil over the tops and sides, creating a little packet for the grill.
“That’s a neat trick.”

“Anything that cuts down on dishes.” He winked.

“I hear you.” There was nothing she hated quite as
much as hand washing dishes.

“I’m just going to pop these on the grill with the
meat.”

She followed him outside and looked around while he
head toward a stainless steel propane grill on one side of the patio. There was
a modest smoky glass table and matching gray wicker furniture with thick, plush
cushions. The grass was cut short and lush green bushes were planted against
the back of the house. Trees towered over the border of the property.

Gray closed the lid on the grill. “What would you
like to drink? I have water, milk, lemonade or soda.”

“Lemonade sounds good, if it’s not too much
trouble.”

“Not at all. Make yourself comfortable while I go
grab the drinks.”

She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. She
tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting the sunshine warm her face.
The savory smell of their lunch wafted over to her on a soft breeze. Her mouth
watered and her stomach growled.

“You weren’t kidding about being hungry.”

Mara’s eyes snapped open. She jerked her head up
and watched Gray set a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses full of ice on the
table. “The food smells good.”

“It should be done soon. That’s one of the great
things about grilling. Everything cooks fast.” He filled both their glasses,
then pulled out the chair opposite her and took a seat.

She reached for hers and took a sip. “This is good.
Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

They made small talk until Gray got up to check on
the food and deemed it ready. He pulled everything off the grill and carried it
over to the table on serving platters. For the next few minutes they ate and
enjoyed the beautiful weather.

When Mara had her fill, she dropped her cloth
napkin beside the empty plate in front of her and sat back against the ornate
wrought iron chair. “You know, I wasn’t sure what to expect when you invited me
over to your house for dinner, but lunch was really delicious.”

Gray smiled at her across the patio table. “I’m
glad you enjoyed it. There are a few more sausages if you want more.” He popped
a forkful of grilled kielbasa, peppers, and onions into his mouth and chewed.

“No way. I couldn’t eat another bite.” Everything
had tasted so good, she’d managed to pack away an impressive amount of food.
She’d forgotten how much better things tasted when cooked on a grill.

“Are you sure? I picked up a fresh apple pie from
the bakery for dessert and have some slow churned vanilla ice cream in the
freezer to go with it.”

She groaned, already able to taste the warm flaky
crust, tart apple, and creamy ice cream. “That sounds mouth-watering. I might
be persuaded to share dessert with you in a little while.”

“Good. I’d hate to have to eat all that pie by
myself.” He winked at her and used a napkin to wipe his mouth. “So, are you the
kind of person who naps after a big meal or walks it off?”

“Usually the latter. What about you?”

“The same. If you’re interested, we can take a walk
around the property. Maybe by the time we get back, we’ll be ready for
dessert.”

“Okay. Let’s go for a walk.” She could stand to
work off a few of the calories anyway. If she didn’t start getting a little
more exercise, then she was going to balloon up like an inflatable pool toy.
Since she was already a little on the plump side, her doctor had requested she
try not to gain more than twenty to twenty-five pounds during her pregnancy. So
far she hadn’t gained anything, but that was mostly due to the intermittent nausea.
The second she started feeling better, she had a feeling it would be much
harder to rein in her appetite.

Gray stood and held his hand out to help her up.
She took his hand and rose to her feet. Hand in hand, they walked across the
yard toward the trees. As they got closer, she noticed they were headed toward
a well worn path leading into the forest. “Do the trees mark the beginning of
National Forest land?”

“No. I own around fifty acres, give or take a
little. My parents never saw the point of clearing it all and I’m kind of glad
they didn’t. The woods are peaceful. I like long walks when I need to think
things out. It’s good for when I want to shift, too.”

“How often do you feel the need to shift?” She
asked out of curiosity.

“Several times a day.”

“Really? You change that often?” She had no idea
shifters transformed back and forth that much.

“No.” He laughed. “I think I misunderstood your
question. I feel the urge to shift several times a day. Strong emotions tend to
bring out my animal nature more than anything. Most of the time I resist the
instinct for one reason or another. I really don’t shift into my bear form as
much as I’d like to.”

“How come?”

“Safety mostly. No matter how far shifter rights
have come, it’s still dangerous for us to run around in our fur. Even if there
aren’t any shifter-phobic nuts around, there are predators to avoid and legal
hunters who don’t notice or care about the difference between wild animals and
us.”

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that nonsense. It
seems like such a shame that people can’t get over themselves and accept those
who’re different. The stigma attached to shifters is ridiculous.”

“Humans have a long history of fearing things they don’t
understand. It’s one of the reasons shifters stayed hidden for so long.”  

“I guess so.” She glanced up at him. “Just for the
record, I still think it sucks.”

He smiled and swung their clasped hands. “Me too.”

They quietly strolled through the woods for awhile.
Mara enjoyed the scenery and the company of the man by her side. After a bit,
curiosity got the best of her. “So, does this trail lead somewhere or just
fizzle out?”                        

“It does, but I’d much rather show you than tell
you.”