Jackson Valley Shifters Complete Series: Bear Shifter Romance by Candace Ayers

Author:Candace Ayers [Ayers, Candace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Paranormal & Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction, Forever Love, Adult Themes, The Bear Shifters Mate, Supernatural Fantasy, Protection & Safety, Life-Changes, Second Chance Reunion, Multicultural & Interspecies Relationships, Romantic Schemes, Dangerous & Deadly, Romantic Suspense, Mystery & Intrigue, Mythical Creatures, Action & Adventure, Violence & Crime Story, SciFi Fantasy Romance, Hearts Desire, Futuristic, Beautiful & Feisty, Genetic Engineering Fiction, Fated Mates Romance, Furever Shifter Mates, Jackson Valley Shifters, Collection & Anthology
Publisher: Lovestruck Romance Publishing, LLC
Published: 2020-03-14T04:00:00+00:00

11

Derek couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so content. Or if he ever had. The sun was setting over the mountains, casting a hazy pink and orange glow across the living room. Zach had been completely enamored with Derek, and in truth, the feeling was mutual. After talking his ear off, giving him a guided tour of his temporary bedroom that would rival any museum tour, and plying him with umpteen artistic creations, the kid had fallen asleep sprawled across his lap, his blond tufts of hair looking bleach-white against Derek’s suntanned arm. The kid was smart and tough, a ball of energy that just zoomed from place to place, subject to subject. Even in sleep, his small fist was curled into a ball, ready to practice the kung fu moves he’d been showing Derek earlier in the evening.

Derek hardly remembered his own mother, which was fine. The memories he did have of her were of a shadow of a woman—thin, drawn, and strung out on drugs. He couldn’t say he’d ever really “known” her when she’d been alive because as far back as he could remember, she’d been absent from her own body. He did, however, remember his stepfather. Those memories were horrid and vile, the kind that no one should ever possess. His childhood had been a harsh experience that he didn’t ever like to dwell on. Seeing Zach growing up with a loving mother, and by all accounts a grandmother he loved, who helped out where she could, made Derek feel strangely comforted.

“He’s a great kid,” he whispered softly to Red, who was on the couch next to him with her legs curled beneath her.

She smiled.

“Yeah, he is a great kid. Sometimes I can hardly believe he’s mine. He’s so smart and inquisitive, wants to do everything, loves meeting people…” She laughed quietly. “Where did he get all that from?”

“I know where he got the smarts from,” Derek replied. “That’s easy.”

Red shook her head.

“I wasn’t that smart as a kid. I promise you that.”

Derek didn’t believe her for a second. He could imagine Red as a girl—as tough as Zach, a red-haired fireball with a temper to boot. He grinned to himself.

“What’s his dad like?” he asked.

Red’s face clouded over almost instantly, and Derek regretted the question.

“He walked out on us. Never paid any child support. I think he’s with someone new now. He tried to get custody of Zach about a year ago. Fortunately, the courts saw right through his ‘devoted father’ routine.”

Derek nodded. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like for a mother to be parted from her son. His own mother hadn’t had a maternal instinct in her entire body, but Red clearly had it in droves.

“I’m sorry. It must be hard, raising him on your own.”

“Easier than it was with my ex. Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. And my mom’s always been there for us. It’s just… I guess he misses out on some stuff.”

Derek understood the unspoken truth. Zach would benefit from a male role model in his life, someone to take the place of an absent father.

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