“Neither do I,” Todd said. “Maybe we could help each other out.”

  Gracie smiled. Todd was a nice guy she’d have been thrilled to kiss before she met Leo. “It’s too soon for me,” she said, even though she had no intention of lasting until midnight.

  “Broken heart?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll settle for a handshake,” he said.

  Todd stayed with her while they ate, and then she excused herself to find Kate. But Henry found her first. He grabbed her hand. “You have to see the stars.”

  They stepped outside on the back porch and Gracie gazed up into a dark-blue sky with stars shining brightly. “It’s so pretty.”

  The deck spanned the back of the house, and Henry took her to the edge of the porch that was away from the keg. “I realize this is a hard time for you, but I can barely keep my secret. I’m going to ask Kate to marry me.”

  “What? Oh my gosh, Henry!”

  He chuckled. “Think she’ll say yes?”

  “She will. I’m so excited for you two.”

  “Thanks.” He frowned. “You don’t think it’s too soon for Kate, do you? Because I can’t imagine my life without her.”

  Gracie shook her head. “She’s completely in love with you, too.”

  Henry said, “I know it sounds crazy but I’m sure she’s my soul mate. Since our first date, I’ve known she was the other half of me I didn’t realize I was looking for.”

  “Aww, you are so sweet. I think you’re right. I knew you before Kate came along.”

  “I was kind of grumpy, wasn’t I?”

  Gracie smiled because he did get cranky often before he met Kate. “A little. You are definitely much happier with her in your life. I’m glad you found the woman who makes you feel complete.”

  “And you were happier with Leo in your life.”

  Gracie’s throat tightened.

  He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “Sorry, I don’t mean to… Did you see that?”

  A streak of white had slashed through the sky, and Gracie said, “A shooting star!”

  “Make a wish.”

  Gracie immediately wished for a way to be with Leo and then chastised herself for not picking something more attainable.

  Henry asked, “What did you wish for?”

  She ignored his question and teased, “I bet you wished for Kate to say yes.”

  “I didn’t need to. My friend Gracie told me she would.” Gracie smiled, and Henry said, “I wished that you would realize that Leo is your soul mate.”

  “Henry.”

  “You’re miserable. And I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re with Leo. That man looks at you as if there’s nobody else in the world. He told me that he knew from the first time he saw you that you were his forever.”

  She couldn’t argue with that now that she understood about true mates.

  “I don’t know what happened between you two,” Henry said. “But I do know he’s the man for you, Gracie. Find a way to forgive the person you belong with, because this kind of happiness doesn’t come along every day.” He chuckled. “Don’t be a grumpy Henry. Go get your other half back.”

  She gave him a weak smile.

  “I’m going back inside. You coming?”

  While it was cold, Gracie wasn’t ready to go back to the party. “I’m going to stay out here a little while longer.”

  Henry nodded before he left her.

  Gracie stood gazing at the stars and wished the decision to be with Leo was as easy as Henry made it seem. But she couldn’t get past living in a world that was as dangerous as her mother said it was. Risk taking was not something Gracie did.

  “What a lovely evening.”

  Gracie jumped at the sound of Richard’s voice, and she stared in surprise at the older couple walking through the snow toward her.

  “Not too cold or too hot.” Donna said.

  Gracie noticed that the two were wearing light jackets without hats or mittens. The way Leo does.

  “You two aren’t cold?”

  “Not at all. Our blood runs hot.” Donna said. “Did you know Richard’s seventy-eight? And—well, I’m a bit younger.”

  Gracie shook her head, as she recalled Leo saying his internal temperature was higher than a human’s. The two older folks were rather tall as well. “Wait. Are you two…”

  “We are,” Richard said.

  Gracie wasn’t sure if she’d get the information she needed from the older couple, but she had a feeling they were traipsing through the snow in the backyard of her home because they’d come to see her. “Are you two here because of Leo?”

  “We are,” Richard said. “We fear you don’t have all the information you need to be with your true mate.”

  Donna said, “We’ll answer any difficult questions you may have in an objective manner.”

  It occurred to Gracie that Donna had revealed their ages to let her know one could live a long time as a werebear. She said, “I need you to be one-hundred percent honest with me. Have you ever been in danger?”

  “Asks a woman who intentionally locks her feet into two boards to rush down a mountain,” Richard said.

  Gracie chuckled as she hugged herself to ward off the cold. “Okay. But I think you know what I mean.”

  Donna pulled a scarf from her neck. “Our world isn’t necessarily more dangerous than yours, it’s just different. Did Leo tell you about our healing abilities?”

  Gracie shook her head.

  Donna draped the scarf around Gracie’s neck. “We survive injuries that would kill a human, and it only takes us a couple of days to heal.”

  Richard took her hands in his and rubbed to warm her fingers. “We don’t have the diseases humans get either.”

  “But my mother…” Gracie felt foolish telling Donna and Richard what her mother had told her, because she was beginning to realize it might have been another one of Margo’s attempts to keep Gracie from leaving.

  Richard squeezed her fingers in his hands. “Your mother had her heart broken, and she chose to dwell on that instead of trying to find joy in her life.”

  “You won’t be able to get over Leo as easily as you would a human man,” Donna said. “You two have a connection that will never break, and I dare say you’ll compare every man to him for the rest of your life. The reality of a man like Leo as your lifelong partner is that you’ll always have love. And isn’t that all we need?”

  Gracie imagined coming home to someone who didn’t expect her to wait on them or criticized her every decision.

  “You are destined to be in our world,” Richard said. “In fact, most humans who change say they feel as if they finally fit in.” He gave her a kind smile. “I imagine you were afraid of skiing before you tried it, but you found a way to get over that fear. It’s time to be brave again, my dear.”

  Richard was right that she’d never felt as if she fit in her world. Besides, it would be nice to have someone who asked about her day and cared about what she said. Because that was love. And it was what she wanted. All she needed to do was let go of her fear. She gazed up at the stars and realized her wish had already come true.

  CHAPTER 20

  Leo

  It had been a long last day at Sugar Mountain for Leo. His skis clunked into the locker room rack where he set them, and he let himself scowl. He’d tried hard to keep a smile on his face all day. Fortunately, he’d been busy, but it hadn’t seemed to keep him from thinking about Gracie. He was struggling to believe she could let him go so easily. She had to have been feeling as awful as he was.

  He wanted to go to her and understand why she couldn’t be with him. He needed more than an I can’t. But he had told her that he’d respect her decision, and he wasn’t going to push. When he moved toward the lockers, Leo was surprised to find Gracie waiting for him at his locker.

  “Hi,” she said.

  Leo took the shy smile she gave him as a positive sign, and his heartbeat quickened. “Hi. How are you?”

  “I’m okay. I miss you.”

  His heart flipped with hope. “I miss you too. It’s been a long couple of days.”

  “Yeah. I know you said this is your last day, but can we talk after I’m done with work?”

  “Of course.” He had been avoiding leaving anyway, and he figured packing up to go, if that was what he had to do, could wait another day. “Can I take you out somewhere?” He smiled to let Gracie know he was trying to joke with his next words. “Or are you going to break my heart a little more?”

  Gracie smiled back. “I’m not going to break your heart, but we do have some serious things to talk about.”

  “Gracie?” Leo glanced left and then right, wanting to let out a whoop of joy. “Does this mean I can kiss you?”

  She giggled as she nodded.

  Leo grabbed her face to kiss her. He pulled back and laughed softly. “Whatever it is you need, you’ve got it, because you’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”

  “Good.” Gracie’s smile was like the sun coming up to warm Leo, and he smiled back so hard his cheeks hurt. She tilted her head toward the door. “I have to get back, but I’m done at five.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  Leo only had an hour to kill, but it felt like forever until Gracie returned to the locker room.

  Her lock rattled on the metal hook as she dialed the combination, and she said, “Can we go to your house?”

  “Yeah, of course,” Leo said. “I can even make you dinner if you want.”

  “I’d love that,” she said as she pulled on her coat, and they made small talk as they walked to their cars. Gracie followed Leo to his cabin.

  When they were inside, he got Gracie a glass of wine and opened himself a beer before they moved to sit on the couch. His insides were jittery with nerves as he waited for her to be comfortable enough to talk.

  After a sip of wine, she said, “Tell me more about the pain of changing.”

  He frowned. “Is that really what you want me to lead with?”

  She chuckled. “I like to know what I’m in for.”

  “You want to change?”

  “I do, Leo.” She set her wine glass down on the coffee table with a thump. “I’m choosing happiness. I want a life with you, and I’m prepared to leave Sugar Mountain to have it. I want to live in your big clan and swim in cold rivers as a bear. I want to catch and eat salmon. I can do that, right?”

  He grinned at her. “You can, and you’re going to love how they taste.”

  “Cool. Can I come back to visit here?”

  “Not right away, but eventually, yes,” he said, “you can come back to visit.”

  “Good.” The couch creaked as she moved closer to him and placed a hand on his chest. “Because I plan to have babies to show off one day.”

  “Babies?” Leo stared at her mouth, wanting to taste her sweet lips.

  “Uh-huh, and you know what that means.” She gave him a sly smile.

  “I need to learn to change a diaper?”

  “Leo!” She slapped his arm.

  He pulled her into his arms. “Got plans tonight?”

  She clutched at his shirt and gazed up at him with excitement and desire in her eyes. “My plans are you. Any way I can have you.” She slid her hands under his flannel and over his shoulders to help him remove the shirt. And when she moved to the hem of his T-shirt, he nearly tore it off so that he could feel the softness of her palms on his skin.

  “You’re practically perfect,” she said as she dragged her finger over his chest. She dropped her gaze but then looked back at him with what he believed was confidence. “I want to see all of you.”

  “You know I think you’re perfect too,” he said as he stood and held out a hand to her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I want to see all of you too.”

  She smiled at him and dropped his hand to grab the bottom of her top. Slowly, she lifted it up and over her breasts before tugging it over her head. She took a shaky breath as she stood with her shoulders back, and Leo let out a low moan as he gazed at her milky white breasts held in white satin.

  “Pants,” she said as she gazed at his crotch.

  Leo stripped off his jeans and underwear and was pleased to hear her gasp softly at the sight of him. She stepped forward and gripped his cock, making him sigh at the pleasure of her touch. She whispered, “I want you deep inside of me.”

  His chest rumbled with a low growl before he said, “That’s exactly where I want to be. Pants?” he teased.

  Gracie slithered out of her jeans and panties and then turned to walk toward his bedroom, stripping off her bra as she did. He followed her and pressed himself against the back of her when she stopped walking. He had the urge to bend her over and take her quickly, but he thought his mate would want a slow burn, so he reached up to cup her breasts and fluttered kisses along her neck and shoulder.

  She arched her back and moaned, and he rubbed his thumbs over her hardened nipples before she turned to face him. She smiled up at him as she grabbed his cock and moved backward to the bed. Leo reached between her legs to find her slick center, and he slid his fingers across her clit in a small circular motion until she was squirming beneath him.

  “You like that.”

  “I do.” She sank to the bed and climbed backward to lie down.

  He placed himself on his knees over her and inserted two fingers into her channel to find her magic spot. Gracie bucked up and began to ride his hand as her moans increased in volume. He watched her as she responded to him openly and without a hint of shyness. His balls throbbed with his own passion as he focused on making Gracie come.

  She tensed for a moment and the walls of her channel flexed around his fingers before she let out the cry of her release. She was still trembling when he guided his cock into her. He tried to take things slow, but when Gracie said, “Faster,” Leo was happy to comply. Her sweet cries urged him on, and his release crashed over him like an avalanche.

  Supporting himself with his arms, he stayed inside of her as she trembled with her aftermath beneath him. She gazed at him with the look of a satiated woman. “Do you have any idea how much I adore you?” he asked.

  She smiled. “Probably as much as I adore you.”

  When Leo began to slip out of her, he lowered himself to lie beside Gracie. She lifted up on an elbow. “I want to know everything, and I can’t wait to meet your family.”

  Leo chuckled, and he fielded her questions until both of their stomachs were growling. He continued to tell her about being a werebear while he made them pasta and they ate dinner. And then they retreated to his bed for more lovemaking.

  As they lay spent in each other’s arms and Gracie had run out of questions she said, “When can I meet your family?”

  EPILOGUE

  Gracie

  The bedroom Gracie shared with Leo was lit by morning light through the window as she stood naked in front of a full-length mirror. While they kept their bedroom cool, she found she was too hot to sleep in pajamas. Her body had changed when she went through the transformation to become a werebear. While her muscles had become more defined, it was how she viewed herself now that had been the most dramatic difference. In her new world she looked normal, and she realized that she had been and was a pretty girl.

  She splayed her fingers on the taught skin over the bulge of her stomach that contained her unborn children. Triplets! Gracie was still trying to imagine how she’d manage to take care of three babies, but she wasn’t worried. Leo’s family would help. Werebear clans were close-knit communities that raised their children together. Leo was right when he told her that she’d have an instant family. She recalled how quickly she’d felt as if she’d finally found a place where she fit in, the way Richard had told her she would.

  She’d even met her father, David, who wasn’t the monster Margo had made him out to be. He was a wonderful man who had found a true mate, and Gracie had half sisters and brothers who had been just as excited to meet her as she was them. She grabbed Leo’s flannel from the floor, and the fabric was soft on her arms as she put it on for warmth. She’d learned that her father had sent generous child support to care for his daughter, money she suspected her mother had hoarded for herself. But Gracie wasn’t angry with Margo for it. Her mother had felt abandoned, and Gracie understood how that had impacted Margo’s life.

  Gracie had hope that her mother’s life was improving. She knew that David had gone to see Margo to apologize again for the way things had to be and to give her some kind of closure. While her mother wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine now, David must have said something that prompted the woman to make an effort to mend her relationship with Gracie. Margo expressed an interest in seeing her grandchildren once they were born and had even called to wish Gracie and Leo a Merry Christmas. It might be too much to wish for, but Gracie imagined her mother coming to visit for the holidays the next year. And maybe, one day, Margo would choose happiness.

  Gracie thought about where life had taken her over the last year, and she smiled when she recalled the first time she’d seen Leo and let a Wow slip out of her mouth. She had no idea then how that meeting was just the beginning of her new, wonderful life. The one she’d been destined to have all along.

  “Hey.” Leo’s voice was groggy as he moved to stand by Gracie. He had the day off and she’d let him sleep in. “What time is it?”

  “Not quite eight.”

  He moved behind her to place his hands on her belly. “I guess I need to be pregnant to get up early. You’re not worrying, are you? Because you are going to be a fantastic mother.”

  “And you’re going to be an awesome father.” Gracie turned to him. “I was thinking about Tracy and Henry and Kate.”

  “You miss them.”

  “I do.”

  “Then let’s go visit.”

  Gracie had kept in touch with her three closest friends at Sugar Mountain. She and Leo had also gone to Henry and Kate’s wedding the past summer, but she still felt as if she’d just disappeared when she quit her job at Sugar Mountain to leave with Leo. She’d wanted to stick out the winter season to keep from leaving Tracy short-handed, but her boss insisted that Gracie follow the man who made her so happy back to Orono.