HIS BABY TO BEAR - SIXTEEN

C H A P T E R S I X T E E N

Libby walked right past the notebook with Jerome's name and number in it, ignoring it as she had done since he walked out that door. It was still open on the page where he had scribbled his contacts-large, looping letters and numbers that took up the majority of the available space. He was that type of person, grandiose in every way.

As she yanked on the doorknob, the doorbell rang again, and a delivery man stared back at her, his dirty hair flattened under his cap. He reached over with a pad, boredom raging in his eyes, before bothering to speak a word.

"Zayrah Magtangol package. Please sign on the dotted line," he said monotonely, a box under his arm.

Libby frowned as she signed where it was indicated, and the delivery man handed her the package. When she moved to shut the door, she thought she saw life behind those cold dead eyes, the kind of spark that had made her skin crawl in that uncomfortable, chilly way it had done ever since she had been freed from her mystery benefactor's careful attention. Before bringing the package into the living room, she slipped on the chain and double-checked the bolt lock.

Reid Andrew had a serious expression on his face as he studied a book, trying to figure out where a lamb was hiding on a picture of bushes, trees, and other animals. It was no surprise that he was constantly distracted by the image of a large, cuddly-looking grizzly bear off to one side of the image.

Libby sat down on the couch and pushed her laptop and notebook aside, placing the package in front of her. She was engrossed in a study of some new LCD screens used by one of her more prominent clients. The open Word document on the screen looked more like a jumbled mess than a coherent set of words and thoughts. The mug of chamomile tea, which was spewing wisps of steam, beckoned to her.

"Box, Mama!" " Reid Andrew said astutely, pointing to the package.

Libby smiled and nodded. "That is a small brown box, baby," she confirmed.

Reid Andrew appeared pleased with the confirmation and returned to his important toddler business. His crinkled brow as he concentrated immediately reminded her of Jerome. A lump formed in the back of her throat once more, and she cleared it, doing her damndest to ignore the irritability that came over her when she thought about how she handled the situation.

This was not one of her proudest moments. Certainly not by a long shot.

What is it about you that you manage to muck up all of those situations? Libby questioned herself, rolling her eyes at the melodrama.

This was not how she had hoped it would turn out. Her original plan had included not burdening Jerome with the knowledge that he had a child somewhere. Libby was ashamed of herself for blowing up in his face when he found out anyway. He had to be as surprised to learn as she had been to see him again in the first place.

"Reid Andrew Nicolas," Libby said quietly to herself.

It had a certain ring to it.

She gave a slight smile and shook her head. Simply put, everything was a little too much to handle. She'd just gotten used to the idea of being alone with her baby and had stopped looking over her shoulder all the time. Seeing Jerome brought everything back tenfold. While he made her crave him, he also made her remember everything about that night she'd tried so hard to forget. Not the cabin part, but the rest of it.

When she looked at the plush cream carpet in her living room, she was reminded of how blood had pooled on the one at Jonah's house. How his last words turned into gargles, and how life left his eyes, leaving only glassy depths behind. And how the man who had collapsed right in front of her on the rooftop had died in a similar manner.

It was almost morbidly amusing how everyone died in the same manner. They always died alone, whether they were alone or surrounded by others. It never seemed to change.

Her attention was drawn back to the box in an instant, as if she needed to get the darkness out of her head. She casually picked at the taped ends, looking for a return address. Libby was used to getting most of her mail and parcels through the mail and couriers, though she had begun to drift away from it in favor of actually leaving her house and yard with Reid Andrew. But it was the discomfort of being away from her sanctuary that kept her at bay. A little fear, a little worry... it all merged at one point.

When there was a heavy knock on her door, she'd managed to pull loose one end of the taped edge. He didn't ring the doorbell, but instead pounded his fist against her thick wooden door, shaking the whole damn house. Libby knew only one person who could make the world shake like that. Standing up, she wasn't sure if she desperately wanted it to be him or someone else.

"Door!" Reid Andrew declared, his gaze fixed on his picture book.

She could already picture him when he was in his teens, buried in a book or lost in his crush on a girl. If Reid Andrew was truly interested in something, even at his young age, he was already immersed in it. Libby reasoned that he had to have learned that from his father as well.

Libby stood on her tiptoes and peered through the peep hole. Her pulse quickened when she noticed the rough sweep of Jerome's collarbone and the metallic chain of his dog tags. She placed her hand on the lock and paused for a moment, thinking.

What am I supposed to say to him? She was perplexed.

"Lib, please let me in!" "I need to speak with you," Jerome yelled. "I can see you at the door, honey."

Libby sighed. That werebear hearing is a shambles. Was it his sense of smell that tipped her off? She had no idea, to be honest. So far, all she'd learned about werebears and shifters had come from a few online searches, as she tried to figure out how to raise a shifter baby without knowing what he'd be like as an adult. Another thing she wished she could have asked Jerome about.

Libby undid the door locks, resigning herself to another bout of verbal diarrhea but promising herself that she would at least try to control her emotions and temper. They clicked one by one until each one was released and she could pull the door open. She knew the locks were mostly for her own security, and that they would never deter the kind of people who had come for her the last time. The kind of people Jerome was all too familiar with.

She had to remind herself not to ogle her babydaddy when she opened the door and saw Jerome standing there in his steel gray T-shirt and faded blue jeans. Even if he was oh-so-delicious and totally worth the time it took to consume him. In a variety of ways.

She blushed and took a step back, chastising herself for her filthy mind.

"Hey," she said weakly.

Jerome noticed her reaction and smirked, winking at her. "Hello there, honey. "Thought you'd never let me in," he said casually, as if she hadn't yelled at him the day before.

"Where has my little soldier gone?"

" he yelled, striding into the living room and picking up Reid Andrew as if it were the most natural thing to do after dropping a yellow paper bag on the carpet.

Libby followed him in, coming to a halt and leaning against the door frame. Her light-colored living room, with its peach couches and open spaces, provided an odd backdrop for the rugged, sexy man holding her baby in the center of it. He was dark and dangerous, whereas her life was supposed to be light and joyful. But the more she looked at them, the more she wondered if it wasn't her life hiding behind the bright colors. Perhaps Jerome was the more positive and happy of the two of them.

His face lit up as he swung Reid Andrew around, lifting him high above his head to the rhythm of Reid Andrew's excited squeals and giggles. Libby smiled as she saw the two of them reunited. There was an undeniable spark between them. Reid Andrew was a happy boy to begin with, but he seemed to warm up to Jerome. She'd never seen him so ecstatic to see anyone, let alone on the second time they'd met.

"Have you been making any forts lately, hmm?" " Jerome inquired, swooping Reid Andrew to the ground with a controlled but quick motion that made Libby's heart skip a beat.

But, of course, Jerome was in complete command. He was not going to let anything happen to his son.

He has a son.

When that realization hit Libby, she felt a shudder run through her body. Jerome was now sitting on the floor with Reid Andrew, animatedly discussing Reid Andrew's block fort from the day before and the book Reid Andrew was offering to Jerome. She laughed when Jerome pointed out the big bear with the slightly goofy face in the picture book.

"Real bears are much bigger than that." Do you have any idea how big a bear is? " Jerome inquired solemnly, waving his hands several lengths away from himself. "This big, this big, this big, this big, this big, this big, this big, this big, this big, this big, " He scooped his arms as wide as he could.

Reid Andrew mimicked Jerome by raising his hands over his head and wiggling his little fingers. "This huge!" "

"Yeah! That's what I'm referring to. "You need to know how big you're going to be, you know," he joked.

Jerome cast a glance at Libby, and her smile softened slightly. She didn't want to ruin their fun, but if she let it go on much longer, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to tell him to leave again. Lord was well aware that she did not want to.

"Didn't you say you needed to talk?"

she inquired, trying to maintain a neutral tone.

"Right. Sorry. I got a little carried away," he admitted, almost shyly. "I had something for Reid Andrew," I said.

Jerome took a stuffed bear from the yellow bag. It wore a tartan bandana around its neck and wore a dark brown coat. It was just big enough to hug comfortably. It said "Reid Andrew" in a thick, masculine font on one foot.

"Is it all right if I give him this?" " he asked, keeping the bear behind his back despite Reid Andrew's attempts to lean to either side to see what he was doing.

Libby nodded and smiled sadly. Those pesky tears were gathering in her eyes once more, and she tried to push them down before one fell down her cheek. That man knew how to tug at her heartstrings. And he didn't even know who she was!

"You're right, Jerome. It's fine," she said.

Jerome grinned and took the bear from behind his back, holding it in his hand and pointing at it as he looked at Reid Andrew intently.

"Do you have any idea what this is, Reid Andrew?" he inquired.

Reid Andrew did not pause for a second. "Bear! " He called proudly, and Jerome let him take the teddy from his grasp.

Reid Andrew stared in awe at Jerome, then laughed and made his teddy fly up like Jerome had done to him before.

"I think he likes it," Libby whispered.

"I think you're right," Jerome agreed, beaming with self-satisfaction.

He scuffed his hand through Reid Andrew's dark hair before dragging himself off the floor and standing tall. He was so tall that his head almost touched the middle-of-the-room light fixture.

"May we speak now?" he inquired, his tone becoming more solemn.

Libby motioned for him to follow her with a nod. Every step seemed to take an eternity as her insides fought against each other, trying to figure out how the hell she was supposed to feel about everything. Nothing would have made her happier than to have Jerome spend more time with her and her baby. After all, he was Reid Andrew's father, and Reid Andrew deserved to know him. Especially since Jerome could provide him with something that Libby couldn't: not only fatherly love, but also understanding as a shifter. As someone to learn about one aspect of him that Libby couldn't even pretend to comprehend.

It had only manifested in Reid Andrew being a strong climber and physically developing much faster than other children, but Libby was concerned about what would happen when he began shifting. When the hormones kicked in, he'd be confused and scared because he had no idea what was going on and no one to turn to for advice.

Jerome, on the other hand, was a mercenary. A man who solved problems for a living and possibly killed on a daily basis. There was no guarantee that he would return to them after a mission. And she couldn't sleep at night knowing he was out there, risking his life and possibly abandoning Reid Andrew. Wouldn't it be better if the boy never knew him, rather than the very real possibility that one day, after they'd already bonded, he'd just stop showing up?

They entered the kitchen, and as Jerome entered, she peered out the door to make sure Reid Andrew was still playing on the floor with his teddy. Libby came to a halt next to the counter where she'd been standing the last time they talked in her kitchen, confident that he wasn't too far away. Unlike before, the kitchen was bright and cheerful this time, which was completely contrary to their moods.

"So, what do you want to discuss with me?"she asked defensively, noticing that she had crossed her arms over her chest instinctively.

"I have a deal for you," Jerome said, a spark burning in his eyes.