HIS BABY TO BEAR - EIGHTEEN - FUR-FECT MATES - A SHAPESHIFTER SERIES

C H A P T E R E I G H T E E N

Jerome arrived at Libby's house an hour later, on the dot, with a fully stocked picnic basket and a plan. As he walked to the door, he left the cab running. Libby opened it before he could even knock.

He gave his sexy babymama a long look and thought, "Fuck, she looks good."

She looked stunning in a casual pair of jeans that fit her ass like they were painted on and an emerald green silky blouse. Reid Andrew, dressed in blue and white sailor stripes, clung to his bear with a serious expression.

"Waiting for me with bated breath, huh?" Jerome smirked.

"You wish," Libby retorted, but the grin on her lips told him he was right on the money.

"I like the sass, honey," he said as Libby shut the door behind her and led Reid Andrew down the path to the cab in front of her.

"Waiting for me with bated breath, huh?" Jerome smirked.

"You wish," Libby retorted, but the grin on her lips told him he was right on the money.

"I like the sass, honey," he said as Libby shut the door behind her and led Reid Andrew down the path to the cab in front of her.

"Thank you," he said to the driver before slapping some cash in his palm and exiting the cab.

Along with Reid Andrew, he assisted Libby and grabbed the picnic basket. He took Libby's hand in his and led the three of them to a table overlooking the ocean, with a patch of green forest lining it and keeping the wind at bay. There was also a small stretch of beach. They appeared to be the only ones present.

Jerome placed the basket on the table and swung his arm around the scene in a wide motion.

"Welcome to Jerome's, best restaurant here in Batangas. As long as you like sandwiches and fruit," he exclaimed, beaming.

"Wow," Libby exclaimed as she set Reid Andrew down. "This is... lovely."

She was smiling, appreciating the view of forest, sea, and sky that stretched out before her. Reid Andrew immediately waddled over to a field of harmless wildflowers and sat down in the middle of them, embarking on some serious biological experiments with the teddy bear. Jerome unloaded all the goodies he'd gathered from specialty delis, arranging them on top of a checkered cloth he'd purchased specifically for this occasion.

So he had to buy everything for this special occasion. His entire life could fit into a duffel bag, and none of its contents could be used to seduce someone. Unless they were really into guns and fistfights. While Libby had a lot of fire in her, Jerome was confident that wooing her with good conversation and thoughtful actions would be easier than scaring her senseless.

Despite the fact that he had tried it before. With a positive outcome.

"Take a seat, honey," he said, patting a seat beside him.

The unfolding scene around him reminded him of another time. Those evenings when he had tried his hardest to be the best man he could be for another woman, only to be met with heartbreak. Looking at Libby, he had his doubts that she would go out of her way to break his heart.

"So, what's the point of it all?" " Libby inquired, taking a strawberry from one of the containers opened by Jerome and nibbling on it.

"I'm making a genuine effort here," he said, chuckling. "Does it not show?" "

Even though the distance between them was only a few inches, Jerome felt it was far too close. He wished he could reach out and pull her to his side, keeping her there. But he could understand why she needed her time. It wasn't just about him and her anymore. There was also a young boy in the mix, and he had to come first.

"Yes, it does. But I'm curious about your endgame."

"Sex on the beach," he responded immediately, prompting a good-natured scoff. "However, I'll settle for a good conversation." Like we did the other night before everything went wrong. You still haven't explained why you didn't audition for band in high school. "The drum section was the best place to be," he admitted, completely unafraid of his nerdy past.

He'd been a wrestler, a member of the football team, and a member of the band. In his opinion, he had the musical hearing of a deaf elephant, but banging on drums was a lot of fun. No one could tell him otherwise, either, because he was built like a tank. Nobody messes with the state champion wrestler, no matter what he does in his spare time.

"I didn't want to be second fiddle," she chuckled.

Jerome gave her a puzzled look, and she laughed, her lovely voice as clear as a bell.

"I didn't want to be the second fiddle. The first fiddler in the band was far superior to me, which irritated me. I vowed I wouldn't try out until I could beat her, but high school ended before I could."

"And you never picked up your fiddle again," he smirked.

"Exactly."

"You're a grumpy loser, huh?" " he mocked, picking up a ham sandwich and biting into it.

"You're the one who needs to speak," Libby said.

Jerome cast a sidelong glance at her and noticed the sparkle in her eyes that put the sun to shame. She was having a good time. Thank you, God. He'd been on the verge of giving up and resigning himself to the next big failure of his life the day before, but now he had hope. He has the ability to turn this around. It only took time and genuine effort. She'd see that he wasn't just the arrogant jerk she'd always assumed him to be.

"Do you mean I don't know how to lose?"

" he yelled, his brow furrowed in mock annoyance.

"Are you sure you can? "I get the impression you don't know how to give up, Mr. Nicolas," Libby said, turning his teasing back on him.

Jerome shrugged and poured them both a glass of sparkling cider. On missions, he only drank non-alcoholic beverages, but being around Libby made him want to clean up his act for good. He aspired to be a role model, not someone Libby was embarrassed to have her child around. Their child. Reid Andrew, who was plucking out blades of grass and making some sort of pile out of them, caught his attention, and the teddy kept a close eye on him.

That child made everything worthwhile. He'd been living the life of a soldier-for-hire as a means to an end for years. He required it in order to live. He had nothing but his squad, his work, and his skills. But he now had someone to fight for. Actually, there are two. It took his breath away how quickly everything inside of him had shifted as a result of it.

His bear had settled and quieted, watching and waiting, despite the fact that he was barely caged. Instead of being a constant flurry of activity, he was now a finely tuned spring, capable of controlling himself and biding his time. Or, at the very least, he was on his way there. He was persuaded to do so by Libby and Reid Andrew. To be better than he was before.

"I don't see why I'd ever give up on something so important to me." "I'll fight until the last drop," he said, nodding.

Jerome caught Libby's attention, and she was the one who broke it by plucking another strawberry from the box. He could see the beginnings of a flush creeping up her cleavage and neck, and he was waiting for it to hit her cheeks and light her up. When she blushed around him, he loved it. It made him want to bend her over a table and give her everything she could possibly desire.

"All right, your turn. I believe we got sidetracked with our questioning game the last time. "I'll tell you whatever I can," he promised, coaxing her out of the shell he saw her retreating into.

It was critical to get her to talk. His mission was set to begin in two days. He was quickly running out of time. There weren't many things that would make him send his crew into battle without him, but making sure his wife and baby were safe and on the same page as he was would be one of them. All of the boys would get it. But only if she wanted him to be there.

"What motivated you to join the military?"

"Would you prefer the patriotic or the honest version?" " She gave him a look that told him in no uncertain terms how little she cared about the less truthful version.

Only be honest with her. That's right.

"I decided to join because I was tired of chasing my tail."

He shrugged, instinctively sniffing the air. He was getting that cold, creeping feeling he'd been getting for the past few days. He chalked it up to his nerves fucking with him, but that didn't stop him from glancing around to see if anyone else was with them at the beach. Nobody. Odd.

"I was twenty at the time, and I'd tried about a dozen different jobs." Nothing stayed. I'd get lazy, start goofing off, and eventually get fired. Worse, I'd pick a fight and cave someone in who wasn't prepared to fight a hormone-laden werebear who also happened to be a star wrestler. My clan didn't require my services. My father is still alive and well, ruling the Nicolas clan with an iron fist. So I had nothing to do at home as well. I saw a recruitment poster one day and went in on a whim, and they practically tried to cart me away right there and then."

He chuckled, reminiscing about boot camp and how he tried his old tricks on his drill sergeant. He'd finished with mud on his face before he could swing his fist for the first time. It was a harsh but necessary lesson in humility and picking one's enemies.

"How come you left?"

Libby inquired, arching her brows and offering him a small smile over the strawberry she was biting.

He considered kissing the other half of the berry to steal the other half. His cock was throbbing at the prospect of jumping her right there. But that probably wouldn't have worked with their current efforts to strengthen a reasonable relationship based on mutual respect. Oh, how he wished the relationship could also be founded on mutual fucking.

Patience.

"I didn't leave so much as I was told to get the fuck out or they'd throw me overboard in the middle of the Atlantic," he admitted. Libby appeared perplexed. "At one point, I sort of lost it."

He jumped to explain himself when her expression became cloudy. "I didn't do anything wrong in and of itself. But I also didn't do it correctly. There was... a lady. Allow me to explain, Libby! " He grumbled, noticing her delicate roll of the eyes and knowing smirk. "I thought she was the one, all right? You're aware of how shifters interact with their fated mates, aren't you?"

"Is there only one person out there for you?" she recited.

"Yes. With a few exceptions. But that's all there is to it. I was convinced she was the one. ELVIRA. I lived my life for her. For her, I tried to crawl out of my skin. She'd say something, and I'd jump in to try to fix it. But I was younger and stupider than I am now, and what I thought was love was really just lust. I flew off the handle when she dumped me.

"On one mission, we were supposed to clear out a camp of about a dozen rebel fighters, but I didn't wait for my squad." I went in alone, armed only with a knife and a lot of rage. I went through a few of them with my bare hands and that knife, and then I shifted after being shot three times. In my bear form, I killed the rest of them. I couldn't hold myself back. I also took out the person we were supposed to bring in for questioning. It wasn't a pretty sight."

Jerome could see the twist of emotions in Libby's eyes as she clapped her hand over her mouth. It wasn't what she was hoping to hear. But he had no choice but to tell her everything. Only in this manner could he hope she would ever trust him. Lies only led to more trouble, and he wanted everything with Libby to be clean and honest.

"As a result, I was kicked out. Honorary discharge, but it had nothing to do with honor. I was in one of the SEALs' first shifter squads, and they refused to admit that they may have underestimated the effects that certain things could have on shifters."

"Is it like unrequited love?" "

"Yup," he said with a chuckle. "They've tightened up their regime now, and guys like me, who are on the verge of breaking, are placed on temporary leave and given some assistance." It's decided on a case-by-case basis, whether it's in the form of time off, counseling, or something completely different."

Libby gave him a look that he recognized as compassionate and understanding. He was able to breathe more easily after that. It made his chest constrict, remembering that night when he couldn't see anything but red, when he vented his rage on the world around him. He'd promised himself he'd never be that way again, but some things were easier said than done.

That fire within him was what made him a great leader. The type of man others want to emulate-the first in, last out, always at the forefront of everything and doing everything in his power to ensure that every single member of his squad made it out alive. But it didn't make the darkness of his past any less oppressive when he reflected on it.

"How come the... organization?" she inquired, her brow furrowed.

"I've been with them for, I believe, five years. My entire team is made up of rejects, just like me. But we understand each other. We're a group of brothers. When it came down to it, that was the only option I had. Where I could be useful while also doing something I was good at. I began as a regular soldier in the ranks and worked my way up. It's not glamorous work, and we don't always get to pick our battles, but it keeps the lights on. And I'd like to believe we do more good than harm."

Of course, it wasn't called the "organization." Jerome knew it as The Firm, and he knew it was known by other names as well. The Firm was what it wanted to be, according to Jerome. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. As long as it did the right thing by him and his men and didn't harm the people Jerome cared about, he was fine with it having as many identities as it wanted.

I began as a regular soldier in the ranks and worked my way up. It's not glamorous work, and we don't always get to pick our battles, but it keeps the lights on. And I'd like to believe we do more good than harm."

His heart sped up. He did it, for sure! He jumped to his feet almost immediately and snatched the baby from Libby's arms, swinging him up to sit on Jerome's broad shoulders. Reid Andrew squealed and gasped with delight, clutching his teddy so tightly that it flopped partially on Jerome's face. He was unconcerned. Not at all.

"Lead the way, honey," he said, his southern twang creeping back into his voice.

The breeze felt cool on Jerome's skin as they walked down the beach. He must have been so cool that he didn't notice the very real feeling of being watched.ngs of his father's bad boy smirk, which he wore like a badge of honor. Jerome laughed, kissing him on the cheek and reluctantly releasing his hand from Libby's small of her back. She missed his touch as soon as he removed his hand.

"OK, fine. Let me tell you something. Make no plans for dinner. I'll be back in about an hour to take you both out."

He said it so confidently that Libby had no room to argue. Jerome winked at her and snatched the cup from her grasp, placing it safely on the counter.

"So you don't drop it again while I'm not here to catch you," Jerome said as he walked out of the kitchen with long, deliberate strides.

"See you then," she said to his retreating back, mentally chastising herself for sounding so goddamn excited.

But, on the other hand, there was no shame in that, was there? She genuinely wanted things to work out, and for Jerome to put her mind at ease that she wouldn't be hanging by the phone, terrified that he'd been shot dead in some nameless desert and would never return to see Reid Andrew again.

You're doing it for your child. She told herself that she was giving him the opportunity to meet his father.

However, a large part of her was convinced that she was doing it for herself as well. At the very least, a little. Reid Andrew was not the only one who was curious about Jerome Nicolas.