Papa Bear (Finding Fatherhood Book 1) by Kit Tunstall, Kit Fawkes Page A
Authors: Kit Tunstall, Kit Fawkes
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shot her a curious look. “What has you so excited? Did you see the news article about Calderon’s indictment?”
She nodded. “I did, but that wasn’t why I was excited. The parole committee voted not to let my mother out early, at least this time. That means she’s in there for a few more years.”
He came to stand beside her, putting his arm around her waist as he hugged her against him. “Congratulations, love.”
She snuggled closer to him as she put a hand on Angel’s back. The baby was starting to hold up her own head, but she was a bit young for that according to the research Libby had undertaken in an attempt to learn the ins and outs of motherhood as quickly as possible. “And congratulations to you too.”
He nodded. “An indictment isn’t a conviction though, and a grand jury is a lot easier to sway than a regular jury. There are a thousand ways it could still go wrong, and he could walk free, but I’m putting my trust in the justice system that it won’t play out that way.”
“That reminds me... The lease agreement for your building also came in the mail.” She handed him the envelope. She hadn’t opened it, but she was certain it was simply copies of the paperwork they had signed a couple of days ago. Lucas was leaving the U.S. Marshals, no longer wanting to be away from his family for assignments that could last for weeks or months on end, and wanting to avoid future emotional entanglements in people’s lives when the outcome could be so murky. He’d decided to take more direct action, and he was starting his own security firm.
She knew he’d recruited a couple of his friends, and though she hadn’t met them yet, because they were both traveling to reach them, she also knew they were shifters. She was happy with the turn of events, though she would have been happier still if Lucas had chosen a desk job, or to run the administrative side of the security agency, but she knew that wouldn’t have made him happy.
He would have been safe, but miserable, if he didn’t have a hands-on role in helping people and protecting them. This was the safest option that would allow him to be home the most amount of time, and that was important—especially since their small wedding ceremony was coming up in the next few weeks. When he had proposed just two days after they had recovered Angel, she hadn’t even allowed him to finish the question before she’d said yes. It just felt right, and she had trusted he was correct in his assessment that the social worker wouldn’t try to block the adoption.
Marla had been surprisingly accommodating when she’d learned they were engaged. Libby suspected Lucas had somehow influenced her, but she hadn’t asked for details. She didn’t care if he had intimidated the other woman into the decision as long as she became Angel’s mother legally alongside her soon-to-be husband. They were still a few weeks away from the final adoption hearing, but their attorney seemed confident everything would proceed smoothly, even with Libby’s criminal record. In light of the circumstances, and her age at the time, he was confident it wouldn’t even be a factor in the judge’s decision to grant the adoption.
Everything was falling into place, and she was confident about their future. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t dwelling on her past or forcing herself to give up something she wanted because of it. Instead, she was with her mate and her daughter, who would soon be legally theirs, and they were all safe. As long as Javier Calderon remained in prison, they were unlikely to be in danger again. If he got off on a technicality or some other snafu occurred, they’d worry about that then, but she was done living in fear or worrying about things she couldn’t change. She wanted to make the most of each day she had with Lucas and Angel, starting right then.
******
If you enjoyed “Papa Bear,” look for “Guardian Cougar,” the next in the Finding
She nodded. “I did, but that wasn’t why I was excited. The parole committee voted not to let my mother out early, at least this time. That means she’s in there for a few more years.”
He came to stand beside her, putting his arm around her waist as he hugged her against him. “Congratulations, love.”
She snuggled closer to him as she put a hand on Angel’s back. The baby was starting to hold up her own head, but she was a bit young for that according to the research Libby had undertaken in an attempt to learn the ins and outs of motherhood as quickly as possible. “And congratulations to you too.”
He nodded. “An indictment isn’t a conviction though, and a grand jury is a lot easier to sway than a regular jury. There are a thousand ways it could still go wrong, and he could walk free, but I’m putting my trust in the justice system that it won’t play out that way.”
“That reminds me... The lease agreement for your building also came in the mail.” She handed him the envelope. She hadn’t opened it, but she was certain it was simply copies of the paperwork they had signed a couple of days ago. Lucas was leaving the U.S. Marshals, no longer wanting to be away from his family for assignments that could last for weeks or months on end, and wanting to avoid future emotional entanglements in people’s lives when the outcome could be so murky. He’d decided to take more direct action, and he was starting his own security firm.
She knew he’d recruited a couple of his friends, and though she hadn’t met them yet, because they were both traveling to reach them, she also knew they were shifters. She was happy with the turn of events, though she would have been happier still if Lucas had chosen a desk job, or to run the administrative side of the security agency, but she knew that wouldn’t have made him happy.
He would have been safe, but miserable, if he didn’t have a hands-on role in helping people and protecting them. This was the safest option that would allow him to be home the most amount of time, and that was important—especially since their small wedding ceremony was coming up in the next few weeks. When he had proposed just two days after they had recovered Angel, she hadn’t even allowed him to finish the question before she’d said yes. It just felt right, and she had trusted he was correct in his assessment that the social worker wouldn’t try to block the adoption.
Marla had been surprisingly accommodating when she’d learned they were engaged. Libby suspected Lucas had somehow influenced her, but she hadn’t asked for details. She didn’t care if he had intimidated the other woman into the decision as long as she became Angel’s mother legally alongside her soon-to-be husband. They were still a few weeks away from the final adoption hearing, but their attorney seemed confident everything would proceed smoothly, even with Libby’s criminal record. In light of the circumstances, and her age at the time, he was confident it wouldn’t even be a factor in the judge’s decision to grant the adoption.
Everything was falling into place, and she was confident about their future. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t dwelling on her past or forcing herself to give up something she wanted because of it. Instead, she was with her mate and her daughter, who would soon be legally theirs, and they were all safe. As long as Javier Calderon remained in prison, they were unlikely to be in danger again. If he got off on a technicality or some other snafu occurred, they’d worry about that then, but she was done living in fear or worrying about things she couldn’t change. She wanted to make the most of each day she had with Lucas and Angel, starting right then.
******
If you enjoyed “Papa Bear,” look for “Guardian Cougar,” the next in the Finding
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