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  Ruth stroked his shoulders, running her fingers down his back, scratching his skin. His thrusts became more urgent, and she wrapped her legs around him, urging him on. In and out, the friction of their bodies creating static electricity that crackled and sparked as her fingertips stroked his arms.

  Hooking her hands over his shoulders, she ground her hips down onto him. Urging him deeper, harder, as her orgasm raced toward her. Michael lunged into her, his breathing ragged, then he tensed and his essence spurted into her. He balled the covers in his fists, crying out her name.

  Ruth adjusted the angle of her body and with each movement, Michael’s body grazed her clit. Her orgasm rushed toward her and she came, throbbing and pulsing around him, making his orgasm last longer, until he was utterly and completely spent.

  “That was incredible,” he whispered in her ear as he lay across her body, his lips kissing her skin.

  “There’s something I want to ask you.” Ruth’s tone caught his attention and he lay by her side, his face searching hers.

  “Anything.”

  Ruth sat up in bed and reached for her purse, which she’d dropped on the floor by the side of the bed. Opening it, she took out a small box. “Will you marry me?”

  Michael jolted back in surprise. “Yes.”

  “You don’t want to think about it?”

  “No, I mean, I have been thinking about it. But I never had a chance to buy you a ring.”

  Ruth opened the small box and showed him the engagement ring her mom had left to her in her will. “I didn’t know if I wanted to wear it. But having Frankie here, and meeting Jason and Jenny…”

  “Take your time.” Michael kissed her cheek, cradling her head in his hands.

  “I don’t want to forget the past. I don’t want to forget my mom. I want to wear this ring to remind me to live in the present. To enjoy each day as it comes. To celebrate those we share the journey with.”

  Michael took the ring from the box and slid it on her finger. “I can’t wait for you to be my wife.”

  “And I can’t wait for you to be my husband, and Jason and Jenny’s dad.” She looked at the ring on her finger. She didn’t need to run from her past, or fear that history might repeat itself.

  She was her own person. Even if part of her belonged to the man by her side. The man she loved. The father of her soon-to-be children, Jason and Jenny. And she could not be happier.

  Instead of tying her down, they were giving her freedom, to love and be loved.

  Epilogue

  “There won’t be any peas left if you keep eating them,” Frankie told Jason.

  “I made sure we picked extra.” Ruth picked up a basket and set it on the table. “Help yourself.”

  Jason took another handful, and grinned at Frankie, who said, “Ruth is going soft. When I was a kid, she would’ve told me off.”

  “That’s not true. You got away with stuff all the time.” Ruth shook her head at Frankie. “Jason and Jenny will think I’m an old dragon.”

  “Never,” Jenny replied, her eyes wide. “We’ve seen the dragon. She’s scary.”

  Michael entered the kitchen and set a bucket down on the table. “Fiona’s not that bad.”

  “Bucket off the table, please,” Ruth told her new husband in her best schoolteacher voice. “Or I’ll turn into a fire-breathing dragon myself.”

  Michael lifted the bucket and set it down on the floor. “Who wants to come and help me feed the deer?” That got everyone’s attention. Jenny and Jason immediately left their seats.

  “Are these the secret treats?” Jason asked, kneeling beside the bucket, which Michael had covered over with an old feed sack.

  “They might be,” Michael replied, winking at his wife, who smothered a smile.

  “Are you ever going to tell us what the secret recipe is?” Jenny asked hopefully. She’d fallen in love with the deer that visited the forest and had given them all names.

  “Why aren’t you keeping it a secret?” Ruth asked theatrically.

  “I am,” Michael told her. “But it’s a family secret.”

  “Not fair,” Jenny replied. Michael chuckled and winked at Ruth.

  Frankie looked up, as she slid the peas out of a plump juicy pod. “What’s going on?”

  Ruth’s eyes went wide. “Nothing.”

  “Oh, come on, you two should never consider a career in acting, you’re such hams.” Frankie then asked enthusiastically, “Do I get to know the secret recipe?”

  “Yes, since you are family.” Michael looked down at Jason and Jenny.

  “So, you’re going to tell Frankie, but not us?” Jason asked bluntly.

  “No, I’m going to tell you as well.” Michael nodded at Ruth.

  “But we aren’t family. Not yet,” Jenny answered. The adoption process had been tough on the two children, stretching on for months. Their excitement and enthusiasm had slowly been eroded, leaving them impatient to start their new lives.

  “Aren’t you?” Ruth asked, sliding a piece of paper onto the table.

  “You’re kidding?” Frankie’s face lit up as the news hit her. “I’m an aunty!”

  “You mean…” Jason looked stunned, and Jenny threaded her fingers through his, needing his presence to give her strength.

  “Really?” Jenny’s sweet voice asked before a sob erupted from her small body. “We get to stay here. With you?”

  Ruth’s eyes filled with tears, tears filled with happiness for the two lost souls before her. They were anchored in her heart, just as Michael was. The four of them belonged together. The journey might have been filled with sadness and loss, but the four of them, together, could put that all behind them.

  “Want to see your rooms?” Michael asked.

  “Now?” Jason replied eagerly.

  “Dean and Elizabeth brought all your stuff over this afternoon. They thought you might like to sleep over tonight. Tomorrow, we could go into Bear Creek and buy them a thank you gift.” Ruth put the peas from her pod into the bowl on the table. “Want to go see?”

  “Yes.” Jenny nodded, her eyes wide, her hand still clutching Jason’s.

  “Is this for real?” Jason asked, and Ruth’s heart ached for the young boy. He might believe in fairies now, but he wasn’t ready to believe things could work out for him and Jenny.

  “It’s for real.” Ruth picked up the piece of paper and passed it to him.

  Jason took it and stared at the words on the page for a couple of minutes. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face. “Can we call you Mom and Dad?”

  Ruth glanced up at Michael, his eyes were misted with tears. “We’d like that.”

  She’d been a mother to her siblings, but she’d always been Ruth, their sister. With Jason and Jenny, she truly was a mother.

  “Shall we go and see your rooms?” Michael asked, his voice hoarse with unashamed emotion.

  “No.” Jason shook his head. “Not until we know the family secret.”

  Michael laughed, a deep belly laugh, that infected them all. “Well, since we are all family.” He lifted the bucket up and removed the cover. The children, and Frankie, all looked at the contents eagerly. “You can try some if you want?”

  “What is it?” Frankie asked, her nose wrinkling up.

  “Pecans and blueberries. The deer love them.” Michael looked around the room. “Just like I love all of you.”

  Ruth went to her husband and wrapped her arms around him. “Lucky bear strikes again.”

  “I need a name change,” Michael told her, his lips brushing against her cheek. “Call me happy bear.”

  Ruth nodded. They were happy. In that moment. Which was all that mattered. One moment, one breath at a time, that was how she wanted to live her life. Especially since she planned to fill each of those moments, each of those breaths with love.

  Frankie’s book is next! Sign up here and I’ll drop you an email as soon as it’s released.

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  Hero Mine

  Bear my Fate (Hero Mine Prequel Book 0)

  Hero Mine - Kurt

  Bear Bait (Hero Mine Book 1)

  READING ORDER FOR

  Bear Creek Clan and Bear Bluff Clan

  Complete Box Set

  Or available individually

  suggested reading order

  (each can be read as a standalone

  but why not start at the beginning and get to know all of the characters?)

  Rescued by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book One)

  Finding Her Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Two)

  Tamed by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Three)

  Snowbound With The Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Four)

  Biker Bear Billionaire (Bear Creek Clan Book Five)

  Bound To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book One)

  Doctor Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book Two)

  Stranded With Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Three)

  A Bride for the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book Six)

  Home Or Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Four)

  Fated To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Five)

  Lonely Bear (Bear Bluff Book Six)

  Wolf Valley Raiders

  Complete Box Set Out Now!

  Or available individually

  suggested reading order

  Redeem the Wolf

  To Catch A Wolf

  Reclaim the Wolf

  Awakening the Alpha

  Biker Bears

  Forbidden Bear

  Secret Bear

  Christmas Bear Brothers

  Complete Box Set Now Available

  Or available individually

  suggested reading order

  Santa Paws

  Christmas Catastrophe

  Bear Humbug

  Fated and Mated

  Love at First Site

  Her Scars To Bear

  Her Choice To Bear

  Her Russian Bear

  Who’s the Daddy?

  Complete Box Set Available

  Or available individually

  suggested reading order

  One Bear and a Baby

  Her Bear and a Baby

  Second Chance Bear and a Baby

  Baby Protector Bear

  Return to Bear Bluff

  Complete Box Set Available

  Or available individually

  suggested reading order

  The Bear is Back in Town

  His Bear’s Necessity

  Black Bear Down

  Who Bears Wins

  When Bears Collide

  Wish Upon A Bear

  Cowboy Brother Bears

  Complete Box Set Available

  Cowboy Bear Blues

  Cowboy Bear’s Mate

  Cowboy Bear’s Fate

  Return to Bear Creek

  Daddy Bear

  Mountain Bear

  Honey Bear

  Forever Bear

  Storm Bear

  Silverback Dragon

  P.I. Bear

  Doctor Daddy Bear

  Bad Boy Bear

  Silverback Bear

  Ranger Bear

  Christmas Bear

  Hero Bear

  Undercover Eagle

  Single Daddy Dragon

  Silverbacks and Second Chances

  Cursed Bear

  Lucky Bear

  Christmas Bears

  Sleighed

  Claused

  Wrapped

  Shifters Prime Sleeping Lions

  Complete Box Set Now Available

  Living a Lion

  Freeing a Lion

  Fighting a Lion

  Chosen by the Karal

  Complete Box Set

  Or available individually

  Deceit

  Love

  Power

  Hunger

  Devotion

  Warriors of Karal

  Stranded

  Found

  Taken

  Hunted

  Allies

  Sci-Fi Romance

  The Princess and her Alien Rogue

  The Princess and her Bounty Hunter

  Her Dragon’s Bane Serial

  Soul Of The Dragon

  Blood Of The Dragon

  Heart Of The Dragon

  Love Of The Dragon

  Fate Of The Minotaur

  Mate Of The Dragon

  Bound To The Flame - A Virgin For The Dragon

  When the dragon egg hatches for Trinity she becomes the Dragon Princess and must remain pure until the dragon comes back to claim her as his mate on her twenty first birthday.

  An Heir For The Flame (Dragon Fantasy Romance)

  The elder dragons have predicted that Trinity will conceive the new dragon child tonight. So she mates with ShanRohit under the full moon.

  Waiting For Curves (Curves For Her Wolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

  Curves For Her Wolf Doctor (The Greystone Wolves - BBW Paranormal Erotic Romance)

  Mistaken Curves (Her First Time With A Wolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

  Sold To The Wolf (Auctioned Curves For The Werewolf) (BBW Erotic Romance)

  Curves For The Lone Wolf (BBW Erotic Romance)

  An Auction Of Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)

  Anna (Curves in the Family (BBW Erotic Romance))

  Heated Curves (Curves For Her Firefighter) (BBW Erotic Romance)

  Words Unwritten (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic Romance)

  Christmas Curves (BBW Erotic Romance)

  Winning Her Curves (previously titled Virgin Curves)

  Returning For His First Love

  For The Love Of The Wolf (Erotic Romance Fairy Tales)

  Marianne : Unmarked (His) (Paranormal Shifter Romance)

  Bred By The Unicorn (Virgin Paranormal Erotic Romance)

  The Escort Box Set

  ***

  The Escort Series

  The Escort (The Escort Series Part One)(Free in some regions)

  The Escort (The Escort Series Part Two)

  The Escort (The Escort Series Part Three)

  A Curvy Christmas: Robin’s Romance (BBW Romance)

  Helen’s story:

  His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book One)

  His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book Two)

  His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book Three)

  Captured By The

  Hannoth Barbarians

  Captured By The Barbarian: Cilla Part One

  Claimed By The Barbarians: Cilla Part Two

  Taken By The Barbarians: Dinah

  Tilda - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians

  Thandor - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians

  Princess Yolanda - Captured By The Hannoth Barbarians

  Bound By The Barbarian: Tirim

  Bound To The Barbarian: Tirim Part 2 (Reluctant Gay Sex)

  Captured By The Barbarians: Scarla

  Tamed By The Barbarian: Shona Part One

  Hunted By The Barbarian: Shona Part 2

  Teaching The Barbarian: Petra

  ***

  Saved By The Pack

  Alice

  Sarah

 
The Dualis

  (Mate of the Cave Bear)

  Found (Book One)

  Lost (Book Two)

  Return (Book Three)

  Shifters Of Spellholm - The Bears

  Her First Time With A Bear (Book 1)

  Too Much To Bear (Book 2)

  Bear With Me (Book 3)

  ***

  Curves

  ***

  Curves For Her Bears (BBW Shifter Erotic Romance)

  Saving You, Saving Me (Bad Boys Love Big Girls (BBW Erotic Romance))

  Rachel (Curves in the Family Part One (BBW Erotic Romance))

  Snowbound Curves (Curves For Her Brother’s Best Friend BBW Erotic Romance)

  BBW - Curves For Her Soldier

  Longing For Her Soldier (Curves For Her Brother’s Best Friend BBW Erotic Romance)

  Return To Sender (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic Romance)

  BBW - Greystone Wolves

  A Virgin For The Wolf (Curves For Her Werewolf Boss) (BBW Erotic Romance)

  ***

  Curves For Her Cowboy (BBW Billionaire Cowboy Erotic Romance)

  Betrayed Curves

  ***

  A Virgin For The Billionaire

  Shifters in Love

  Fun & Flirty

  Fun and Flirty books are shifter romance on the lighter side brought to you by Shifters in Love. You can read more about the authors in this line HERE

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