She stared at him, speechless, for a while before a car horn seemed to make her shake herself, and she looked toward the door and then back at him. “Give me a moment.” She got off him and walked out of the room.
He waited for her to come back. Zack walked into the room.
“Where’s Sandy?”
He pointed toward the door.
“Why did you let her leave?”
Getting off the lounge, he stalked over to Zack. “I didn’t let her leave. Unlike you, I went after her.”
“Well, where the hell is she then?” Zack snarled back.
Jake felt his clothes rip as his bear took over because he was angry that Zack had done nothing to go after their mate. Muscles stretched and fur grew as he and Zack both turned into bears.
A scream and a yell had them both turning in their bear forms to see Sandy and her brother standing in the lounge room entry. Sandy’s brother looked white as a ghost as he pushed Sandy behind him. She went willingly for a moment then seemed to look at the both of them in their fighting stance.
Sandy came around her brother, avoided his trying to pull her back, put her hands on her hips, and snarled, “You two boys were not about to fight, were you?” They moved farther apart.
“You weren’t fighting over me, were you?”
He and Zack both hung their massive heads. Sandy came over and smacked both of them. She shocked Jake when she knew which bear was which. “Jake, who started this?”
Sandy patted Zack. “Change back now. You’re scaring my brother.”
He and Zack both changed back. Jake watched as Sandy’s brother Philip leaned against the wall.
“What the hell are you two?”
Sandy spun to face her brother. “You’re joking, right? They’re bear shifters, you idiot. Hence, us walking in on two massive bears fighting.” She turned back to them and came up to Jake. “I leave you for two minutes, and you’re fighting Zack. What the hell, Jake?”
He shot a glare at Zack who grinned at him. “Ah, Little Red, we were just playing right, Zack?”
Sandy turned to Zack who muttered, “Um, yeah.”
“Crap. You two suck at lying right now, but I have a bigger problem now. What do we do with my brother now that he knows?”
Jake had no clue. He looked Philip up and down. “You going to tell anyone what you saw?”
Philip shook his head frantically. “Who the hell would believe me anyway? I would be committed.”
****
Zack couldn’t believe what Sandy had done for him. After he’d gotten over the shock of her sticking up to his mother and saying how she loved him, he had the courage to do what he wanted to do. He’d called his mother back and told her that he was disappointed that she wasn’t happy with any of his career choices and that she hadn’t even seen his shop to judge him. He’d even told her he wasn’t going to the engagement party because he didn’t support his sister being persuaded into marrying someone she didn’t love.
He and his mother had a huge argument. He’d ended by telling his mother that if she ever spoke to his mate like she did today, he would publicly disown her, and she would never see any grandchildren he had or him again.
The whole drive back to Sandy’s place, his mind had been going a million miles an hour. His mate had stuck up for him and loved him for who and what he was, tattoos and all.
He wanted to tell her he loved her but in a big way. Zack had already had an idea the other day when she’d visited him at work, but now it was more fully formed in his mind.
At the self-defense class, he couldn’t focus and his bear wanted to be at home snuggling with their mate, not teaching her how to defend herself.
When they arrived home after self-defense class, he sat quietly thinking things over as he ate dinner. Together they watched some TV before Sandy went to bed. He stayed up and designed his surprise for his little firebird.
Chapter Eight
Sandy’s alarm went off but she was scared to get out of bed. What if she got fired? What if she lost her house because she couldn’t find another job? What if…?
“You’re thinking too hard,” Jake murmured
She groaned and got out of bed. “Where’s Zack?”
“He had to go meet a contractor at six, so he snuck out. He didn’t want to wake you. We know the last couple of days have been big ones.”
They’d arrived last night at her house and relaxed for a while before they had to go to self-defense class. Sandy tried to get out of going, but Jake and Zack both ganged up on her. If they or her brothers weren’t around, she needed to know how to defend herself.
Zack had been quiet all night and didn’t say anything about not going to his sister’s engagement party. He didn’t say much at all after her brother left. She tried not to let it bother her, but he still hadn’t said anything to her about the conversation with his mother. The worrying was winning.