He knew instantly he would protect Rachel with his life every bit as much as he would protect Stephanie with it, and he made a decision in that moment. When he left Rachel’s place today, he was going to drive out to Houston and hunt down Lewis and make him pay for what he had done to Rachel.
While part of Bastian felt like he should be grateful to Lewis for turning Rachel into a bear and making all of this possible, he knew she had suffered greatly over the last ten years, hating herself, fearing her own kind. And that was all because of Lewis. He would make him pay for that, and he would make sure Lewis could never hurt anyone else again.
While Bastian had always made it clear to the pack that they were never to buy a mate from a Matchmaker, he had always accepted that Matchmakers were a part of his world and that it was really none of his business as long as they didn’t interfere with his pack. Now he saw that he had been wrong about that. Matchmakers like Lewis ruined lives, and he was no longer willing to stand back and let that happen in his district. It was time to take control. And if he ended up leaving the pack to be with Rachel, then that would be his parting gift to them—a district free from monsters.
“Are you okay?” Rachel asked, frowning at him. “You seem like you’re a million miles away.”
“I was just thinking about something,” Bastian said. “Something I need to do. Something I should have done years ago.”
“What?” Rachel asked.
“I’ll tell you later,” Bastian said as Stephanie began to fuss in the swing. “Because right now, I think someone needs some fun.”
He lifted Stephanie from the swing and lifted her high in the air. He swooped her down and then back up again until she was laughing once more.
“We should go back inside,” Rachel said after a couple of minutes. “Stephanie is due for her nap soon and there’s a cartoon on around now that I usually let her watch to get her settled.”
“Okay,” Bastian agreed. “Lead the way.”
Rachel turned and walked toward the house. Bastian tried not to look, but he couldn’t help watching Rachel’s hips sway as she walked and the way the dress clung to her hips and her ass. How he longed to reach out and put his hand on one of those hips, to pull her back against his chest, to kiss her neck.
Bastian’s attention was pulled away from Rachel’s hips as Stephanie gurgled beside his ear and tugged on it, making him laugh again.
13
Rachel sat on one couch. Bastian sat on the other with Stephanie on his lap as she watched her cartoon. At first, Stephanie had still been hyped up from her time outside, but as Rachel watched, Bastian had gently sung to her until she was calmed down and sitting contentedly on his lap, watching the cartoon.
At that moment, Rachel had known she couldn’t deny her feelings any longer. She wanted Bastian. More than she had ever wanted anyone in her life. And it was about much more than just sex. Watching how gentle and loving he was with Stephanie, Rachel knew he was no monster, and she felt an intense rush of love for him fill her, warming her heart. She wanted this. For them to be a family.
But she knew it couldn’t happen. As much as she had accepted she had been wrong about all bears being monsters, she still didn’t want to join Bastian’s pack. And she certainly didn’t want that life for Stephanie. She wanted her to have a normal childhood, one where she went to school and made friends and did things normal kids did. She wouldn’t stop aging until she was twenty-nine and until then, she could live a normal life. Rachel knew she had to put that before her own feelings.
She also knew how hard it would be, because she couldn’t deprive Stephanie and Bastian of each other. So, assuming he wanted to be a part of Stephanie’s life, which she was almost certain he did, she would have to see him regularly, and it would just about break her to see him all of the time and not be able to kiss him, to hold him, to make love to him.
It’s called being a mother, she told herself. You make sacrifices like this for your kids.
Rachel looked at Bastian and Stephanie, again feeling the rush of love. She told herself it was only for Stephanie, but it was a lie and she knew it. She stood up and moved toward Bastian when she saw Stephanie had fallen asleep. Normally, she would let her sleep on the couch at nap time, but she knew she needed to have a conversation with Bastian about how this would work going forward, and she decided to take Stephanie upstairs to her crib.
“She’s asleep. I’ll take her up to bed,” Rachel whispered when Bastian glanced up at her.
He nodded and she took Stephanie from him, careful not to wake her. She took her upstairs and laid her in her crib, putting a thin blanket over her. She smiled down at her and gently stroked her cheek, and then she switched on the baby monitor and headed back downstairs. She turned on the monitor in the living room and then turned to Bastian.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything to drink? Or I can make some sandwiches or something if you’re hungry,” she suggested.
“I’m fine,” Bastian smiled. “Sit down and relax while you can.”
Rachel sat down on the other end of the couch Bastian was sitting on.
“So,” she said. “What happens now?”
“I guess that’s up to you,” Bastian said. “I want to be a part of Stephanie’s life, Rachel. Please don’t try to stop that from happening.”
“I won’t,” Rachel
