She had changed so much, too. She was dealing with her new life as a bear shifter, sure, and that was difficult to navigate and adjust to sometimes, but that’s not what she meant.
Her heart had changed. It had grown and encompassed a man who made her feel whole. And in return, he kept her safe, too. She knew, to the depths of her soul, that he loved her just as deeply as she loved him.
In the beginning, when Vlaric had destroyed her life, she hadn’t understood why. She hadn’t understood the point. But Fate had a plan all along, and Nicole just had to get through rock-bottom to see how high the heavens could really be.
She scooped up the sleepy puppy and pushed the door open, hesitated as Evan jogged toward her. She came out from behind the door, and the stunned look on his face as his gaze drifted down to the pup filled her heart completely.
“What have you done?” he whispered reverently as he slowed and approached with his hands outstretched for the puppy.
“I know you miss the sled dogs. And I think you gave them up because you were afraid to feel for your old life, but you’re ready now.” She dipped her voice to a whisper. “I know you’re ready now. We’re ready.”
His eyes were so raw, so full of emotion, as he glanced back to her and to the pup. “She’s for us?”
“She’s ours, and no one will ever take her.”
When he pulled Bingo into his arms and held her close, the little pup scrambled upward and licked all over his face.
Evan looked so happy Nicole lost it. Tears streamed down her cheeks. This is what love was. It was feeling happy when Evan was happy. It was Evan feeling happy when she was.
On the front porch, the coven was gathering. Aric and Sadey, Garret and Dawn. They poured down the porch stairs toward them and went to pieces over the new addition to their little makeshift family.
And then Nicole had another moment when Evan slipped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her tight against his side, kissed her with a silent thank you that meant the whole world to her. She’d thought all along that her life was meant to be steady. Easy. Vanilla. But that’s not what fate had in store for her. She was meant to be a bear shifter, bonding to a coven that had become her family. That had become her home. Her safe place, her steadiness, and at the pinnacle of it all?
Evan was everything she’d never known she wanted.
No matter what they faced from here on, they would face it together.
They had one lifetime to really live. To appreciate the simple moments, to take stock of every kiss, every I-love-you. One lifetime to build a life, and she had never imagined being this happy.
As she watched the coven—Sadey and Dawn stealing the puppy from Evan’s arms, making cooing sounds…Garret and Aric standing close, talking with easy smiles, and Evan…her Evan…staring at her like she was the sun and the moon…and his stars…
She knew that she had ended up exactly where she was always meant to be.
Up Next from T. S. Joyce
Quickdraw Slow Burn gets his story in the finale of the Battle of the Bulls series
Quickdraw Slow Burn (Battle of the Bulls, Book 3)
Coming November 2020
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More Series by this Author
Kaid Ranch Shifters
Steal Her Heart (Book 1)
Make Her New (Book 2)
Lift Her Up (Book 3)
Love Her Better (Book 4)
Keepers of the Swamp
Swim Deeper (Book 1)
Dig Deeper (Book 2)
Bite Deeper (Book 3)
Daughters of Beasts
Novak Grizzly (Book 1)
Beck Bear (Book 2)
Ash Bear (Book 3)
Sons of Beasts
Son of the Cursed Bear (Book 1)
Son of Kong (Book 2)
Son of the Dragon (Book 3)
Red Havoc Panthers
Red Havoc Rogue (Book 1)
Red Havoc Rebel (Book 2)
Red Havoc Bad Cat (Book 3)
Red Havoc Guardian (Book 4)
Red Havoc Bad Bear (Book 5)
Harper’s Mountains
Bloodrunner Dragon (Book 1)
Bloodrunner Bear (Book 2)
Air Ryder (Book 3)
Novak Raven (Book 4)
Blackwing Dragon (Book 5)
Kane’s Mountains
Blackwing Defender (Book 1)
Blackwing Wolf (Book 2)
Blackwing Beast (Book 3)
Bears Fur Hire
Husband Fur Hire (Book 1)
Bear Fur Hire (Book 2)
Mate Fur Hire (Book 3)
Wolf Fur Hire (Book 4)
Dawson Fur Hire (Book 5)
Chance Fur Hire (Book 6)
Saw Bears
Lumberjack Werebear (Book 1)
Woodcutter Werebear (Book 2)
Timberman Werebear (Book 3)
Sawman Werebear (Book 4)
Axman Werebear (Book 5)
Woodsman Werebear (Book 6)
Lumberman Werebear (Book 7)
Fire Bears
Bear My Soul (Book 1)
Bear the Burn (Book 2)
Bear the Heat (Book 3)
Gray Back Bears
Gray Back Bad Bear (Book 1)
Gray Back Alpha Bear (Book 2)
Gray Back Ghost Bear (Book 3)
Gray Back Broken Bear (Book 4)
Lowlander Silverback (Book 5)
Last Immortal Dragon (Book 6)
For More from this Author
Check out her The Official Reading List of T. S. Joyce
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About this Author
T.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their
