I heard them out in the living room and moving around the house for quite a while. I ate about half of the mountain of food that Max brought me and could hardly keep my eyes open long enough to take a shower. Even with everything that had happened, I didn’t have any trouble closing my eyes and dozing off.
Dreams haunted me, though, of wolves and bears chasing me through the snow, having my babies early and not finding anyone to help, being lost and alone and scared.
I woke up with a start as someone said, “Caroline, wake up.”
Max. My whole face was wet with tears, and I threw myself at him without a second thought. Max jerked with surprise, then his strong arms wrapped around me and he sat on the bed to hold me close. “Hey now. It’s all right. Everything will be all right.”
The panic of the dreams stayed with me and I pressed my face against his neck, the warmth and tickle of his beard real and true. I’d been so alone and afraid and no one was there to help me. The babies moved and stretched in my belly, and Max’s arm moved so he could rest his forearm against where they pressed.
Max rubbed my back and waited until my breathing evened out before he kissed my temple and retreated enough to see my face. “What was that about? Bad dreams?”
I nodded and wiped at my cheeks. “They were chasing me and I couldn’t get away, I couldn’t help the babies...” I shivered and pushed away the memory of the dreams, the cold and isolation.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m sorry. It’ll all be okay. It’s just all the shit that happened today, all the uncertainty.”
I nodded, grateful that he still held me close and his calm presence did more to anchor me in reality than even the light from the lamp he’d turned on. “It felt so real.”
He grumbled and held me tighter, though he didn’t say anything for a long time. When he spoke, he sounded hesitant. “You said something was chasing you. Was it…me?”
Even though the dreams were a blur of terror and uncertainly, I didn’t think so. I didn’t think it had been Max. As I turned the thought over in my head, the feeling grew stronger. No, it hadn’t been Max. The bears were there around the wolves as the wolves chased me, and yet... maybe the bears had been protecting me and the babies. The wolves hadn’t caught us, at least. “No. It wasn’t you.”
He nodded, a flash of relief crossing his expression, and took a deep breath. “Other than the nightmares, did you sleep okay? Not too hot?”
“I’m always too hot,” I muttered. I started to untangle myself, since it was clearly the middle of the night still and I’d woken him up, and figured I’d spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling and trying not to fall asleep. “But generally okay.”
He looked around and then eased to his feet. “I know it’s late—or early, I can’t tell—but since we’re both awake... I have something I want to show you.”
I eyed him. “Does it involve getting naked?”
Max chuckled, a husky sound that arced right to my breasts, and his eyes practically glowed. “Only if you want it to.”
I tried to blame the pregnancy hormones for the crazy urge to rip his clothes off and have my way with him, but it was more than that. I felt safe around him, even after... Everything. Even knowing he could... turn into a bear. Maybe that could be a benefit. A bonus. Having a big dude around was definitely safer than living alone, so having a big dude who could turn into a bear around was even better.
I gave him a dark look, ignoring my baser urges. “No.”
He grinned, offering me a hand so I could haul myself out of the comfortable bed. “Can’t blame a man for trying.”
“Well, I could,” I muttered. “But what would be the point?”
Max chuckled and led me into the quiet, still-dark house. Dawn was just a hint outside as he started down the long hall to the back of the house. I set my heels. “Don’t wake anyone up. Everyone is asleep back here.”
“It’s okay. Jen and Henry took one of the guest rooms upstairs.” Max tilted his head at the door to the master suite where his brother and his wife had stayed. “We’ve been working on a little project.”
“A project?” I huffed a laugh, not wanting to disturb anyone else who might have been a light sleeper. “In the last six hours? What on earth are you talking about?”
Max opened the door and leaned in, glancing around before he flicked on the light. “It’s not finished, okay? Just keep an open mind. A work in progress.”
I held my breath and folded my arms over my chest. “Max, for God’s sake, what are you talking about?”
“Just come and see.” Max smiled, though he looked nervous, and finally opened the door.
I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t much. And instead it was so much more.
They’d moved the furniture around and cleaned things up, the bed freshly made. I looked around, startled, and started to ask what kind of project he was talking about when I looked at the large nook near the picture windows and my breath caught. Two cribs were set up, a changing table just to the side, with a small chest of drawers on the other. I froze where I was and couldn’t take another step.