Free Undeniable Craving by Marisa Chenery Page B

Gage looked back at Derrick through
the rearview mirror. His son’s eyes were wide and he wore an expression of
excitement. Gage made a mental note to take Derrick out exploring in the woods
at the first opportunity he could get.
    He turned onto
the gravel path that led up to his log cabin and then glanced at Jaimie. “What
do you think so far?”
    She turned and
smiled. “It’s gorgeous here. I always wondered what it’d be like to live in
this kind of environment.”
    “Well, you get
to find out.”
    They reached the
end of the path and he found his mother and father standing in front of his
cabin, waiting. Neither one of them looked their age. Though fifty-nine years
old, his mom looked to be closer to twenty-eight. Her long, dark blonde hair
didn’t have any gray in it, and her face was wrinkle free. His dad, at sixty-two,
was the same. Gage and his brothers had their father’s black hair and their
mother’s light green eyes. A human seeing his whole family together would think
his parents were actually his siblings. That was thanks to wolf shifter
genetics, which allowed them to age slowly.
    Gage pulled to a
stop in front of the shed next to his cabin that he used as a garage. He turned
off the engine, then climbed out of the SUV. Jaimie and Derrick did the same. Gage
led his new family over to meet his parents. His mom’s gaze landed on his son and
a wide smile spread across her face. Ever since Kiel had taken Neha as a mate,
their mother had hopes of being a grandmother in the not-too-distant future.
Now she was one.
    Once they stood
in front of his parents, Gage made the introductions. “Jaimie, Derrick, this is
my mom, Selina, and my dad, Brant.”
    His mother
didn’t hesitate to give Jaimie and Derrick a hug before she spoke. “I’m so
happy to meet you two. And how old are you, Derrick?”
    “I’m eight.”
    “Well, you’re a
big boy, aren’t you?”
    “Speaking of
ages,” Jaimie said. “I have to say neither one of you look as if you’re old
enough to have sons who are thirty.”
    His mom
chuckled. “It’s a wolf shifter thing, dear. We don’t age the same as humans
once we reach adulthood. And we’re pretty sure neither will you now that you’re
mated to Gage.”
    “Why don’t we
let the women folk get better acquainted while we start unloading the SUV,” his
dad said.
    “Can I help?”
Derrick asked. “I’m strong. See.” He flexed his arm, showing off his small
biceps.
    Gage’s father
grinned and gave the skinny arm a squeeze. “I can see you are. And yes, you can
help your dad and me.”
    “Will you turn
in to a wolf after we’re done? Gage let me ride on his back when he was one.”
    “Really now.”
His dad burst out laughing. “I don’t know about giving you a ride, but I can
shift to my wolf form for you.”
    As his dad met
his gaze, Gage groaned. Jaimie had been right. He’d started something with
Derrick that the little guy wasn’t going to let go of anytime soon. He had a
feeling his son would ask Kiel, Talon, Memphis and Rhett the exact same thing
once they were introduced. He wondered if Derrick would remember Cyrus telling
him to pull on his brothers’ ears and kick them in the sides if they did give
him wolf rides. That had Gage smiling at the thought.
     
    * * * *
     
    It’d been a week
since Jaimie and Derrick had moved in with Gage. Her old life was slowly
becoming a dim memory while the love she had for her mate grew even stronger.
Her son had taken to him right from the start, along with the rest of Gage’s
family. She and Derrick had been welcomed into the pack with open arms as if
they’d always been a part of it.
    She was also in
love with her new home. The cabin was rustic in some ways, like not having electricity,
but Gage had promised to get it put in after he finished adding on a second
bedroom for Derrick. The land surrounding it was beautiful. Tall trees were
everywhere she looked, and the air was fresh and clean. It was the best place
for