Free Brash Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (BRIDES fur BEARS Book 3) by Natalie Kristen Page B

when the
family came over. It had become almost like a tradition.
    Bella passed her hand
protectively over her belly and chewed her lip. She had just done a
home pregnancy test this afternoon, but she hadn't yet told Josh the
news.
    As everyone was tucking into
their dessert, Josh stood up and cleared his throat. Marcus and Jax
looked up at him with knowing smiles, and they put down their forks
and sat up straighter in anticipation. Jax rubbed his hands with
glee and leaned forward.
    Josh went to Bella and pulled
out a dainty, velvet box. Then he got down on one knee and sucked in
a breath.
    Bella's hand flew to her
mouth. “Josh...”
    “Bella Paige, will you
marry me?” he asked, staring earnestly up at her face.
    Bella gasped at the sight of
the beautiful diamond ring in the box. It was elegant and delicate,
and she knew Josh had spent a lot of time and effort choosing it. It
resembled her grandmother's ring a little in design. Josh had chosen
a ring which he thought she would love, and he had paid careful
attention to her taste and preferences.
    “I...oh, Josh,”
she whispered. “Yes, yes I will marry you!”
    Josh slipped the ring on her
finger and hugged her. Ashley squealed and clapped, and the rest of
the family came round to hug and kiss her.
    “This calls for a
celebration!” Jax hooted.
    “I'll go grab some
champagne,” Marcus said.
    “No, no champagne—for
me,” Bella said quickly. “I...”
    Everyone turned to her.
    She smiled and gazed at Josh,
who was staring at her open-mouthed.
    “Bella...” he
breathed. “Are you...”
    She nodded and blushed. The
shock on Josh's face turned to wonder and pure, unadulterated
happiness and he rushed forward to hug her.
    “You have made me the
happiest, proudest man alive!” he whooped, kissing her face,
her hair, her hands. “I love you, Bella, so, so much! And I
love our baby!”
    “Baby? I'm going to
have a cousin?” Ashley squealed.
    “Yes, you are!”
Serena, Staci and Celia laughed delightedly as they came to kiss
Bella on the cheek.
    Jax and Marcus crowded in for
a group hug, and no one objected when Ashley said, “We should
celebrate with more ice-cream!”
    Bella grinned and said, “Let
me get the spoons!”
    As everyone raised their
spoons and clinked them noisily together, they shouted, “To
Josh and Bella, and their baby!”
    Then they all dug into the
big tub of chocolate ice-cream on the table. Bella giggled as Josh
fed her a big, heaping spoonful of ice-cream.
    Josh licked her spoon clean,
looking like the cat that got the cream. Wrapping his arms around
her waist, he pulled her in for a long, smoldering kiss.
    “I love you,”
they whispered together.
    They looked up to see the
whole family smiling at them. Bella smiled back. They were her
family, and she found herself thinking back to the first time they
met.
    Tilting her head at Serena,
Bella grinned and said, “You know, I'm sure glad I caught your
bridal bouquet.” She turned to gaze at the dried flowers in
the display cabinet. She had preserved the bouquet with utmost care
and the bouquet took pride of place on the top shelf.
    Serena chuckled. “Well,
now we have another wedding to plan!”
    “I love weddings!”
Ashley declared. “Can I be your bridesmaid?”
    “Me too. I want to be
your bridesmaid too,” Celia announced.
    Bella grinned. “Of
course! I'll be honored!”
    “We can have a quiet
wedding if that's what you prefer,” Josh told her softly as he
kissed her temple.
    Bella shook her head. “I
think it'd be fun to have a big wedding. I think I'd like it, a
lot.”
    “You sure?” Josh
nuzzled her neck tenderly.
    “Yes. I'm sure,”
Bella said with a radiant smile. “There are a lot of people I
love in this town, and I want to celebrate our joy with all of them!
It's going to be a beautiful, amazing wedding, and I can't wait!”

~ End ~

About the Author

    Natalie Kristen is a writer
who enjoys mixing the sweet with the spicy, the light with the dark,
the