Page 10 of Having the Bear's Baby

Maybe. He couldn’t tell. He would have to go out there and find out. He did not want Emma to get spooked and talk herself out of staying.

Liam put on the biggest smile he could summon. This wasn’t hard because just the thought of Emma lit him up. Then he went out to her car.

At first, he stood beside her car and waved. The idea was that she would get out and greet him.

She didn’t move. She turned her head slightly and looked at him. She sort of smiled.

What Liam had to do was walk up next to the driver-side window and tap on it. He was worried that at some point between last night and this morning, whatever willingness she’d had to see the bear den and meet the clan had been blown out like a candle.

Emma rolled down the driver-side window and greeted him. She did have a smile, and it was a couple of degrees warmer than the smile from a few minutes ago. His bear hummed, happier now.

“You look as lovely as the morning,” he told her.

“And you obviously know that flattery will get you everywhere with me,” she answered right back.

“I wish I was good with flattery. I am being honest. You are cute as a button today.”

“And you’ve got a big smile going,” she told him.

“I do,” he confirmed. My word, she is an absolute doll. “I am smiling for a reason.”

“I am smiling to be here too,” she answered. “My smile sometimes needs the use of a magnifying glass to be seen.”

“I see you,” he said. “Right now, my smile’s probably as big as a house.”

“Okay,” she laughed. “I will take the bait. Why is your smile as big as a house?”

“The rest of the clan is very excited to meet you. I am smiling because I am trying to imagine how I am going to fit them all into your car.”

“Okay, sassy. I get it,” she told him. “You don’t want me hanging here in the driveway being shy. I bet you were worried I was having second thoughts.”

Emma opened the car door, and Liam helped her swing the door all the way open. He took her hand as she climbed out. They shut the car door together, and Liam led her up to the house.

Two den members were sitting on the porch drinking coffee. Liam introduced Emma. Both members stood and greeted her and complimented her appearance. Liam could see Emma’s face brighten and relax slightly at the sight of the two den members smiling back.

Deeper inside the den house, Liam guided Emma into the main dining area and kitchen. Each area held a different group of clan members who vigorously gave Emma their greeting and then a big hug. A bear hug, of course.

In the heart of the den’s main sitting room, where the walls seemed to radiate the warmth of countless conversations, Liam saw Alex approaching.

“I watched you walk in,” Alex told Emma. “You lit up each room the moment you entered it.”

“I am not sure what to say to that,” Emma answered. “Thank you. That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a while.”

While Emma was exchanging small talk with Alex, Liam felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to his beautiful and brilliant sister, Lillian. She motioned with a slight nod of her head and a raising of the brows for Liam to step aside so she could tell him something with a bit of privacy.

“Is that her?” Lillian asked with shining eyes after they’d rounded a corner.

“It is,” he answered. “Isn’t she a doll?”

“She’s gorgeous. Aren’t you glad you called that surrogate agency?”

“I have you to thank,” he told Lillian.

“A word of warning, bro,” Lillian said. She spoke in the softest of tones. “Mom’s coming. She’s on her way. Coming in like a Tasmanian devil, no doubt.”

Liam held his tongue, his lips pressed in a firm line. He drew in a slow, deliberate breath. He silently counted to five, though in truth, he wished he could extend that count to five hundred … a fleeting attempt to grant himself more time before responding.

“I was hoping to give Emma a chance to get acquainted before mom’s version of chaos descended on her,” Liam whispered to Lillian.

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