Page 21 of Having the Bear's Baby

He inhaled slowly. He didn’t like what Emma told him. They were asking her questions and warning her to stay away from him. It made his skin crawl, and he especially hated how close they stood to her.

He shook it off. He just needed to keep a better eye on Emma until they decided where they were going to live. Once she was in the clan, he wouldn’t have such a hard time keeping her safe.

“How are things going with her?” Alex asked as the other two headed out.

He gave Alex a look, and Alex chuckled. “That well, huh?”

“She’s something else,” he said and took a deep breath. “I just want to keep her safe all of the time. And when she isn’t here, I worry. They really should warn people better about finding your mate and how your emotions go nuts.”

Alex snorted and nodded.

Liam glanced at his phone, wishing the time would move faster. He wanted to see her again, but he had to wait until she was done with work.

After talking a little more, Alex excused himself and left. But when Alex left, he could hear someone else slip into his house. He heard the clicking of heels and the laughter of two people. He knew exactly who it was. His bear smelled them when they first entered.

He leaned forward, peering into his front foyer when his sister poked her head around. Her hair fell off her shoulder in loose waves. “Liam. What were you discussing with Alex just now?”

“Talking about you and him shacking up,” he said, knowing it would get under her skin.

He watched as his sister’s smile slipped, and she quickly flipped him off. It had been a running joke of his since he first gave Alex the job. Alex managed to piss Lil off and get on her bad side on day one. They got along, but there was always tension.

“Be nice,” his mother quickly added as she slipped around the corner. “And Liam, must you pick on her already? We hardly got into the house.”

“Just one question: why are you here?”

His mother stared at him, and he suddenly felt like he was five. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his mother and sister dropping by, but he did like having a warning. And he would need that if Emma moved in.

The last thing he needed was his family walking in on him making love to Emma.

“Is that any way to greet family?” his mother stated, crossing her arms.

He walked toward his mother, giving her a smile. “Mom, I have no problem with you coming by, but I’ve told you I like advanced warning. I never liked you walking in my room when I lived in your house.”

“Well, that was my house. I had every right to be in there.”

“And this is my house. I have no problem, but we have to have boundaries. Especially if Emma moves in.”

“Speaking of Emma, where is she?” Lillian asked as she turned down the hallway. “I was hoping to see her.”

“She’s working. I’ll be coming back with her later.”

His sister leaned into one of his spare bedrooms. “Good, I like her more than I like you.”

He rolled his eyes and looked back at his mother. “Mom, the question of why you’re here is still unanswered.”

“We thought we could come down and talk about the baby.”

“Yeah, theme and everything,” Lillian said, pushing the door open. “Every nursery should have a theme.”

He turned to his sister. “Don’t touch anything in there. That room was just painted a week ago, and I know you.”

She walked farther down the hallway, making him narrow his eyes at her. His sister had a way of breaking things.

He ran a hand through his hair, feeling like he was living with his mother again. He turned, and every nerve in his body tensed. His mother was gone.

“Liam, do you really need three spare bedrooms?”

“Jesus, Mom.” He stepped into the room his sister opened. “What are you doing?”

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