Winter Read online

  WINTER

  MYSTIC MOUNTAIN

  Reina Torres

  Copyright © 2019 by Reina Torres

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Photographer - Golden Czermak - FuriousFotog

  Model - Kevin R. Davis

  Contents

  Winter - Book 1

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  About the Author

  Also by Reina Torres

  Winter - Book 1

  Aaron Winter has waited for nearly two decades to claim his mate and now he has his chance. He’s going to do everything he can to convince Celeste that she’s the only one for him… and his bear.

  He’s had two dreams in his life: Turning Mystic Mountain Resort into a getaway for shape shifters and to have Celeste at his side. The town is excited as nearly all the residents are shifter themselves.

  Celeste Olwin is at a turning point in her life. She raised her kids as a single mom, with Aaron as her friend and rock. She was already half in love with the man.

  But Aaron has always kept his emotional distance from her and after all of this time he’s offering her a dream. There are still some questions she has about him, something she’s sure he’s hiding from her. She’s not sure if she can take that leap, because if he broke her heart now, she’d never survive.

  Aaron knows he has to tell her who he really is if this is going to work between them, but to drag up old memories into the darkest night of her life may set her against him forever. Still, he can’t give up.

  He’ll move a mountain to prove that he’ll protect her and love her like no one else could, because they were meant to be.

  One

  Celeste Olwin closed the door to her bedroom and turned her gaze straight toward the stairs so that she wouldn’t look at the other two rooms on her end of the hall. Thankfully the kids had closed their doors so there wasn’t a chance to see how empty the rooms were.

  Even though her decision to sell the Hearth & Home Bed and Breakfast was a long time coming, it had been the home of her family for almost five years. Her children had flourished here.

  High School had come and gone and the number of happy tears that she’d shed at their graduation ceremony would have filled the birdbath out in the old Victorian kitchen garden at the side of the house.

  The summer had been just for family. She’d saved enough to close up the business side of the Bed & Breakfast and just enjoyed the time with her family, but all of that was done.

  All she had left was taking her kids out to breakfast and then they were both heading out to get situated in their dorms.

  She was halfway down the stairs when she smelled warm syrup and cinnamon.

  Taking another deep breath, she jogged down the rest of the stairs. “What are you two up to?”

  The twins were standing together behind the breakfast table with their arms stretched forward. Jason spoke first. “Ta da!”

  “Morning, Mom!” Julia leaned toward her brother and nudged him so hard he staggered to the side. “We made you breakfast!”

  She stood there shocked as she stared at the spread that her kids had put together. Waffles and berries, warmed syrup and cinnamon rolls, muffin-sized quiche, and a carafe of orange juice.

  Heaven help her, she started to cry and ended up in the middle of the sweetest embrace. She gave each a kiss on the cheek and then shooed them toward their seats as she sat down to enjoy one of the best meals she would ever have.

  Jason used the tongs she was forever reminding him to use and set a quiche on her plate. “And before you ask,” he grinned at her. All of the prep pans and utensils have been washed.”

  Celeste laid her napkin across her lap and laughed. “I wasn’t about to ask about the dishes.”

  Julia pressed a kiss to her cheek and poured a glass of orange juice for her. “You just expected you’d be doing dishes.”

  Laughing, Celeste picked up her fork. “Normally, I have to remind you when it’s your turn.”

  Jason sat down on his chair with a sigh. “A couple of times.”

  Reaching her own seat, Julia laughed at her brother. “More than that. Just wait until you have to your own dishes.”

  His nose wrinkling at the thought, he shook his head. “Freshmen eat in the student union. All I have to do is put my used dishes in the trays and they get washed for me.”

  The two started to compare the differences in their college life experiences as Celeste had her breakfast, sometimes interjecting a comment or a question of her own, but the best part of having their last family meal at home was just the pleasure of seeing the two enjoying each other’s company without other people to distract them.

  This truly was the ending of an era for them as well as herself.

  “Oh, hey,” Jason got up and reached for the plate of fluffy waffles, “you have to try one of these.” He lifted it over the basket of wildflowers that they’d put in the center of the table.

  “Yeah, you should,” Julia ducked her chin almost down to her chest, “he only burned a half dozen or so before he remembered to set the timer.”

  Celeste set her hand on Jason’s arm, turning his gaze to her instead of his sister. “Thank you, Jason. They look delicious.”

  His shoulders pushed back a little and a proud smile lifted his features. “They taste good too.”

  Setting a waffle on her plate, Celeste was reaching for the bowl of berries when the doorbell rang.

  Julia was out of her chair like a shot. “I’ll get it.”

  Celeste turned her curious gaze toward Jason who studiously avoided her eyes. “What’s going on, Jason?”

  He pursed his lips and whistled, but there wasn’t much of a sound at all as he got up from his chair.

  Julia swung the door open and let out a shriek in greeting. “Aaron!”

  Even at eighteen, Julia was as exuberant as she’d always been, and as soon as she’d dragged their guest into the room, she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Celeste couldn’t seem to make herself move. Or breathe.

  Aaron Winter was the closest thing to a father that the twins had.

  Reaching out, Jason gave her arm a gentle squeeze before making his way to the entryway to offer his own hug in greeting.

  Watching her children embrace him and share smiles with the mountain of a man filled her with warmth. Bone deep satisfaction.

  In a word, she was content.

  Jason was the sprout of her babies, almost six feet tall, his head barely came to Aaron’s shoulder and Julia’s hand on his arm looked impossibly delicate even though her daughter’s hands were just a hint smaller than her own.

  Goodness. Seeing him, standing there in her home with her children let down her guard, just like she’d dropped her panties for years and years when she was alone at night, thinking of him.

  Aaron Winter, her own private naughty fantasy, with his mountainous shoulders, that silvery gray beard, and muscles… all over. The way that man could fill a pair of jeans and a t-shirt made her all tingly and-

  “Look, Mom! It’s Aaron!”

  Celeste was on her feet like a shot and thankful that her thoughts were locked away inside of her head, but as she set her napkin down beside her plate and walked around the table to greet Aa
ron, she hoped that her heart wasn’t pounding nearly as loud as it sounded in her ears. Beating like a Sousa Military March, her heart only managed to crash even harder against her ribs when she caught his scent.

  Pine and fresh air. Good rich soil. Sunlight.

  It was silly really. Sunlight didn’t have a smell, but that’s what she thought of when she was close enough to Aaron. And it only made her want to get closer and wrap herself around him and breathe him in over and over.

  So, she managed a hug and accepted the kiss he placed at her temple by holding onto his shoulders. If she’d let go, with his lips so close to her own, she wasn’t quite sure she could have held herself back from slanting her lips over his.

  The man was… she let out a breath and felt heat flood her cheeks… perfect.

  “It’s good to see you, Aaron.”

  She could barely hear her own voice through the rush of blood in her ears, but she heard his words as clear as day.

  “It’s been too long, Celeste. I’ve missed you.”

  It took every bit of energy that she had and the two point seven brain cells she had left to step back and away from his muscular body. She saw her kids smiling at them both and struggled to fix the same kind of smile on her lips, joyful and carefree. The last thing she wanted them to know was how much she wanted Aaron, and not just as their family friend.

  She covered the best she could. “We’ve missed you too, Aaron. Can you join us for breakfast?”

  There, that sounded normal, right?

  Aaron looked over at Julia before he spoke. “Actually, that’s why… umm-”

  Her daughter looked a little too happy for Celeste’s peace of mind.

  “He called to congratulate us on our graduation.”

  Celeste turned back to look at Aaron and his cheeks darkened with something like a blush.

  “I wanted them to know how sorry I was for missing the ceremony.”

  Celeste swallowed against the lump in her throat. She’d missed having him there, too, but over the last seventeen years he’d been there for so many other things that they all knew how much he loved the kids.

  “You were so sweet to send them gifts. Thank you, Aaron.”

  He lifted a hand and rubbed at the back of his neck, his gaze turning to Julia again.

  Her daughter’s blissfully innocent smile didn’t fool Celeste for a second.

  “And Jason and I thought it would be great to have him here to celebrate your empty nest.” She cleared her throat. “I mean now that it’ll just be you and since you’re selling the Victorian, and moving on to the next phase of your life…”

  It took quite an effort to remember that it was in fact against the law to throttle one’s child.

  “So let’s sit down.” For once Jason was the one who soothed the situation. “Don’t want things to go cold, especially the quiche.”

  “You made it?”

  Jason nodded. “I followed mom’s recipe, including the bacon.”

  Aaron reached out and mussed Jason’s hair, giving her a heart-stopping view of the star tattoos on his inner arm. “Then let’s eat. I’m starved.”

  Celeste started back to her seat but her steps faltered when she thought she saw Aaron send her a look that had its own share of heat in it.

  Goodness, she really was losing her mind.

  There was no way that Aaron had those kinds of thoughts about her. Lord knows she’d accepted being firmly in his friend-zone for more than a decade.

  If longing for him was part of the Guinness Book, she’d hold the record. With a long, shaking breath she finally reached her place. “I’m sorry, Aaron,” she looked across the table at the empty chair and stopped short, “where…”

  Julia gave her a pointed look that held a huge dollop of sass in it. “He’s holding your chair, mom.”

  Leaving her hand on the tabletop for balance, she turned a little and let her gaze drift over her shoulder.

  Sure enough, Aaron was standing behind her, holding her chair in his impossibly big hands.

  “You didn’t have to-”

  “Yes, I did, Celeste.” His voice rumbled from his throat and she felt it trail over her skin like electricity. “Have a seat.”

  Nodding, she turned back to the table and touched the freshly ironed tablecloth with both hands.

  The kids had really thought of everything.

  And as she sat down, she felt her chair touch the backs of her legs with the softest sensation. Barely a nudge.

  Once seated, she expected him to move away, but instead she saw his shadow lean down and felt his hands on her shoulders.

  Her cheeks heated as if she were hovering in front of the stove.

  His beard scratched against her cheek for a delicious moment before he pressed a light kiss on her temple. “It’s so good to be near you again.”

  If it wasn’t for her children sitting there on either side of her she might have turned around to kiss him full on his lips, but even though her children were now adults, she didn’t want them to see her shame if she’d misread the ‘clues’ she thought he was giving her.

  Yes, she was over a decade off of her game.

  Not that she had much of one to begin with.

  It helped when Aaron rounded the table to take his seat, using his hand to muss Jason’s hair and then avoid the playful sweep of her son’s hand trying to wave Aaron’s hand away.

  Julia had already put a generous helping of berries on a waffle for Aaron and set it in his hand when he reached for the plate.

  And instead of the syrup that they had warmed for breakfast, Jason held out their clay honey pot. With a thankful smile, Aaron lifted the wooden dipper and traced a pattern of honey on his plate that looked like a spider web.

  The whole tableau before her looked like it had come out of her dreams.

  Having breakfast like this, together, hadn’t happened for months with Aaron gone off on a work project.

  And now, with this being the last time they would ever sit down together, in this house, everything felt so final.

  It was something she’d been anticipating and dreading at the same time, but having Aaron there, and seeing how the children enjoyed his presence made it even more perfect than it had already been.

  Even though Julia had given him a quick rundown of all of the happenings around the house when he’d called a couple of weeks before, it was better to hear the twins tell him all about it… together.

  As he listened he knew he’d have to untangle their words later. They’d never been really good at letting each other have the floor one at a time, but that was half the fun.

  The other half was watching Celeste observe her children with a warm smile of maternal pride on her beautiful lips.

  He’d dreamt of those lips over the years. Just the thought of her smile could keep him up for hours.

  And while the two ping-ponged their conversation back and forth, telling him all about their schools and preparations, he kept his attention on their mother as well.

  Her joy brought him joy.

  Us.

  Yes, he corrected himself to acknowledge his bear’s reminder, she brings us joy.

  When the food on the table was reduced to a few scraps and bits here and there, the kids got up and started clearing the plates.

  True to form, Celeste tried to take care of it, but the kids were having none of it. It filled his chest with pride to see the way the two took care of her in the same way that she’d taken care of them over the years, the Olwin family was truly one that went beyond mere genetics and straight to the soul.

  A family he’d been lucky enough to spend his time with over the years.

  When the kids were elbow deep in suds and making a bit of a ruckus with their playful banter, Aaron got up from his chair and made his way to Jason’s seat. Celeste didn’t even notice him until he reached out and touched her arm.

  “Oh! Aaron,” a blush crept over her skin giving her cheeks a warm peachy tone, “I’m sorry, I was di
stracted.”

  He smiled and let his gaze roam over her features. It had been a few months since he’d seen her and he’d been starving for her.

  “No worries,” he told her and felt the rumble of his voice in his throat, “I understand.” And he did. Jason and Julia weren’t just good people, they were beautiful. He’d seen pictures of their biological father, but even with his sharpened sight he couldn’t see his mark on them. The twins were all Celeste, as it should be.

  “It’s just so hard to believe that in less than an hour they are going to be off and taking the next step in their life journeys. They’ve been such a part of my life since I knew I was pregnant.” She drew in a breath that seemed to catch in her throat. “And even when Josiah walked out on us, I knew that I would always be a part of their lives no matter what. But it feels like the closer I get to having to let them go, the more I want to wrap them up in my arms and hold on tight.”

  He watched her jaw tense up and he saw her eyes glistening with tears.

  “I know it sounds so selfish, but I can’t help myself.” She laughed and he felt the physical shudder through his hand on her skin. “And you didn’t come here to watch me fall apart. I need to hold myself together for their sake.”

  “Hey,” he set his fingers gently on her forearm, tugging just a little bit, “look at me.”

  And she did it without question. Turning on her chair, she moved so her whole body was facing him. The gesture humbled him and made his heart swell with love in his chest.

  Yes, love. He knew that he’d been in love with Celeste from a few days after they’d met, even though he’d known from the first look at her that she was his mate. His forever. He just hadn’t told her about any of it... yet.

  “You’re not selfish, far from it.”