Bearly Healed: Pacific Northwest Bears: (Shifter Romance) by Moxie North

which was a big step. Dax said she’d stopped going back home,” Connie said, pulling trays out of the double oven.
    “She won’t see us at all?” Jinger asked. Wyatt stood behind her playing with her red hair that she’d put into a braid. He liked to pet it. When it got on her nerves, she’d tie it up on her head and watch him pout.
    “Cassie said that she would see Sophie tonight. I’m going to say that is at least a step forward,” Edward said, carrying a huge tray of chicken in from the grill outside.
    “Well, aren’t you special?” Cage gave Sophie’s ribs a poke.
    “Yes, I am,” she said giving a haughty sniff.
    Connie looked around the group and was happy to have her boys here, but something was missing. “I miss the babies,” she sighed.
    “Come on mom, one night we get off. We were lucky to have Cash’s sister Allison come over to watch the little hellions,” Conner scoffed.
    Connie glared at him. “My grandbabies are way easier then you three ever were.”
    The boys all started laughing. They couldn’t deny for a second that they were all hell raisers. It’s a miracle their mom didn’t kill them herself for all the trouble they got into.
    “Well, I’ll be happy to bring her dinner and try once more to lure her out. I’m just going to enjoy not having to clean boogies and food off my trouser leg.” Sophie sighed. Almost three-year-old Micah had taken to wiping his face on the closest available adult pant leg. It was gross.
    “He’s spreading his love, babe,” Cage said, giving her a noisy kiss on her neck.
    “Uh-huh, sure.”
    “Soup’s on!” Edward called out.
    The boys and their wives all dished themselves up and took seats at the large wood table. Without all the babies, they could sit together instead of running back and forth to the clip on counter chairs the babies usually sat in. Normal dinners meant at least two or three people were going to be eating their meals cold.
    Sophie made up a plate and took it down the hallway. She knocked on the door and waited. She didn’t hear anything, so she tried again. Still nothing, so she cracked open the door and waved a white napkin she’d brought along.
    “Safe to come in?” she called out as the shadowed room came into view. She spotted Cassie on the bed, her headphones resting over her blonde hair making the spiky edges stick out all over. The light from her tablet cast a white haunting glow over her.
    Pulling off her headphones when she saw who came through the door, she offered, “Sorry, didn’t hear you. It’s just you, yeah?”
    “Yup, just me. Brought you some food. Although you don’t appear to be starving,” she said spying the empty wrappers around the bed.
    “Just snacking. That smells good,” Cassie said sniffing at the cooked chicken. She reached over and flicked the switch on the small table lamp on the nightstand.
    “Grilled chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, and as usual around here, fruit. These guys are nuts for it. I had to start thinking of ways to sneak it in my normal recipes,” Sophie said with a laugh.
    “They all just super healthy?” Cass asked, dipping into the cheesy noodles.
    “I think it’s all the dark, rainy days out here. Their bodies crave the vitamins. Keeps the scurvy away,” Sophie said with a laugh.
    Cassie thought that seemed reasonable. She didn’t know what else to talk about, so she kept shoveling food in her mouth.
    “So…” Sophie started.
    Cassie glanced up from her plate. She swallowed the garlicky chicken and waited.
    “Why me? Not that I’m not flattered, I love that you are willing to see me. I hate to think of you all alone in here,” Sophie said reaching out to gently touch Cass’s foot.
    Cassie looked at the sweet round-faced woman next to her. She was pretty and soft. She looked homey.
    “Well, I didn’t want to come off like a crazy recluse, and you did make an awesome dinner. I hoped that someone that was that thoughtful wouldn’t stare at my