Page 107 of Ice Rebel

One nod and a wide smile. “Of course I do. Why?”

“How would you feel about meeting my family?”

CHAPTER 22

Chelsea

Normally when one of the people in a romantic relationship suddenly mentioned meeting the family unit, it meant things were getting serious.

Perhaps there was even a serious thought of progressing into forever.

Obviously, I was no expert in relationships since the only one that had lasted more than a week had been with the hockey asshole. Those three months had honestly been the longest of my life.

This was entirely different. One could say we were just fucking, only that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Yes, we were and every time we engaged in a sinful act, the moment was hotter than the one before. However, there was more to it, given we were mates. I’d read accounts of what that was supposed to mean, all written by supposed experts in the field of evolutionary biology or those who’d spent their careers studying the structure and composition of gene structure.

The only ‘expert’ who’d made any sense to me had been Georgia Wallace, now Georgia Kendrick, Ford Kendrick’s wife. An accomplished woman, only recently graduating from medical school and very, very human.

She’d put the mating process with shifters into layman’s terms, debunking all the scary, ugly stuff like … a human mate would eventually turn furry. That a wolf mate would bite, mark, claw, and one day consume their mate whole. Or that offspring would always be born shifters. Well, in all honesty, given the data on procreation from a human-shifter union was limited, not a single scientist knew for certain if the children born of the pairing had shifting abilities.

In babies, there’d been no signs. Except… within their DNA, the certain genes were buried in their molecules or strands. That’s where the scientific language had been lost to me. Or maybe I’d been on overload at that point.

Since feeling the intense connection shared with Cole and from even before he’d knotted me, I’d asked myself a couple of questions. Not that I’d been expecting we were mates. More that I hadn’t wanted to be blindsided.

Did it really matter that Cole was a shifter? Only if he managed to get wolf fur all over the house.

Would it matter if and when we had children if they had the ability to shift? Well, from what I’d read and seen, shifters lived longer, were more immune to certain diseases, had incredible attributes and all seemed highly intelligent. What could be wrong with wanting my children… our children to have everything possible for their success?

I was jumping the gun a little, but what did I expect since Cole was currently pulling down a very long driveway toward his parents’ house?

I certainly couldn’t claim to know enough about shifters. What I had reminded myself of several times was that they lived perfectly normal lives. So what did it matter if they got a little furry from time to time?

“Relax,” Cole said from beside me.

“I am relaxed.”

“No, you’re a bundle of nerves. Look at how you’re sitting on the edge of your seat.”

“Because I’m enjoying the scenery.” Which wasn’t a complete lie. The landscaping, including trees lining the driveway along with lights positioned perfectly every few feet was gorgeous. But of course he could read me like a book.

“We don’t bite.”

As soon as he made the statement, I turned my head, offering one of what he’d started calling my signature nasty looks. “Oh?”

His shrug was far too adorable. “Usually.”

“What if I want you to bite?”

I was rewarded with a deep growl, the husky baritone rumbling in my chest.

He could be far too sexy when I least needed him to be. We were having dinner with his parents. My family didn’t do dinners with friends of their kids. That was unheard of, which was why when I’d gone to a friend’s house for a birthday party, a barbecue, or any other normal family gathering, I’d felt completely awkward.

Which was why my mouth was twitching now.

“Well, shit,” Cole muttered. “I didn’t know this was a family reunion.”

“Samantha’s here.” Her car was parked next to three huge pickup trucks. She had no idea how close Cole and I had grown.

“Not just that. My brothers and my guess is their significant others.”