"A man sometimes doesn't see what he needs until he almost loses it." Jed lay back, tucking his hands behind his head. Noah was tempted to crawl over there and lick him from head to toe.

"And what do you need?" Noah hedged.

"You."

Noah wasn't sure how to take that. Sexually or permanently? "Can you elaborate?"

Jed cracked one eye open and stared at Noah. "Are you trying to get me to talk about my feelings?"

"No," Noah said, shaking his head. "I just...I don't know. I guess I just want to know where I stand with you, with us. I'm a bit confused."

Jed rolled to his side, resting his jaw on the palm of his hand. "There are some things we need to talk about, though."

"Like what?" Noah scooted closer, his interest piqued. He was on his knees, staring down at the most gorgeous man he'd ever laid eyes on. All he wanted to do was wrap himself in the man's scent, in Jed's safety.

He was just unsure of what Jed had to say and that held Noah back.

Jed sat up, pulling Noah even closer. Oh, this wasn't good. Jed had a serious gleam in his eyes. Was he about to tell Noah that this had been fun, but he needed to get back to his own life? Noah's insides twisted into knots as he waited for the other shoe to fall.

Jed cleared his throat before he diverted his eyes. "I'm a bear shifter and you might be pregnant."

Noah sat there for a long while as his brain tried to process what Jed was telling him. He blinked a few times then burst out laughing. "You're so full of it."

"I'm serious."

"No, you're not."

"Why am I not serious?"

"Because men can't change into animals and men can't get pregnant." Oh, crap. Jed was a lunatic. Why were all the sexy men either straight or crazy? Noah should have known better than to trust his good fortune lately. And here he had thought he and Jed had a chance at happiness.

The only thing Jed had a chance at was the funny farm and a lovely straitjacket. He couldn't believe his damn luck. And here he'd been crushing on the guy for months.

"I can prove it," Jed argued. "Or at least part of what I'm saying."

This should be interesting. "Go ahead, prove to me you're a bear."

And when Jed couldn't, Noah was going to haul ass out of here. He would go back to the ranch, pack his shit, and never look back. The thought made his chest feel hollow, but there was no way he was dating a loon.

Noah chewed his bottom lip as he watched Jed strip naked. Maybe they could fuck before he took off. The temptation was strong as he watched all those glorious muscles being revealed to him. Noah had an urge to bite the guy.

"Don't be afraid."

Noah rolled his eyes. This was the most asinine thing he'd ever-"Holy shit!" He stumbled back, trying to crawl away as a huge bear appeared in front of him. Noah could feel his heart in his throat as panic began to set in. Jed hadn't been lying.

What the fuck?

Noah pushed to his feet, his knees shaking. He took one good look at the giant-sized bear and then passed out.

Chapter Six.

Okay then.

Jed had been afraid something like this would happen, but he couldn't think of any other way to tell Noah about his bear. He had also noticed how sick Noah had been getting in the mornings and had a strong feeling the man was pregnant.

Which meant that Noah was his mate.

But he wouldn't know for sure until the shifter doctor examined the man. The doctor was supposed to be at the ranch first thing in the morning.

Jed shifted back into his human form and pulled Noah from the ground. He cradled Noah in his arms as he tapped the guy's face. "Hey, wake up."

Noah groaned as his eyelids fluttered open. The man looked a bit pale and that worried Jed. Maybe he should just take Noah back to the house. Jed had tried taking the practical approach and explaining things to Noah, but the man had seemed to need visual evidence.

The human got more than he had bargained for. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay," Noah said a little too quickly. "You just changed into a bear. That's not humanly possible."

Jed let the man rant until he fell silent. "How do you feel now?"

Noah sighed as he pushed from Jed's arms. "It's going to take more than a minute for me to get used to that," he admitted, his features still pale and his limbs a bit shaky. "It's definitely some freaky stuff."

"But is it something you can live with?" Jed asked. He didn't need Noah putting any distance between them. Jed had done enough of that already. He wanted things to work out between them, even though he was still a bit hesitant about opening himself up and letting someone in. The thought of trusting someone was a very scary thing when his trust had been abused once already in his life.

"Just give me time," Noah said as he shook his head slightly. "My brain needs to process what I just saw."

It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either. Jed didn't want to invest himself in Noah if the human was going to kick him to the curb. He couldn't go through that again. "We should head back to the house."

"Why?" Noah asked. "Just because I'm having a slight meltdown doesn't mean our day is ruined."

The guy was a bit strange to figure out. Jed was almost positive that Noah wanted some time to himself, but the man sat there arguing with him about staying. "Then we can go for a swim."

The creek was high enough for them to have some fun. Jed was already naked. He walked over to the edge and then jumped in, surfacing to see Noah gazing at him. "What?"

The man shook his head and then stripped down to his boxers. He couldn't believe the guy was being modest, but didn't say a word as Noah eased into the warm water. Even though Noah's flesh was now riddled with scars, that didn't detract from the guy's beauty one bit. "Tell me you can swim."

"I can doggy paddle and drown like a pro. Does that count?" Noah moved so slowly that Jed swore it would take the man all day to make it to the middle. He swam over to Noah and pulled the guy into his arms, holding him close as he floated backward.

"Now this is living," Jed commented as Noah rested his head on Jed's chest. He might not be able to swim, but Noah seemed comfortable enough to trust Jed. His bear liked that.

"If you were telling the truth about being able to change into a bear, what does that mean about me getting pregnant? Not that I believe you. Although you proved to me you weren't lying."

The guy was babbling. Jed let him. He liked hearing the sound of Noah's voice. It was soothing in ways he never thought possible. Jed leaned his head back, soaking up the sun as the two floated. How could anything be more perfect than this moment? "I was telling you the truth, Noah. Why do you think you've been getting sick in the mornings?"

"Stress."

"That's possible, but highly unlikely. At least, for this situation." He smoothed his hand over Noah's arm, enjoying the feel of the guy's soft skin. Jed brushed aside Noah's thick, obsidian hair, relishing the man's beauty. "Just let it percolate in your mind."

"Percolate?" Noah chuckled as he splashed some water at Jed. "Love your choice of words."

"And I love my choice in men." He nipped Noah's bare shoulder. It struck him how honest his words were. Jed had feared being with Noah for months, avoiding the man, making sure to steer clear whenever he spotted Noah in town. Now in hindsight, he knew he had been running from what he felt toward the guy. It was like slow embers that were building into a blazing fire. Only Jed hadn't known what was happening to him.

His hand spanned over Noah's belly, as he wondered and hoped. He wanted what Harland had, that happiness, the family any man would wish for. Jed hadn't thought he'd ever find anyone to make him feel like this. Not even Morse-the man who'd ripped his heart out-had made him feel like he was flying.

The water moved around them in lazy eddies as Jed floated along, leaving life's problems behind for just a little while. He wondered if it would always be like this, stolen moments of serenity, tranquil swims in the creek. It had to be, otherwise what was happiness and contentment truly about?

"Dresden and Harland's children?" Noah asked as he swished his hand back and forth through the water.

"Markey is Dresden's. But Austin was born to both men," Jed explained, glad that Noah was at least willing to accept some part of what he'd been telling the man. For a human, the news that men could get pregnant was more than likely an extreme shock.

Jed was used to it. He'd seen it before in his childhood and adolescent years. His mother had told him about his uncle, who had conceived a child with his mate. For him, it was as normal as breathing. For Noah, it was as foreign as aliens invading earth.

"I'm glad I can go back to work tomorrow," Noah said as he cupped some water and then let it stream from his hand. "I don't like being cooped up."

"There's plenty to do on the ranch," Jed said. "You don't have to stay inside all the time."

Noah fell silent for a moment before he said, "But I feel like...I don't know, like danger is just around the corner. Does that make any sense to you?"

Noah's words echoed his own thoughts so closely that a shiver raced down Jed's spine. He'd been feeling the exact same way. Jed just wasn't sure why. There was some sort of impending doom around them and that made his bear edgy as hell.

Jed brushed his hand over Noah's hair. "Things will work out."

Noah pushed away from him, barely staying above water as he laughed, his smile making Jed's heart light. He finally had a chance at happiness. Jed finally had someone he felt he could share his love and his life with.

He turned, swimming toward Noah.

Noah's eyes widened as he tried to paddle away, but the man was too slow. Jed picked Noah up and tossed him a few feet away, laughing heartedly as Noah surfaced and sputtered.

"You're going to pay for that!" Noah declared before he paddled ever so slowly back to Jed.

Jed let the man catch him. They wrestled in the water, laughing and splashing, until Jed felt like he was going to burst from complete and utter happiness.

His walls were coming down and he felt as if he could finally trust someone with his heart.

"It appears that Noah has been suffering from stress." The doctor closed the bedroom door before he turned toward Jed, who was waiting outside in the hallway.

"His weight gain?" Jed asked.

"The body acts in strange ways when it is under duress. From my understanding, he has been through one hell of an ordeal." The doctor patted Jed's arm. "I'm sorry, Jed, but Noah isn't pregnant."

Jed didn't like the sympathetic look the doctor was giving him. Most shifters knew that if pregnancy didn't occur with the first coupling, the chances of that person being one's mate were slim to none.

He could still have a rich, fulfilling life with Noah, but they would never have any children. Jed could actually feel his heart breaking. It wasn't Noah's fault, and he would never make Noah feel as if it were. "Thanks."

"I've given him something for the nausea, but the rest is psychological. That isn't my area of expertise, Jedediah." There went that look again. The one that said, You poor bastard. You're stuck with a guy who can't give you a family. How awful for you.

He thanked the doctor one more time before entering the bedroom. Noah was slipping on his shirt when Jed came in. The man's injuries from his whipping were healed. There were still wounds that were raised and red, but the scabbing had completed. From what the doctor had just said, the scarring on the inside hadn't.

What hurt even more than what the doctor had told him was the fact that Noah was wearing that same sympathetic expression.

"I'm sorry, Jed. I know how much you wanted children."

How much he wanted children. That was a kick to his gut. Could Noah have made the news any worse with his aloof apathy? He knew he was taking the news hard. Jed wasn't trying to pick a fight. It wasn't fair that he was trying to put his wants and dreams on Noah. The guy probably had his own plans for life...plans that didn't include having children.

He grabbed some clothes from his dresser, heading for the shower. "We need to get moving. We have appointments today." Jed didn't wait for an answer. He walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and then locked it. Gripping the edge of the sink, Jed told himself that he had to get used to the idea that there would be no offspring for him, no pattering of little feet. But he and Noah could still be happy together.

His heart just wasn't listening. Jed brushed away a stray tear with the palm of his hand as he cleared his throat.

He'd been dealt a disappointing blow that would take him a while to get over. But in the meantime, he had to make sure he didn't blame Noah. It wasn't the guy's fault that they weren't mates.

Jed showered and dressed in a sort of numb, detached state. No matter how hard he tried to push the disappointment from his mind, it wouldn't leave. By the time he came out of the bathroom, the bedroom was empty. Noah must have gone downstairs.

Jed sat on the edge of the bed, taking in a deep and cleansing breath. He could get over this. There was Markey and Austin to shower his love on and they were great kids. He would be the best uncle possible.

A knock sounded on the door before Bryson walked in. The large bear leaned against the frame. "I heard."

Jed didn't want to talk about it. He was still trying to work things out in his own mind. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" Bryson asked as he moved into the room and closed the door behind him. "Has to be one hell of a blow to find out that Noah isn't your mate."

Jeez. Could the guy plunge the knife any deeper into Jed's heart? "I said I'm fine."

"Surly as ever," Bryson said with his crooked smile. "I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm here for you if you need me."

Clenching his jaw, Jed nodded before he slipped past Bryson and headed out of the room. He needed air. Jed went downstairs and out the back door where he spotted Noah standing out back, staring off into the pastures beyond. He paused, wondering what was going through the man's mind.

"I really am sorry," Noah said in a tone that was barely above a whisper. Noah's demeanor had changed and Jed wondered why. Had someone said something to Noah?

"Things will be okay." Jed stepped up beside Noah, gazing out as well.

"I'm told that if I'm not pregnant, then I'm not your mate."

"Who told you that?" It was the last thing Jed wanted Noah to find out about. Their life could still be good, but not if Noah blamed himself. Jed didn't want the man to carry around any guilt over something he couldn't help.

"It doesn't matter." Noah turned his head and gazed up at Jed with those gorgeous pale-blue eyes. "I just know that someday you'll meet your mate and then where does that leave me?"

"Noah."

Noah held up his hand. "Don't. This is going to be hard enough, Jed. But I can't live with the knowledge that one day I'll lose you to someone who was meant for you. I'd rather part ways now."