Marisa Chenery - Fated to a Cougar

She lugged her laundry downstairs and put the first load in the washer in the main-floor laundry room. That’d been one of the big selling points for her when she’d put in an offer for the two-story semi almost a year ago.

That task done, Sage went to the kitchen and put the kettle on to make a pot of tea. She grabbed a muffin from the package she’d bought the day before and sat at the table to eat it while she waited for the water to boil.

Before going to bed she’d come to the conclusion it wouldn’t be a great idea to go out with Grady. She hadn’t been thinking when she’d agreed to see him in the first place, and she wasn’t looking for a steady boyfriend. Her work kept her too busy, especially now that she was striving to become a detective. As for having a short fling, she couldn’t separate her feelings enough to have one.

A knock on her front door brought Sage out of her musings. She went to answer it, having an idea who it could be. She pulled open the door and smiled at the woman who stood on the other side.

“I had a feeling it was you,” Sage said as she stepped back to let her older sister Macy walk through the entrance. She carried an infant car seat with her six-month-old son Josh inside, almost buried under all the blankets on top of him.

“Well, you did tell me you weren’t working today and that you’d be switching to day shift,” Macy said as she set the car seat on the floor, then took off her winter boots and jacket.

“Very true. I’ll take Josh.”

Sage picked up the car seat by its handle and carried her nephew into the living room. She pulled the blankets off him, then unbuckled the straps. She laid him on the couch while she took off his snowsuit. The poor thing looked as if he couldn’t move in it.

Macy sat on the couch once Sage picked up Josh. “So how goes the police business?”

“Not bad. I’m still working my way to becoming a detective. The hard part is finding the time to study to take the test.”

“You work too much. You don’t even have time to date. I know you feel your career has to come first and that you’re still young, but you won’t be twenty-four forever.” Macy nodded toward her son. “Wouldn’t you like to have a rugrat of your own someday?”

“Of course.” Sage gave Josh a kiss on his little pouty lips. She loved him as if he were hers. “It’ll just be something I do when I’m in my thirties. Unlike you, I won’t be ready at twenty-six to be married and already starting a family.”

“You know why I wanted both those things sooner rather than later.”

Sage did. They’d lost both their parents when Sage had been eighteen and Macy twenty. Their father had never been a great father or husband. Even though their mom had tried to hide it, there had been times when Sage and Macy had seen marks on their mother after their father had lost his temper with her. Once Sage turned sixteen, their mom finally kicked him out and told them the truth about her marriage. Then two years later, while Macy and Sage were away for a week with their grandparents, their dad had forced his way into the apartment their mom had rented and killed her. He took his own life afterward.

So Sage understood why Macy had wanted to have a family of her own. As for herself, Sage had made the decision she’d become a cop. She wanted to be able to help protect women who were in the same situation her mother had been in. Something she hadn’t been able to do for her mom.

“I know,” Sage said.

“This is a change in subject, but since you’re off tonight, do you think you could do me a favor?”

“What would that be?”

“Hank and I haven’t gone out alone since Josh was born. I was wondering if you’d agree to babysit so we can go out for dinner. I’d have Josh all bathed and ready for bed. We’ll bring the playpen for him to sleep in. He’s usually asleep for the night around seven thirty or eight at the latest.”

Sage thought it over, but quickly decided it would be the perfect way to get out of her date with Grady. She’d just tell him she’d forgotten she had to babysit. And with Josh already at her place when Grady arrived, it wasn’t as if he could do anything about it.

She nodded. “Sure. I don’t mind babysitting. In fact, why don’t you go out for dinner, then go see a movie. And if you want, you can even leave Josh here overnight.”

“Really? I only thought to ask you to watch him for a few hours.”

“Seriously, I’m okay with him staying over. I don’t get to see him as often as I’d like, and he’s growing so fast. It’ll give you a break.”

“If you’re really sure you want to have him all night, I’m not going turn you down. You might have to put up with me calling more than a few times to see how Josh is doing, though.”

Sage smiled. “You can call as much as you want.”

“All right. Then he’ll be all yours tonight. And that being the case, I shouldn’t visit for too long. I’ll have to get everything you’ll need for Josh ready. Nowadays, I swear I can’t leave the house with him without taking half of it with me.”

“Do you have time to stay for some tea? I put the kettle on. I just have to make it.”

“That would be great.”

Sage passed Josh over to his mother, then stood and headed for the kitchen. She took two mugs from the cupboard and smiled. Sage was actually looking forward to having Josh to herself all night, even if he’d be sleeping most of the time. For now, he was the closest thing to her having kids of her own.

Grady pulled onto Sage’s street and kept track of the house numbers until he arrived at her place. He turned into the two-car driveway and parked next to the vehicle already there. He got out of the car and headed over to the front door. Before he rang the doorbell, he ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it. The wind had blown it into his face. He touched the spot where his head wound had been. It was completely healed, he didn’t even have a headache anymore.

It didn’t take long for Sage to answer the door. He ran his gaze over her, thinking she was more beautiful than he’d remembered. Even in jeans and a sweatshirt she looked sexy. Her auburn hair was down and fell around her shoulders, which made his fingers itch to run through it.

“Hi,” he said with a smile. “I hope you remembered we have a date.”

“I do.”

He frowned a bit when she made no move to invite him in or get her jacket. “Are you ready to go?”

“Actually, no. I have to cancel. I forgot I’d promised my sister I’d babysit her son. I’m looking after him overnight.”

“That’s okay. Have you eaten supper yet?”

“No.”

“Then why don’t I come in and we can order something for delivery.”

Sage hesitated before she answered. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

“You have my word I’m not some nutcase. Besides, you’re a cop. I’d be stupid to try something. I can help you babysit. I like kids.”

Grady did, but he hadn’t been around too many of them. Since cougar shifters lived to be around two hundred years old, they tended not to have too many kids. Family groups were mostly made up of extended family and others from outside of it who’d become mated to a member of the group.

She took a little longer answering that time. “Look, I’m going to be straight with you. I don’t think I have time to have a steady boyfriend. I hate to say it, but my career as a cop comes first. I don’t think it’ll work out. And I don’t date casually.”

Grady wasn’t about to let Sage push him away that easily. The kiss they’d shared the night before told him she wasn’t unaffected by him. He had to say it’d ranked up there as his all-time best. She was also the first human woman he’d ever kissed. He definitely wanted to see where their attraction for each other led.