Jingle Bears: A Pacific Northwest Bear Novella: (Shifter Romance) by Moxie North

Chapter 1
    T he short lull of noise was so unexpected that Edward Rochon dropped the newspaper he was reading and glanced over at his wife Connie with his eyebrow raised. It took her a moment to realize why he was looking perplexed. Then her eyes got wider as she realized there was no noise. No talking, no yelling, nothing crashing to the floor, no tiny cubs growling and roaring, no babies crying. The house was silent. It hadn’t been silent for years.
    “I’m afraid to talk,” Connie whispered.
    “Are we actually alone?” Edward asked her.
    Connie did a mental checklist figuring out where all of her boys, their spouses, and their children were at the moment. The clock said ten in the morning, but that didn’t mean the house wasn’t usually hopping by now.
    “I think we’re alone. What should we do?” she asked in an excited whisper.
    “Run into our bedroom, lock the door and screw?” he suggested.
    “Honestly, Edward Rochon, are you ever going to change?” Though there wasn’t even a hint of actual reprimand in her voice. She actually thought it was a great idea, but didn’t want to come across as easy.
    “Nope, my wife is smoking hot, and we are never alone. Come on, you know you want to,” he teased.
    Well, he was right about that. “Come on then, who knows how long this will last,” she said, pulling her apron off and tossing it to the counter. She grabbed Edward’s hand as they ran down the hallway past the three other doors that used to belong to their sons but now had guest beds and cribs in them.
    The master bedroom door was closed and locked in a flash. Edward had his hands under his wife’s top then as he whispered in her ear, “Mrs. Rochon, have I told you how beautiful you are today?”
    “Hmm, only twice. I was starting to think you didn’t like me anymore,” she said with a pout. Sticking her lower lip out and knowing it would goad her husband into kissing her. She was right.
    Sixty plus years together and they still couldn’t get enough of each other. It helped that even though they were in their seventies they didn’t look much over fifty-five. They liked to joke they still had the sex drive of thirty-somethings. Edward just got his hand cupped around his wife’s breast when they heard the front door slam and a voice yell out, “Anybody home?”
    Sighing, Edward dropped his head to hers and moaned a sad, pitiful noise. Connie started laughing, “So close, we were sooo close.”
    “I’m gonna go beat his ass, then come back and kiss yours,” he growled at her.
    “No, you won’t, because you know if Cage is here that means our grandbaby is out there. And not even you can keep it stiff with a toddler banging on the door.”
    Edward knew this was true. Pushing away, he straightened Connie’s shirt, but still placed a scorching hot kiss on her mouth before opening the bedroom door.
    They walked down the hallway holding hands, to see their son Cage and daughter-in-law Sophie perusing the living room. It was the morning of Christmas Eve, and the Rochons were expecting a full house.
    “Really you guys? In the middle of the day?” Cage snorted as he caught sight of his parents.
    “Hah, like you don’t know how it is with that sweet piece clinging to your arm,” Edward responded giving Sophie a wink.
    “Dad!” Sophie cried out. Her cheeks turned pink. Edward loved making his daughter-in-law blush. Heck, he liked making all of them blush. It was an easy game, and it usually got his wife to smack him around for it. Another fun game.
    “Where is my grandson?” he boomed out loudly. Knowing Cage’s son Micah was hiding from him somewhere.
    There was a small giggle, then some shuffling noises coming from behind the couch.
    “I wonder where he could be? Hmm, I thought Grandma had some cookies for him, but if he’s not here, I guess I’ll have to eat them myself!”
    “Noooo…..gampa!” The cry came as Micah spun around the edge of the couch wearing nothing but a diaper and