You Had Me at Cougar by Terry Spear
Epilogue
Chet was grateful he’d gone to Yuma Town for the Independence Day celebration with his friends and ended up with the cougar of his fantasies. She was real and as beautiful inside as she was out. Here he thought he would end up sleeping on someone’s sofa, so he couldn’t have lucked out more that the safehouse was under renovations when he arrived and had to stay with a reluctant she-cat. He couldn’t be happier that he had fallen in love with her and that she’d felt the same about him.
His mother adored both Ava and her twin sister and had taken them under her wing. And both Ava and Nina were thrilled to call her family. Stryker too, of course.
Even Chet’s brother, Kenneth, had come into town to see who Chet had mated, giving him a hard time about doing the impossible.
The wedding was to be on Labor Day weekend. They couldn’t wait. And a honeymoon in Hawaii was after that. Snorkeling, swimming, running through the tropics as cougars at night? Something new and fantastical for the both of them.
But for now, he and Ava were having a blast staying at Pinyon Pines, their cabin retreat win, and Florence had delivered their pastries for breakfast and then it was a day of swimming, lounging, and making love. Who knew when they won the stay at the resort that they would be mated cougars, building their dream house, and going forward with their lives in Yuma Town and the rest of the wild cats there?
* * *
Ava realized beingwith Chet didn’t wear her out as far as her special abilities went like she thought being around him would. In fact, he energized her and made her wish she had gotten to know him sooner. Plus, she’d even helped him with more of his cases.
She loved him as her mate. Not to mention Wendy had fast become one of her best friends.
Both she and Nina were always asking about the cases Wendy had worked on as a CSF agent, and she was eager to tell them all about them.
Wendy adored Ava's lavender and turquoise-decorated condo and bought it while Chet and Ava were delighted to build a bigger home suitable for a family and family get togethers.
Ava loved how when she and Nina were off from work, Wendy was delighted to be one of the girls too and shop with them at the mall in Loveland or enjoy lunch out or in with them. Wendy had them over too and she was making friends with lots of the ladies in town.
Now that Ava was mated to Chet, they had bigger family gatherings—barbecues at their home or Nina's and Ava was no longer a third wheel. Even their Aunt Grace and Uncle Geoffrey Robinson came to the gatherings when they weren't on world tours.
But what Ava and Chet were looking forward to now was the wedding in September and a trip to Hawaii before Halloween, because none of the cougars wanted to miss that.
Even Ursula had resolved the situation with Blue and Nathan, and the bears were all back home. She still hadn’t made any headway with the other bear she was interested in. But they were all invited to the wedding.
"So do you see anything in our future?" Chet asked Ava after they had a day of boating and swimming and were heading back to the cabin.
"I do," Ava said, pulling off his shirt in the living room of the cabin. "I see you making love to me and me making love to you and dreaming about a trip to Hawaii. The wedding first, of course."
He chuckled and slipped her shorts off her hips.
"Good, that's just what I'd hoped for." Then he chased her into the bedroom, and she squealed, not meaning too, but he always brought that out in her.
He was so much fun to be with no matter where they were or what they were doing. And to think she had believed in the beginning that he'd just wear her out—senses-wise.
But boy, had she gotten that wrong. She loved how considerate he was of her special ability, trusting in them even when she didn't trust in them herself.
Then they were in bed, making love to each other, culminating another beautiful day of mated bliss and looking forward to so much more.
