Page 40 of His Protective Bear

Chapter 19

Sage

I don’t know why I was so nervous about a date with Hunter. When he picked me up, I had my overnight bag packed for the weekend since that was the stipulation he had put out there for me to come home on Wednesday.

When I had everything ready to go, I threw my bag into the back seat of my car and headed for his house. Of course, Hunter wanted to pick me up, but I told him I needed to have my car just in case of an emergency. He was adorable when he tried to coax me into staying longer.

I pulled up outside his house at five-thirty, just as we had planned. Hunter must have been watching for me to arrive. He came out the door as soon I pulled in and parked next to his truck and met me at the car.

“Hey, baby.” He leaned down to kiss me, then squatted before me to place a kiss on my belly. “Hey, there, precious little one. Daddy is here to protect you. I’m going to take good care of you and your Papa.” My eyes teared up at sweet words to our baby. I never expected to have any of this in my life, but I thanked the Gods every day that I had Hunter.

Hunter took my overnight bag from my shoulder and wrapped an arm around my waist to pull me closer. As we walked up the stairs, he filled me in on the plans for the evening. All I knew before I got here was to dress up a little bit for our date.

“First, we will unpack your bag into the new dresser I bought for you this morning. As I told you Wednesday, tonight is the start of the rest of our lives together, which means you need to live here with me where I can take care of you and my precious little peanut.”

I rolled my eyes at this overprotective manner, but I also relished the thought of spending my life with him and our baby.

“After you’re unpacked, we have a dinner reservation at the best restaurant in town. You only deserve the best after all my failed attempts at cooking for you.”

“But you don’t need a reservation to eat at the diner,” I deadpanned.

“That is true, but that’s not where I’m taking you. It’s a surprise and comes highly recommended by my food critic brother-in-law, Cooper.”

“Well, if this place is Cooper Hallbjorn-approved, count me in.”

Hunter grinned at me as we made our way inside the bedroom. He dropped my bag on the bed and tilted his head to the giant dresser that now took up half the wall.

All I could do was shake my head at my overprotective alpha, who evidently planned to shower me with everything he thought I needed. The joke was on him. All we needed was him. The rest was just fluff. Life with him would never be boring.

* * *

As we stood on the sidewalk outside of Root 245, I was shocked to see how beautiful it was. I’d never been here but had heard other customers talking about it in the diner. It was a high-end Italian bistro in the arts district of Asheville that specialized in regional Italian cuisine.

“Have you ever been here?” Hunter asked. His expression told me he hoped my answer was no. He was in luck.

“No, but I’ve always wanted to. It’s not the type of place you would dine in alone.”

Hunter reached over and took my hand in his. “You will never be alone again, my love. I intend to take care of you and our little one for the rest of our lives.” The sincerity in his heart showed in the way he looked at me.

All I could do was nod in agreement and smile at him, afraid that the tears would come if I tried to speak. Damn these pregnancy hormones. Since they had officially taken over my body, all I wanted to do was cry, eat, or fuck. Two out of three wasn’t so bad.

Taking the cue to move on, Hunter opened the door and ushered me into a beautifully lit wonderland. As I took in the place, I noticed the lighting was supplied from old wooden beams wrapped with fairy lights. The entire room was centered around a huge open fireplace with small tables set perfectly for two people. Each table had a mirror inset into the wood, where small tealight candles burned to provide an intimate atmosphere. I can see why Cooper had suggested this place to Hunter. It was the perfect date place.

The hostess showed us to our table near the window that overlooked the flowing river below. The same river flowed through the spot I loved on our property. The spot I took Hunter to the first night we were together under the stars. It was also the first time I knew he was the love of my life.

“Baby, are you okay? You zoned out on me right there,” Hunter asked, the concern evident in his voice.

“I’m more than okay. I was just thinking about how that river out there is the same one I took you to on our property. I knew that spot was special to me, but now it means even more to me. It reminds me of you.”

Hunter reached across the table and took my hand, and understood what I meant without saying a word. That was the moment I knew we were destined to be together. The Gods had matched us perfectly.

We ordered an antipasto platter to share as we took our time studying the menu while sipping a refreshing cranberry sparkling water. Following the appetizer, we enjoyed a fresh salad that Hunter insisted I eat for the health of our unborn child. It was sweet how seriously he took our health.

When our entrée arrived, I was ready to dig in. My appetite had doubled since I’d gotten pregnant, even though I only needed an additional six hundred calories to nurture our baby. We both ordered Pappardelle Bolognese with crusty Italian bread.

I watched Hunter’s eyes roll into the back of his head when the flavor of the rich meat sauce hit his tongue. “You like that, babe?”

Hunter looked at me with a heated expression, then wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin. He leaned in and set me on fire with his words. “It’s the next best thing I’ve ever tasted after your cum.”

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