Page 56 of The Bull's Head

Too overcome with emotion, Teddy nodded. He got to the infirmary as Dr. Hamilton was finishing up Byk’s discharge information. She smiled at him when he entered, and once again, Teddy choked up. He’d never really had a lot of use for humans, beyond needing to shop and things like that. This woman had shown him and Byk so much kindness, and he was humbled by it.

“Do you want me to carry you?” he asked Byk.

“I want to walk,” he replied. “Will you hold my hand?”

Teddy laced their fingers together and smiled when Byk leaned on him.

“I’m scared,” he admitted.

“We all are, but we’re going to face everything together, head-on.”

“You don’t have to,” Byk said, sadness obvious in his voice. “I know this isn’t what you hoped for, and?—”

“And you will shut up. You are everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner, a mate. You are good, kind, and your smell drives me up a wall. My bear wants to push you down and take you here in the hall, to mark you so you’ll never doubt who you belong to.”

“I belong to you, for as long as you’ll have me.”

“My love,” Teddy said softly, “eternity isn’t nearly long enough.”

He pulled Byk to him and luxuriated in the warmth and scent that enveloped him. He could happily lose himself in this man and spend the remainder of their lives exploring each other.

“Teddy?”

Byk’s voice pulled Teddy from his thoughts. “Yes?”

“Thank you for… you know, not giving up on me.”

He wanted to ask who’d give up on someone they loved, but he already knew the answer to that. Indifferent parents, a brother who wasn’t part of his life growing up. Very few friends that Teddy knew about.

“I can’t give up on you. You’re all my bear thinks about. He no longer desires to go fishing. Instead, he would prefer to remain here and watch you sleep or eat or bathe or work. He is as enthralled by you as I am. So no, there will be no walking away for us. At least not as long as you’re with us.”

When Byk smiled, it lit up Teddy’s entire outlook. Funny how such a simple thing could mean so much. Meeting this man had created a shift in how Teddy saw the world. He didn’t want to be a bodyguard, but he did want to keep Byk from harm. He wanted to coddle him, to make every wish come true.

“I love you, I hope you know that.”

“I kinda had that impression, yes,” Byk replied.

“Before I met you, I thought love and partners were unimportant. I figured I had no need for them, unlike Ivan. Then I met this bull and my bear screamed to be near him, to comfort him, to be shown kindness. He wanted to sleep in a stall of poop just so he could be with the bull. Never have I thought I’d do that.” He stroked a hand over Byk’s arm. “But I would gladly do it every day, if it meant I got to spend it with you.”

Byk laughed, and it was a balm to Teddy’s soul. “I would prefer the bed, if you don’t mind. Sleeping in a stall was never my idea of a good thing, though it was far better than the room they kept me in. After they took me out, Dr. Hamilton had to give me injections to fix my hooves, which had become soft due to the urine-soaked hay they left me in.

He shuddered, and Teddy squeezed him. He had no idea how to make things like these memories go away, or even if he should. Byk deserved a happy life, and if Teddy could help with that, he’d do so gladly.

“What can I do?”

A quick shake of the head. “Nothing. I’ve got to learn to cope. Every day I remind myself I’m no longer in that room, no longer dealing with bloody hooves, no longer crying to be let go. Now I’m free and safe and happy.”

“Are you? Happy, I mean.”

“You’re kidding, right? Do you know, when I was in school, girls would talk about their boyfriends, and it would be how sexy they were, how good they smelled, how they flashed money, or how they had a cool car. It was never about how the boys treated them. I never understood that. You’d think that would be the most important part of life, because that car will be sold in a few years, that smell is probably just deodorant, that money could disappear, but being treated well? That was something that would be there always.” His cheeks pinked. “Or at least it should be.”

“You had a very adult way of looking at relationships. Most people only care about what’s in it for them. The people Ivan was with came for the sex or the drinks he bought them. It was a very temporary exchange, but never something that could become anything more permanent. And he’s okay with that. If it works for him, I’m happy, but that’s not what I want out of my life. Now that I’ve met you, I want it all. A home, a family, a mate. I want a true future, not something meaningless.”

Byk snuggled in closer, and Teddy put a hand on his side. “I’ll tell you something, but you have to promise not to laugh at me.”

“I would never.”

“When I was a kid, I dreamed about being with someone who’d love me, despite what I thought were my flaws. I mean, I could understand them falling for Connor, but me? I wasn’t half as good as he was, so I thought I’d have to settle. Then this big bear lumbers into my life and shows me that I can have it all. Love, acceptance, touches—oh, and brushing. I’m a big fan of that.”

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