Page 19 of Bearly Mated

“I’m not leaving you alone here while you’re growing my cub. And I’m sure as fuck not leaving my cub. There are jobs in town.”

“Jobs you don’t want.”

“I don’t need money. I’ve got a paid-off house on the edge of town and have barely used a dime of what I’ve made in the last eight years, on top of the clan’s inheritance money. If I do need to work, I’ll join the construction crew.”

I blinked.

The bear clan had founded the town more than a century ago and invested wisely, so they had more money than all of them could spend in their lifetimes. Most of them still worked construction to stay busy, and though we lived in a small town, it was growing so they were always needed.

“That will be good for the cub,” I said, focusing on my food.

“Good forus, Cal.”

There wasn’t anus.

He knew that.

But I wasn’t going to start a fight over it, so I just ate my breakfast.

After we were done, he headed home to shower and change. Though he emphasized that he would be back in a few hours, I didn’t let myself get my hopes up. His dad had rarely kept the promises he made to his mom, or to Hudson.

Neither of us had ever said it aloud, but his dad was a shitty father. He was inconsistent, unreliable, and unavailable most of the time. He had been there when Hudson needed himsometimes, but most of the time, he didn’t show up when he said he would or didn’t answer phone calls.

I did the dishes after Hudson was gone. As I was putting them away, I found a stack of cash on the countertop, next to my car keys.

My eyes widened when I picked it up, silently counting out a few hundred dollars. All of them were crinkled, like Hudson had pulled them out of his pockets or something.

Either way, he’d known my bank account was running on empty, and he’d done something about it.

That was…

Well, I didn’t want to think about what it was.

Shit, I needed to get out of the house.

I put on some mascara and left, headed to Wren’s bookstore. There would be adorable little kids to play with and spicy books to read. And my best friend to talk to, of course.

I parked on the side of the building, surprised by the number of cars in the lot. I counted them as I headed inside—eleven.

It was almost as busy as the diner, which was basically the town’s hot spot.

The bell over the door dinged as I stepped inside, loving the feel of the building as much as always.

Fairy lights lined the ceilings, making the dark green walls feel cozier. The bookshelves were made of light gray wood, and the tile flooring was made to look like dark wood, with rugs and furniture softening it.

Altogether, it felt like some sort of cozy magical forest pulled right out of a fairytale.

The smells of coffee and paper rounded out the whole place.

Most of the chairs and couches were full of people curled up with books. As usual, many of them had coffee cups in front of them. Some had pastries, too.

The checkout desk was off to the side, tucked away enough that it didn’t catch your attention immediately. I knew that was by design.

When the person in front of the counter stepped away with a paper bag and a coffee cup, my gaze met Wren’s, and her lips curved upward.

She had light skin and straight, dark hair cut just above her shoulders. Her eyes were bright, and she had one of those personalities that put everyone at ease.

She stepped out from behind the counter as I reached it, and she pulled me in for a hug. I hugged her back tightly, my emotions burning in my eyes.

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