Page 2 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate

At twenty-four, Alix was well aware that her mother had every right to move on with her life. She knew some people would probably find it pathetic that she still lived at home or that home was a static home in a trailer park. She should be happy that her mother's new man was opening his fancy mansion to the both of them. Not all her mother's boyfriends had been that generous.

But then again, this wasn't a regular boyfriend.This was a fiancé.

Alix's stomach turned just thinking back to her mother's earlier announcement. No warning, no conversation, no discussion. And somehow she was supposed to be happy for them?

Well, Alix was not happy. Maybe it was selfish but she'd seen enough of her mother'srelationships break down over the years and the person who had to pick up the pieces was always Alix. But if they moved out of their home, there would be no more safety net to fall back on.

Why was her mother being so blinded by love?

The woman next to her ordered more whisky and turned to her. "Do you have a cigarette I can borrow?"

"You can't really borrow cigarettes because you consume them," Alix returned, not sure why she was choosing this moment to be pedantic. "But also, no. I don't smoke."

"Neither do I but this seemed like a good moment to start." The dark-haired woman let out a frustrated sigh and her head dropped down on the bar. "Ugh. I hate feeling like this."

Alix hesitated for a moment before reaching over and patting the woman's shoulder. Even though they were total strangers, she felt a sense of kinship with her seat neighbour. "Do you want to tell me why your dad is an asshole?"

"He's always so inconsiderate. He called to say he had something important to tell me but that he couldn't do it over the phone. So I drove all the way over, only to find out that all my other siblings are here too. And who doesn't get a guest room but has torent an expensive hotel?" The woman pointed at herself. "Me."

"So what's the important news?"

"He still hasn't said! My youngest brother hasn't arrived yet and Dad wants to tell us all at the same time. If I'd known in advance, I would've come over tomorrow. But no, he didn't think about that, did he? It's like he doesn't understand I have my own life."

Alix didn't think it sounded all that bad but she tactfully didn't voice that. She didn't know this woman or their family dynamics or why this was such a big deal. To a degree, her opinion didn't matter. The dark-haired woman was clearly distressed and upset and that was that.

"I know I don't know you but I'm sorry you're having a tough time," she said. There was no reason to socialise or console this stranger, but at least it was taking her mind off her own problems. And all this doom and gloom of drinking in a bar looked good in films but in reality, it wasn't all that fun. She wasn't forgetting anything and she was only making a fool out of herself.

Her seat neighbour dropped her head on the bar. "I know I shouldn't let it get to me but it's always the same story. I thought a drink would calm me down but I'm just getting more and more riled up. A part ofme wants to march home and give my dad a piece of my mind."

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea. Drunk shouting never fixes anything. If you're feeling restless, you should go dancing," Alix suggested.

"Dancing?" The woman turned to look at her, her eyes slightly narrowed. "I don't dance."

"Then maybe you're not drunk enough yet. Drunk dancing is the best."

"If you think so, why are you here instead of drunk dancing yourself?"

"Touché." Alix said, finally cracking a smile. "Well, then maybe you and I should drink some more and find a club to go crazy."

"I don't know you."

Alix shrugged. "So? Do you have something better to do?"

The first smile appeared on the dark-haired woman's face and it instantly made her look a lot more approachable. "I suppose not. Do you know any good clubs?"

"I knowallthe good clubs. I'm Alix, by the way,” she said, deciding that if they were going to party together, she should introduce herself.

"Alix? That's an interesting name. Short for anything?"

Alix had lost count of how many times she’d been asked that throughout her life.

She shook her head, a lot less prickly about it than when she was a child. "Nope, just Alix."

"Okay. Well, it's nice to meet you, Just Alix.” A little grin appeared on the woman’s face. “I'm Veronica."

TWO

Veronica

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