Page 33 of Marked By The Grouchy Grizzly

My man looks at me with exasperation in his eyes and I try not to laugh. “I think you’re doing great!”

Just as I finish saying it, Nathan’s grizzly bear bursts out of him.

“I said no!” Julian says, throwing his hands up. But it’s too late. Nathan’s little grizzly cub is leaping into the water, scaring all the fish away.

Liam tackles Michael and they crash into Angelica which causes her to drop her phone into the river.

Her face turns apocalyptic as she looks at her twin brothers. “You two aredead.”

“Wait!” Julian says, but it’s too late again. Angelica bursts into her grizzly bear. It roars out in fury, charging at the boys.

Both Liam and Michael let their grizzlies loose and then run away from their much bigger sister, splashing in the water.

Julian looks at our four children—all of them in their bear forms—splashing, fighting, and playing in the river, and he drops his head with a sigh.

I giggle as I walk over and rub his back. “I wassuperinterested in your fly fishing lesson.”

He shakes his head playfully as he looks at me. “Yeah. Right.”

I can’t help but laugh. Our family is crazy and chaotic and unruly, but it’s ours and it’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.

The life I’ve built with this man still makes me pause in disbelief.

I can’t believe I got this lucky. I can’t believe this wonderful man is mine.

“Might as well join them,” Julian says as he pulls off his shirt.

I suck in a short breath when I catch a glimpse of his strong tattooed torso. This man still takes my breath away. I still find him so unbelievably hot.

He steps back and slides his pants down, and before I know it, he lets his bear loose.

“Hello,” I say as my big furry friend comes over to see me.

He sniffs my neck, making sure his mark is still there, and it makes me giggle.

“Can I have a ride?” I ask as I grab onto this thick fur.

He lowers his body and I pull myself up, sitting on his wide powerful shoulders.

Nothing beats riding a grizzly bear. It’s still the most surreal feeling ever.

He walks into the river with me on his back and the kids stop wrestling when they see us.

“Uh oh,” I say with a grin when they come rushing over to play. “Four against one, that hardly seems fair.”

I hold on tight as Julian wrestles with our kids and I get a front row seat to it all.

Like I said, our family is a little chaotic and crazy, but it’s mine.

And to me, it’s perfect.

The End

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