Page 40 of Bear

Chapter Fourteen

Shelby - One year later

“Food is here!” I called.

Maisie was propped on my hip, her little pink floppy hat shielding her from the harsh summer sun. Carlos and Pedro carried two large boxes of food between them. We’d been cooking all morning in order to bring lunch to the construction site

The Alpha Riders were hard at work, building our home on a little patch of land at the outskirts of Merry Field. Justin hadn’t caused any further trouble after the police threatened to charge him with attempted assault. It took me nearly three months to breathe easy, realizing he wouldn’t be coming around again. I still took out a restraining order on him, just in case.

A whoop of excitement went up at the prospect of food and the men descended on the picnic table as Carlos and Pedro unpacked the boxes, distributing burritos, tacos, and taquitos, bags of chips, containers of fresh salsa and guacamole - enough to feed a small army. With nine hungry men to feed, I knew there wouldn’t be any leftovers.

Bear headed straight for me with a smile on his face, spreading from ear to ear. None of the men were wearing shirts in this heat - and I certainly wasn’t complaining about the view with so many sweaty muscles and tattoos on display. Bear’s shirt dangled from his back pocket as he approached.

“My two favorite girls are looking gorgeous, as always.” He pressed a smacking kiss to Maisie’s cheek before turning to me. “Hey,” he whispered softly before kissing me, slow and gentle.

“Disgusting!” Carlos called from the picnic table. “I’m losing my appetite over here.”

Bear chuckled as he took my hand, threading our fingers together.

“Then stop spying, pervert,” he teased. “Hand over one of those burritos.”

“Only if you promise to stop tongue wrestling in public with your wife-to-be.”

A snicker rippled around the table. Carlos smirked at his own joke as he slapped a foil-wrapped burrito into Bear’s open palm.

“The house looks really good,” I said. “It’s coming along fast.”

Bear nodded. “We’re ahead of schedule so far. A couple of the guys are taking bets that we’ll have it done before the wedding next month.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “That quickly?”

He shrugged. “I guess I’m a little eager to get us into that master bedroom of our own.”

“In that case, maybe I should have held off bringing food so you could work through lunch.”

Bear laughed softly and slid his hand into my back pocket. I could feel the weight and heat of his palm through my jeans.

“I have to keep my strength up,” he pointed out.

“For building our house?” I asked. “Or for…other things?”

“Both.”

Rooster whistled from the table.

“Hey, lovebirds, are you gonna eat or not?”

Bear, Maisie, and I squeezed onto a bench at the picnic table but he still hadn’t let go of my hand. He thumbed at the engagement ring glittering on my finger.

“Getting cold feet yet?”

I shook my head. “You keep asking me that. My answer hasn’t changed. It’s a yes, now and forever.”

“Just checking.”

“If you change your mind,” Mack put in from the other end of the table. “I’d be happy to step in for him.”

Rooster took a swipe at his head.

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