Page 12 of Bear

I could see the muscle in Justin’s jaw twitching a mile a minute now.

“Well, if you don’t mind, we were in the middle of a conversation. Then you interrupted.”

Bear hummed and didn’t budge.

“I guess that means your conversation is over. Such a shame.”

Justin’s nostrils flared. He turned his gaze on me and spread his hands as if to say,aren’t you gonna help me out here?

“Would you mind closing the door on your way out?” I asked.

Justin bit back a growl, turned, and yanked the door shut. The heavy tread of his footsteps in the hallway faded. When silence hung in the air for several blessed seconds and I was sure he was gone, I finally let my breath out in a rush. My knees felt like wobbly Jell-o. I pressed a kiss of relief to Maisie’s clammy forehead.

Then Bear was right beside me. Somehow, he’d stepped closer without making a single sound. When his fingers gently cupped my elbow, a small sob slipped out of my mouth.

“Hey, hey,” Bear said softly. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, resting his chin atop my head. “Tell me what’s going on, Shelby. You’re safe, it’s okay.”

Everything came tumbling out. My rocky relationship with Justin since high school. The way I felt him pulling away and distancing himself when I’d announced I was pregnant with Maisie. The way Justin always had an excuse when I brought up marriage -it’s not the right time, we don’t have the money, let’s wait for another year or two before we decide on anything permanent.And then Maisie was born and Justin didn’t even last three weeks. He packed his stuff and left. The next thing I knew, rent had been overdue for months and there was an eviction notice in the mail.

When I was finished, I sniffed and swiped the tears from my face. Bear never let go of me for the duration of my story. He was as solid as a brick wall and as hot as a furnace through the thin, soft fabric of his t-shirt. All I wanted to do was cuddle deeper into his side, bury my face in his shoulder, and stay there for days and days.

“You’re a very brave woman, Shelby,” Bear whispered.

I bit the inside of my cheek as a fresh swell of tears burned in my eyes. I snuggled Maisie closer and she gave a little coo in response.

“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up when you did,” I replied.

“If he comes around again, don’t hesitate to call me, all right? I’ll make sure you have my number before I leave.”

“Thank you,” I rasped, my throat tight. It wasn’t nearly enough to express how grateful I was for everything he’d done in such a short stretch of time for me and my daughter.

Bear cupped his big hand beneath my chin, tilting my head up.

“Would you and Maisie like to join me for a picnic?”

I blinked at him in surprise.

“A…a picnic?”

He nodded. “To take your mind off Justin. I’m part of this…motorcycle club. Every year, we sign up to ride in the annual Potbelly Ride and Picnic for charity. It’s a fundraiser for hungry kids so they can go to bed with full bellies. I was thinking…maybe…you’d like to go. There’s plenty of free food and it might be a nice outing for both you and Maisie.”

The fact that Bear owned a motorcycle wasn’t surprising. He looked the type - gruff, broad-chested, with calloused knuckles. But I marveled that he could look so threatening and yet exhibit so much kindness. Not only was he incredible with Maisie, but now he spent his spare time looking out for other kids, too.

Although I couldn’t ignore what his request really was beneath the surface.

“Is that why you were stopping by? To ask me to the picnic?”

Bear cleared his throat and tugged at his earlobe, self-consciously. A faint flush of pink colored his neck just above the collar of his t-shirt.

“Yes. It was.”

“So…you’re asking me out on a date,” I said.

I saw Bear swallow hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“I’d like it to be a date,” he said and I could tell how much courage it took him to say it. “But I would understand if that’s too much pressure. Especially right now with Justin and everything going on.”

I knew I needed to say no. I knew I wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship with someone else. But this man had provided stability for my daughter and me, like a rock amid a stormy sea. If my heart was going to be safe around anyone, it would be him.

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