Page 70 of More Than I Can Bear

“So you’ll what? Break up the sleuth, and you and River will pursue this girl?” Mum asked, her voice getting higher and higher, her hands going to her hips. “I know what Adam did was wrong but—”

“Toni,” Dad growled.

“He’s your brother, Kaine. This will break his heart and you know it.” She was dressing me down, just like she always did when Adam was struggling. “You’ll abandon him for some girl—”

“My mate, Mother.” My voice was more bear than man and she let out a little gasp then, taking an instinctive step backwards. “And what about my happiness, Mum? I was with Freya when Adam called. She was snuggled up tight against my body and I was so fucking happy, just listening to her breathe, feeling her in my arms. I was in heaven.” Mum’s shaking hand went to her lips. “I didn’t want to be anywhere else in the whole fucking world and then I got the call. Adam called me.” I swallowed hard. “Just like he always does when he gets in the shit and, like every other time, I put aside what I wanted and rushed to help him.”

Dad was watching me with molten gold eyes, half of him providing a barrier between me and Mum, the other half nodding in recognition.

“‘Look after your brother’, you’ve always said that to me and I’ve stepped up every fucking time.”

“Don’t swear at your mother, mate,” my dad said.

“Every time.” I stabbed my finger into the air. “But this is my time too. She’s the only woman for me, and you know that.”

“You might find someone else,” Mum said and I could hear the hope in her voice. “Someone you can all love. Look at River’s mother.”

“Yeah, look at River’s mother,” I snapped. “What’s her name?”

“Oh, well, I…” Mum stammered.

“What’s her name, Mum?”

Her mouth set in a mulish line and Dad pulled her into his side.

“Kaine needs to go to Freya.” Adam looked too pale and sweaty, his hair matted to his brow and he was wiping bile from his mouth with the back of his hand, which kinda ruined his delivery. “If he’s what she wants, I won’t stand in his way. I want you to be happy, brother.”

And right there was the reason why I loved the little bastard. He was the golden boy for a reason, because at his heart there was something good and honest and that was what came through right now.

“I’ll talk to Freya about the situation as soon as she’s comfortable with that,” I told him. “Try and feel her out about what she wants to do. That’s what this is about.” I glanced at each one of them, trying to make them see that. “It doesn’t matter what family shit we’ve got going on.”

“Kaine…” Mum hissed.

“It’s always what the woman wants, that’s how the stories go, right?”

“Right,” Dad said with a firm nod, then bumped his shoulder against Mum. “It was the way it worked with you.”

“But—”

“If you only wanted me and weren’t into Kev, we would’ve understood,” Dad insisted.

“More like she would’ve rejected you.” My other two dads walked out with sleepy smiles, before Kev took Adam in. “Our boy is looking a bit worse for wear. Thanks for bringing him home, son, but we’ve got things from here.”

I watched my dads swoop in and wrap their arms around Adam, steering my drunken brother inside the house.

“Go back to your mate and hold her tight,” Dad said, guiding Mum in the same direction. “You can never take for granted how long you’ve got her for, not even after the mating marks are made.”

I thought about that the whole drive home, on the ride up to the apartment via the lift and when I stalked towards the bedroom.

“Mm…” Freya said, rolling over in her sleep, before snuggling into me again. I stroked her hair for some time, sleep taking a while longer to come this time, and thought about just what we were going to do to get out of this mess.

Chapter36

Freya

So if this was life with a bear sleuth, I definitely didn’t hate it. I woke up after a glorious sleep to feel my two lovers wrapped around me.

Lovers.

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