Page 95 of More Than I Can Bear

“Just a sec,” I said, as I read the message. “I left something in the bedroom.”

“Jesus, Adam…”

Heard the news, she’d written.Congrats?

No congrats needed, I replied.I needed to make a choice and I chose them. I told Billy not to bother putting me forward in the draft.

You sure? Phil’s wetting his pants. His star player quitting, then being called up to the big leagues.

I smiled then, all of the misery of the last week feeling like it was washing away.

Never been more sure of anything in my life.

And with that, I turned my phone off and went and joined the others.

Chapter48

Freya

As we drove, I watched the landscape pass by with my face almost pressed against the glass. Kaine shot me a sidelong look from behind the wheel.

“Don’t get out this way often?”

“Mum and Dad used to take us for drives when we were little,” I replied. “But not having a licence means I don’t really get out this way much.”

“Well, you’re with us now.” He took his hand off the steering wheel and squeezed my knee. “You can ask us to take you wherever you want, or help you get your licence if you want.”

“I’m not sure you want to see me behind the wheel,” I said sheepishly, remembering all of my aborted attempts in the past.

“Whatever you want,” he told me, those cool blue eyes holding mine for way too long before flicking back to the road, the way they had been since we’d gotten into the car. “No one’s going to pressure you either way.”

“And you’re fulfilling all of Kaine’s Driving Miss Daisy fantasies at the same time,” Adam said with a cackle, right before his brother deliberately swerved the car, knocking Adam’s head against the glass. The teasing continued right up until we turned off the main road.

I wasn’t sure what I expected when I heard about ‘the shack’. A military grade fence that was ten feet high and topped with razor wire certainly wasn’t it. And Kaine grabbing a device from the glove box and then using it to open the automatic gate was a surprise as well. My eyes felt like they were popping out of my head, but once we drove in, it seemed like any other bush block. A dirt road, plenty of virgin bush and the shack itself.

The shack had been created with some care a while ago, from simple materials corrugated iron, roughhewn wood, I stroked the smooth sanded guard rail once we were out of the car, feeling the natural shape of the bough that had been cut down for this purpose.

“Our great grandfathers built this,” Adam explained. “At first, as a place to let the bears out and do some fishing, then—”

“It’s become a sanctuary,” Kaine added. “A lot of different shifter families come and use the place on their off days. Everyone needs a place where they can take fur.”

“Like me.”

Adam grinned, shucking his clothes in a few quick movements and one minute there was a very naked man there and the next there was a massive bear.

Whoa.

It’s OK. You’re OK.

River’s voice was a gentle presence inside my head as I was confronted by the sight of Adam’s other form. He was just so very big that my mind struggled to take him in. I noticed the thick, tawny brown fur and the way it was lighter around his head, darker on his body, the massive paws, planted firmly into the earth, caught the sight of those gorgeous brown ears flicking, then the snuffle of his nose. The bear was curiously gentle, skittish almost as he extended his muzzle forward.

It’s Adam, Kaine told me.Just Adam. The bear is exactly the same as the man. All he wants to do is be next to you and…

That steady stream of encouragement faded as I rushed forward. The bear huffed, right as I flung myself at him. Soft, soft fur and strength, that’s what I felt as I buried myself under his neck. The bear reared up and then gently placed his paws around me.

Getting a bear hug from an actual bear? Can 10/10 recommend. I felt like I could take on the world, my massive bear buddy by my side. I squeezed tighter, barely able to span his chest, let alone the rest of him, right before Adam took skin again.

“So that’s how I get all the hugs now?” he said as he grinned down at me. “Good to know.”

---