She heads down the porch steps, pausing to say something to her sons that makes both of them duck their heads like scolded children. Then she continues on the path toward her own cabin, leaving me alone with my thoughts and my belly and my ridiculous mate.
I watch Tolin work on the truck, his shoulders flexing as he leans over the engine, his face set in concentration. He’s still grumpy. Still stubborn. Still the most difficult man I’ve ever met.
But he’s mine. Every scarred, stubborn, impossible inch of him.
I think about who I was seven months ago. Lonely. Guarded. Building a life piece by piece because I didn’t believe anyone would ever do it with me. I had my shoebox of savings and my dream of a green chair and a heart full of walls I thought would never come down.
Then I met a bear who was even more guarded than I was. A man so determined to push everyone away. He destroyed my car, crushed my phone, and tried everything he could think of to make me leave.
Instead, I stayed.
And somehow, in staying, I found everything I never knew I was looking for.
As if sensing my thoughts, Tolin looks up from the truck. His eyes find mine across the yard. I feel it all: warm and steady and sure.
He says something to Ronan that I can’t hear, then starts walking toward the cabin. Toward me.
“You’re supposed to be fixing the truck,” I call out as he climbs the porch steps.
“Ronan’s got it.” He settles onto the swing beside me, the wood creaking under his weight. “I needed to check on you.”
“You checked on me twenty minutes ago.”
“That was twenty minutes ago.” His hand finds my belly, spreading wide across the swell where our son is doing somersaults. “How’s my boy?”
“Busy. He’s been kicking me all day.”
“That’s my cub.” His face splits into a grin, the same ridiculous proud grin he gets every time he feels the baby move. “Strong already.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one he’s using as a punching bag.”
“Want me to talk to him?” He leans down, putting his mouth close to my belly. “Hey in there. Stop beating up your mother.”
The baby kicks harder, right against Tolin’s hand.
“I don’t think he’s listening,” I say dryly.
“He’s stubborn. Gets it from you.”
“Excuse me? I’m not the stubborn one in this relationship.”
“You stayed in my cabin even after I crushed your phone and ripped your car door off. That’s stubborn.”
“That’s determination. There’s a difference.”
He laughs, the sound rumbling through his chest, and pulls me closer. I lean into him, resting my head onhis shoulder, watching Ronan wrestle with the truck engine.
“He’s still looking, you know,” Tolin says quietly.
“Looking?”
“For his mate.” He nods toward his brother. “Every new person who comes to town, every stranger who passes through. He’s always watching, always hoping.”
“He’ll find her.”
“I know. But the waiting is hard.” His grip on me firms. “I waited thirty-two years. Thought I’d be alone forever. Thought maybe fate had forgotten about me.”
“Fate has bad timing,” I agree. “But it got there eventually.”
