Except it had been real.
He stretched beneath the sheets, a slow smile spreading across his face as he recalled Hannah’s laughter by the stream, her face tilted toward the sun, the scent of her beside him on the blanket.
His bear stretched luxuriously within him.Best day. Best mate. Best everything.
Caleb smiled at the ceiling, allowing himself a moment to simply bask in the feeling. For the first time in years—maybe ever—the future felt like something he could reach out and touch. Not some distant, abstract concept, but a warm, living thing unfolding right before him.
A future with Hannah in it.
What other future is there?his bear asked.
He was right. Now that they had met their mate, there was no future worth imagining unless she was in it. By his side. His friend. His companion. His love.
Our mate,his bear added happily.
He could not wait another moment for that future to begin.
Caleb threw the bedcovers back and jumped out of bed, full of anticipation for the day ahead.
Joy!His bear did a backflip.And maybe... a big reveal. Me!
Maybe,Caleb replied as he dressed in casual slacks and a sweater.
Yes, if things went well, today might be the day he told Hannah everything. Laid bare his soul.
But first, he needed coffee.
Downstairs, he ground coffee beans, the rich aroma filling the kitchen as he opened the windows to let in the mountain air. Everything seemed sharper somehow, more vibrant. The coffee smelled richer. The breeze felt fresher. The sunlight seemed to catch on ordinary objects and transform them.
This is how it could be every day, he thought, imagining Hannah at the kitchen table, sharing breakfast with him before he headed to the restaurant.
He glanced at the kitchen clock and sighed. The restaurant. He only had a couple of hours before he had to head into work.
Maybe we should take the day off,his bear suggested.
Hmm. Rachel would be in for her usual shift today, but Jenny’s mom’s leak was worse than she’d thought, and she wouldn’t be back for another couple of days.
Which left the restaurant short-staffed again this lunchtime. If he took the day off, it put more pressure on everyone else.
He was torn between his duty to the restaurant and the need to be with his mate. Caleb knew what his family would say...
Our mate comes first,his bear finished for him.
Always,Caleb agreed.
Although he hated to let them down, he’d call his parents and ask them if they could manage without him for the day.
He reached for his phone, resolve settling over him. Today, he would choose her.
But before he dialed the number, his senses locked onto Hannah in the room above... a subtle shift in her presence gave way to the quiet certainty that she was awake.
Any minute now, she would come downstairs, and he didn’t want her to overhear the conversation with his parents.
She’d feel bad, insist on working another shift...
So, instead, Caleb poured two cups of coffee and set them down on the table, excitement building inside of him. He’d call his parents later.
As he sensed her approaching, he turned, a smile already forming, words of greeting ready on his lips... and then he saw her.
