“Oh, they will,” Matt assured her, turning onto the road that led back to Rachel’s.
Tessa chuckled, the sound making his bear rumble with pleasure. “I’m glad we have an expert fairy consultant on the project.”
His bear chuckled.Wait until your brothers know you have been talking about fairies as if they are real.
I don’t care,Matt replied.There’s nothing wrong with a little make-believe.
Yeah, just make our mate believe in us, and the mating bond,his bear said.And soon.
We’ll get there. But not now,Matt countered, though the urge to do exactly that grew stronger with each passing moment.
The timing had to be perfect. He couldn’t risk frightening her away, not when they were just beginning to build something real between them. Something based on shared moments and genuine connection, not just the mate bond that hummed between them like an electric current.
“I was thinking,” Matt said carefully, “there’s a path up behind the restaurant that leads to a small overlook. It’s quiet and peaceful. Good place to... look at the sketch.” He swallowed, keeping his eyes on the road. “Maybe after your shift, if you’re not too tired, we could walk up there? It has the best view of the town. In fact, you’ll have a bird’s-eye view of the restaurant and the courtyard...”
You are rambling,his bear told him.
I know, I can’t help it,Matt said. He could think of nothing better than ending a shift alone with his mate in one of the most romantic places in Bear Creek.
He could feel Tessa studying his face, considering. His pulse thudding as he waited for her answer.
“I’d like that,” she said finally.
And then you’ll tell her?his bear asked.
No, it’s not private enough,Matt said.But I will ask her to dinner. And then I’ll tell her.
Yes!his bear exclaimed.
“Here we are,” Matt said as he pulled into Rachel’s driveway. He cut the engine, the sudden silence emphasizing the private bubble they’d created inside the truck.
“I’ll just get changed and grab my sketchbook,” Tessa said as she climbed out of the truck.“I’ll be waiting,” Matt murmured, watching as she disappeared into the house.
His bear paced anxiously.What if she rejects us after we tell her? What if she leaves?
I thought you wanted me to tell her,Matt replied.
I do, but that doesn’t mean I’m not scared,his bear said.
Yeah, me too. But things worked out for Caleb, so they’ll work out for us,Matt said.
Where’d this confidence come from?his bear asked.
Think about it,Matt said.It happened for our cousins, it happened for our brother, now it’s going to happen for us.
Yeah, it did, didn’t it?His bear’s fears melted away.Gotta believe in fate.
We sure do.Matt cracked a grin.
He leaned back in his seat and pushed his senses out, locking onto Tessa inside Rachel’s house. Damn, that feeling would never get old.
Here she comes,Matt murmured as he sensed Tessa heading back out of the door with her purse slung over her shoulder and the sketchbook tucked under her arm. She had changed out ofher sundress into a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, her hair swept up in a ponytail.
Matt’s breath caught as Tessa approached the truck. She looked every inch the professional server now, as if she had cast off the woman who had laughed and flirted with him at the market, but something about the way she moved made his heart race. And always would. No matter what she wore.
His bear stirred restlessly beneath his skin, sensing what was coming.Tonight. It has to be tonight.
When she opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, her scent filled the cab, and his senses sharpened with awareness. The sketchbook rested on her lap, her fingers curled protectively around its edges.
