Page 7 of Falling for the Bear Dad

Liar. The man gave off so many calm vibes, he was practically an ambiance all on his own.

“Where were you headed?”

Oh, that.

“To the motel. The librarian said if I got to Nellie’s house I’d gone too far, so I turned around and ended up…” I splayed my palms out, referring to my mess.

“The motel is ten minutes in the other direction. Lena has never been good at directions. How about a friend? Boyfriend? Can you call someone to come and get you?”

I sighed and shook my head. “I have no phone and no one to call. I can walk. I’ll just get my things.”

“Not yet. I think you need to sit for a few minutes. Let me see if we can get that car moved all the way into the driveway so it doesn’t impede traffic.”

I became witness to Greyson’s strength. He opened the driver’s door and, with one hand on the wheel, pushed my car into the driveway. It had a slight incline as well.

Had I run straight into Superman’s mailbox? All that was missing was the cape.

“That was…” I stumbled for the words.

“Those smaller cars don’t weigh anything.” He scratched at the back of his neck. “How about we go inside and tend to those wounds?”

I froze. “Go inside? Your house?”

“Yes. Oh, not like… I have a son. He’s inside sleeping. I don’t want to leave him alone, but I think you could use some ice and maybe sit for a moment and plan what to do next. I swear, it’s totally innocent.”

Well, that was a downer.

I looked over my shoulder at the house and sighed. It would be nice to see the inside. And I could use something to drink. My nerves were shot, and I needed a minute to figure my life out in the comfort of a stranger’s living room. Yeah, that sounded good.

“Sure. Okay. Thank you.”

Chapter Seven

Greyson

I guided the young woman inside, careful not to make her bruises any worse. What showed on her face alarmed me and my bear, and I couldn’t know if she had other injuries hidden by her clothing. Most of those in our neighborhood were shifters, but there were a few humans scattered about. Still, this female’s appearance suggested more than a broken-down car bumping a mailbox. But she seemed reticent to talk about it, and I had to respect that.

No matter how hard.

My bear really wanted to go beat the crap out of whoever hurt her that way, no matter how often I told him we didn’t know if anyone had done it or if it was some other kind of accident she didn’t want to talk about. Maybe she tripped and was embarrassed about that.

No. He hurt her.

You can’t be sure.

I know.

This was not the time to stand and argue with the beast. He’d never backed down or admitted he was wrong before, and I doubted he’d start now. So, I returned my attention to my guest. “Come in and have a seat on the couch. I need to pop upstairs and make sure you didn’t waken my son and teach him any new words.”

Leaving the female downstairs, I trotted up and peeked into Benji’s room. He lay on his side, looking every bit as asleep as he was when I left, but he’d been known to pretend, the little mischief-maker.

When I returned to the living room, I found Mya standing by the front window, peeking out through the curtains. There was definitely a story here, but she was hurt and scared, and my bear wanted us to make her feel better as soon as possible. He’d never really paid attention to Jeanine, although he did his best to comfort me in my loss.

“I’m back.”

She jumped and grabbed at the curtains. Oh hell. Someone was going to die if this was how they made her feel. Or at least, so said my bear. And I wasn’t all that opposed. “I’m sorry, I was just looking…at my car.”

Or for someone who might be following her?