Page 41 of Bear and Book

Before Jason left me alone to manage the bookstore. Before the storm. Before Leo walking into my life with that impossible smile and those steady, patient eyes.

I set the phone down without replying.

My hand drifted to the top drawer of my dresser, almost on its own. For a moment I just stood there, staring at the worn wood, feeling the quiet pull of old habits.

Finally, with a sharp breath, I slid the drawer open and stared at Jason’s ring.

I froze, my chest tightening the way it always did whenever I saw it glinting in the half-light.

Tthe sight of it was enough to drag me back, back to nights filled with promises that never lasted, back to the hollow ache of waking up alone.

My fingers hovered over it, trembling with hesitation, before finally closing around the cool metal. For the briefest second, I let myself feel its weight in my palm.

It was heavier than I remembered. Heavy with every lie, every compromise, every time I’d told myself that staying quiet was easier than being alone.

I didn’t think I’d ever wear it again, and the truth was, I didn’t want to.

The ring represented my past. A past I had bled for, cried over, nearly broken myself trying to piece together. A past I never, ever wanted to revisit.

I clenched my jaw and set it back down, the faint clink of metal against wood sounding final, like a closing door.

Then I shut the drawer firmly, my hand lingering on the handle for a long moment as if sealing something away.

This was where it belonged now. Out of sight. Out of reach.

Because my future was no longer in that drawer. My future was waiting for me just outside, warm and golden and alive in ways that ring could never promise.

The phone buzzed again, but I didn’t look.

Instead, I lay back on the bed, my fingers brushing the faint scent of Leo still clinging to the quilt. My fox gave a small, content sigh in the back of my mind.

Maybe I still had doubts. Maybe I’d still find myself second-guessing every step. But right now, in this moment, I knew one thing with absolute clarity.

I didn’t want Jason’s words. I didn’t want his apologies.

I wanted Leo but did I truly deserve him?

* * *

LEO

I couldn’t stop grinning all day.

Didn’t matter that Cassian caught me staring into space twice while kneading dough and told me I looked like a lovesick golden retriever. He wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t care.

I kept replaying last night in my head. The slow kisses, the sound Elias made when I’d kissed down his neck. And this morning, waking up with him in my arms?

Yeah, that one was gonna live rent-free in my head forever.

The thing was, it wasn’t just the heat. It was the way he’d looked at me across that tiny kitchen table, hair still mussed from sleep, like maybe he was letting himself imagine we could do that every morning.

That thought was dangerous, but in the best way. By the time I’d finished my shift and gotten cleaned up, I was buzzing to see him again.

We hadn’t made firm plans, just a vague “I’ll see you later.” Still, my bear had taken that as a blood oath.

The sun was just starting to set when I headed toward his apartment.

I had a bag slung over my shoulder. It contained a couple of his favorite pastries I’d swiped from Bear and Bun before Cassian could notice.