Page 61 of Bear and Book

“I need to do something. I can’t just sit here.” He moved toward the kitchen, opening a cabinet. “You hungry?”

My stomach growled before I could answer. The tension had masked it, but now that the fight was over, I realized I hadn’t eaten since early morning.

“Yeah,” I admitted.

He gave a tight smile, pulling out a pan. “Good. Cooking helps me think.”

I stayed on the couch for a while, just watching him move. Elias was precise in everything he did, measured and careful. Even the way he chopped vegetables looked deliberate.

But I saw the tremor in his hands, the way his jaw clenched between motions. He was working it out of his system. Reclaiming his kitchen, his space.

When the scent of garlic and onions filled the apartment, my bear huffed in approval. Food meant safety. Home.

I finally got up and joined him, leaning against the counter. “Need help?”

Elias glanced at me sideways, as if weighing whether to let me in. Then he nodded toward the bread. “Slice that. Not too thick.”

I grinned. “Bossy.”

“Efficient,” he corrected, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes now.

We worked side by side in quiet harmony. The rhythm of it soothed me, too.

The scrape of the knife, the hiss of the pan. By the time Elias plated the food, the pasta tossed with garlic oil, roasted vegetables, and the bread, I could see the tension had bled out of him.

We sat at the small table, and for the first time since Jason’s ugly presence, Elias looked lighter.

Halfway through the meal, he set down his fork and looked at me. Really looked at me.

“You should’ve been furious. I ignored all your calls, your texts. I let him in. By every right, you should’ve walked out on me tonight,” Elias said.

My fork paused. “Is that what you expected?”

“Yes,” Elias admitted quietly.

I set the fork down and leaned forward, catching his gaze.

“Then you don’t know me very well yet,” I said.

His breath hitched, but he didn’t look away.

“I’m not angry you didn’t pick up. I was worried,” I said.

I considered my next words, before continuing, “I’m not angry you let him in. I get it. You wanted to handle it yourself, to prove to yourself you could. But Elias, listen to me. None of that makes me want to leave. It makes me want to stay. Makes me want to fight for you harder.”

His throat worked. Elias didn’t speak for a long time.

When he finally did, his voice was raw. “Why? After what you saw tonight, why stay?”

I didn’t even hesitate. “Because I love you.”

The words dropped between us, heavy and undeniable. I’d said them before, in my actions, in my temper, in the way I looked at him. But this time, I said them plain.

Elias blinked, his eyes wet, though he tried to blink it away. He gave a small, choked laugh. “You’re impossible.”

“Yup,” I said, grinning despite the lump in my throat.

We finished eating quietly after that, the air between us softer, warmer.