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“All of it?” Nate asked.
“Yes. I figured I’d show her my bear first.” Gabe sighed. “I want her to understand what we are before I tell her what she is to me.”
It’ll be fine, his bear said. She’ll understand. She’ll accept us.
Joel glanced toward the ovens. “So why are you waiting?”
“Because there’s a bakery full of bread that isn’t going to bake itself.” Gabe turned to check the nearest timer.
“There are five of us sitting here.”
“Drinking my coffee.”
“Which proves we know where the coffee is,” Evan said. “That’s one problem solved.”
Gabe faced him fully. Evan’s expression remained perfectly serious.
Nate leaned forward, forearms resting on the table. “You’ve spent years opening this place early so the rest of us can come in here, drink your coffee, and talk at you while you work. Let us be useful for once. Go take Mara breakfast while it’s still breakfast.”
The words caught him off guard. These men had been part of his life for years. They had heard his bear complain about the long wait for a mate, year after year.
And now that she had finally arrived, none of them had thought twice about taking over so he could go back to her.
“All right.” Gabe looked toward the ovens. “But nobody touches the second batch until the timer goes off. It needs another twelve minutes.”
Isaac grinned. “I can tell the time.”
“There’s a timer,” Gabe replied. “Because telling the time doesn’t mean you don’t lose track of it.”
“Point taken,” Isaac said lightly.
Gabe opened his mouth to give them another instruction, then caught the look on Wes’s face and stopped.
“Gabe,” Wes said. “Go.”
His bear was less patient. Listen to him.
And so he did.
Gabe filled the thermos with fresh coffee, tucked everything securely into the breakfast box, and picked it up.
As he started toward the door, Isaac called after him, “Anything else?”
Gabe looked back at the five men standing among his bread racks and pastry cases. “Don’t burn anything.”
Joel lifted one hand. “We won’t.”
“Good.”
Nate opened the door for him, and cold morning air swept into the bakery.
Gabe paused. “Thanks.”
Wes gave him a small nod. “Go be with her.”
Gabe stepped outside with Mara’s breakfast in his hands and the door closing behind him before he could remember another instruction.
His bear rumbled his approval. Back to Mara.
