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Chapter Thirteen

Lora

Giving myself a final once over in the mirror, I smiled. I couldn’t wait to see him. Stone and I had gotten closer than before, communicated more than ever before. In the blink of an eye, he became my addiction, the way I got through each day.

He kept me smiling. Each text had my patients asking for details and my co-workers green with envy.

He made me happy. He made me feel like the most precious gift in the world, even if I wasn’t his true mate, and he was precisely the kind of man that Gran wanted me to end up with.

The fact that he could shift into a bear was merely a unique bonus that I was certain my grandmother would have gotten a kick out of; she had always believed in fairytales and magic.

After learning more about the animal side of him, and the fact that Stone was still cognizant and in control in that state, he made me feel even more safe and protected. No man would be foolish enough to challenge a big, burly bear.

Or my big burly man for that matter.

We didn’t have titles, because, in the modern era of dating, apparently relationships were implied but not labeled. There were some things I would never grow accustom to.

But it didn’t matter whether I had the title of his girlfriend. He’d said he was one hundred percent committed to me, and I was equally as committed to him, and us.

Twirling, I laughed. I was wearing the same outfit I was supposed to meet him in the first time, down to the hair, make-up and cropped leather jacket.

This time, I knew I wouldn’t get a cancellation notice, though.

Instead, all day, I’d gotten messages counting down to four o’clock, when we were supposed to meet for coffee.

Then we were going back to his place to cook dinner together.

And, if I was lucky, I would get him and all of his deliciousness for dessert.

Good God. I didn’t even sound like the same person. He brought out the playful, teasing, carefree part of me, the piece that rarely saw the light of day before him, and usually only with my best friend.

Thinking of Sharon, I let out a devious squeal.

I couldn’t wait for her and Nate to meet tomorrow.

I had a feeling he would be just what she needed, and Stone was certain after I text him a picture of her that she would be exactly what Nate wanted for Christmas.

The only part that put knots in my stomach was the fact that Nate was a werebear, like Stone.

I wasn’t sure how my friend would take that news.

Fingers crossed she took it well, if they had a spark of course.

Doing a happy dance, I gathered my phone off of my bed and dashed to the living room. Snatching my keys, duffle bag and structured purse off of the console table, I sauntered out the door, off to meet the man of my dreams.