Page 10 of A Bunny for the Bear (Beartastic Summer of Love)

Chapter Ten

Hutton

I stared at my spreadsheet wondering if there was anything else I could do while things were a bit up in the air. Now that I had a mate, I had things to get in order. I had to prepare to move. As much as I didn't like the idea of Collier Cover before coming back, I saw no other option.

I wouldn't dare ask my mate to move when he had just arrived here, when he felt so comfortable here. Knowing his past, I refused to be anything like the other demanding Alphas in his life.

It had been a week since we bonded, and in that time, I had gone above and beyond in assuring him that I was happy and content, that being with him was all I needed.

This life, this future, wouldn't matter if I didn't have him by my side. It was a sudden change from the lonely life I had lived before.

My aunt and uncle had texted several times wondering why I hadn't returned any phone calls and wasn't answering the door. Eventually, we came out of our mating frenzy long enough to explain to them what was going on. They were thrilled and decided to leave us be, but I knew time had run out.

Most newly mated couples spent about a week tucked away. After that, they would balance out and things would get back to normal.

My aunt had already texted me this morning that she would be by Ross's place to check on me.

She knew there was no chance of me living back on my side of the duplex.

I was still going to pay the rent for the two months, but it was futile to be that far away from him.

The part-time shifts he took at the pharmacy were enough of a struggle.

It was only day two of him going back, but I felt as if I was going to claw out of my own skin. My focus went back to the task at hand.

The spreadsheet on my screen listed off all my bills, their due dates, how I paid them, and what needed to be changed. Most everything could be the same, except for my lease, of course, and the storage unit that I had with a few things I wanted to keep but didn't use regularly.

Ideally, I would have a house here in Collier Cover that me and my mate could move into. Had I stayed here all these years, I would have had it ready for him upon his arrival. Since that was not the case, I would have to figure things out.

I clicked over to the window with all the different listings for houses in the area.

I had already gone over it more times than I should have, hoping that a new one would pop up.

I wanted to provide him with the best life, which meant we couldn't settle on a small single-family unit.

I wanted to have loads of children with him.

While the idea of kids had not been on my radar before, now I could just picture it so clearly.

They would look like a mix of me and him.

We might even have a couple of baby bear shifters in the bunch, plus whatever my mate was.

They'd run around, strengthening their sibling bonds, and forming their own little pack.

Sure, they might gang up against us because I had no doubt they would outnumber us sooner than later, but I would take all of it in stride. It would be a joy and an honor to have children with my mate. I scrolled down the page once more and shook my head when nothing had updated.

Going back to my spreadsheet, I marked off the tasks I had completed that morning.

Before I could begin to review my lease on my apartment, I heard a knock at the door.

I sighed and stood, preparing myself to face the wrath of my aunt.

Except it wasn't wrath that I found on the other side of the door.

She beamed at me, all smiles as she pushed inside and wrapped her arms around my middle. "I'm so happy for you, Hutton. I just knew you would find happiness here. It's going to be so good having you home." She pulled away then, one eyebrow raised. "You are coming home, aren't you?"

I chuckled and squeezed her back. "Yes, Aunt Souli, I am coming back. You actually caught me in the middle of trying to look for a place."

"What the heck are you doing that for, boy?" Uncle Champ said as he came in behind her, carrying a tray full of food.

I should've known the woman was going to load us down. I also spotted some freshly packed vegetables, which had me giving her another tight squeeze.

"Thank you," I said. "It means a lot to me that you would think of my mate as well."

She waved her hand as she pulled back. "It's nothing. I want to spoil both of you. You’re family. Ross is family now too. I knew when I met that cutie that he was going to make someone happy. Had no clue it would be our boy though, right Champ?”

My uncle grumbled as he took the box into the kitchen and set it down. I followed him, then helped unload everything. When it was all said and done and we had our bowls in front of us at the dining room table, I waited for whatever topic would come up next.

My aunt was never one to show up empty-handed, be that with food or with gossip. When she didn't say anything and only shared some strange looks with my uncle, I put my spoon down in the bowl of hearty soup she'd made me.

"All right, out with it. What have you two done?" I asked them.

Uncle Champ chuckled as he spooned another mouthful of soup. He shook his head and pointed at his wife.

Aunt Souli rolled her eyes at him, then set her spoon down and folded her hands together. “Part of the reason we're here was to feed you and visit with you, but it was also for a bigger purpose.”

I furrowed my brow. "What purpose is that?”

“As I said whenever we arrived, I wanted to make sure that you were moving home. I needed to confirm that before we talked about the plans we've had in mind for you.”

"Plans?" I asked, numbly.

"Yes, plans, Hutton. We always hoped you would come back here. It was less about if and more about when. It was foolish of us to just assume, but in the end, it might work out for you."

"Work out for me how?"

My uncle cleared his throat. "What my wife, who so rarely beats around the bush, is actually trying to say is that we know where you can build a house."

"Build a house?" I reared back. I hated asking all these questions, but the two of them were being so vague.

He held up his hand. "Yes, just let me get it out, boy. We have land, as you know.”

“What you don't know, though, is that we have a lot of land," Aunt Souli added.

"How much is a lot?"

Uncle Champ whistled. "Acres upon acres.

Enough so that you could build a house for you and your mate, and we wouldn't even be able to see it because of how far away it was.

But it would be close enough to take a short drive or a little ATV ride.

Maybe even let your bear out and take a run. Get some fresh air."

My jaw dropped open at the news. "You're telling me you have a family plot? I thought you only had like five acres."

"Add a zero to the end of that, and you've got us."

I knew I had to look like some type of cartoon character with the way my eyes nearly popped out of my head. "Fifty acres of land? What in the world were you two thinking buying all that up?"

Aunt Souli rapped her knuckles on the table.

"We were thinking that we loved our nephew and wanted to be close to him for the rest of our forever and a billion days.

We were thinking that maybe he'd find his mate, bring them back home, and start a family there.

We wanted a place where your kids and their kids could run around.

Generational wealth is more than just money.

" The vehemence in her tone told me that this was serious to her.

"I wasn't trying to be rude, Aunt Souli. I promise this is a shock. I've spent all morning running numbers and trying to look up house listings, and you're telling me that I can have a land and a house and there's no catch?"

"Oh, there's a catch all right," Uncle Champ said as he leaned back in his seat. "The catch is that you let that woman at those babies the minute they get here."

Aunt Souli reached across the table and smacked her husband's shoulder.

"Now don't go acting like you don't want grandbabies too. We had this discussion, Champ.” She turned to me and spoke in a softer tone, “Your uncle is right though. I want first dibs on babysitting options for whatever little rugrats you have.'"

I laughed, then covered my mouth quickly. My aunt and uncle shared a look of amusement. They were clearly having a good time with everything going on. I, on the other hand, was damn near stunned speechless.

"This doesn't feel real," I said softly. "How in the world did I get so lucky? I was just in my own apartment hiding away, practically agoraphobic. Now I have a mate and the potential for a home. I'll be close to family again."

Aunt Souli nodded. "Fate has blessed you, son, but she's also blessed us. To have you back here is going to be everything I've dreamed of for years. We've missed you."

I reached out to take her hand. I stuck my other one out towards Uncle Champ and he took it, though he did grumble. The man wasn't as touchy-feely as his wife, that much was for sure.

I squeezed both of their hands and said in the most honest tone I could, "I'm sorry it took me so long to get my head on straight.

I'm thankful to Fate for setting me right and bringing me back.

I know that we'll have many, many years together, and I hope that I can give you those grandbabies that you want.

Part of the reason I hadn't been able to find a place is because I was looking for somewhere with enough room.”

Aunt Souli giggled. "Oh yeah, you're gonna need enough room. I have a feeling that Ross is going to be extra fertile."

I did a bit of mental math at her words. "Why would you say that?"

It was too soon to know if he was actually pregnant. Though we had knotted and mated, it wasn't always a guarantee. Fertility was another of Fate's designs. Occasionally, it was not meant to be.

Aunt Souli tilted her head, then slowly her eyes widened. “He hasn't told you.”

“Hasn't told me what?”

Uncle Champ let out a soft curse. “Son, I don't think it's our place to say, but you definitely need to get more information about him. If there are things you don't know, important things, then I would sit him down and talk.”

"It hasn’t been that long since we got together,” I argued. “Plus, he's skittish. I don't want to upset him.”

Aunt Souli pushed her bowl away on the table and leaned her elbows forward.

Her chin went to her knuckles as she stared me down.

It was a look I had been on the receiving end of many times.

It told me she was really thinking about what she wanted to say next.

Used to this whole song and dance, Uncle Champ remained quiet as well.

After a few long tense moments, she sighed and said, "Fate will have its way.

If he needs more time to tell you, then give him that time.

Also, don't overreact when you find out the truth.

Understand that things will change quickly from here on out.

We'll do everything we can to help you get ready.”

Help me get ready? Things changing? What in the world did this woman mean? Why was she speaking in riddles?

It felt as if everything should have been obvious to me. I attempted to put the pieces together, but it was as if all the edges shifted and molded any time I got close. All I knew was I wanted to be with my mate forever.

I wanted a family with him. I wanted a future so bright that others looked upon us as the example of a happily mated pair.

In order to do that, I needed to give him time to catch up with me. I knew it was important to him. With the way his past played out, I wouldn't do anything to risk us.

“Any other wisdom you would like to impart to me?” I asked Aunt Souli before I went back to eating.

She shook her head. "Nope. I think you will get all the answers you need soon enough. And if you don't, well we might need to get your eyes, and your nose, checked because I don't think you'll be able to miss it.”

Uncle Champ let out a booming laugh, then promptly choked on the bite of soup he taken. We all laughed as he fought to clear his throat dramatically. We knew he wasn't in danger of dying or anything. The man just couldn't be casual.

Then again, he was married to my aunt. It meant he had a flair for the dramatic. Staring at both of them, I understood what they had been trying to tell me all these years.

Collier Cover wasn't a bad place. With time and space, I learned that, and thankfully, at the pressing of my aunt, I returned home to be given the greatest gift of all. A mate who loves me and a future that's promising.