Page 2 of A Bunny for the Bear (Beartastic Summer of Love)
Chapter Two
Hutton
There was nagging and then there was Aunt Souli’s level of pestering. She’d kept me on the phone for damn near three hours already. I suspected she had enough in the tank to go another three.
It didn’t matter that I had work to do. Didn’t matter that I’d told her I was trying to get all my work done before I took my annual two-month summer vacation.
While I didn’t exactly hibernate in the traditional way, I would shut down my work computer, buy enough snacks to last the duration, and settle myself into my home to avoid any and everything.
With a high stress job in financial analytics, it made sense to book out the time for myself. It was that or tear off anyone’s head when the frustrations of the office bled into the rest of my life.
“I understand what you’re saying,” I told her for the millionth time.
She hummed. “Yes, but you haven’t truly considered my words. What if your mate is here too, Hutton? You could find the peace that comes with being blessed by Fate’s hand.”
“If Fate wanted me to find my forever person, then they needed to put them in my path. It isn’t my fault they haven’t shown up yet.”
My aunt snorted across the phone. “The only way they’d appear in your life is if they were a food delivery person. You rarely leave your home as it is. And when you do, it’s not for long. Please, nephew, tell me how in the world it’s supposed to happen.”
I growled before I could catch myself. The line went silent before she let out a string of expletives.
Wincing, I listened to her berate me for using such a tone with her. It was less about my frustration and more about respecting my elders—something I’d been raised to be better at.
“Sorry, Aunt Souli. I didn’t mean to. It’s just…” I sighed deeply.
How could I explain to her that I was terrified of finding my person? As a big, bad bear shifter, I should have been eager to find my mate. Instead, I’d been dreading the day it would happen.
The Alpha part of me liked the idea. We just weren’t all that keen on who the person might be.
Would they be another predator type of shifter? Maybe someone who expected us to behave a certain way? Or would they be a meek shifter looking for full-time protection?
None of those options sounded all that enticing.
“Do you want to know what I really think?” she asked when I didn’t continue.
I rolled my eyes at the question. The woman had been telling me her thoughts this whole damn time.
“Roll your eyes one more time. Watch how I show up and treat you.”
The threat in her voice had me straightening. How did she know what I’d done? We weren’t on a video call. She should be none the wiser about my reactions.
“Are you also a witch, aunt?”
She cackled loud enough that I pulled my phone away to stare at it. This was not at all how I saw this conversation turning. Then again, I should have known to expect this from her.
Always with the theatrics. It’s a wonder my cousin Rimknick turned out to be so normal — Fate rest his soul. Though, the man had been in law enforcement before he’d passed. That told me he’d craved some sort of structure outside of Aunt Souli’s shenanigans.
“I’m not a witch, Hutton. It’s more like a mother’s intuition thing.
” She giggled to herself. “As I was about to say, I wanted to suggest that maybe Fate was sending me to nudge you a bit. I have a really good feeling about you coming. If you’ll make this one trip, I won’t mention it again for three whole years. ”
“Make it five.”
“Four.”
“Deal!” I shouted, as if my volume made it more official.
“Well that was easy. I’d have agreed to a lot longer. At least this way I can set a calendar reminder for if I’m wrong this time. No worries though. I’m pretty stinking sure. Later, nephew!”
She hung up the phone without pressing for anything further. We both knew she didn’t need to.
I was a man of my word. I was also meticulous as fuck.
Telling her I’d agreed to come solidified my arrival, as well as told her I’d be booking the flight immediately. I’d want to get the trip set up so I didn’t have to worry about it any longer.
As I opened a browser to pull up plane tickets, I pondered over if I should drive instead. It would take a bit longer, but it would also give me the ability to leave whenever I wanted.
Plus, I had to admit that the idea of taking a plane ride full of humans didn’t sound all that appealing. Sure, there might be a shifter or two on board. The reasoning did nothing to change my mind.
Any number of humans were two too many in a cramped space. My bear couldn’t stand it.
As if he wanted to take control, the beast nudged at me to go with driving instead. It wasn’t with words, yet it came across just as clearly as if he’d spoken.
“Fine, then. We’ll rent a car for the journey,” I said out loud.
Instantly, relief swept through me. There was a plan in place. Time would tell if my aunt was right or not. As much as I feared she was, a larger part of me suspected she wasn't.
I’d heard Sheriff Nolan, whom my aunt adored like he was her own, and his partner had already had their first child and were expecting their second. I knew it wouldn’t be long for them to wind up pregnant again. The pair were clearly fertile and eager to grow their mini pack.
Aunt Souli likely saw his happiness and wanted to thrust the same feelings onto me.
She’d stepped in whenever my mother passed away nearly two decades ago.
Most days. I appreciated having someone who cared for me, considering my father never called.
He was too busy with his new mate and children. It was as if I never existed.
I pushed away the dark thoughts as I dialed the travel agent I used on the rare occasion I took a trip for work. She’d get me sorted in time for the visit to Collier Cover.
“Whit’s Wonderful Weekends, how may I help you?”
“Hey, Whitney. It’s me,” I replied.
She snorted. “You know, if it weren’t for the fact that I can see who’s calling, I’d be concerned you expect me to know your voice. We talk maybe once a year, Hutton.”
“Yeah, well, it still worked. You knew it was me.”
Whitney sighed, much like she always did when we spoke. I knew I was a handful for her to deal with. My need for tedious outlined itineraries and only the best places to stay would often have her working longer for a trip that should take a third of that time.
“Let’s not get into an argument about this, Hutton. What type of trip is it? How long? And how tedious is this going to be?”
“It’s a personal trip. It'll be the duration of my annual break, so two months. Tedious is not the word I’d use.”
“What word would you use?”
“Challenging. Have you ever heard of Collier Cover?”
“The shifter-only town?” she asked, her voice hesitant. “I’ve heard of it.”
I wanted to ask why she didn’t seem as eager as most shifters did about the place. Most who knew about its existence wanted to visit.
Could it be that she’d already been? Or maybe she knew something about the town that I didn’t?
It was a mystery I’d have to solve later. My current goal was to get everything squared away so I could leave next week.
Of course my aunt would push this change down to the wire. At least I hadn’t already stocked up on food. That would have been a waste.
It also would have been a good reason for me to not go.
Damn. I’d have to think ahead next time. Maybe put a reminder on my calendar ahead of hers. I had no doubt the woman would remain true to her word about trying again if this time didn’t work.
“As much as I’m sure my family wants me to stay with them, I need you to find me a separate place. I don’t care if it’s a house or hotel. Anything will do,” I told her.
“I’ll get started right away. We should be able to find something. I’m not going to let you break my successful booking streak. Not after all this time.”
Yet another reason I consistently used Whitney’s services was her high standards for herself. I appreciated the dedication she gave every client.
“Call me when it’s done. Use the last card you have on file. Add a good commission for yourself too.”
“Thanks, Mr. Moneybags. I was going to do that anyway.”
She hung up to the sound of my laughter. Damn, it felt good. Here’s to hoping my trip would be filled with more funny moments than awkward matchmaking from my aunt.