Page 7 of A Bunny for the Bear (Beartastic Summer of Love)

Chapter Seven

Ross

Heavy knocking at my door woke me the morning after the horrendous encounter with my mate. I scrambled out of bed, worried I’d somehow messed something up. I threw on a shirt and some shorts before answering the door.

When I pulled it open, Barrett greeted me with a smile. He also held a basket overflowing with items.

“Good morning? Did I forget about something we’d setup?” I asked him as I rubbed my tired eyes.

I’d tossed and turned all night thinking of my mate. I wanted to know if he was ok. It pained me that his bear was upset enough to try to challenge Nolan. And I truly hated leaving him like I did.

While I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet, I also wanted him to know my choice wasn’t a rejection. Hopefully he could be patient with me because my emotions were all over the place.

“We didn’t have anything planned,” Barrett said. “Mind if I come in? This is heavier than it looks.”

I jumped into action, moving to the side. “Shit! Yes. Yeah, come on in.”

He went straight to the kitchen, placing the basket on the counter. I shut the door, then approached him hesitantly.

“Can I ask why you’re bringing me a beautiful basket of veggies this early in the morning?”

“Technically, they’re from Hutton, not me. He's under house arrest until we know everything between you two is fine. That means I’m playing delivery person.”

I swallowed the nervous words that immediately bubbled up. Barrett wouldn’t have had the information I was after anyway.

“At least tell me you didn’t walk far with this. I don’t want your mate upset with me, or for you to hurt the baby,” I insisted.

He waved me off as he propped a hip against the counter. “No more than a few steps. Hutton lives on the other side of the duplex.”

My jaw dropped at this news. He was next door? How had I not known he was so close?

Then it hit me. The letter from the landlord. It mentioned someone new arriving for a short lease. And didn’t Souli mention her nephew was from out of town?

All these facts made it even harder for me to focus on the present. Hutton was close. Hutton didn’t live in Collier Cover. Hutton was my mate.

“Maybe you should take a breath there, Ross. You’re seconds away from hyperventilating. I’m not trained for anything like that.” Barrett waved his hand in front of my face, effectively breaking the trance I was in.

“Um, thanks. I’m just…”

“It’s a lot. I get it. My introduction into this entire world wasn’t all sunshine and roses,” he admitted.

Mirroring his stance, I reached into the basket for something to nibble on. I had a feeling this was going to be a good story.

“Do go on. You can’t leave me hanging after that kind of intro.”

He rolled his eyes, then dove into the tale.

Apparently, he was an artist who had become obsessed with drawing a bear in all his work.

He felt like he needed some time off to refill his creative well.

On his journey across the country, he wound up in Collier Cover.

Nolan found him that first day and the rest happened like most mated couples.

“And you weren’t completely bothered by the whole mate thing or extended life?”

“Nope! I feel like it’s great I get to make art even longer than I wanted to.

It wasn’t the original plan, yet I’m thrilled to have him in my life.

Dating humans is a tedious thing. You never know what they’re thinking or if they’re being honest. With mates, everything is out in the open.

I don’t have to guess when it comes to my big bear. ”

I laughed at the affectionate way he described Nolan. The bear I met wasn’t all that sweet and tender. Then again, he was defending us. He couldn’t be gentle.

“Your story sounds like something out of a movie. I can’t imagine meeting my mate that way.”

Barrett snorted. “As someone who witnessed yours, I would say it is also movie worthy. The way his bear came forward ready to claim you. Whew!”

He fanned his face with an exaggerated gesture of approval. I laughed as I nibbled on the cucumber I’d taken out of the basket earlier. It was delicious, much like the carrots Souli had given me.

Was this basket and Barrett’s visit a stepping stone in the right direction? It felt like it was. Add to it the whole ‘house arrest’ situation, and it felt like my mate was truly trying.

I would need to put the work in too though. There wasn’t going to be a time when I woke up suddenly ready to dive into a relationship. I had to face my fears. I had to face my past in an effort to have a proper future.

Barrett stayed with me for a while longer. We eventually left the kitchen to give him a chance to prop his feet up. His stomach wasn’t all that big yet; however, he told me the swelling would come on quickly if he wasn’t careful.

“Babies tend to take a lot out of you. Since I’m not a full shifter, it’s even harder for my body.”

I nodded as I thought over some of my remedies. “Would you be ok with me making some stuff to help you out? I’m pretty decent at midwife adjacent healing. While I can’t deliver your baby, I can at least provide some ointments to possibly help you find relief.”

“Absolutely! Send it all my way. Chasing small children around during the day is hard enough when I’m not pregnant. Now it’s damn near impossible.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

Barrett gave me a sly smile. “I have a feeling you won’t be all that far behind us.”

With that bit of teasing, he told me he should get home before Nolan came looking for him. That mate of his only went without him for short periods of time, even going so far as to take long lunch breaks to check on Barrett.

After he was gone, I stood in the kitchen digging through the basket. It was loaded down with a ton of fresh veggies and a few perfectly ripe fruits. The care someone took to put this together was obvious.

Before I knew it, I was dialing Souli’s number to thank her. I had no doubt she helped coordinate it behind the scenes.

“Hey, sweetheart. How goes it?” she answered.

“I’m good, Souli. I was calling to thank you for the veggie basket.”

The line went quiet for a moment. “Actually, I didn’t put that together.

Well, other than the actual gathering part physically.

Hutton told me what to pick out. My boy even made me video call him so he could approve each piece.

If I didn’t love him so much, I’d have come to the house to smack the back of his head for such foolishness.

As if I couldn’t pick out the best options. ”

Her grumbled words were dull as my mind processed the words. Hutton had chosen them. He’d made sure to see each piece and then instructed her to gather it for me. It was a workaround to his house arrest situation.

My heart soared as I pictured my mate meticulously evaluating each piece of food I ate. That level of attention and care meant more to me than an expensive meal or fancy flowers would have.

“Souli,” I said, voice wobbly.

“Yes, Ross?”

“Is he… Is Hutton mad at me for yesterday?”

She gasped. “Oh no! He’s not mad at all. Well, maybe that’s not true. He’s mad at himself. As someone who's always careful about his routines, he's appalled his bear came out so violently.”

“That makes sense, I guess.”

“It should. I’ll tell you this—Hutton has always been different, even as a young boy.

People made assumptions about him based on his size more often than not.

When they’d find out he was a bear shifter, those judgments increased tenfold.

It made him lash out a few times before we helped him find balance.

He spent years meditating in order to keep his temperament even. ”

I sank deeper into the couch as I absorbed what she told me. These revelations were exactly what I needed but didn’t know how to ask for.

“While we all understand you not wanting to dive in headfirst, we do hope you’ll be open to chatting with him in the two months he’s here.”

“Can you tell me how far away he lives? Is it close enough I could visit after?” I asked, even though I knew two months was more than enough time. Honestly, it would probably only be a few more days before I was ready to talk to him. Waiting weeks sounded horrible.

Souli hummed. “It’s not all that close. If you wanted to do long distance, then maybe it could work. I’ve never known a fated pair to do so though. The bond is too strong to allow it.”

The bond.

Ah, yes.

That ache in my chest beating to a rhythm I can’t hear. My body knows what it wants, even as my mind fights against it.

“Thank you for explaining everything to me. Will you tell him thanks for me? I want him to know I really do like his gift. I’ve already been eating some things this morning.”

She laughed. “I’d love to tell him. It'll brighten his morning. Reach out to me if you need anything else too. I’m here to help you both. I’m not playing favorites here.”

Strangely enough, I believed her. She’d been kind from the moment we met. Souli had welcomed me into the fold when there was no reason for her to.

Even though Hutton was her nephew, she didn’t try to convince me to mate with him right away. There were no backhanded comments about Fate or what I should be doing. Instead she’d listened to me. Really listened.

I don’t know if I’ve ever had anyone do as much.

After hanging up with her, I grabbed a carrot and another cucumber from the basket. Then I slowly walked over to the wall I knew connected to the other side of the duplex.

I sniffed, as if I might catch a whiff of Hutton through the wall.

The thought alone made me laugh. Of course that wasn’t possible.

If it were, then he’d probably be suffering on the other side.

It was hard to fight a mate pull. Without my past traumas, I had no doubt I’d have already been sporting a bite.

Leaning my forehead against the wall, I closed my eyes to reflect on everything. My body was still tired from the early morning visitor. Sadly, the bedroom existed in a space too far for me to get to.

Exhaustion settled over me, making me drift to the floor. I curled in a ball on my side with my back to the wall. The food in my hands kept me nourished as I napped periodically throughout the day.

No one else came knocking. No one called.

Yet I didn’t feel alone.

Because I knew my mate was a few steps away. I knew he wanted me, and deep down, I wanted him. It was only a matter of time.