Page 21 of Bearly in Love

“This is Emily. My mate.” Artie’s voice was still awkward when he gestured to her.

She was pretty, with big brown eyes, a slight build, and dark skin. The dress she had on from the wedding looked more punk rock than black tie, which I liked.

She smiled.

I waved at her too.

Yeah, that was awkward.

“Help me grab the couch first,” Bo told Artie. “We’ll need to stop at a thrift store to donate Madi’s furniture. It reeks.”

“It’s not that bad,” I grumbled.

“I don’t smell anything,” Emily agreed.

“Grizzlies have better noses than the rest of us,” Artie told his mate, flashing her a smile. It was more genuine than any look he’d ever given me. Except maybe annoyance.

How the hell had I ended up mated to my older brother’s best friend?

Neither of them had ever treated me well.

Maybe running away was still the best option after all…

“What can I do?” Emily asked me, crossing the apartment as the guys picked up the couch. I was fairly confident Bo could’ve carried the whole thing himself, but I wasn’t about to bring that up. If I did, I could end up trapped in a conversation with Artie. Yikes.

“We’re almost done. Don’t worry about it.” I tried to keep my voice light as I went over to the microwave, grabbing the rag Bo had left there so I could finish the job for him.

Emily made a noise of disagreement.

I glanced over my shoulder when she walked away, and my forehead creased as she grabbed the old, crappy broom that was leaning against the wall. Its bristles stuck out in every direction, and it was genuinely awful at doing the job it was created for. Bo had cursed at it twenty minutes earlier.

I eyed her as I worked on the microwave.

She used the awful broom to sweep beneath the couch the guys had just moved.

It was hard to imagine anyone choosing to marry my brother. Artie was a complete asshole, and not in a charming way. Or at least he always had been.

I guess I didn’t really know him anymore.

Considering how much things had changed between me and Bo, it wasn’t completely accurate to say Artie was still the person he had been the last time I saw him.

But it was still impossible to imagine someone wanting him.

Especially the pretty, spunky woman who was currently sweeping my shitty apartment’s floor with the world’s most useless broom.

Artie and Bo came back for another piece of furniture, so I quickly turned back to the microwave before I was caught staring.

Artie had never liked me. Creeping out his mate by watching her too closely wasn’t going to make him like me more .

Not that I needed him to like me.

Even though that would’ve simplified things, considering Bo was his best friend. It wouldn’t exactly be easy to be mated to someone when his closest friend that was basically his brother—who was actually my brother—hated me.

The blood connection between Artie and me wasn’t even the most complicating factor.

I cleaned the microwave for much longer than I needed to.

When Bo walked over and peered inside, discovering my avoidance, I let out a long breath and stopped.

He plucked the rag from my hand, ignored my scowl, and carried it over to the sink.

I followed him.

What else was I going to do? Socialize on my own?

No thanks.

“Looks like we’re about done,” Emily said. Her voice was upbeat. “Madison and I can take the SUV while you guys drive the moving truck, Art.”

I stiffened.

No way.

I had already survived the wedding that day. Jumping into a car with the sister-in-law I’d never met before was way too much.

Bo’s hand brushed my arm lightly. “Great. Thanks.”

I flashed him a glare.

He gave me a small smile.

The bastard was lucky he’d saved my life that morning, or I’d be fighting the urge to punch his stupidly attractive face.

Bo rinsed the rag out, tossed it in the trash, and pulled the bag out of the bin. He tied the top, taking my hand with his free one as he headed toward the front door.

He was basically dragging me behind him, but no one commented on it.

Bo dropped the bag in the dumpster before pulling me over to the vehicles, which were parked next to each other. Artie and Emily were talking, their bodies and faces close to each other.

I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose.

Someone being in love with Artie was just wrong.

Bo opened the passenger door to their small SUV and gestured for me to get in. I glared at him again, but reluctantly sat down.

“You’ll be fine,” he murmured. “She’s nice.”

My nostrils flared. “You like Artie. Your opinions are skewed.”

“Maybe.” He rustled my hair, messing up the strands before he stepped back and shut the door, trapping me inside.

I glowered at him from within it, and his lips twitched.

I mouthed, “I hate you.”

He mouthed back, “You’ll be fine.”

I flipped him off, and the bastard legitimately stuck his tongue out at me.

The drivers’ door opened, and my head swung back to neutral position. Bo walked around the front of the car, headed for the moving truck.

“Ready?” Emily asked, still extremely cheerful.

“Yep.” I tried to come off as friendly.

Friendly wasn’t my default. Or my talent. But I aimed for it anyway, just to keep the peace since we were apparently sort of family.

She waved at Artie before pulling out of the parking lot, hitting a button on her phone to play some acoustic rock music from the car’s stereo.

I watched my apartment get smaller as we left it behind. My chest squeezed more by the moment.

I knew it wasn’t completely logical, but it felt like I was leaving my life behind.

My freedom, too.

Bo and I had an agreement, but still. This was the second time I thought I was leaving my own place for good. I couldn’t help but wonder if it would actually stick this time.

“I’m stopping at a convenience store for snacks,” Emily said, her gaze on the road while her music played fairly loudly.

“Okay.” I bit my cheek at the urge to tell her I’d rather just go straight to Bo’s cabin.

The sooner I got there, the sooner I could get out of this awkward interaction.

When she parked in front of a small drugstore a few minutes later, it occurred to me that she’d probably been with the bears while they planned the night before.

There was a good chance she’d heard that Bo might have accidentally knocked me up.

And considering she was human, she definitely would’ve thought about the morning after pill.

I finally looked at her, and found a small, empathetic smile on her face. She handed me some cash, and I didn’t look down to see the amount.

“It’ll take me a while to decide between the chocolate bars. We can meet back here whenever you’re ready.”

I nodded.

She slipped out of the car, and my eyes stung again.

I was getting really tired of crying. And nearly crying.

I swiped at my face with the back of my hand, drying my tears even though they weren’t falling yet.