Page 5 of Her Embarrassed Bear Mate (Crescent Lake Bears #5)

FIVE

Veronica

Veronica was trying her hardest not to stare at Alix but it was difficult when they were sitting opposite of each other at the table. Her heart was still pounding like crazy from seeing her again. The one time she let her hair down and did something wild. It was like the universe was punishing her.

To make matters worse, Alix looked super cute in her low jeans and floral shirt. It was a different outfit than last night but it suited her. She wore a dangly necklace that disappeared into her cleavage and Veronica remembered running her hands all over Alix's body.

She could still feel Alix's lips on hers.

Their eyes met and Veronica quickly looked away, embarrassed she was caught staring. It was bad enough that she knew what the woman in front of her looked like naked, she didn’t need to be thinking about it now.

Her dad passed the salt around. “So, Trixie, is that short for anything?”

“No, I’m just Trixie,” Trixie replied with a big grin. “And Alix is just Alix.”

The memory made Vanessa smile. There was nothing just about Alix.

“I wanted special names for my special girls,” Dianne added, sounding very pleased with herself. The way she looked at Alix was with pure adoration too.

Veronica's stomach clenched. From what she'd seen so far, Dianne seemed like a perfectly okay woman but that didn't stop the fact that this whole thing was weird.

“So how did you two meet?” Jonas asked, diplomatic as always. Inside, he was likely just as angry about this but he was doing a good job not showing it .

“A speed dating event,” Dianne admitted a bit sheepishly.

It took everything Veronica had not to roll her eyes or glare at her dad. Why was he speed dating when the divorce wasn’t even finalised? For that matter, why was he proposing to another woman before the divorce? Him and her mother hadn’t been separated for all that long either.

Levi was less tactful. “Have you told mum about the engagement?”

“Of course,” their dad said. “She’s happy for me.”

This time, Veronica couldn’t hold back her scoff. Knowing their mother, she was anything but happy about this development.

Everyone looked at her and an awkward silence fell over the dining table.

“Some food went down the wrong pipe,” Veronica lied, not wanting to explain why this whole thing was rubbing her up the wrong way.

She knew her brothers wouldn’t believe her but her dad and Dianne bought the excuse. When she accidentally looked Alix in the eye, she saw her own feelings mirrored in them.

Lots of unhappy people around the table then.

Her dad was happily oblivious to the tension around the table and kissed Dianne’s cheek before turning his attention back to Veronica and her siblings. “I’m so glad you finally get to meet this lovely lady. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been happy like this. The last few years were not good years, but you know that.”

A hint of guilt welled up in Veronica but it only made her angrier. While she wanted her parents to be happy, she didn’t like that their dad was dissing their mum behind her back. Maybe he didn’t love their mum anymore but Veronica did and it would’ve been nice if he remembered.

Dianne lovingly rubbed his arm. “I know, darling. But upwards and onwards, right? We’re going to make lots of happy memories together.”

Veronica pushed her plate away. She hadn’t been very hungry anyway but now her appetite was totally gone. If she were younger, maybe she would’ve thrown a tantrum but there was no point. She could tell from the way her dad was looking at Dianne, he was totally and utterly smitten.

Whether it was genuine love or just midlife-crisis lovebomb infatuation, that remained to be seen.

Their dad, oblivious to the tension, ate his salad. “Alix, your mum told me you work at a retirement home. What's that like?”

“It’s… a job you need to love to do it,” Alix said wi th an uncomfortable smile. “But luckily, I love it. I’m good at taking care of people.”

“Veronica is like that too. She’s a paediatric nurse,” her dad bragged. “You two would probably get along well then.”

He had no idea.

Veronica glanced up at Alix and their eyes met. For a moment, all she could see was the woman from last night. The way Alix's eyes had become dark with want, the crook of her very sensitive neck, the relaxed smile she had after she was thoroughly exhausted.

The thoughts made Veronica’s pulse quicken and she quickly looked down.

It was a good thing that nobody knew just how well they got along.

She was grateful when Dianne spoke.

“Speaking of getting along, Dirk invited us to his birthday party in two weeks.”

“Party!” Trixie cheered.

Veronica wasn’t looking forward to having this new woman inserted into their lives but she understood that her dad wanted his new girlfriend at his party. For now, she would put up with it.

After dinner, she found a brief moment of privacy to chat with Alix while her brothers went outside to shoot some hoops.

“I still can't believe you’re Dianne's daughter,” Veronica said as they stood by the window.

Alix grimaced. “Yeah, I'm not thrilled about it either.”

“Do we need to talk about last night?”

“What’s there to talk about? We can’t tell anyone. We should just pretend it never happened.”

That stung but Veronica didn’t let it show on her face. “It’s not like we knew our parents were dating.”

“Still, it’ll be awkward if they find out we almost slept together. The whole situation is weird enough as it is.”

It didn't sit well with Veronica but what was there to say? If Alix didn't want to acknowledge the connection they made, then that was that. And it would be awkward if this came to light.

Veronica just shrugged as she hugged herself a little tighter. “Fine. We’ll pretend it never happened.”