Page 18 of Single Teddy (Mayberry Protectors #6)

FIFTEEN

TEDDY

I t took a couple more days, but by Wednesday, the credit and reference check had gone through, so I left work after the lunchtime rush and drove to Chestnut Hill to meet the Realtor.

“Just need a signature here,” the Realtor said, and I did as asked.

I couldn’t exactly complain. I might have been upset with Wyatt, but he and everyone else had pulled through.

As soon as I’d told them I needed to move into a proper home with Bear, everyone chipped in.

Even Hwan, who had refused to give me an advance on my salary and instead had given me a healthy sum to cover the first month’s rent with no requirement to pay him back, something I planned on doing anyway.

“And here are your keys. Welcome to your new home.” They handed me a set of keys, and I wrapped my hand around them in a complete haze of disbelief and gratitude.

There were a ton of things I could say about Wyatt and his little mission on this island, but he was true to his word.

He took care of his people. He really did.

I often wondered why he’d left SEAL Team 13 so suddenly, way before retirement, but I couldn’t exactly blame him.

Not for wanting to return to his home island, and not for wanting to protect it.

I hadn’t experienced much of Mayberry Holm yet, but the parts I had were worth protecting.

“Oh, I almost forgot. There are a bunch of boxes in the closet of the primary bedroom. They’re from the old tenant. You can keep anything you want from them or throw them in the trash,” the Realtor said before leaving the apartment, and I raised an eyebrow.

I walked into the bedroom and opened said closet with a raised eyebrow, only to find a bunch of clothes, knick-knacks, and knitting stuff. From the looks of it, they used to belong to an older lady, and I wasn’t sure what to do with all of it.

Had someone died to make this place available? Or was it simply clutter that didn’t belong in the moving box?

“Hmmm…”

Oh well.

We have a home that I can afford for the foreseeable future. I couldn’t care less if someone had died in it or if it was haunted or something. As long as they left Bear alone, they could hang out with me if they wanted.

I left the boxes where they were. The closet was big enough to accommodate them and my stuff until I thought of what to do with them, and besides, it wasn’t as if I had a lot of clothes.

I spent the rest of the time before Bear finished school inspecting the apartment top to bottom, but not only was it in excellent condition, it had been cleaned within an inch of its life.

Hell, even the couch smelled fresh, which didn’t exactly alleviate my concerns about the previous tenant dying while having a TV dinner or something, but at least I didn’t have to spend money furnishing.

Maybe some stuff to decorate the place and make it more homey, but I was desperately bad at that kind of thing.

I was pretty certain I knew somebody who could more than likely help.

Wesley.

Sweet, wonderful Wesley.

Was it concerning that I wanted to spend all my time with him? Every time I was in his orbit, I didn’t want to get out of it. But short of stalking the guy, I couldn’t exactly find an excuse to be with him twenty-four-seven.

And why would I?

I’d been trying to figure out why I was so…obsessed with him since I met him, and I still couldn’t find a good reason.

I mean, I wasn’t gay, and even if I was, I didn’t want to jump his bones. Not that I wanted to jump a lot of people’s bones anyway.

There had always been something wrong with me.

Something that didn’t quite click. Something that made girls ditch me faster than you could say breakfast, but I’d learned my lesson quite early on and had stopped trying to get myself a girlfriend.

Who wanted a boyfriend who cared more about hugs and dating than sex?

I sighed and cast one more look at the apartment before I closed the door behind me.

Nah, Wesley had already done enough for me. For us. I was sure Hwan could help me decorate. He had decorated an entire store and the apartment above it, which was the coziest, most wonderful place I’d ever seen.

Yeah. Hwan would do.

I took the car back to Luna’s Lodge and packed our few possessions into the trunk.

Bear had a lot more than I did, which was as it should be.

He was a child. He needed more than I did.

Although now that we had a home, something more…

permanent, maybe I could get some more stuff for myself.

Maybe I could get a hobby. Or start collecting stamps or something.

I’d never had anything like that before.

The Navy and staying alive had been my only concern for so long that I didn’t know what to do with myself now that it wasn’t part of my life.

Thankfully, the island had plenty of things to keep me busy and help me discover new things about myself.

Wesley’s pretty green eyes flashed before me for a second, and I grimaced.

What is that all about?

I shook it off—whatever it was—and focused on the task at hand.

“So that’s it then? You’re leaving me!” Mr. Rogers said after I’d loaded the last box in the car and had cleaned our room so it was ready to receive new guests.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rogers. Bear needs more space and his own room, but we’re really going to miss you.”

Mr. Rogers waved his hand dismissively and chuckled.

“Of course he needs a home. He’s a good boy, your little one. He’s lucky to have you. And you’re both going to be dearly missed.”

I hugged the older man and patted his back.

“You’ve got my number, so call me if you need anything, any time. Okay?” I told him. “And we’ll make sure to visit you all the time.”

“Well, not all the time,” Mr. Rogers said. “You’ve got your own lives to live.”

I laughed.

“And part of living our own lives is visiting family, so…”

Mr. Rogers coughed. “You boys are spoiling me rotten. I might not have kids, but all of you, Slade, Joey, Donovan, you’ve become my sons.”

“Seeing as my own father is a piece of trash, I will gladly take you up on that Dad thing,” I said, and Mr. Rogers wiped his eyes.

“Go, get, before I start crying, and I don’t want you seeing this old man crying.”

I squeezed the older man’s shoulder, told him goodbye once more, and retreated to my car before I was the one crying in front of the man.

Our stint at the lodge might have been short-lived, but it had a big impact on us feeling at home in this town.

I took a silent moment before I looked at myself in the rearview mirror, took a deep breath, and set off for this new chapter of my life.

I had about an hour before I had to pick up Bear, so I stopped by the grocery store around the corner from our new apartment and bought some stuff for the fridge and pantry so we had sustenance for a few days. After unloading those, I started taking care of the suitcases and boxes.

I’d just about gotten everything into the apartment when I heard a “Knock, knock,” and a petite Black man with a big smile pushed the front door open and waved at me from the door, holding a plate in his hand.

“You must be the new neighbor,” he said, and I approached, holding the door open for him.

“I am. I’m Teddy,” I offered him my hand, and it was then that I noticed the contents of his plate.

It held what appeared to be a vanilla cake and a couple of cupcakes with creamy white icing.

“I’m Zachary, but you can call me Zach. I thought I’d welcome you to the building with a little treat.” He offered me the plate, and I invited him in.

“There’s no need, really.”

“Oh pfft. It’s fine. Really. I’m a baker, so there’s always cake at home.” He looked around the apartment and nodded approvingly. “They’ve really cleaned this place up. I’m impressed.”

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“You mean to tell me it wasn’t before?”

“Oh no. Not at all. Fiona was an angel, but she’d lived here for decades, so it was always full to the brim with her stuff,” he said.

“There’s still some of her stuff in my closet. Is she…?” I ran a hand over my neck, and Zach laughed.

“No! But she did go into hospice. Poor thing didn’t have a family, but she’s being well looked after.”

I breathed half a sigh of relief, but the other half of me felt bad for the woman I’d never met. Maybe I could find out where she was so I could visit her and make her feel a little less alone. Loneliness was such a monster.

“You’ve lived here a long time then?”

“Who? Me? Oh no. I only moved here last year and was lucky enough to get a studio apartment for myself. How about you? Do I detect a little drawl there, or is it my imagination?”

He pointed at me and smirked, reminding me a little of Hwan.

“West Virginia, and we just moved here.”

“We?” Zach asked and looked around. “Oh, I see some kids’ shoes. Where is your wife? Or husband?”

“Well, I’ve got neither, but I do have a little nephew.”

Zach narrowed his eyes and nodded very slowly, and I didn’t know why, but I felt obliged to fill in.

“My sister passed away, and I’ve got custody of Bear.”

“Bear? Teddy? Teddy Bear? That’s too precious. Unless you’re pulling my leg.”

I shook my head.

“Brilliant.” He chuckled before he turned serious and pressed his lips together. “I’m sorry about your sister,” he said, and I thanked him before turning to the plate of cake.

“So…what is this?”

“Oh, silly me. Sorry. I forgot. The loaf is a lemon cake, and the cupcakes are chamomile with a honey icing.”

I didn’t know if they could sound more mouth-watering, so I wasted no time and helped myself to one of the cupcakes. It took everything in me not to moan in a very inappropriate manner.

“My goodness, Zach. These are fucking delicious.”

Zach scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly.

“Thanks. I’m glad you like them.”

“No. Really, these are so good. I mean, I know I’ve spent a month eating frozen pastries for breakfast, but these are so fucking good.”

“What can I say? I love baking.”

“You should do it for a living,” I told him.

“Well, I am.” He laughed. “I’ve got a bakery truck. The Wandering Bundt.”

“I’ll definitely have to pay a visit.” I stuffed the rest of the cupcake in my mouth very ungracefully, and Zach’s smile widened.

“No need to visit when you have me right next door,” he said.

And did that sound like an invitation for something more than cake?

“If all your cakes are like this, you’ll have to kick me out,” I told him, which was so unlike me, but maybe it was the sugar high.

Zach blushed and ran his finger behind his ear, even though his hair was too short to tuck behind it. He looked a little shy all of a sudden.

“If you tell me your favorite flavors—and Bear’s—I’ll bake you guys a welcome cake.”

“I thought this was the welcome cake.”

His confident smile returned with a little bit of snark when he said, “Is there such a thing as too much welcome cake?”