Page 32 of Saved By the Grizzly Bear

The door swings open, and I’m greeted with my parents’ angry faces.

“You,” they sneer when they see me with Alec.

“I wanted to talk to you before you left,” I start, trying to gain control of the conversation.

“About how you ruined everything?” my mom asks dramatically.

“I just wanted to clear the air. I don’t regret marrying Alec instead of Randolph, and I never will,” I tell them.

“You will when you’re both broke and living on the streets,” my dad snarls.

“I won’t let that happen,” Alec says firmly.

“We have nothing to say to you,” my mother says icily, and I nod.

“I thought we could be adults and have a calm conversation about all of this, but the truth is that it doesn’t matter. I don’t want you in my life anymore,” I tell them.

“Good, because we’re disowning you. We never want to see you again,” my mom spits at me.

“I need to get some things from the house.”

“Hell no!” My dad shouts.

“You can let me or the movers in, or I can contact law enforcement,” I threaten, and they seem taken aback.

I’ve never really stood up to my parents before and I know that all of this is unchartered territory. They don’t know how to handle me now.

“Get out and get lost,” my dad says through gritted teeth.

A moment later, they’re slamming the door in my face and I exhale hard. Part of me is still panicked. I didn’t get to talk to them about half of the stuff that I wanted to, but I know that trying again right now won’t get me anywhere.

“Are you okay?” Alec asks as he guides me back towards the elevator.

“I guess. It went more or less how I thought it would. I guess I just thought it would go a little better and we would be able to discuss a few more things.”

“Like what?” He asks as we get on the elevator and head down.

“Like Susan and my things. Everything just feels really up in the air right now.”

“It will be okay,” he promises, doing his best to comfort me.

We head out to his truck and he opens my door for me. He seems to realize that I’m in a weird mood and he lets me be as we make the drive home.

When we get back home, he follows me quietly from room to room until we get to our bedroom.

“What’s going to happen now? What do I do?” I ask him.

“We figure it all out. Together.”

His words make me feel a little better, but I’m still so worried for Susan and the future.

“I mean it, Morgan. I would do anything for you. I love you.”

Those three little words rock me back on my heels and I stare up at him.

In my heart, I already knew that. I mean, of course I knew that. He’s told me and shown me in so many different ways. He’s just never said those three words out loud to me.

“I love you more than anything,” he says softly, and I nod.

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