Page 5 of Bearly Taken

You have the keys to my house. Why didn’t you move in? I assumed you were living there.

It was much, much nicer than my apartment. He didn’t even have to look inside to know that. The outside of the building alone made that clear.

Me

You told me to leave. I wasn’t about to give you more ammunition by living in a house you owned. The court could use that to insinuate that I can’t provide a home for my child.

Reed

That’s why you’re not living with your mom, too?

I stared down at the screen, hating that he’d already figured out that much.

Reed

I’m not a fucking monster

If I’d known you were pregnant, I wouldn’t have left town at all. I would’ve helped you through it, even if you didn’t want me involved with the cub when he was born.

Why didn’t you tell me?

That was the question of all questions.

The one I least wanted to answer.

The one place where I’d known I was wrong, and I couldn’t lie to him about it.

Me

Goodnight, Reed.

Tense, I waited for him to message me back.

To demand to know the truth.

To threaten to break down my apartment’s flimsy door.

But the message never came.

And I didn’t know whether to be hurt or grateful for that.

So, I simply let out a breath and forced myself to go to bed. I didn’t sleep—but I tried.

two

REED

I stareddown at my phone, my back to Wren’s shitty apartment’s door.

I should’ve been trying to sleep, but there wasn’t a fucking chance I could walk away from her again. It had nearly killed me to leave her the first time. I’d only been able to do it because I thought she would be safe, living in my house, and happy in the arms of the asshole I’d seen her dancing with at the Grill.

I should’ve known better.

I should’ve knownherbetter.

And I did—to an extent.

We’d spent so much time in bed together before I claimed her, I knew exactly what she liked. And when we hadn’t been screwing, we’d been talking. I knew her. Better than I knew anyone else.

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