Page 41 of Bearnapped at the Altar

“Your dad will go pretty far to make you happy.” Even though it was completely unexpected to have Natalie with us on our first weekend truly together, getting to know her had been pretty amazing. She was smart, funny, and surprising, and I loved watching her and Barrett together. If I’d had any doubts about committing to this bear, they’d completely disappeared after I saw how good he was with his daughter.

“Dad tries too hard sometimes.” She sighed. “He wants to make up for the fact that Mom is gone, like it’s his fault. I try to make things easier for him. Stay still for a minute and let the glue dry.”

“You’d be surprised how much he likes a challenge.” It took everything I had to keep my gaze down and not blink away the emotion I felt at the thought of this teenage girl trying to take care of this big, protective bear.

“From you.” Natalie was grinning when I was finally able to look up. “Can I tell you a secret? I’d been low-key dreading this trip home because he was so sad when I left the first time. Didn’t know if either of us could go through me leaving again. But with you here, he’s so happy. There’s light in his eyes again.”

“He makes me happy too.” I reached for her hand. “Can you promise me something? I know we just met, and I’m kind of in a weird place, being your dad’s girlfriend.”

“I think you might be more than his girlfriend.” Natalie’s cheeks pinked. “And I know better than to commit to anything before I know the terms and conditions.”

“If only I’d known you when I got my contract for Moonlight Mates.” I laughed and rose from my seat in front of the vanity. “Don’t hold yourself back because you think you need to take care of your dad. He can’t wait to see you go into space.”

Natalie gave me a surprise hug. “Take care of him for me.”

“I promise.”

She left me alone to get dressed. I’d chosen a black crushed velvet minidress that hugged every curve. I would’ve never had the confidence to wear something like this before I met Barrett, but the way this bear looked at me…

I strutted into the living room to find his gaze sparkling and hungry. It was enough to take my breath away, and that was before I even had a chance to consider the total package. Tonight he was wearing a black button-down shirt, untucked, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, dark jeans, and boots.

“Hi.” I slipped my hands around his waist and kissed his cheek.

“That dress is incredible.” His voice was low enough only for me to hear and had that delicious rumble to it, and these panties would barely make it out of the house. “I can’t wait to see it on the floor.”

My cheeks burned. “Barrett.”

I turned to make sure Natalie wasn’t paying attention to us. She was already back in her room, knowing I would take good care of her dad.

“I’ve been dreaming about this night.” My naughty bear was relentless. “I want to tell you all the details, but it will give it away.”

“You should just tell me.”

“What fun would that be?” The only instructions I’d been given for the night were to get dressed up.

The two of us were quiet on the drive, but it didn’t mean the energy between us wasn’t supercharged. As excited as I was for whatever Barrett had planned, I was nervous too. Our world so far had been small, inside a snow globe, and this was our first official date.

“Are we in Granger Falls?” I asked as we entered the small town. There was no other place we could be—I recognized many of the shops on Main Street from The Real Werewives.

“We are.” His eyes were on the road, but his lips were curled into a wicked grin.

“Where are you bringing me?” It was too late for dinner, and we’d had some food before we left. My heart pounded.

“You really don’t like surprises, do you?”

“They usually aren’t good.”

He glanced over at me. “We’ll have to change that. Starting tonight.”

Barrett drove straight through town and into a giant, bustling parking lot full of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. I would’ve known that giant building anywhere.

“We’re at the Stepchild.”

There was a line outside the club when we got there, and Barrett led me to the front. “It’s been torture trying to keep this a secret from you, but this is the first of many.”

There was a camera crew waiting for us. A woman approached. “Tegan? Hi, I’m Stephanie Manada, one of the executive producers from The Real Werewives. As much as we were thrilled to hear that you didn’t need our help finding a mate, we were even happier when Barrett reached out to see if we could help him out tonight.”

I turned to my bear. “How did you pull this off?”

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