Page 1 of Bound to Two Bears

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“I’m not going.”

Carson lifted his gaze from the bag he was packing. Deidre stared at the floor, her shoulders slumped.

“You’re not going?” Carson’s heartbeat escalated, and he tried like hell to keep the irritation from his voice as he voiced the next question. “Why are you doing this?”

“There’s no point dragging it out. We’re done,” Deidre said, her voice low. “We just need to admit it.”

Carson searched his girlfriend’s face—orsoon-to-be-ex-girlfriendit seemed—looking for the cause for her sudden change of heart. “You said you wanted to work on us.”

“I’ve changed my mind,” Deidre said, barely able to look Carson in the eye.

He watched her a moment, trying to understand why she was backing out at the very last second. “The cabin wasyouridea. You’re the one who pressured me to reserve a room before theyfilled up. You said you wanted to try and fix things. Are we suddenly unfixable?”

Carson wanted to feel angrier, but he couldn’t conjure it. Maybe she was right. He’d sensed their relationship had been fading for months.

Yet he’d wanted to give Deidre another chance. There had once been love between them.

“Why the sudden change?”

Deidre’s face grew red and a wave of awkward energy came from her. “I’ve… met someone.”

Met someone?

Anger finally swept through Carson. It was one thing to grow apart. It was another for her to toss him aside for another man. “Out with the old, in with the new, hmm?”

“Come on, Car. The relationship we had is gone and you know it. I’ve met someone who makes me smile again. He makes me smile like I smiled when I first met you.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“Don’t do this. I hoped we could part as friends,” Deidre said. “There’s no reason for you to feel upset. It’s simply… over. It’s been over for a long time. You know that as well as I do.”

Carson sat on the bed, considering what she’d said.

Where had the sudden anger even come from? Was it the fact he was the dumpee and not the dumper? That was immature and beneath him.

Deidre was right. In the last months, their lives were almost wholly separate. They were more roommates than lovers. He’d told himself it was comfort, not the end. A maturing of their relationship.

He’d lied to himself.

If he was honest, there was a sense of relief down deep. They both deserved more than what they had together. It was best to just let it die a peaceful death than to fight and make things ugly.

He rose to his feet and continued packing his bag.

“What are you doing?” Diedre asked.

“I paid for a cabin, and I’m not wasting it.”

“You’re still going?”

Carson had been looking forward to getting out of the city. Truth be told, he’d seen the pictures on the inn’s website and knew it was a place he had to see for himself. Bear Mountain looked gorgeous, and he had a reservation waiting with his name on it.

“I think we need some space. I don’t want to say something I’ll later regret.” He jammed his clothes into his bag before glancing up. “When I get back… don’t be here.”

Deidre’s eyes shone a little, but Carson didn’t want to let the emotion get the better of him. She knew how to twist him into knots when she wanted. “I love you, Car. I value our friendship. I don’t want to lose that.”

“Right now, that’s not my main concern,” Carson said as he rose to his feet and tossed the backpack over his shoulder.

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