Page 63 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
“I…” She paused. “I got a call today. From that therapy center in Fairhaven I applied to months ago, before I came to Bear Creek. Before we even met.”
Stanley’s fingers tightened around the phone. “The one that specializes in neurodivergent children?”
“Yes.” Her voice brightened slightly. “They’re expanding their practice, and they want me to come in for an interview. It’s exactly what I trained for, Stanley. The exact position I’ve been hoping would open up.”
The floor seemed to tilt beneath him. Stanley pressed his palm flat against the counter to steady himself. Fairhaven. Not terribly far, but not Bear Creek, either. Not here. Not with him.
“That’s wonderful, June,” he said, forcing warmth into his voice. “I’m proud of you.”
The silence on the other end stretched, heavy with unspoken words. He could picture her, phone pressed to her ear, waiting for him to say more. To ask her to stay. To give her a reason not to go.
Instead, he swallowed the tightness in his throat and said, “If it’s what you want...I’ll help you pack. I’ll help you move.”
He heard her inhale sharply. Then, “I... It’s just an interview. I haven’t decided anything yet.”
“Of course,” Stanley said. “Let me know when you hear back.”
They exchanged a few more words, stilted and careful where they’d once been easy, before ending the call. Stanley set the phone down on the counter, the plastic clattering too loudly in the quiet shop.
He stared at the screen as if willing it to ring again. As if she might say it was a mistake. That she wasn’t leaving. That she wasn’t taking his world with her.
What are you doing?his bear demanded, stirring to life with a growl.We just found them. And you are offering to help her pack?
Stanley pushed away from the counter, pacing the length of the shop. His chest felt hollow, like something vital had been scooped out.
What am I supposed to do?he countered.We agreed we would never force her to stay. She has a calling, and I have a cabin with creaky floorboards and a menagerie of pets. That’s not a fair trade.
She’s our mate. She wants us, not what we own.His bear snarled, the sound reverberating through his mind.We’re not forcing her.
But Stanley knew that one wrong word, one misspoken sentence, might make June stay out of guilt. And he would never want that.
He ran his hands through his hair, trying to quiet the storm of emotions churning inside him. June had come to Bear Creek for a fresh start, for a career that would support her and Oli. He’d known that from the beginning. How could he ask her to give that up? To settle for less than she deserved?
The shop felt suddenly too small, too quiet. Stanley moved through his closing routine mechanically, checking water levels, ensuring all enclosures were secure, counting the register. His body went through the motions while his mind replayed June’s voice, searching for clues he might have missed.
He flipped the sign to CLOSED and locked the front door, then stood in the center of the shop, surrounded by soft animalsounds—a gentle rustling from the chinchilla, the quiet chirp of the parakeets settling in for the night. For the first time since opening the store, these sounds didn’t bring him comfort.
His heart felt bruised, tender to the touch. Stanley leaned back against the wall, tilting his head toward the ceiling. He blinked hard. Then again. But the blur didn’t go away. It was ridiculous to cry over something that hadn’t even happened yet, but here he was, breathing like the air had turned thick with grief.
“If she’s meant to stay, she will,” he whispered to no one.
In the silence that followed, even his bear remained quiet, offering no argument, no reassurance. Just the hollow ache of possibility slipping through his fingers.
Stanley pushed himself away from the wall and began turning off the lights, one by one, until only the soft glow of the nightlights remained. Tomorrow, he would be supportive. Tomorrow, he would be happy for her. Tomorrow, he would be strong.
But tonight, as he locked the back door behind him and stepped into the cool evening air, Stanley allowed himself to feel the weight of what he might lose—what he might have already lost.
The walk to his truck felt longer than usual, each step heavy with the effort of holding himself together. He climbed in and sat there, key in the ignition but engine silent, staring at nothing.
You could still call her back,his bear suggested, voice subdued now.Tell her how you feel.
Stanley shook his head.She knows how I feel. She knows I love her.
And that love meant that when she made her decision, he would be by her side. If she wanted Fairhaven, he’d put Bear Creek in the rearview.
Even the store he’d poured his soul into. The animals. The cabin built by his grandfather’s hands.
He’d give it all up if that was the cost of keeping them.
