Page 64 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
Because June and Oli were his family, and his home was wherever they were in this world.
He started the engine, the familiar rumble doing little to settle the unease in his chest. As he pulled away from the curb, Stanley caught a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror—the shadows under his eyes, the tightness around his mouth. He barely recognized the man looking back at him.
The road home had never seemed so long.
Chapter Twenty-Two – June
June sat at the kitchen table, phone still warm from her conversation with Stanley. His words echoed in her mind:“If it’s what you want...I’ll help you pack. I’ll help you move.”
Reasonable. Selfless. Stanley to his core.
But what did she want?
When the job offer had come an hour ago, she’d been thrilled. It was the position she’d worked toward for years—the reward for all the late nights studying, the financial sacrifices, the stubborn determination to build a new life. Yet that had been the dream before Bear Creek. Before Stanley. Before she’d fallen in love with a man who looked at her like she was his world.
She pictured Oli yesterday, running between the vineyard rows with Charlie, his laughter spilling into the warm fall air. Happier than she’d ever seen him. And she felt it, too—this pull to the town, to the life they were building here.
And he wasn’t the only one. Over the last week, she’d begun to see Bear Creek as the place she wanted to set down roots. The place she wanted to call home for the rest of her life.
“What did he say?” Barb asked as she poured two cups of tea, trying to look casual, but her eyes flicked up now and then, quietly assessing.
“He said he’d help me move,” June repeated, the words hollow in her mouth. They tasted like copper, like something gone wrong.
Barb set the teapot down with a quiet thunk, nodding as if Stanley’s offer confirmed something she’d always known. “Sounds like he’s being reasonable.”
Reasonable. The word echoed again. Yes, Stanley was being reasonable. Selfless. Kind. Everything he always was.
June wrapped her fingers around the warm ceramic mug, drawing heat into her suddenly cold hands. As she took a sip, her gaze drifted to the window, where the garden shadows lengthened across Herbert’s hutch. The rabbit would be hopping about now, exploring the little world they’d built for him. Stanley’s hands had constructed that hutch. His patience had guided Oli through each step. His smile had warmed their days.
And her heart.
She recalled the day he’d stepped through the garden gate and into their lives. She’d felt the connection to him then. And pushed it away.
But the more time she spent with Stanley, the harder it was to ignore that connection. It was unbreakable.
Which meant that if she left, he would follow. She was sure of it. As sure as the sun rose in the morning, he would give up his life here for her and Oli.
“It’s a good opportunity,” she said, not sure if she was trying to convince Barb or herself. “The clinic is perfect. Exactly what I trained for.”
Barb’s spoon clinked against her mug as she stirred, her silence louder than words.
“I’d be helping kids like Oli,” June continued, the words spilling out faster now. “Making a difference. Isn’t that what I came here for? To rebuild our lives? To find my purpose?”
“Is it?” Barb asked, her voice uncharacteristically gentle.
June blinked. “Aren’t you the one who kept telling me not to give up on my dreams and my career?”
“Dreams change,” Barb said with a sad smile.
“They do.” June stared into her cup. “But what if I regret not taking this job?”
“I think you’re scared,” Barb said, sipping her tea. “Scared to hope that what you have right now might be enough. Scared of depending on someone else.”
“I am scared,” June admitted. “It would be much easier to stick to the plan and leave.”
A soft creak from the hallway made June’s heart stutter. She turned, her pulse already spiking as if her body knew before her mind what she’d find.
Oli stood barefoot in the doorway, Herbert’s sketchbook clutched against his chest, his small face crumpling. His lip trembled, a sure sign of the storm brewing inside him. “Are we leaving Bear Creek?”
