Page 17 of A Bunny for the Bear
“Can I ask why you’re bringing me a beautiful basket of veggies this early in the morning?”
“Technically, they’re from Hutton, not me. He's under house arrest until we know everything between you two is fine. That means I’m playing delivery person.”
I swallowed the nervous words that immediately bubbled up. Barrett wouldn’t have had the information I was after anyway.
“At least tell me you didn’t walk far with this. I don’t want your mate upset with me, or for you to hurt the baby,” I insisted.
He waved me off as he propped a hip against the counter. “No more than a few steps. Hutton lives on the other side of the duplex.”
My jaw dropped at this news.He was next door? How had I not known he was so close?
Then it hit me. The letter from the landlord. It mentioned someone new arriving for a short lease. And didn’t Souli mention her nephew was from out of town?
All these facts made it even harder for me to focus on the present. Hutton was close. Hutton didn’t live in Collier Cover. Hutton was my mate.
“Maybe you should take a breath there, Ross. You’re seconds away from hyperventilating. I’m not trained for anything like that.” Barrett waved his hand in front of my face, effectively breaking the trance I was in.
“Um, thanks. I’m just…”
“It’s a lot. I get it. My introduction into this entire world wasn’t all sunshine and roses,” he admitted.
Mirroring his stance, I reached into the basket for something to nibble on. I had a feeling this was going to be a good story.
“Do go on. You can’t leave me hanging after that kind of intro.”
He rolled his eyes, then dove into the tale. Apparently, he was an artist who had become obsessed with drawing a bear in all his work. He felt like he needed some time off to refill his creative well. On his journey across the country, he wound up in Collier Cover. Nolan found him that first day and the rest happened like most mated couples.
“And you weren’t completely bothered by the whole mate thing or extended life?”
“Nope! I feel like it’s great I get to make art even longer than I wanted to. It wasn’t the original plan, yet I’m thrilled to have him in my life. Dating humans is a tedious thing. You never know what they’re thinking or if they’re being honest. With mates, everything is out in the open. I don’t have to guess when it comes to my big bear.”
I laughed at the affectionate way he described Nolan. The bear I met wasn’t all that sweet and tender. Then again, he was defending us. He couldn’t be gentle.
“Your story sounds like something out of a movie. I can’t imagine meeting my mate that way.”
Barrett snorted. “As someone who witnessed yours, I would say it is also movie worthy. The way his bear came forward ready to claim you. Whew!”
He fanned his face with an exaggerated gesture of approval. I laughed as I nibbled on the cucumber I’d taken out of the basket earlier. It was delicious, much like the carrots Souli had given me.
Was this basket and Barrett’s visit a stepping stone in the right direction? It felt like it was. Add to it the whole ‘house arrest’ situation, and it felt like my mate was truly trying.
I would need to put the work in too though. There wasn’t going to be a time when I woke up suddenly ready to dive into a relationship. I had to face my fears. I had to face my past in an effort to have a proper future.
Barrett stayed with me for a while longer. We eventually left the kitchen to give him a chance to prop his feet up. His stomach wasn’t all that big yet; however, he told me the swelling would come on quickly if he wasn’t careful.
“Babies tend to take a lot out of you. Since I’m not a full shifter, it’s even harder for my body.”
I nodded as I thought over some of my remedies. “Would you be ok with me making some stuff to help you out? I’m pretty decent at midwife adjacent healing. While I can’t deliver your baby, I can at least provide some ointments to possibly help you find relief.”
“Absolutely! Send it all my way. Chasing small children around during the day is hard enough when I’m not pregnant. Now it’s damn near impossible.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Barrett gave me a sly smile. “I have a feeling you won’t be all that far behind us.”
With that bit of teasing, he told me he should get home before Nolan came looking for him. That mate of his only went without him for short periods of time, even going so far as to take long lunch breaks to check on Barrett.
After he was gone, I stood in the kitchen digging through the basket. It was loaded down with a ton of fresh veggies and a few perfectly ripe fruits. The care someone took to put this together was obvious.
