Page 18 of A Bunny for the Bear
Before I knew it, I was dialing Souli’s number to thank her. I had no doubt she helped coordinate it behind the scenes.
“Hey, sweetheart. How goes it?” she answered.
“I’m good, Souli. I was calling to thank you for the veggie basket.”
The line went quiet for a moment. “Actually, I didn’t put that together. Well, other than the actual gathering part physically. Hutton told me what to pick out. My boy even made me video call him so he could approve each piece. If I didn’t love him so much, I’d have come to the house to smack the back of his head for such foolishness. As if I couldn’t pick out the best options.”
Her grumbled words were dull as my mind processed the words. Hutton had chosen them. He’d made sure to see each piece andthen instructed her to gather it for me. It was a workaround to his house arrest situation.
My heart soared as I pictured my mate meticulously evaluating each piece of food I ate. That level of attention and care meant more to me than an expensive meal or fancy flowers would have.
“Souli,” I said, voice wobbly.
“Yes, Ross?”
“Is he… Is Hutton mad at me for yesterday?”
She gasped. “Oh no! He’s not mad at all. Well, maybe that’s not true. He’s mad at himself. As someone who's always careful about his routines, he's appalled his bear came out so violently.”
“That makes sense, I guess.”
“It should. I’ll tell you this—Hutton has always been different, even as a young boy. People made assumptions about him based on his size more often than not. When they’d find out he was a bear shifter, those judgments increased tenfold. It made him lash out a few times before we helped him find balance. He spent years meditating in order to keep his temperament even.”
I sank deeper into the couch as I absorbed what she told me. These revelations were exactly what I needed but didn’t know how to ask for.
“While we all understand you not wanting to dive in headfirst, we do hope you’ll be open to chatting with him in the two months he’s here.”
“Can you tell me how far away he lives? Is it close enough I could visit after?” I asked, even though I knew two months was more than enough time. Honestly, it would probably only be afew more days before I was ready to talk to him. Waiting weeks sounded horrible.
Souli hummed. “It’s not all that close. If you wanted to do long distance, then maybe it could work. I’ve never known a fated pair to do so though. The bond is too strong to allow it.”
The bond.
Ah, yes.
That ache in my chest beating to a rhythm I can’t hear. My body knows what it wants, even as my mind fights against it.
“Thank you for explaining everything to me. Will you tell him thanks for me? I want him to know I really do like his gift. I’ve already been eating some things this morning.”
She laughed. “I’d love to tell him. It'll brighten his morning. Reach out to me if you need anything else too. I’m here to help you both. I’m not playing favorites here.”
Strangely enough, I believed her. She’d been kind from the moment we met. Souli had welcomed me into the fold when there was no reason for her to.
Even though Hutton was her nephew, she didn’t try to convince me to mate with him right away. There were no backhanded comments about Fate or what I should be doing. Instead she’d listened to me. Really listened.
I don’t know if I’ve ever had anyone do as much.
After hanging up with her, I grabbed a carrot and another cucumber from the basket. Then I slowly walked over to the wall I knew connected to the other side of the duplex.
I sniffed, as if I might catch a whiff of Hutton through the wall. The thought alone made me laugh. Of course that wasn’t possible. If it were, then he’d probably be suffering on the other side. It was hard to fight a mate pull. Without my past traumas, I had no doubt I’d have already been sporting a bite.
Leaning my forehead against the wall, I closed my eyes to reflect on everything. My body was still tired from the early morning visitor. Sadly, the bedroom existed in a space too far for me to get to.
Exhaustion settled over me, making me drift to the floor. I curled in a ball on my side with my back to the wall. The food in my hands kept me nourished as I napped periodically throughout the day.
No one else came knocking. No one called.
Yet I didn’t feel alone.
