Page 35 of Monsters, Vows, and Growls
"Okay," I whispered. "You're not mauling me. That’s a good sign."
Thorne blinked—slowly, thoughtfully. Then, to my complete surprise, he leaned his head down andnudgedhis snout into my palm. I froze and forgot completely how to breathe. Because, holy shit, there was a bear right in front of me. And not just any bear, this was Patrick. This wasThorne.This was trust, laid bare in teeth and fur and restraint.
“Oh my God,” I murmured. “You’re… real.”
The bear made a sound. Not quite a growl, but something deeper. More like a huff. Like he was offended it had taken me this long to catch up. And then—oh no—he leaned his full weight into me. All four hundred something pounds of him. I yelped and stumbled back, but not fast enough. I ended up half-wedged between a tree and a literal bear hug. His massive head was pressed into my shoulder, and I could swear—swear—he was purring. Or something close to it.
“Oh no,” I whispered. “You’re a cuddler.”
His ears twitched.
“Don’t you dare look smug about this,” I muttered, trapped and probably covered in leaf bits and bear drool. “I already gave a raccoon too much power in my life. I’m not letting you join that list.”
Still, I didn’t push him away. I let myself stay there, one hand resting on the thick fur of his back, the other buried somewhere under his chin. His eyes stayed on mine—watching and waiting.
And something in me… cracked. Not in a painful way. Not like before. It felt… it felt as if the pieces of my shredded heart were realigning.
“Okay,” I whispered, softer now, fully leaning into his embrace. “You win.”
Thorne chuffed again, content
I was goingto make this weekend special. Magical.
After our almost disastrous first date—the crying, the running, the bear transformation—Ella had still agreed to go away with me. For a weekend. Not far, just to another part of the Rim where we didn’t know anybody. No family. No friends. No history walking around in human form, giving us sad or hopeful looks. Just us.
A lot was still left unsaid between us. She hadn’t told me she loved me or promised me a future. She still looked at me sometimes like she was waiting for the next disaster to drop from the sky. Not that I blamed her. I knew I had hurt her deeply, and that it would take time for her to heal. But I was here for it. I would do whatever necessary to make her trust me again, to make her love me again.
The fact that she came, that she packed a bag and got in my truck, that alone was more than I deserved.
We were driving through winding roads now, my hands gripping the wheel tighter than necessary, mostly so I wouldn’t reach over and touch her every five minutes like some love-sick idiot. She was staring out the window, looking devastatingly beautiful with her loose hair and a slight smile playing around her luscious lips. Her hand, which I knew was stronger than it looked, rested on the armrest between us, like an invitation.
Touch her,Thorne murmured.She came with us. That means something.
She needs space.
She needs us.
I tuned him out. Barely.
I was doing my best not to screw this up. Which, historically, was not my strong suit. So instead of giving in to the bear pacing inside my chest, I focused on the cabin up ahead. A place I’d picked out specifically—secluded, tucked in the trees, overlooking a lake that turned silver at dusk. It had a wraparound porch, a fireplace, and one of those massive clawfoot tubs I'd seen her look at when we were at the wholesaler warehouse.
I even bought bubble bath. I didn’t know if we’d use it, but I had my hopes up. Whatever she wanted to do, whatever she needed, I was game.
We pulled up the long gravel driveway. As the tires crunched over the rocks, I snuck a glance at her. She was still quiet, buther lips parted just slightly when she saw the cabin. Her eyes softened.
“I didn’t expect this,” she said.
“No bears in sight,” I offered with a dry smile. “Unless I get really excited about breakfast.”
That earned me the smallest laugh. Just a breath. But I caught it and clutched it in my ribs like a trophy. I parked and came around to open her door before she could stop me.
“This place is…” she trailed off, stepping up onto the porch. “It’s beautiful.”
“You haven’t seen the inside yet,” I said, unlocking the door.
She looked at me then—really looked. “You did all this for me?”
“No,” I said. “I did it forus.”
