Page 69 of The Grizzly Situation
I reached for his hand. “My bear recognized you as my mate and was trying to get me to pay attention. If you had left, I would have come after you and dragged you somewhere safe I could keep an eye on you. My bear’s mind and mine were at odds about what to do. It got to the point where we considered leaving the sleuth so we could be with you and the boys.”
“You… I mean…. Really?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed. “I need the sleuth, but my bear needs his mate more. And that want, desire, and need were bleeding into my brain, bringing me around to his way of thinking. Everythingwe do is influenced by our bears as much as the human half of us. The human side of the equation deals with logic and reason. The ursine part deals with needing to be happy, whatever the cost. Usually we meet in the middle and work things out, but sometimes one desire overrides the other and whichever is strongest holds sway. In this case, the overwhelming desire to be with you was what was important. Especially after seeing you with the boys. My bear was screamingmate, but I didn’t understand it at the time.”
“How come?”
I sighed. “When I was growing up, mates weren’t a real thing. So my father told me. Theywere a desperate fantasy created by people with small minds. Of course, no one wanted to go against their leader, so everyone believed it to be true. Chaim and Benjy, though? They knew better. Benjy is Chaim’s mate and nothing could ever dissuade him from that fact.”
“I like your friends,” he said. “They’re fiercely loyal. Did you guys ever…. No, never mind.”
This time it was my turn to chuckle. “No, I never wanted to sleep with either of them. I think somehow I knew they were mates, and I would never try to get in between them. Plus, I thought of Chaim as more like a brother. Maybe even father. He cared more about me than mine did, that’s for sure.”
“I’m sorry,” he replied, and his tone told me he was.
“Nothing to worry about. I took over, sent him packing, and we’ve prospered ever since. And when I say we, I mean the whole sleuth, not just the money grubbing bastard who ran it before me.”
“And that was your dad?”
“Yup.”
I waited for Uly to say I should reach out, to fix it, but like Chaim, he surprised me.
“Then you’re better off without him.”
“Agreed. I want to miss him, but I don’t. I doubt I ever will. My mom? She had plenty of issues, but my dad? He was a dick on legs.”
And that image made me laugh long and hard.
Chapter Nineteen
ULY
Nearly a month had goneby since that day. Chaim and Benjy returned to Idanha and sold their restaurant to a woman who’d worked there. They gave it to her for practically nothing, because Brent wanted them back home. And now they were opening a new one in town, and people were chomping at the bit to get in. Their menu was more esoteric than one would believe. They had created fish dishes using the salmon from the local lakes like Salmon ala King and Creamy Tuscan Salmon, but they also had burgers, pasta, club sandwiches, and a heap of vegetarian and vegan items. Plus, they ordered desserts from the place Jamie worked at. I understood then. They kept the money circling within the sleuth, rarely going outside the company if they didn’t need to.
“Momma!”
I turned and smiled at Jack as he pumped his legs to swing higher. There was a grin on his face that was brighter than the sun.
“Be careful,” I admonished. “You don’t want to fall and get hurt.”
“We won’t,” Eddie promised.
Not a few moments later, both of them fell from the swings and landed with a thud on the thick cushion that covered the ground. I thought they’d cry, but instead they got up, brushed themselves off, and laughed like little demons.
That I loved like they were my own.
“Hey, Uly?”
I turned to find Benjy coming toward us with a large wicker basket.
“What’s this?” I asked, gesturing at what he held in his hands.
“Brent sent it so you guys could eat and play.”
Again, Brent was taking care of the boys. I loved seeing a father so devoted to his kids.
“I’m sure the boys will appreciate it.”
