Page 47 of Bear With Me

“I detect a story there,” she said slowly. “Want to talk about it?”

He shrugged even though she couldn’t see him. “Not really much of a story. Shitty parents, he moved in with Gran as a teenager. But listen, I need to…I don't know, bounce my feelings off you? Have you help keep me from freaking out and cutting things off too quickly?" It wasn't that he wanted her to talk him out of things at this point, but he also wasn't entirely sure he was ready to hear her to talk him into things. He wasn't sure he was ready to go all-in with Bjorn. He paused then, thinking about what he’d just said. “Wait, I’m insane asking you to be the voice of reason.”

“Hey, that's mean. I’m very reasonable. Now, spill. You already decided to give him a chance. So what part of this is setting you off?”

Honestly, he wasn’t sure. If he knew what was setting him off, he would be able to examine it himself. “Doesn’t it just seem…kinda crazy? I’ve known this guy for like a week, and he basically wants to marry me, and I went and told him he’s welcome to move up to Maryland with me?”

Myrah made an eager noise. “Did you really?”

“Well, sort of. I said if we did this, he could move to me since I can’t move the bar. Combine that with my agreeing to go on a date with him and…what if he thinks our second date is going to be picking out rings? And I don’t even know why I blurted it out in the first place. What if on this date I suddenly offer to pick out china patterns?”

“Dennis.” Myrah sighed. “How do you feel? About him?”

Oh, damn, why did she have to ask the hard questions? “I like him,” he said through gritted teeth. “I don’t get it. It doesn’t make any sense. But I fucking like him, and I have no idea what to do with those feelings because I haven't even known this guy for a week.”

“Why do you need to do anything with them?” she asked in her most reasonable voice. Which, fuck her. “Why can’t you just roll with it?”

“Myrah, I live a controlled life. I like order. I kick people out of the bar who cause chaos. And now there’s this guy who’s pure chaos, shifting wildly, kicking me out of bed -”

“Out of bed?!” she interrupted. “Wait, wait, there’s a story there that I need to hear!”

He grunted. “We have yet to fetch up anywhere that actually had two beds for us. And when he shifts, he’s fucking huge.”

She made a cooing noise. “Oh, I had no idea bear shifters were so well-hung! And I’m loving this visual of you snuggled up to a big ol’ well-hung bear in a tiny bed.”

“I hate you.”

A kissy noise. “You love me. Now, back on topic: is it true that once you officially mate, he’ll be able to control his shift again? That’s what I’ve heard, at least.”

“Well,” Dennis allowed, “yes. But for now, it’s pure madness. He’ll shift mid-conversation. He almost squished his grandmother yesterday.”

“But that’s temporary,” she pointed out. He knew that, he did, but…

“He’s a freelancer. How is someone who takes jobs on the fly going to fit into my day-to-day at the pub?” Because surely that explained his concerns, right? Freelancers didn’t have reliable employment! Their lives were a constant hustle!

“Well, that means he can work from anywhere. So he can chill at the bar and work,” she shot back.

“He leaves shredded clothes all over whenever he shifts?” he tried, no longer sure what point he was even trying to argue.

“Temporary.”

“He can cook!”

A pause. “That’s a…bad thing?” she said doubtfully.

“Well, no.” He sighed. “And he’s fucking hot. He’s got the tightest ass I’ve ever seen, My.”

“Honey, you are zero percent persuading me that he’s a bad idea.”

Fuck. “But I mean, even if I like him, and even if he’s hot as fuck, and even if maybe shifters are starting to grow on me…do I really want to basically marry someone I’ve known less than a week?”

“I don’t know,” she said calmly, “do you?”

“Dammit, Myrah.”

“Well, I don’t know what you want me to say! We became exclusive on our first date, Den. Sometimes, when you know, you know.”

He palmed his forehead. He was getting a headache. “And look how that turned out!”