Page 36 of Bear My Heart

CHAPTER 18

The enormous Christmas tree sent gentle, colorful shadows across the whole bazaar, with snow glinting gold and green and red by turns. Pete and Shanti were nearly first in line for the cider, which was as good as it smelled, and they wandered through the market afterward, sipping their hot drinks and looking at the booths that were open. People jostled around cheerfully, chatting and examining the wares. A few really serious shoppers were already buying things, though in some cases the wood carving or pottery set was left in place for display, since the market would be going on for two weeks.

It was a nearly perfect evening that left them both smiling as they parted ways. Shanti, standing on her toes for another kiss, murmured, “Would you like to come over tomorrow evening to decorate the tree?”

A zing of curious arousal shot through him and he said, “I’d love to,” even as he tried to decide whether ‘decorate the tree’ was a euphemism. It probably wasn’t, but he was startled at how completely the idea took his breath away.

Something of his thoughts must have shown in his face, because she said, “Oh,” faintly, and clapped her hands over her cheeks. “Oh, I just meant…I actually meant decorate the tree.”

Pete dipped his head toward her, smiling. “I figured. Sorry, my inner innuendo got the better of me for a second there.”

“I thought you had an inner bear,” she whispered. “No, sorry, I just…I said I was slow.”

“Shanti.” Pete took her hands and lifted the mittened knuckles to his mouth. “There’s no rush for anything. According to fate, we’ve got a whole lifetime together ahead of us. Why speed run the start?”

She smiled, visibly relieved, then looked around and made a little face. “This is a weird conversation to be having on a snowy street corner, isn’t it?”

Pete chuckled. “Probably, but I’ve never noticed that important conversations wait for the right moment.”

“I don’t suppose they do, no.” She looked back up at him, a curious little frown between her eyebrows. “I know you’ve literally just said we have a lifetime, so that answers the question I want to ask, but also, why are you so…good? So perfect? I’ve only had a couple of boyfriends, and they have noooot been like you at all.”

“Well.” Pete tipped his head to the side, studying her in turn. “I could say it’s fate, because it is. I wouldn’t be right for you if I was pushy. But also…we have a lifetime,” he repeated more softly. “If fate is real, and I think it is, then…there really isn’t any rush. Not for us. We can let things unfold at the right speed for us, and the right speed for us is the right speed for you. For the record, I’d love to go home with you and wrap up on the couch or in the bed and just be there. Making sure you’re safe, that you’re happy, that you’re comfortable. But I don’t need to ask for more if you’re not ready for it yet, because I believe it’ll work out in just the right way for us, when it’s time.”

Shanti’s big beautiful eyes were bright with tears, but he thought they were happy ones. “That does sound wonderful. The snuggling up, I mean.”

“Unfortunately I have to be at work sixty miles away at five in the morning,” Pete said, making a face, and Shanti laughed.

“Maybe Saturday night, then?”

“I live for Saturday night,” Pete said theatrically, then remembered they’d just made a date for Friday and added, “Uh, and for decorating the tree on Friday.”

Shanti laughed again, stood on her toes for another kiss, and left him with a smile. He went back to his truck whistling, and work the next day flew by despite snowfall starting early in the morning. It had picked up considerably by evening, and the roads were thick with it, but he drove slowly and was at Shanti’s house only a little late. Only then did he realize they hadn’t arranged dinner, and he was about to ask if he should go out for something when somebody knocked on the door and two startlingly large pizzas were delivered.

“I didn’t know what you liked,” Shanti said, opening the boxes, “so I got half of everything.”

“Oh my God, you really did. What is this, half meat-lovers, half…Canadian bacon and pineapple? Bold choice. Are you a pineapple on pizza girl?”

She eyed him warily. “Is fate able to withstand me saying yes?”

“Fate can stand up to anything,” he promised. “As long as you don’t make me eat it.”

“Pineapple in general, or on pizza?” She took a slice of the offending pizza herself and let him open the other box, which had a vegetable-heavy half and a simple pepperoni half.

“On pizza. The tomato and pineapple combination just—” Pete actually shuddered, which he hadn’t meant to. “I thought you mostly didn’t eat meat?”

“Cananian nagon ihh ahhn egghepshun,” she said around an obviously too-hot mouthful of pizza.

Pete laughed. “Canadian bacon is an exception?” At her nod, he asked, “In general, or on pizza?”

She gave him a squinty-eyed ‘I see what you did there’ look for echoing her, and when she’d managed to finish the bite and hiss a few cooling breaths in, finally said, “On pizza. I don’t actually like it otherwise.”

“And where do you stand on pineapple in general?”

“I try not to stand on pineapple,” Shanti said brightly. “It’s either pokey or squishy.”

"Oh, God, you didn't." Pete waggled his fingers, threatening to tickle her, and Shanti squeaked with appropriate alarm, which was to say, not much at all. Between them, they devoured a considerable amount of pizza, and the rest went into the fridge while Pete took the tree out of the box. He was standing there with it in his hands when Shanti returned from the kitchen, and he raised his eyebrows at her. "You needed a lot of help decorating this, huh?"

It was one of those little three-foot tall trees with its own silver and gold ornaments already attached, and a very pretty little star to add to the top resting gently in the bottom of the box. Shanti tried very hard to look innocent, but the sparkle in her eyes got the best of her and she dissolved into giggles. "I thought your expression would be funny. I was right. That was worth it."