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He had to make her stay. Somehow.
It was at that moment that he realized how much he loved her. She was his mate.
“I don’t think you really want me. You want a nanny and a whore.”
“That’s not true!”
“You may believe that. But I know the truth. And I’m not here to be anyone’s secret mistress.”
And with that, she turned and hurried out the door.
TWENTY
LYRA
Leaving Marigold felt worse than leaving Timber.
It was when she stepped out onto the street where the taxi she had called was waiting that Lyra realized how much she had bonded with the baby.
And leaving Timber hurt too.
But the pain was magnified by the look Marigold had given her as Lyra washed and dressed her for the last time.
It was a look of pure, unadulterated trust.
That baby loved you. And you just left her.
Her inner voice had never been this critical of her before. Lyra had always been gentle with herself.
But walking away from Marigold … and Timber … was the hardest thing she had ever done.
The taxi was silent when she got inside, and the driver nodded at her in quiet greeting as they pulled onto the dirt road that led to town from Timber’s cabin.
The road was winding and twisting, and right then, the road matched Lyra’s emotions perfectly.
Then she laughed out loud … making the driver jump … at the absurdity of her thought.
If you had said that to Mom, she would have told you to stop being so dramatic.
And maybe her mother would have been right.
Lyra loved Timber, but he clearly didn’t love her enough to make things official. She couldn’t stand being anyone’s mistress. She wanted to be more than that. Lyra had even started seeing herself as Marigold’s mother.
They had created a family, the three of them. And even if the bear council was the thing that stood in the way, it still didn’t mean he could keep her locked in the cabin.
Timber wanted to pretend that their relationship, and his so-called love for her, didn’t exist. Unless he was horny.
Lyra couldn’t give herself away like that.
She never could.
* * *
Lyra had earnedenough money while taking care of Marigold to afford four months’ rent on an apartment, but she decided to head home to her mother’s.
She was officially unemployed again. She couldn’t afford to spend the money she had made.
But Lyra was more determined than ever to scrape together a life for herself. She would do it, even if she had to claw her way out of unemployment.
