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“Hello,” I say in a shaky voice. “Are we going to be friends?”
Those massive shoulders move like boulders as he walks over with his head hung low and with his hungry eyes locked on me.
Leo wouldn’t have let him out if he posed any danger to me, would he? Would he??
The giant apex predator walks right up to me, sniffs my neck, and then presses the top of his head into my stomach. I laugh as I sink my hands into his soft fur and scratch his skin.
The fear is gone. He’s not going to hurt me. I can sense it just like I could sense that there was something different about Leo. This bear is my mate too. And he would do anything to protect me.
We play in the snow for a while and then Leo comes back out.
That worrying sensation in my stomach returns as we head inside and I realize it’s time for that dreaded phone call.
Our little oasis bubble is about to be popped.
I take the phone to the fireplace, take a deep breath, and dial my sister.
“Hold on,” she whispers.
My heart is beating so hard as she hurries into another room.
“What happened?” she asks. “Where are you?”
I can’t exactly tell her the truth. She thinks I’ve been hiding out in a hotel room by myself watching bad TV and eating room service non-stop. I don’t know how she’s going to react if she finds out I’m in love with a new man only a few days after skipping out on my wedding. Oh, and by the way, he’s a bear shifter and I’m his mate.
“I’m safe,” I say. Not exactly a lie, although it’s not the full truth. “What happened after I left?”
“Chaos,” she says. “I pulled David aside and told him first.”
“How did he take it?”
“He was relieved.Veryrelieved.”
Oh, thank goodness for that. I’m happy we were on the same page about the whole thing, even though it does sting to find out that someone was relieved they didn’t have to marry you.
“He announced it to everyone,” Cynthia goes on. “Mom was not happy. She keeps complaining that she can’t move to Argentina anymore.”
“Is that her?” Oh shit. I can hear my mom in the background. “Is that Tara?”
“Don’t put her on the phone,” I say with my pulse racing. “Cynthia. Cynthia!”
“Sorry,” my sister says before handing the phone over.
I almost hang up, but I take a deep breath and power through.
“Tara?”
“Hi, Mom.”
“How could you do this to David?” she says with contempt and disappointment in her voice. “You two were in love!”
I nearly laugh. In love? This lady’s mind is already in Buenos Aires. She couldn’t be farther from the truth.
“Mom, we were never in love! I think you saw what you wanted to see. Neither of us wanted to go through with this wedding. You and Marie practically shoved it down our throats.”
“I just wanted you to be happy. I was doing what’s best for you.”
“I think you were trying to get rid of me so you could move to Argentina.”
