you’ve come home you’ve decided you want your old girlfriend back, because you couldn’t find anyone better…”
The bear roared at him. “She’s my mate!”
Gabe blinked at him, ignoring his wolf’s tenseness at the bear’s outburst.
Tommy calmed a little. “She’s my mate. I was 18 when I left for college; I didn’t know who she was to me.”
Gabe put his hands on his hips. “So now you know, suddenly you realize what an asshole you’ve been.”
Tommy’s muscles were rigid as he tried to maintain an even temper. “I was going to apologize even before I knew who she was. The whole time I was away from home all I thought about was Lilah. I’ve loved her since I was 16 and I always will! I was devastated when I found out she got married, but when I found out what happened I was… well I was livid that bastard laid a finger on her! But I hoped that maybe I still had a shot with her, and then when I realized she was my mate, it just felt so right.”
Tommy breathed deeply after his outburst, massive chest heaving up and down.
“Dude, seriously, why didn’t you just put your name on the flowers you sent her?”
Tommy shook his head sadly. “I was… I was afraid she’d just throw them out, I thought she might be mad at me.”
Gabe scoffed. “So, you decided to scare the crap out of her?!”
The bear howled, banging his fists on the counter. “I didn’t mean to! I love her, damnit! I want to be with her.”
Gabe studied the seething bear; he was sure Tommy was telling the truth. “Okay, but I think we can both agree that your approach isn’t working.”
Grudgingly, the bear had to agree. “What do you suggest?”
“Something radical - honesty .”
*
Gabe pulled up to the house. Kira eagerly ran out to meet him, throwing her arms round him as her wolf danced around.
“What happened? What’s going on? Did you find the asshole doing this? Did you beat him?”
Gabe held up his hands in surrender. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, one question at a time. Not much, you’ll see, yes I did and no beating was necessary.”
Kira sniffed the air. “Who’s that in the truck?”
Lilah and the rest of her family came out onto the porch, all craning their necks to see what was happening.
Gabe nodded in the direction of the truck, and with an effort the large bear unloaded himself and shuffled over to them, carrying a bunch of tulips. Lilah’s favorite .
Lilah gasped. “Tommy! Is that you?”
Tommy kicked the ground; he looked like an overgrown 4-year-old. “Hey, Lilah I…”
“What’s he doing here?” interrupted Kira, her wolf snarled at the male.
Tommy started growling lightly, before a warning look from Gabe quieted him.
Gabe slipped an arm around Kira’s waist. “Tommy has something he wants to say.” Gabe nodded encouragement at the young bear.
Tommy gulped and started talking in a rush, his eyes flicking toward Lilah. “It was me who sent you those gifts and those flowers… I umm… I was trying to do something nice for you, I wanted to show how sorry I was for the way I treated you, and because I… I umm, I think you’re my mate.”
“What?!” squawked Kira.
Gabe kept hold of the struggling Kira, who was eager to storm over to the bear and give him a piece of her mind.
Lilah slowly walked down the steps; her face deliberately impassive. “You do?”
Tommy nodded sheepishly. “I caught your scent a week ago at the grocery store; I was too embarrassed to say hello.”
Kira harrumphed. “So you thought stalking was the better option?”
“I wasn’t stalking!” hissed Tommy. “I was just trying… I was…”
He hushed as Lilah came to stand in front of him. She leaned toward him and sniffed; moaning slightly, her eyes flashed to warm amber.
“Are those for me?” Lilah asked quietly.
Tommy gazed adoringly at her. “Huh?”
She smiled slightly and inclined her head to the tulips.
“Oh, right, yes they are.” Tommy thrust them at her. “I remembered you
The bear roared at him. “She’s my mate!”
Gabe blinked at him, ignoring his wolf’s tenseness at the bear’s outburst.
Tommy calmed a little. “She’s my mate. I was 18 when I left for college; I didn’t know who she was to me.”
Gabe put his hands on his hips. “So now you know, suddenly you realize what an asshole you’ve been.”
Tommy’s muscles were rigid as he tried to maintain an even temper. “I was going to apologize even before I knew who she was. The whole time I was away from home all I thought about was Lilah. I’ve loved her since I was 16 and I always will! I was devastated when I found out she got married, but when I found out what happened I was… well I was livid that bastard laid a finger on her! But I hoped that maybe I still had a shot with her, and then when I realized she was my mate, it just felt so right.”
Tommy breathed deeply after his outburst, massive chest heaving up and down.
“Dude, seriously, why didn’t you just put your name on the flowers you sent her?”
Tommy shook his head sadly. “I was… I was afraid she’d just throw them out, I thought she might be mad at me.”
Gabe scoffed. “So, you decided to scare the crap out of her?!”
The bear howled, banging his fists on the counter. “I didn’t mean to! I love her, damnit! I want to be with her.”
Gabe studied the seething bear; he was sure Tommy was telling the truth. “Okay, but I think we can both agree that your approach isn’t working.”
Grudgingly, the bear had to agree. “What do you suggest?”
“Something radical - honesty .”
*
Gabe pulled up to the house. Kira eagerly ran out to meet him, throwing her arms round him as her wolf danced around.
“What happened? What’s going on? Did you find the asshole doing this? Did you beat him?”
Gabe held up his hands in surrender. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, one question at a time. Not much, you’ll see, yes I did and no beating was necessary.”
Kira sniffed the air. “Who’s that in the truck?”
Lilah and the rest of her family came out onto the porch, all craning their necks to see what was happening.
Gabe nodded in the direction of the truck, and with an effort the large bear unloaded himself and shuffled over to them, carrying a bunch of tulips. Lilah’s favorite .
Lilah gasped. “Tommy! Is that you?”
Tommy kicked the ground; he looked like an overgrown 4-year-old. “Hey, Lilah I…”
“What’s he doing here?” interrupted Kira, her wolf snarled at the male.
Tommy started growling lightly, before a warning look from Gabe quieted him.
Gabe slipped an arm around Kira’s waist. “Tommy has something he wants to say.” Gabe nodded encouragement at the young bear.
Tommy gulped and started talking in a rush, his eyes flicking toward Lilah. “It was me who sent you those gifts and those flowers… I umm… I was trying to do something nice for you, I wanted to show how sorry I was for the way I treated you, and because I… I umm, I think you’re my mate.”
“What?!” squawked Kira.
Gabe kept hold of the struggling Kira, who was eager to storm over to the bear and give him a piece of her mind.
Lilah slowly walked down the steps; her face deliberately impassive. “You do?”
Tommy nodded sheepishly. “I caught your scent a week ago at the grocery store; I was too embarrassed to say hello.”
Kira harrumphed. “So you thought stalking was the better option?”
“I wasn’t stalking!” hissed Tommy. “I was just trying… I was…”
He hushed as Lilah came to stand in front of him. She leaned toward him and sniffed; moaning slightly, her eyes flashed to warm amber.
“Are those for me?” Lilah asked quietly.
Tommy gazed adoringly at her. “Huh?”
She smiled slightly and inclined her head to the tulips.
“Oh, right, yes they are.” Tommy thrust them at her. “I remembered you
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