Tempted by the Bear - Complete (43 page)

L
ucy

S
erge
and I ended up staying at the Jefferson Manor bar to eat burgers with Luke when his friend Collin left. Serge gets a slash in the pro column for his social skills, because he and my brother get along like they’ve known each other forever. I must admit that I had fun for a while too, until my brother got drunk enough to slur his words.

Luke raises his hand to order another drink, and I reach over to touch his thigh under the table. “Hey. How are you getting home?”

“How ‘bout I give you my keesh.” Luke tries to stand up but stumbles, and glasses crash on the table as he catches himself by grabbing the edge.

Laughter erupts from him, and I glance at Serge to say, “I think it’s time to go.”

“Sure.”

The waitress has come over to clean up our spilled drinks, and I ask for the check.

Serge says to me, “I never did take you for that ice cream. Want me to follow you and then we can finish our date?”

I glance at my brother as he downs what remains of his drink. While he’s always been a partier, he usually stops before getting this drunk, and I wonder if he might need to talk. “I’m going to pass. I’ll see you at Annie and Tristan’s tomorrow.” Serge scowls at me, and I know he’s not satisfied with the answer, so I add in a quiet voice, “Serge, I think Luke needs me.”

He sighs and stands up. “Fine, baby. It’s not like we could end this with more than a kiss anyway.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you better make up your goddamn mind soon, or I’m going to have to start trolling human bars or something.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.
I snap back, “Yeah, you do that.” That remark deserves more than one slash in his con column, because Sven would never say something like that to me. Of course, he does have a wife waiting for him. That thought settles like a lump in my stomach.

Serge leans in to kiss me goodbye, and I pull away as I growl at him. As he walks off I mutter, “Thanks for buying me dinner, Lucy. You’re welcome, Serge.”

Luke tilts his head at me in confusion. “Sssorry, Luce. I can taake cab.”

I sigh. “No.” I paste on a smile. “If he can’t let me be with my brother, then he’s not the right one. You did me a favor.” I stand up and wrap my arm around Luke’s waist in case he needs my support. “Come on. Let’s go to your place. I’ll make us some coffee, and we can catch up. It’s been a while.”

When we get out the door a car peels out on the street, and I glance over to notice it’s Serge. I’m still not sure if I’m supposed to get a sign as to which true mate is my destiny, but right now I’m taking squealing wheels as an indicator. I don’t think I can spend my life with a petulant child.

Luke says, “Geesh, hesh anassh, Luce.”

“Yup.” My thigh muscles flex as Luke leans on me to get down the stairs. When we get to my car I pour my brother into the passenger seat, and the buckle clicks when I strap him in.

He says, “It hurtssso bad.” A tear streams down his face.

“Oh, Luke. I bet it does.” My heart aches for him. “You really loved Isabelle, didn’t you?”

He nods before I shut the door and make my way over to my side. Once the engine is running Luke says, “Itsall ruined now.”

“No. Don’t say that, Luke.” Asphalt hums under the tires as I speed up on the main road. “Your true mate will come along, I know it.”

“No.” He mumbles something I don’t quite understand, but the word
Victor
is clear.

Luke and Victor had an interesting relationship. The man was in his early thirties when he befriended an eighteen-year old Luke, and you’d never know there was an age difference when they were together. I think he might have been Luke’s best friend, and I imagine Isabelle’s death brings back the memories of Victor’s passing. I reach over to take my brother’s hand and glance to see his eyelids droop. I squeeze his fingers and say, “I’m here for you.”

My brother snores softly as I drive. I glance up at the sky full of stars. The concept of true mates is that they’re paired to complement each other. I wish I could force Luke’s destiny to happen, because right now he seems lost.

When we get to his apartment, I go inside and get the doorman to help me get my brother upstairs and into his bedroom. Once I’m alone with Luke I get him settled and go to the kitchen to get water for his bedside table. A few days’ worth of dishes are in the sink. My brother is a very orderly person, and this sort of thing makes him crazy. It speaks of how troubled Luke is right now, so I decide to clean up for him.

When I’m done with the kitchen I move on to the laundry that I noticed overflowing in the hamper he keeps in his bedroom, and I start a load of wash, fold the mountain of clean clothes, and tidy up the clutter in his living room before I crash on his couch for the night.

Bright sunlight wakes me in the morning, and I go check on my brother to find he needs more water. He stirs and opens his eyes when the refilled cup thuds softly on his nightstand.

Luke’s voice is groggy but coherent when he says, “Hey.”

The mattress sinks as I sit next to him on the bed. His hair is in his face, and a lock of it is silky in my fingers as I brush it out of his eyes. I say, “You should get some more sleep.”

He gazes up at me. “I feel pretty sober now.” He sits up and grabs the water. “Thanks.” After he drinks the contents of the glass he says, “How do you feel about food? I’ll make you chocolate chip pancakes.” He winces, and I guess it’s because of the state of his head.

“That sounds great. And lucky for you, I cleaned your kitchen.”

Luke grabs my hand. “Thank you, Luce. I’m sorry I’m such a mess.”

I stand, and he releases me as I say, “Don’t be. You’ve suffered two great losses in the last year. I would be too.”

“Yeah.” Luke gets out of the bed and says, “C’mon. I vaguely recall something about you making me coffee.”

When we get to the kitchen, I pull pods out of the dispenser for our drinks as pans clatter while Luke searches for the one he wants. Luke says, “Tell me more about this ‘two true mates’ thing you’re dealing with.”

The coffee machine gurgles when I push the on button. “It’s bizarre. I have twin brothers who are both my true mate, and they couldn’t be more opposite if they tried. I’m not allowed to do anything more than kiss either one until I determine which one is my destiny.”

“Whoa. So how does Sven feel about that?” Luke met him briefly a while back, but other than pleasantries, they didn’t spend much time together.

“He hates it,” I say. “But since he’s got a wife, he’s not exactly in a position to say much.”

Luke chuckles, and bacon sizzles as he drops a slice on a hot skillet.

“What?”

“Your love life is like a soap opera.”

“Thanks, that’s real helpful.” I hand him a cup of coffee and turn back to make mine.

“Sorry. I liked Serge. He’s fun and a guy’s guy, but he was kind of a jerk to you when it was time to leave.”

“He was. He’s quite protective of our time together.”

“Uh-oh. There’s a red flag if I’ve ever seen one.” A whisk brushes against a metal bowl as he mixes pancake batter.

“Yeah. I’m not about clingy.”

“No. You’re not. What’s Sven like?”

A stool scrapes as I pull it out to sit with my coffee and watch Luke cook. “He’s a bit socially awkward, but you met him. What do you think?”

Luke says, “He was a little cold, but I think how he treats you is more important.”

I recall how Sven was willing to conform to the ways of our werebear and date me. And then I remember how adorable he was with Tristan’s children. I imagine Sven in tonight’s situation with my drunken brother. He would have insisted he help me get Luke home safely and probably would have helped me clean up too. “He’s pretty wonderful. But that might be because I’m in love with him.”

“And can you imagine being in love with Serge?”

While there is definitely a physical attraction to Serge, last night’s reaction to a difficult situation showed me how selfish the man is. Since I’m a bit of a princess trying to change my ways, I don’t think he’d be very good for me. I take a sip of my coffee as I realize I know my answer. “No. I don’t think so.” After I swallow, I smile at Luke. “I miss talking to you like this. Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

“So what about you, Luke? There’s more weighing on your mind than Isabelle’s death, isn’t there.”

“Yes.” A cabinet clicks open, and he grabs two dishes. “I feel as if everything I ever wanted is wrong, and I’m not sure what to do now.”

“Even your decision to be a lawyer?”

He nods as he hands me my plate of pancakes. “Even that. Sometimes I think I need to just get out of here and find myself.”

Luke sits next to me, and silverware is cool in my hand when I take it from him. “So why don’t you?” I reach over and touch his arm. “Life should be fun, Luke. Go figure out what makes you happy.”

He reaches over and steals a piece of my bacon. “Maybe I will.” A twinkle is in Luke’s eye as he takes a bite and says, “But I promise to be back in time for your wedding to Sven.”

I reach over and swipe one of his pancakes. “Deal.”

A
nnie

T
here’s
nothing quite like betrayal to bring out the warrior in a werebear, and once I recovered from the shock of learning Tristan and Isabelle planned to take over the Northeast Kingdom, I laid out strict rules for Tristan. We are to keep up appearances, but he is to stay out of my way until I figure out what I’m going to do.

While I haven’t told Brady what my mate had planned, I’m letting the threat of it hang in the air between Tristan and me. He knows that his clan would be thrown out on their ear if my brother knew. Unfortunately, I’d be miserable if that happened, because if I were forced to spend my life apart from my bonded true mate, the pain of our separation would make me wish for death. The alternative would be to suffer any punishment Brady placed on the De Rozier clan.

But it’s going to take some time before I get over the lies and deceit, because just the sight of Tristan makes my blood pressure rise. He’s downstairs in the kitchen grabbing something to eat before work, and I wish he’d leave already. The aroma of coffee is in the air, and I want to get down to start breakfast for the girls before they wake to get ready for school. But I suspect that Tristan wants to see them before they leave too. Although I’m still not sure of his motives. Is he nurturing his relationship with the girls to woo me, or does he have something else in mind?

I sigh as I pull my hair back. I’m going to have to be civil in front of the triplets and breathe the same air with Tristan for a few minutes. But I don’t have to like it. As I make my way down the stairs, the rattle of pots and pans tells me Tristan is making an involved breakfast, and I walk in to find him mixing batter. He says, “Good morning, Annie. Would you like waffles today?”

I glare at him as I approach the coffeemaker. Tristan steps in front of me with a steaming mug and says, “Here. I heard you coming down.”

I ignore the cup in his hand. “I’m going to fold clothes.” I escape to the laundry room that is just off the kitchen. When I enter, I discover that not only is the load that was in the dryer folded, but all of the wash is caught up. Great. Tristan did it all.
What am I supposed to do now?
I decide to go tend my gardens and push my way out the back door. I fight the urge to slam it shut and go attack weeds instead.

Stems snap as I yank, and the odor of earth floats around me. The ground’s cool temperature seeps into my shins when I kneel. Sweat dampens my brow as I work, and I’m startled by a female voice. “Can I join you?”

I glance up to discover Nadia, the woman who is Sven’s wife. Her eyes are rimmed with red as if she’s been crying. I say, “Sure.”

Nadia moves across from me and pulls up weeds with as much force as I do. A huge clump of dirt comes up with one I remove, and I shake the rich soil off the plant’s roots as Nadia says, “Sometimes I wish I were human.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because choices aren’t made for them,” she says. “There is no such thing as true mates and destiny.”

“That’s true, but they deal with never knowing if they can trust a partner. They don’t have the security of the true mate bond.”
Like the way I know Tristan can’t help but love me forever.

“Maybe, but they don’t ever experience what it’s like to have a mate taken away because their fated one came along.”

Or to be compelled to love someone who intended to kill you only months ago.
I say, “I don’t know about that. I think humans experience something similar. Otherwise they wouldn’t get divorced so often.” I imagine divorcing Tristan. The idea of severing him from my life and being able to move on is appealing.

Nadia and I work in silence for a while before she asks, “Do you think there’s a true mate for everyone?”

I gaze at the blond woman. She’s in her early twenties and just had her heart ripped out because her husband found his true mate. I can imagine her pain, but I also know she’s got years to find her destiny. Her love for Sven isn’t as deep as it will be for a true mate. And destiny dictates that she’ll find him when it’s supposed to happen. I say, “Yes. I know it’s hard to wait, but someone is out there impatient to find you too.”

She sighs as she tilts her face up to the sun. Her porcelain skin shines, and I notice her model-like facial features. Nadia is pretty when she’s not scowling. “Yeah,” she says. “I’m hanging on to that hope.” She stands and gathers handfuls of the plants we pulled. “I think we got them all.”

“Me too.” My hands slap at the dirt on my legs. “Thanks for your help.”

“Thank you. I needed it. Do you mind if I come back for more?”

I smile at her. “Not at all.”

Tristan’s chuckle carries as I return to the kitchen to find him sitting at the table with his daughters. Ellie is explaining something about school to him, and he’s listening with rapt attention, even though I wasn’t present to witness it. I recall how Tristan used to have such little interest in his girls that I didn’t even know he had children until the day before they were due to arrive. I wonder which version of his fatherhood is real.

I catch myself smiling and turn away. It’s good that he’s taken on parenting; the girls deserve a loving father. I refill my coffee cup, and my spoon clinks against it as I stir in creamer. Tristan asks, “My love, can I make you a waffle?”

I clench my teeth at his nickname for me. I should have demanded he stop using it. I paste on a smile and turn to him. “No. Thank you. I don’t seem to be hungry this morning.” I gaze at the girls. “You little ladies should go brush your teeth. It’s almost time for the bus.”

When the triplets leave Tristan grabs dishes from the table. I say, “I can get that.”

“I don’t mind.”

I shake my head. “Don’t. Cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry isn’t going to make up for what you’ve done, Tristan.”

Plates thump down on the counter, and he turns to me. “I realize that all the little things I can do for you won’t fix this, and that’s not why I’m doing them. Every time my children laugh, I know it’s because of you.” He lifts his hands as if he’s about to touch me, but he quickly drops them again. “I’m going to spend an eternity thanking you for it in any way I can. I may be everything you hate, but you’ve already helped me on a path to become a better person than I was. Maybe some day I’ll be good enough to deserve you.”

I close my eyes to hold back the tears of pain that are forming. I want to forgive Tristan. It goes against everything I am not to. But I just can’t. I open my eyes, and my vision is blurry when I gaze at my true mate. I nod and turn away to leave the kitchen before I begin the ugly cry that threatens to come out.