Bitter Wind (Hickory Bear Rapids #1)

Epilogue

Three months later...

Ryker tightened his grip around Carly's hand, and the feel of her wedding ring took away some of his nerves. More so when she squeezed his hand back, and leaned her head on his shoulder. She only stayed there a minute, but even though she didn't say a word, he felt her love surrounding him.

It had been that way since they'd completed the mating bond, and once again,he was glad that he'd finally been able to get over the bullshit from his past and claim his mate the way they both deserved. Their bond was nothing like the one he'd had withhis ex, and that truth had become evident the moment his canines had sank into her soft skin.

Hearing Carly's voice in his head completed him in a way he didn't understand was possible, and he loved everything about her.

He also loved being able to call her his wife.

They had married at the courthouse on the Friday after their mating, and even though he would have done whatever she wanted, he was glad that they were able to make things official as soon as possible. Carly hadn't wanted to invite any of her friends from the city, and with only a couple of close friends in town, she didn't want to have a big ceremony.

Instead, they had a small exchange of vows with the boys and Hattie as witnesses, and then they had all gone out to a family dinner to celebrate before he and Carly left for a weekend away at Grizzly Bear Lake.

He would have taken her anywhere, but because of her love of the outdoors, and his bear's need to run someplace safe, the resort had been the perfect place for them,and they'd gotten some special treatment because he and Liam Rivers had stayed in touch.

He still didn't fully understand how the Christmas Tree Lot Santa knew that he was planning to sell the food truck, but he respected Liam, and knew that the other man was telling the truth.

He thought back to the ache that arrived in his chest in early August, and smiled down at his mate. That ache had been the thing that had finally gotten him to think about letting go of that stupid truck, and though he had vowed to never buy another woman anything so large and costly again, he had no regrets about what was about to happen.

Carly had integrated into his home, and his life, perfectly, and every day since their mating had been better than the last.

She'd started moving her stuff into his home almost immediately after their mating, and that's when her love for art had really started to hit him hard.

Not only did she teach art, but she immersed herself in it every day, and though he'd seen some of her paintings when he'd visited her home, her love for the craft hadn't really hit home until she'd started taking over Luke's old bedroom to use as her studio.

Seeing all of her canvases leaning against the walls did something to him, and he'd decided she needed something bigger. He didn't want her out of his house, but if she ever wanted to display her work, then he didn't want anything holding her back.

Unlike the stupid food truck, buying her a building brought him nothing but joy, and he knew that was because Carly wasn’t just any woman. She was his true mate, and he would do whatever was in his power to make her happy.

"You're very quiet," she said. And then, Everything okay?

She did that often, switching between talking aloud and using their link, and he loved it.

"I'm good. Just thinking about how much I love you."

I love you, too. So much.

They were almost to the corner of the street that would take them down to the rapids, and as she always did, she stopped and looked in the windows of the empty building. The space was located on the corner, and had walls of open windows on each of the exposed sides. The walls inside were painted a light brown, and years ago it had been a small, independent bookstore.

"This is my favorite building." Her voice was wistful, just like it always was when she looked at the space. "I wish someone would buy it and give it some life. It's in a great location, and look at all these windows. The light that fills the space is amazing, but there's more behind that wall. I wonder how far back it goes."

He already knew how far back it went, and though they had a lot of work to do, she was going to love it.

She started walking again, and he waited until they were in front of the door. The door had the unique design of facing the corner, and it was another one of the things that she normally praised about the place.

This time, he was the one to stop.

"Why don't you go inside and see for yourself?"

"Wha—?" She looked up at him, her eyes bright. What did you do?

She could read him way too easily, and though he loved it, he couldn't tease her for long. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a keychain that held two keys.

She stared at the keys in his hand, and then her eyes met his.

"Did you buy this place?" The words came out on a whisper, and he wanted to laugh at the awe in her voice. When he nodded, she added, "Why?"

"Because you love it so much, and I love you. I thought you might like to display your art here sometimes, or maybe teach classes. You could run an open gallery on the weekends, or pay someone else to run it, or rent out the space. There's no pressure, though.It can be something, or nothing. It doesn't matter to me. I just wanted you to have it."

"Oh, Ryker."

Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away and pulled him down for a gentle kiss. It was just a chaste meeting of their mouths, but he loved the way she let her lips linger against his.

You didn't have to do this, but I love that you did. Thank you so much.

He wrapped one hand around her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her again. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to forget the building and carry her off to his cave, but she laughed and pulled the keys out of his hand.

"Later," she said, patting him on the chest. "Let's go inside."

She ran to open the door, and he followed after her.

Unlike his first mate, she was the mate of his heart, and he would follow her anywhere.

The End

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