Erin #2
“Because just like you needed to get your loan on your own, I needed to process this first — before letting anyone else in. I needed to be alone.”
He frowns. “I hate that.”
“I know. But thank you for respecting it, anyway.”
A ginormous sigh leaves his chest, and his eyes find the windows, the lights of the city reflected in his hazel irises. “So… that’s just it? There’s no fighting it, nothing else we can do?”
“That’s it,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “I’m so sorry, Erin.”
“Me, too.”
Bear pulls me in for a hug, resting his chin on the crown of my head.
“I’m proud of you,” he whispers. “It took a lot of guts to do what you did. I’m sorry the justice system failed you, but I hope you don’t regret coming forward.”
“I don’t,” I assure him, pulling back to look into his eyes. “In fact… I don’t want to stop here.”
He frowns. “I thought you said there was nothing else we could do.”
“About Landon? No. There’s not.” I swallow. “But I want to help other victims. I want to be there when a woman is brave enough to come forward, and I want to fight for her, fight against the system set up to continue making this something to be ashamed of, something to be afraid to do.”
Bear just rubs my arms, waiting.
“I’m shifting my focus into criminal law. I want to be a prosecutor.”
He whistles. “Damn, girl. That’s a tough career to get into.”
“It’ll take a lot of hard work, a lot of persistence, and likely a lot of luck. Everyone wants an internship at the prosecutor’s office this summer. I just have to somehow find a way to make sure they pick me.”
“How can I help?”
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out.
For now, I need to focus on finals and getting through the rest of this semester.
I’m heartbroken over the prosecutor’s decision in my case,” I admit.
“But if anything, it’s lit a fire in me.
I feel stronger now that I’ve faced those monsters head on — even if they never have to pay for what they did to me. ”
Bear’s fists curl again at that.
“I may not be able to win every time, but I promise this,” I say, pulling back to gaze up at Bear. “I will never stop fighting.”
His chest swells again. “And I thought I was proud of you before.”
I smirk, and then his lips are on mine, warm and comforting and safe.
“I have something for you,” he says almost sheepishly when he pulls away.
“Okay…”
“I have to run down and get it from the lobby. Why don’t you pour us a glass of wine and I’ll heat up our food when I get back?”
I nod, and then he’s gone, leaving my door cracked behind him as he jets into the hallway.
I take my time pouring us the wine, taking the first sip and sighing at the release it brings. I’m staring out the window with my thoughts running wild when the door creaks open again.
And when I turn, I nearly drop my wine glass.
There he is — my Bear, my man, my everything — smirking in that sexy way he does.
And cradled in his beastly arms is the tiniest, fluffiest puppy I’ve ever seen.
“Oh, my God! Bear! You got me a puppy?!” I set my wine glass down without caring that I spill a little in the process, and then I rush over, swooping the golden fluff ball out of Clinton’s arms and holding it to my chest.
“I got us a puppy.”
I giggle as the little thing licks my face. It has floppy auburn ears and fluffy golden fur, but its paws tell me that it won’t be this little for long.
“Boy or girl?”
“Girl. I didn’t name her yet. Wanted to let you have the honor.”
“She’s so cute,” I whine — and it really is a whine, my voice three octaves higher than I realized it could even reach as I move us over to the couch and sit down.
I plop the puppy beside me, laughing when her little leg slips between the cushions and she sinks before rolling over and offering me her belly. I pet it as her tongue lolls out to the side.
When I look up at Clinton, he smiles down at the puppy before sitting on the other side of her, petting behind her ears as I rub her tummy. Then, his eyes find mine, a bit of fear mixed with adoration in those irises.
“Move in with me.”
My hand stalls.
“Erin, I realized a lot of things in this time we’ve been apart — like that I drive myself absolutely insane thinking about the possibility of ever losing you.”
I roll my lips together, eyes glossing.
“You were right. I do have a lot of things in my past that I haven’t faced, haven’t handled. And we both have a lot of hurdles ahead of us. But I want you there for all of it. I want you to know everything about me, to be there through the good and the bad, and I want to be there for yours, too.”
“Bear…”
“I want forever with you, Erin Xanders.”
My heart swells like a balloon, and I choke on something between a laugh and a sob as Clinton grabs my hands in his.
“And I don’t care if it’s in Pennsylvania or Florida or middle of nowhere Kansas,” he says as I laugh, squeezing his hands. “I’m never going to be perfect. I’m always going to find new ways to frustrate you and piss you off.”
“Ditto.”
“None of that matters, though. As long as we have each other, I want it all.” He slides a little closer as the puppy climbs on top of our laps, nipping at our shirts for attention. “Move in with me, Erin. Start a life with me. Because I can’t live without you, and I never want to try.”
Tears blur my vision as I nod, but I can’t speak the word.
“Is that a yes?”
I laugh, setting the first rush of tears free. “Yes,” I whisper.
I’m swept into his arms in the next instant, and the puppy takes it as a cue to play, nipping at us and letting out the cutest bark I’ve ever heard. We both pull back on a smile, and Clinton pulls a little toy from his pocket, offering it to the pup who eagerly chews on it.
“You had that the whole time?”
“Oh, you should see the supplies in my truck right now.”
I laugh. “So… when do we do this?”
“Is now too soon?”
“Maybe,” I say on a chuckle. “I need to pack. And Jess…”
“Will be just fine,” he promises me. “How about you focus on getting through the rest of the semester, and I’ll handle packing and moving. Deal?”
I nod. “Deal.” Then, I shake my head, covering my mouth with both hands. “We’re moving in together.”
“We are.”
“We need a Christmas tree.”
“That can be arranged.”
“And we have a puppy!”
He laughs. “We do. What do you want to name the little girl?”
He grabs one end of the toy, playing tug of war as the puppy presses weight into her haunches and fights against him. She loses her grip, plopping down on her butt and looking up at me with the cutest face before she’s up and going again.
Knocked down, but never defeated.
“Zelda,” I whisper, eyes flicking to Clinton.
“A little warrior, huh?” he muses, ruffling the fur behind Zelda’s neck. “Just like her mama.”
“Does that make you daddy?” I purr, arching a brow when Bear freezes, his eyes flashing to mine.
“Say that again, and I’ll show you just how daddy I can be.”
“Swear it?”
And with a wicked smile, he pulls me into him for a hot, promising kiss.