Epilogue #2
“What the hell was that?” Bear muttered to himself. He hadn’t meant to push Greta’s buttons. Hadn’t meant to let her push his. But something about her always set him off—her recklessness, her stubbornness, the way she drank like it was a challenge.
Or maybe it was simpler than that. Maybe it was just that she was beautiful and broken and didn’t give a damn what anyone thought of her. Maybe it was that when she looked at him, he felt seen in a way that was both terrifying and addictive.
“Come on, King.” He started toward the bunkhouse, the party forgotten. “Let’s get out of here.”
The dog followed, faithful shadow, as Bear pushed through the door of the bunkhouse and into the quiet sanctuary of his room. The engagement party wasn’t far enough away. He could still hear the laughter, the music, the sounds of people who had figured out how to be happy again.
He dropped onto the edge of his bed, head in his hands. King settled at his feet, chin resting on his knee, eyes watching with canine concern.
“I’m fine, buddy.” He scratched behind the dog’s ears. “Just need a minute.”
His phone vibrated in his pocket, the harsh buzz making him jump. Unknown number with a Denver area code. Probably a spam call. He almost ignored it, but something—instinct, maybe, or just the need for distraction—made him answer.
“McKenna.”
“Mr. McKenna? This is Elaine Winters from Denver Child Protective Services.” A woman’s voice, professional but with an undercurrent of urgency. “I’m trying to reach a Dane McKenna regarding his son, Logan.”
His heart stuttered to a stop, then kicked back into gear at double speed. “This is Dane McKenna.”
“Mr. McKenna, I’m sorry to inform you that Amber McKenna was killed in a car accident yesterday evening.”
The room tilted sideways. Amber. Dead. The mother of his son. His ex-wife who’d refused to bring Logan to visit, who’d threatened to terminate his parental rights, who’d moved on with her life while he rotted in prison.
Dead.
“Mr. McKenna? Are you there?”
“Yes.” His voice sounded foreign to his own ears. “I’m here.”
“As I was saying, Ms. McKenna named you as Logan’s only living relative in her will. He’s currently in emergency foster placement, but we need you to come to Denver as soon as possible to take custody. Otherwise, he’ll be placed in the foster system permanently.”
“Logan.” He said his son’s name like a prayer, like a question. “How is he?”
“He’s understandably upset. He’s thirteen now, and—”
“Thirteen?” The word felt like a kick to the chest. Eight years. He’d missed eight years of his son’s life. The boy he remembered had been five, with missing front teeth and a Spider-Man backpack nearly as big as he was.
“Yes, thirteen. He’ll be fourteen in August.” The social worker’s voice softened slightly. “Mr. McKenna, I understand this is a shock, but we need to know your intentions. Are you willing to take custody of Logan?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. Not a second’s doubt. “Yes, I’m coming. I’m on my way right now.”
“Tonight? It’s rather late—”
“Tonight.” He was already on his feet, grabbing his go-bag from under the bed. “Give me the address. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
She rattled off an address in a Denver suburb, along with instructions to check in at a 24-hour emergency placement center. Bear committed it to memory, disconnected the call, and grabbed his keys.
“Come on, King.” He snapped his fingers, and the dog was at his side instantly. “We’re going to Denver.”
No time to say goodbye. No time to explain. His son needed him, and nothing else mattered. He scrawled a hasty note on the back of an envelope—“Emergency in Denver. Back soon. —Bear”—and left it on his bed where someone would find it.
The truck’s engine roared to life in the quiet Montana night. King settled in the passenger seat, watching with concerned eyes as Bear pulled away from the bunkhouse, away from Valor Ridge, away from the party celebrating futures he’d never imagined for himself.
Denver was a seven-hour drive. Seven hours to process that Amber was gone.
Seven hours to prepare for a reunion with a son who probably didn’t remember him.
Seven hours to figure out how the hell he was going to be a father to a teenager who’d spent the last eight years believing his dad was a monster.
Bear gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles went white. In the rearview mirror, the lights of Valor Ridge disappeared behind a curve in the road. Ahead lay nothing but dark highway and a future suddenly, terrifyingly uncertain.
His phone buzzed again. Walker. He ignored it, pressing harder on the accelerator.
Logan needed him. Everything else would have to wait.
He’s terrified of losing control. She’s never met a boundary she respected.
Dane “Bear” McKenna has spent years keeping his temper locked down and his life small. But when his ex-wife dies and his angry fifteen-year-old son shows up on his doorstep, Bear has eight weeks to prove he’s more than his worst mistake—or he’ll lose Logan forever.
Greta Dougherty doesn’t do fear. She pushes, she challenges, and she refuses to be intimidated by the massive, growling man across the street who insists he wants nothing to do with her… even as he watches her like he’s starving.
Together, they’re a disaster in the making. And when Greta’s obsessive search for her missing twin puts her in real danger, Bear has to decide what scares him more: losing control, or losing the people who are starting to feel like home.