Chapter Twelve – Matt
“You weren’t joking when you said you needed the truck to carry everything,” Tessa said, eyeing the various bags and boxes Matt was juggling.
“What can I say?” Matt shrugged. “I like food, and I like to support the local community.” He grinned. “And I like the company.”
“Yeah.” Tessa looked back at the crowded market. “Everyone here is so friendly.”
Tell her that’s not what you meant, his bear said.
I think she knows, Matt replied. She just doesn’t want to admit it.
“I didn’t mean the entire market,” Matt said, voice dropping lower. “I meant your company specifically.”
Tessa’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh,” she said softly. “Well... thank you.”
They stood there for a moment, the market sounds fading into background noise as they looked at each other. Matt felt his bear rumbling with contentment inside him.
“We should probably get all this to the truck,” Tessa suggested, reaching for one of the bags. “Before your produce wilts in the sun.”
“Good thinking,” Matt said, hoping she was just being practical rather than wanting to find a reason to end this intimate moment.
“Then do you think we have time to head over to Rachel’s so I can grab my sketchbook? I’d like to show you my sketch of the courtyard and see what you think. But it’s okay if you’d rather go straight to the restaurant. We’ve been longer than I expected.”
“Sorry, I always lose track of time,” Matt said. “But Rachel’s is more or less on the way.”
“Great.” She flashed him a smile that took his breath away. And restored his confidence in the way she felt about him.
No wonder you lost track of time, his bear chuckled.
When Tessa’s around, I can’t think straight at all, Matt admitted.
They made their way back to where he’d parked, Tessa carrying several of the smaller packages while Matt balanced the crates of vegetables and fruit.
At the truck, Tessa held the bags while Matt unlocked and opened the tailgate. Together, they arranged everything carefully in the bed, making sure the more delicate items wouldn’t shift during the drive.
“Perfect,” Matt said as he placed the last crate of heirloom tomatoes securely against the side.
When he turned, Tessa was standing closer than he expected, looking up at him with those eyes that seemed to see right through him.
His bear went completely still, every sense focused on her—the scent of her skin, the slight quickening of her breath, the way the sunlight caught golden highlights in her hair.
Matt’s gaze dropped to her lips, and he saw her tongue dart out to moisten them. It would be so easy to lean down, to close that small distance between them.
His bear urged him forward, the pull toward her almost irresistible.
Tessa held his gaze for a long, breathless moment. Then she took a deliberate step back, breaking the spell.
“We should get going,” she said, her voice slightly unsteady. “I don’t want to make you late for your shift.”
Matt swallowed his disappointment at the near-kiss and instead focused on the way she said the word we. As if they were already a unit, already connected in some fundamental way.We are, his bear said. And I know she can feel it too.
They climbed into the truck, the cab suddenly feeling much smaller than it had on the drive to town. Matt started the engine, focusing on the familiar routine to ground himself after that charged moment.
As they pulled away from the market, he glanced over at Tessa. “So you liked the farmers’ market?”
“Oh, yeah.” She smiled, reaching into her purse. Her fingers emerged holding several small, polished stones in jewel tones—deep purples, blues, and greens that caught the light. One larger stone, smooth and flat, had tiny words painted on it.
“Home Sweet Home,” Matt read aloud, peering at the painted stone. “That’s perfect.”
“I thought so too.” Tessa turned the stone over in her palm, her expression soft. “Thanks for showing me that last booth. I can’t believe these are river stones that Polly polishes and paints herself.”
“The girls are going to love them,” Matt said, glancing at Tessa’s face as she studied the stones. He loved the way she always tried to make others happy.
And our job is to make her happy, his bear said.
It is. And I aim to do that every day for the rest of our lives, Matt replied.
“I hope the fairies approve of them too,” Tessa said, carefully placing the stones back in her purse. “I’ve been told they have very high standards.”
“Oh, they will,” Matt assured her, turning onto the road that led back to Rachel’s.
Tessa chuckled, the sound making his bear rumble with pleasure. “I’m glad we have an expert fairy consultant on the project.”
His bear chuckled. Wait until your brothers know you have been talking about fairies as if they are real.
I don’t care, Matt replied. There’s nothing wrong with a little make-believe.
Yeah, just make our mate believe in us, and the mating bond, his bear said. And soon.
We’ll get there. But not now, Matt countered, though the urge to do exactly that grew stronger with each passing moment.
The timing had to be perfect. He couldn’t risk frightening her away, not when they were just beginning to build something real between them. Something based on shared moments and genuine connection, not just the mate bond that hummed between them like an electric current.
“I was thinking,” Matt said carefully, “there’s a path up behind the restaurant that leads to a small overlook.
It’s quiet and peaceful. Good place to..
. look at the sketch.” He swallowed, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Maybe after your shift, if you’re not too tired, we could walk up there?
It has the best view of the town. In fact, you’ll have a bird’s-eye view of the restaurant and the courtyard. ..”
You are rambling, his bear told him.
I know, I can’t help it, Matt said. He could think of nothing better than ending a shift alone with his mate in one of the most romantic places in Bear Creek.
He could feel Tessa studying his face, considering. His pulse thudding as he waited for her answer.
“I’d like that,” she said finally.
And then you’ll tell her? his bear asked.
No, it’s not private enough, Matt said. But I will ask her to dinner. And then I’ll tell her.
Yes! his bear exclaimed.
“Here we are,” Matt said as he pulled into Rachel’s driveway. He cut the engine, the sudden silence emphasizing the private bubble they’d created inside the truck.
“I’ll just get changed and grab my sketchbook,” Tessa said as she climbed out of the truck.“I’ll be waiting,” Matt murmured, watching as she disappeared into the house.
His bear paced anxiously. What if she rejects us after we tell her? What if she leaves?
I thought you wanted me to tell her, Matt replied.
I do, but that doesn’t mean I’m not scared, his bear said.
Yeah, me too. But things worked out for Caleb, so they’ll work out for us, Matt said.
Where’d this confidence come from? his bear asked.
Think about it, Matt said. It happened for our cousins, it happened for our brother, now it’s going to happen for us.
Yeah, it did, didn’t it? His bear’s fears melted away. Gotta believe in fate.
We sure do. Matt cracked a grin.
He leaned back in his seat and pushed his senses out, locking onto Tessa inside Rachel’s house. Damn, that feeling would never get old.
Here she comes, Matt murmured as he sensed Tessa heading back out of the door with her purse slung over her shoulder and the sketchbook tucked under her arm. She had changed out of her sundress into a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, her hair swept up in a ponytail.
Matt’s breath caught as Tessa approached the truck. She looked every inch the professional server now, as if she had cast off the woman who had laughed and flirted with him at the market, but something about the way she moved made his heart race. And always would. No matter what she wore.
His bear stirred restlessly beneath his skin, sensing what was coming. Tonight. It has to be tonight.
When she opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, her scent filled the cab, and his senses sharpened with awareness. The sketchbook rested on her lap, her fingers curled protectively around its edges.
“Got everything?” he asked, his voice rougher than intended.
“I think so.” She patted the sketchbook. “Including this.”
Matt pulled away from Rachel’s house, intensely aware of Tessa beside him. Every breath she took, every small shift in her position, every sigh. His resolve crystallized into certainty—he couldn’t let her walk away. Not without knowing the truth. Not without giving her the chance to choose him.
“Ready?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
Oh yeah! his bear said with enthusiasm.
“Yes,” Matt answered, hoping she couldn’t hear the double meaning in his voice.
He started the engine and drove away, heading for the restaurant where he would spend another shift in her company. Then he would take her to the lookout and ask her out on a proper date.
Aria and Lucy will be pleased, his bear said.
As they went around a sharp corner, her hands clasped the sketchbook on her lap as if it contained something precious. He loved that about her—the way she poured herself into her art, the way she created beauty with her pencils just as he did with food. Different mediums, same passion.
“So, how was Rachel?” Matt asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
“Rachel?” Tessa half-turned toward him, blinking as if pulled from deep thoughts.
Perhaps dreaming of us as we are dreaming of her, his bear said hopefully.
“Yes, how is her ankle? She looked a lot better before we left this morning,” Matt elaborated.
“Oh, yes, it is,” Tessa replied, nodding. “She still thinks she should be back at work the day after tomorrow.”
Was that disappointment he heard in her voice? The thought made his bear rumble with satisfaction.
She turned to him, her eyes meeting his briefly before he returned his attention to the road. “It’ll give me more time to work on my art, which is why I am here. I mean, as well as to see Rachel and the girls.”
Was that a challenge? Matt wondered. Was she pushing him, trying to read what he was thinking? Whether he wanted her to stay?
And if he gave her a reason, would she?
Yes, his bear rumbled.
Matt was beginning to believe that was true.