Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 95(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 95(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
She nods, a smile on her face, the first one I’ve seen in a long time. “So you’re not going to push me away for dumb reasons anymore? You’re going to give our relationship a real chance?”
“We need to talk. We need to communicate. Sometimes it’ll take a bit to get through my dense skull, but I hope that you can see past me being dumb sometimes. And I’ll try to get past being dumb to make things work.”
“Hey, I assure you, I can be dumb sometimes too. It’s a two way street, buddy.”
“You’re perfect though. And I won’t hear otherwise.”
“I strongly disagree.”
“Then we’re just going to have to agree to disagree, babe. But I’m going to make this work. Stay with me, and let’s build something wonderful together.”
She nods. “I love you, Bear. With all of my heart, and with all of my soul.”
“And I love you. If it was anything less than love, I’d have let you slip through my fingers.”
I hold her tightly. I’m not letting go of her.
I almost made a terrible mistake, because I feared making a commitment.
But all I got is love and the present.
Whatever the future brings, I’ll deal with it when it gets here.
epilogue
CHAR
It’s been a few weeks since Bear’s and my fight and reconciliation.
And they’ve been so sweet.
Since we realized this can be something real, the little things he’s done have been so nice that it makes my belief in forever all the more real.
I’m in his room, mending some of the other holes in his clothes that have become more numerous over the years that he’s let slide because of laziness or lack of time. There’s a lot. Turns out working around trees and sharp objects isn’t the best recipe for keeping your clothing perfectly intact.
While I passed up the job at the High Street Boutique, Bear brought me to a little seamstress shop in Evergreen Valley, run by an older woman named Clara. Savvy had already been working with her, and she happily took me on as another apprentice. She’s stated she’s getting up there in age, and would like to retire. Her own children have no interest in her craft, so she’s expressed interest in having us be her successors, because a town like Evergreen Valley is always going to need someone who can tailor and patch up clothes.
It’s a career worth taking, something to contribute to my community. Plus, I get to work with my best friend. What’s not to like?
Another flannel shirt patched up. Most of the holes in Bear’s clothes were so tiny that I understood why he didn’t even notice them.
I hear the Love Nest’s front door open, and I finish what I’m doing to go meet him. I’ve turned this into more of a home than it was when I got here, where it most definitely had bachelor-pad vibes. Some plants, some artwork, it’s home now, and I hope it remains home for decades to come.
“Welcome home, Bear,” I say, a sly smile on my face as I play the role of a doting housewife.
Bear’s slightly sweaty from going about his daily work of tracking his crop of trees and felling the ones which are ready. He's never looked manlier than he does right now.
“Hey there, babe,” he says, somewhat exhausted from the day. He hoists up a plastic bag and sets it on the kitchen table. Cold cuts tonight, so there's no rush for dinner. He’s not much of a cook, and I’m only slightly more competent. I might have to pick up the slack a bit if we don’t want to keep eating out so much. Savvy is surprisingly talented at it; maybe she can give me a few pointers.
“Is the harvest looking good?”
“It’s looking fantastic. Not as good as you do though.” He wraps his arms around my waist, and pulls me closer, leaning in for a kiss.
“Well, yeah, but all things are relative. I could say the same of how delectable you look, Bear.”
All this time with Bear has been a steady realization of how much we mean to one another. How we improve one another's lives. Bear had his friends, but at the end of the day he’d always come home alone. He never let it get to him too much, but now that I’m here waiting for him, he can’t wait to get back.
For me? Beyond the fact I’m not worried about being homeless anymore, he reminds me that I can be loved. That someone can want me for me. All the time struggling to survive or living under the toxicity of my mother, it was really easy for me to forget all that. He shows me what happiness truly is, something I don’t think I’ve ever truly known before.
Our embrace breaks, and he’s looking down at me with those lovey-dovey eyes of his. “I think it’s all settled, then.”