Destined Bear (Windridge Den #3)

11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Finn

We left the diner absolutely stuffed. After we learned how to make the pies, Dolly insisted that Patrick show the new guy how to grill burgers to perfection, which resulted in us eating a second meal. And as cool as it was to work alongside him in the kitchen, the part I loved best was seeing this snapshot of his old life. This hadn’t been just a job for him. This place had been home.

Not only did the employees want Patrick time, even the new guy, but there was an older man wanting to tell him about the weather, a family who had grown since he left and wanted to introduce him to their little one, a college kid back for the weekend who had to tell him all about being on dean’s list. Nearly everyone who walked through the door felt a connection to him.

This diner wasn’t a den, but it sure felt like one. I could see why the diner became such a central part of our den—Patrick made it that way. It was modeled after the home Dolly had made for him. And as personal as this all was, he shared it with me.

Somehow our time at the diner turned into a car full of food. So much food. The back seat was overflowing with all kinds of dishes, including three different apple pies and not all of them were from the diner. Some came from regulars who said hello and then showed back up an hour later with a covered dish. Humans were weird, but also amazing.

This place had been so special to him, and it showed me a different side of my mate. The more I thought about it, the more I suspected his grumpiness when I arrived had been about his beast not understanding what was happening. Because this life, the one he had before, felt so very different. It was heartwarming to see this found family of his, but it also made me curious.

“How come you didn’t stay with them instead of going off to your own den?” I asked.

He glanced over at me. “I met Aydan. I liked him. My bear liked him. He was a good Alpha, and he was doing a good thing. I liked the idea of being a part of a newly established den. I wanted to help. Plus, I was ready to run my own diner.” He sucked in a long breath. “And humans are great and all, but most of the people here couldn’t see the real me. And that was rough.”

I placed my hand on his knee. “I never realized just how much you enjoy your work. It’s hard to tell with that permanent scowl.”

He exaggerated that scowl and shot it my way, making me giggle. Then he smiled. “I like your laugh—a lot.”

“I like laughing with you,” I said softly.

Once we got home, we carried our stash of food and settled it all inside the house, still feeling the warmth of the day lingering around us. Our freezer was going to be full, which was good. Because when Patrick had time off, I didn’t want him to feel like he needed to work more, only from home. And my cooking was… not as bad as the new guy at the diner, but nowhere near Patrick’s caliber.

I wrapped Patrick in a hug, and he kissed the top of my head.

“What’s this for?” he asked.

“Thank you for today. It was a lot of fun. We should go back there regularly.” He came so alive around them.

“I try to. It’s hard to get away.”

I smirked. “We passed the diner on our way into town. It didn’t burn down while you were away.” The food might not have been perfect, but people didn’t mind that. It was still good. After all, they’d been trained by Patrick.

“Not the outside. We don’t know the state of the kitchen yet.”

I laughed. “Come on, let’s take our bears for a run.”

We headed outside, stripped off our clothes, and I quickly shifted to my bear so I wouldn’t get too distracted by my mate’s good looks. Of course, once I was in my fur, I watched my mate, welcoming the distraction.

Then we were bounding off into the forest. His bear was so much larger than mine, probably twice the size. I could completely hide behind him if I wanted to.

Patrick was just as serious in his bear form as he was normally, while I tended to be more playful. As we walked through the forest, I batted at his nub tail and dug my claws into his rump—not enough to draw blood, but enough to poke him. He turned around with a growl, slight confusion on his face. That’s when the chase began. Realizing this was a game, he joined in.

I loved a good chase.

He might have been bigger, but my smaller frame allowed me to move more quickly through the forest. I could fit under things he had to climb over. It was exhilarating, running around and playing like that. We needed to do it more often.

The chase ended with him pouncing on me, pinning me to the ground. Had it been warmer weather, I’d have shifted beneath him, and when he followed suit, I’d have made love to him beneath the trees. But it was freaking cold, and as hot as my mate was, he could’ve stave off frostbite.

Instead, we found a cozy spot next to a large tree. The air was crisp even with our fur, and we cuddled close, soaking in each other’s warmth.

I tugged at his ears playfully with my teeth, and he let out a deep rumble I could only interpret as pure contentment. It was perfect. Everything was absolutely perfect.

We stayed like that for a long time, just enjoying being together in this form, but then a fox ran in front of us, basically begging us to chase him. And we did. He won, not only having the head start, but also our bears not feeling the need for food. Still, it was fun, and when we lost him near the stream, the two of us jumped in, splashing away.

Patrick did catch a few small fish, and my bear welcomed them. There was always room for fish, right? But after our foray into the water, it was time to go home. As thick and luscious as our fur was, the water had a slight chill running through me.

On the way home, it was me who chased Patrick. He pretended like he was trying his hardest, but he made sure I caught him just as we reached our back yard, and when I pounced on him, he did shift and so did I.

I took his lips, needing to feel them, taste them. We kissed until we were both hard and breathless—and very, very cold.

“Take this inside for a shower, omega mine?”

Normally, I’d have asked him to take me to bed first, we were only going to get dirty again, but we needed to wash off the outdoors from our little make-out session and warm-up. We were just going to have to take another shower together… Shucks darn.

“I’ll wash your back if you wash mine.” I bolted to the door, racing to get the shower running and warm for us.

Patrick caught up with me in the bathroom, pressing me against the bathroom wall and kissing me until my knees nearly gave. As perfect as the day had been, my mate knew how to make it even better. That was for sure.