My Bear to Heal (Cypress Valley Shifters #3)

4. Adelaide

M y fingers drum idly on the shiny wood bartop. The scent of greasy food fills my nose, my stomach rumbling in anticipation, even though I already ate. One drink, then back home to finish packing.

“Fancy seeing you here, sweet rose.” The words are low and deep, spoken right next to my ear. But I don’t startle, not as the comforting scent of leather and smoke swirls around me, drawing my focus only to Tyler.

“Sneaking up on me?” I joke as he settles on a stool next to me before flagging down Joe, the bartender.

After ordering his drink, Tyler turns to face me, mischievous, verdant eyes roving my face. I can’t help my body’s reaction; color blooming on my freckled cheeks, heat flooding my system.

His brown hair is pulled into a knot at the back of his head, like always. I curl my fingers tight around my glass, resisting the urge to take the band from his hair and let the unruly strands free. How soft would those chestnut tresses be if I ran my fingers through them? Does he like to have his hair pulled in the throes of passion ?

Where did that thought come from?

“Just blowing off some steam.” The deep timbre of his voice coats my skin, pulling me from my wicked thoughts. “Reese is up my ass about the harvest this year. It’s been a dry summer, and he’s worried we won’t have enough food with the two, now three, additional mouths to feed.”

“Can’t you supplement with food from Oak Ridge?” I ask.

One broad shoulder hitches up. “Sure, but we try not to. We’ll be fine. Reese is always overthinking and planning ahead, part of his alpha nature.” He chuckles. “Glad I’m not in charge.”

Joe sets a low-ball glass on a napkin in front of Tyler. It’s filled to the brim with an amber liquid, possibly whiskey. The shifter males of Cypress Valley seem to have a penchant for top-shelf whiskey. “Oh. But you can’t get drunk, right? So, why drink?” I rush out, suddenly remembering the crash course Tyler gave me on shifters when I moved back to Oak Ridge.

“Touché. It would take a lot to get me drunk,” he says, raising his glass to me before taking a sip. “It’s more of a placebo effect, I guess. Yes, my system will probably burn through the alcohol before I can even finish this glass, but there’s still something about the taste of a good whiskey and the cool glass gripped in your hand. And sometimes the quiet and solitude of Cypress Valley gets to be too much.” He glances around the bar. “This is the only place where the familiar buzz of the crowd can numb my thoughts.”

I hum, taking a sip of my rum and Coke, the crisp liquid burning as I swallow. He has a point.

“What about you? What brings you to this fine establishment on a Tuesday night? ”

I giggle because the Dirty Paw is anything but high-end. It’s the one restaurant and bar in Oak Ridge, more of a dive bar than anything, but the drinks are cheap and it’s usually pretty quiet. “Just trying to calm my nerves before leaving Dad tomorrow.”

A large hand suddenly engulfs my thigh. I hadn’t realized we were sitting so close, but the warmth from his skin seeps through my skirt, spreading to my entire body. Tingles race over my skin as goosebumps lift the fine hairs on my arms. Why does he have this effect on me? Like my body craves his touch in order to function. It’s maddening when we’re only friends.

“Addie, look at me.” His voice is commanding, but gentle, and I obey instantly, tilting my head up to lock on his comforting green eyes. “He’ll be alright. Your dad’s one of the toughest men I know. And you’ll only be an hour away if he needs you. Okay?”

Swallowing back the lump in my throat, I will the tears brewing in my eyes to evaporate. “Yeah,” I manage to croak out. “Thanks, Ty.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.” He winks.

There he goes with the flirtatious nicknames and winks again. I swear, all he has to do is look at me with his smoldering emerald gaze and my panties incinerate. Once I’m around him twenty-four seven, I’ll have to carry an extra pair with me at all times. But he’s not mine. He’ll never be mine. I made sure of that when I told him we’re better off as friends.

“Hey, baby.” A raspy voice filters through the air as a dainty hand tipped in long red nails wraps around Tyler’s forearm. He winces, but quickly schools his features before turning on his stool, giving his full attention to the local vixen .

“Kandice. How are you?” He flashes her that signature lopsided smirk, known for melting panties left and right.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, Ty. I miss you,” she whines, rubbing up against him like a fucking bitch in heat.

Foreign jealousy bubbles under my skin as I grit my teeth. He’s not mine , I remind myself again. He’s a grown man who can sleep with whomever he wants, even if it tears off a small piece of my heart each time I see him with a different woman.

Clearing his throat, Tyler runs a hand over his hair before scratching the back of his neck. A sure sign he’s uncomfortable, yet he lets these women paw at him and take him home like some novelty. So they can tell all their friends they banged a hot, tattooed shifter.

They don’t know his sweet side like I do. They don’t know how gentle he is with the two orphaned shifter teens at Cypress Valley. They don’t know the real Tyler Gardner.

That’s a side of himself he saves for me and the rest of his pack.

“I’ve been busy with a new business venture,” he says, throwing a wink over his shoulder at me. Is that what we’re calling raising chickens?

Kandice somehow manages to move closer to Tyler, running her hands all over his chest, arms, and shoulders. Her lips curl into a sultry smile. Add in the skin-tight red dress that hugs her breasts and ass, and she’s leagues above my makeup-free face and simple skirt and tee combo. “You wanna get out of here?”

Huffing out a sigh, I gulp down the rest of my drink and stand from my stool. I’m not going to sit here and watch her throw herself all over the man I’ve been secretly pining over for years. “I have to finish packing. I’ll see you in the morning, Ty.”

Sad eyes meet mine, guilt written all over his face. Sorry , he mouths before I turn and hightail it out of the bar. It’s my fault; I could have had him, but I turned him down.

T he short walk to my dad’s house clears the green envy monster from my head slightly. Part of me still wishes Tyler would’ve blown off Kandice to spend the night with me. But that’s on me. He doesn’t know I’m in love with him because I’m too much of a coward to admit my feelings.

Blowing out a breath, I step through the backdoor, making sure to lock it once it’s shut. The clock on the stove reads eight-thirty; Dad should still be awake. In fact, the telltale sounds of an old western movie filter in from the living room. After slipping off my boots, I grab a glass of water and head to the other room.

“Hey, Dad.”

He looks up at my greeting, the wrinkles on his face illuminated by the harsh glow of the television. “There’s my favorite daughter,” he says with a smile.

“I’m your only daughter,” I clarify, settling on the couch next to him, tucking my knees underneath me as my head rests on his shoulder.

“Still my favorite, though.” He places a soft kiss on the top of my head, reminding me so much of when I was younger and he’d tuck me in at bedtime. “I thought you were going out tonight.”

I shrug. “I did. Tyler showed up at the Dirty Paw, but Kandice sank her claws into him.”

A strong arm wraps around me, pulling me tighter to his side. “Oh bug, I’m sorry. Someday, that boy will pull his head out of his ass and see what’s right in front of him.”

“Dad!” I giggle and take comfort in his words.

“Mark my words, Addie Rose. That boy will be knocking on your door any day now. Give him some time. That fiancée did a number on him before he ever met you.”

Tyler and I became fast friends when I first moved home. Dad couldn’t drive, so I was his chauffeur on his Cypress Valley supply runs.

At first, Ty was cagey about his past, but I cracked him like a nut and he told me all about Amber. Bitch. “Oh, that woman. She better hope I never cross paths with her.”

“You and me both, kiddo. Just don’t write him off, okay? Tomorrow’s the big day. Do you need any help packing?”

Shaking my head, I mentally catalog everything I packed before going to the bar. “No, it’s only my toiletries left to pack. I’m gonna miss you, though.”

“Look at me, kiddo.” I sit up, looking into the storm-cloud gray eyes that match mine. “You lived on your own for six years in Chicago, and I was just fine.”

“Yeah, but that was before—”

Holding a hand up, he gently silences me. “I’m healthy now, Addie. Doc cleared me at my checkup last week. ”

“As long as you take your meds, Dad.” Voice stern, my eyes bore into his.

“And I will. I’ll be just fine. You can still check on me a few times a week. I’ll never say no to that,” he reassures.

“And you’ll take your meds? Every day?” I reiterate, my voice wobbling beyond my control. Those meds are the most important thing for his health after the heart attack. The doctor emphasized over and over how necessary it was to take them consistently.

He lays a hand over his heart in a silent promise. “Every day, I promise.”

“Okay,” I relent, snuggling back down and focusing my gaze on the screen, where a cowboy rides off into the sunset with his lady love. How cliché. My eyes grow heavier with each blink, and the soothing, steady rhythm of Dad’s beating heart lulls me to the brink of sleep.

“Honey, why don’t you go to bed? I promise I’ll still be here in the morning.”

Pushing to a stand, I take one last look at him, mentally cataloging every feature: the thick white hair on his head, familiar gray eyes wrinkled at the corners from years of laughter and love and hard work. A proud nose and a smiling mouth, ever present in so many of my childhood memories. “Goodnight, Dad. I love you.”