My Bear to Heal (Cypress Valley Shifters #3)

19. Tyler

C risp earthy air fills my lungs, the first hints of fall evident around me as the weather grows cooler and the leaves begin to change. Honestly, I don’t think life could get any better. I finally have my mate by my side, and Cypress Valley is thriving.

Over the last several months, the chickens have matured, and we get about a dozen fresh eggs a day. This year’s harvest was exceptional despite the dry summer.

We should be thriving all winter here in the forest.

Everything is perfect. Too perfect. Which means, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Every now and then, I find myself wondering if history will repeat itself and Addie will rip my heart out. “She’s not like Amber,” I mutter, running a hand over my hair. “Addie is what fate wants for me. She’d never betray me.”

My bear grouses, like I’m the idiot for doubting Addie’s love. “You’re right. I’m worrying about nothing. ”

Gertie bounces around my feet as I collect the eggs this morning, carefully depositing them into the woven basket. “Did Addie feed you pure sugar for breakfast?”

Ignoring me, she bleats happily and leaps after one of the chickens, her furry behind wagging with the force of her excited tail.

With time, they’ve gotten used to her antics and know to give her a good peckin’ if she’s a bother.

Even Gertie has grown in the recent months, nearly triple the size she was when we got her. I’m hoping, by next spring, she’ll be full grown and we can attempt milking.

With the last egg in my grasp, I close the door to the coop. “Gertie.” I whistle, the sound distracting her from the chicken she’s pestering. “Come on, ya menace. Leave poor Hennifer alone. Didn’t she peck you enough yesterday to teach you a lesson?”

Stomping her hooves, she snorts back like she knows what I’m saying. “Let’s go find Addie. Maybe she has a treat for you.”

Mention of the word treat lights a fire under her ass, and she stampedes toward me as I swing the gate to the chicken run open. Careful not to let any chickens out, I lock it behind us and we head to the greenhouse.

As soon as I push the greenhouse door open, Gertie takes off down the rows in search of her second favorite person.

Truth be told, Addie may have surpassed me as her favorite by now.

Addie gets all the goat snuggles lately, and Gertie follows her everywhere. Am I jealous? Maybe a little, and I’m man enough to admit it .

“There’s my baby!” Addie’s soothing voice floats across the humid greenhouse air. She’s been helping with the early fall harvest until her residency starts next week.

Ditching the basket of eggs on the table by the door, I follow my mate’s lyrical voice. A high-pitched bleat is my greeting as I round the row of strawberry bushes to find Addie, with a wiggly Gertie clutched in her arms. “Stop licking me, you hellion!” Her sweet giggle has a smile pulling at my lips. I love seeing her so happy in a place that’s been my home for so long.

Now, it’s her home, too.

“Hey, sweet rose.” On purpose, I add a little extra grit to my voice, and I don’t miss the subtle clench of her thick thighs.

“Hey, hotshot. You bring me some eggs?” Setting the goat back on her feet, Addie turns back to the tomato plant in front of her.

My long strides eat up the distance between us until I’m standing behind her.

I run my nose up the side of her neck as I cage her against the metal table. “You know I did. I missed you this morning.”

When I woke up, alone in bed, there was a note on my pillow. Addie had gone for a morning run with Sydney and Wren, leaving Gertie and me to fend for ourselves.

Her fingers fiddle with a cherry tomato as she plucks it from the plant. Spinning in my arms, she faces me and pops the red sphere into her mouth. When she crushes it between her teeth, some of the juice spills from her lips, dribbling down her chin.

I can’t help myself.

Leaning down, my tongue laps at her skin, the bright, sweet flavor bursting on my taste buds. She giggles as I pull back, another tomato pinched between her fingers. This time, she holds it up to my mouth, eyes glued to the spot.

Gripping her wrist in my hand, I wrap my lips around her fingers. Taking the tomato between my teeth, I let the juices fill my mouth as I bite down on the snappy peel. A small flame flickers behind her gray eyes, growing brighter as I pop her fingers from my mouth.

“You left before I woke up this morning, mate. That means I didn’t get to taste you yet today.” To emphasize my point, I lick a stripe up the side of her neck. On a low moan, Addie arches her head to the side, giving me better access.

“You know my friends are important to me. I’m not busy now. Are you?”

“I love that you have friends here. I would never do anything to take that away from you,” I say, boosting her onto the metal table so we’re at eye level. “My bear, on the other hand, has a different opinion.” On instinct, my nose goes to her neck to take another hit of her aromatic scent.

Closing her thighs around my body, she pins me to her, the warmth of her pussy radiating through the thin fabric of her leggings. As she rubs against me like a cat in heat, my bear perks up in my head. His feral growl rumbles to life in my chest, only seeming to spur Addie on. “Is this how it is for all fated mates?” she asks. “We had sex twice last night, and I still want you again right now.”

My lips have a mind of their own, suctioning to the pale flesh of her throat and leaving a bruising mark. The huff from my grizzly tells me he likes seeing her porcelain skin marked as much as I do. “You’ve seen Reese and Sydney. They can barely keep their hands to themselves. I’d imagine all mates are insatiable when they finally give in to the bond. But it’s more than sex, Addie.”

When I pull away from her neck, she stares up at me with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”

Banding my arms around her, I pull her flush to me so I can rest my forehead against hers. “Addie, I love you. More than anything. You’re my safe place. My home. You’re the moon to my stars. The thunder to my lightning. The peanut butter to my jelly.”

Every time I say those three little words to her, something settles in my gut. Maybe the reason Amber broke my heart was so Addie could put it back together. This beautiful woman makes me whole, and she makes me excited for the future. I finally feel like I’m living again.

Cupping the side of my face, her fingers trail over my skin like she needs my touch to live… to breathe. “I love you, too, Ty. So fucking much. You’re the peanut butter to my jelly.”