Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

I t had taken every ounce of self-control for Bear to perch behind Addie and let her handle her ex by herself. What he’d wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and tell that rich boy to take a hike because Addie was Bear’s girl.

He hadn’t done it, though, and he was glad because Addie had needed to voice all of that and get it out of her system. He hadn’t wanted to interrupt and inform Joseph that he’d missed his opportunity because it was better for Addie if Joseph didn’t know that another, better man had filled the shoes he could not.

Addie had been so fucking amazing. Gorgeous. She hadn’t faltered for a moment, and he was so proud of her.

Now that Joseph was gone, however, Bear slid his arms around her middle and kissed her neck. “You were spectacular, Angel,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m so proud of you.”

She slumped against him, trembling now that it was over.

Bear grabbed the water bottle from the desk, twisted off the top, and handed it to her. “Take a drink, Addie.”

Her hand was shaking so badly that he had to help her steady the bottle, but she managed to take several sips. “I can’t believe I did that.” She spun around, beaming. “I’ve never stood up for myself like that before. I didn’t even know I could.”

He rubbed her shoulders. “You did, and you shocked him.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t know that I could shock him. He doesn’t know me at all.”

“Why on Earth do you suppose he wants you to marry him?” Something felt off about the entire thing. There was something Joseph had not said. “Do you think someone is holding something over him? Maybe he can’t access his inheritance or something if he doesn’t marry you…?”

Addie shrugged. “I don’t know. It makes no sense. Mine isn’t the only family that would be a good merger for him. I think my mother worked pretty hard to choose Joseph for me. She was ecstatic about uniting our families. I was so numb to the situation that I didn’t think hard about it. For the last year, I spent most of my time losing sleep, pacing, vomiting, and all but pulling my hair out. My focus was only on my fate. I didn’t stop to ponder why she insisted on Joseph. It was just my life. The life she wanted me to live. I was weak and?—”

Bear pressed two fingers to her lips. “Stop berating yourself, Angel. You were young and under a lot of pressure. You took a huge risk, and it was very brave of you to walk away. Not many twenty-two-year-old women would have the guts to cut ties with their families for any reason. In your case, the financial hit was huge.”

She took a deep breath. “I guess. I still feel foolish for letting it get that far. It’s like I snapped that day. Like I’d been in a trance and someone said the magic words, and I suddenly had clarity. There was no way I could go through with that farce. I thought of nothing else but running as far and fast as I could. I’ve never looked back. I’m not sorry. Even before I met you, I knew I made the right decision. I don’t care if I have to work three jobs and eat boxed mac and cheese for a few years to finish the college degree I want if it means making my own choices and getting out from under my mother’s thumb.”

He pulled her closer, splaying his hands on her back. “Well, you don’t have to work any jobs if you don’t want to, and I’m only feeding you that boxed macaroni with powdered cheese on the nights the Littles stage a mutiny. Some of them love that shit.”

She giggled. “Sometimes, I crave it.”

He made a disgusted face, pretending to puke. “You’re not alone. It must be a Little-girl trait.”

She wrapped her arms tightly around him and hugged as hard as she could, and damn, but it felt so right. For years, he’d been living a bit of a lie, always watching everyone else find love and happiness while insisting he didn’t want that for himself. Now, love had dropped right in his lap, and he was so fucking thankful.

After a long hug that calmed both their hearts, he leaned her back. “You don’t have to worry about finances, Addie. You realize that, right?”

She shrugged. “I want to do this on my own. I want to get a finance degree, and I want to feel like I earned it. I don’t want someone else to pay for it. Not my mother, and not you. Do you understand that?”

He didn’t like it, but he understood. “Yes, Angel. I get it.” His chest was tight from being so damn proud of her. “Will you let me cover everything else? I bet it would lift a lot of pressure off you if you didn’t have rent and utilities on top of tuition. What if your wages went to tuition, and you let me handle the rest?”

“You can’t pay my rent, Bear.”

He lifted a brow. “There won’t be any rent, Addie. You don’t need your apartment anymore. You’re certainly not paying rent to move into my apartment.”

“Oh.”

He chuckled. “Did you forget you live with me now?”

She shrugged. “Yeah. Sort of. It’s been like a day. I’m still wrapping my head around it. You really want me to move in with you?”

“Absolutely.”

“What if you change your mind or we aren’t as compatible after we get to know each other? I should probably keep my apartment for a while in case you get tired of me.”

He narrowed his gaze, grinning. “Angel, I am never going to tire of you. Not in a million-billion years. You’re mine.” He slid a hand around to her chest and flattened it between her breasts. “Can you feel it in here, Little one?”

Her eyes were wide, but she nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t trust it yet, Daddy. It’s foreign.”

“That’s fair. I’ll give you until the end of the week to realize I’m right,” he teased.

“Ha ha.”

“You won’t need that long,” he told her, all cocky.

The door to the shop opened, and Kade stepped in. “How’d it go?”

Bear let Addie turn around in his arms to face Kade.

“Weird,” Addie told him.

“Should I pretend to look over that hunk of junk he brought in for me to fix?” he joked.

She shook her head. “No. Daddy said Joseph bought it from a junkyard.”

Kade laughed. “He told me. Don’t worry. I already put it in the truck to return it to the junkyard. Do you think he’s coming back?”

Bear growled. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Kade sobered, his brows furrowing. “I’ll make sure the guys keep an eye out for him.”

Bear nodded. “I’m not leaving Addie alone in this office, so I’ll be in here whenever she is for now.”

Kade nodded. “Addie, you don’t have to continue working for me, Little one. I know your circumstances have changed.”

She shook her head as Bear knew she would. “I want to. I’m sorry I’ve made such a mess of things lately, but if you’ll give me another chance, I promise I’ll be a good employee.”

Kade took another step closer. “Addie, Little one, you haven’t made a mess of anything. Nothing that happened is your fault. You’re the best receptionist I’ve had in a long time. Most people I hire don’t really want to do the job, and nothing gets done.”

“It’s not a difficult job. They’d have to be really lazy to be that inept,” she murmured.

Kade chuckled. “There are a lot of lazy people out there.”

“Well, even though I didn’t have any references, and I’ve never been anyone’s receptionist before, I appreciate you taking a chance on me. I can do it.” She stood taller.

“I have no doubt you can, Addie,” Kade agreed. “I just want you to know that I’ll understand if you talk things over with Bear and change your mind at any point. I’ll still think the world of you. You’re a member of my family now, Little one.”

Bear nearly choked up at Kade’s speech. It felt really good knowing his brothers had his Little girl’s back. He’d never doubted they would, but now that it was truly his turn, and he needed their careful observation and help to keep her safe, he was humbled to have everyone rallying behind him.

“Thank you, Kade,” Addie said softly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had family I could count on. Not even blood family. You all are the best.” She wiped a tear from her cheek.

Bear kissed the top of her head.

Kade smiled warmly. “Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off? You’ve had a stressful day.”

She shook her head vehemently. “No, thank you. I’d rather be busy.”

“Okay, Little one, but if you change your mind, just go on inside. We’ll manage. Lord knows we’ve had to in the past.”

“Thank you.”

Bear smiled at his brother over Addie’s head. “Yes, Kade. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” Kade turned and headed back into the shop.

“You okay, Angel?” Bear asked as he turned her around to face him.

“No, but I will be. I just need time to process all of this. It’s a lot. Even without Joseph showing up, it’s a lot to take in.”

“I understand. I’ll be right here with you. How about I let you do your thing while I call and check in with the PI?”

“Okay.” She hugged him tightly yet again.

He could feel her need for comfort, and he wished she would let him carry her to their apartment so he could tuck her in for a nap, but she would balk at that idea. She was still feeling the high from confronting her ex. He needed to let her ride that.

In a few hours, she was going to crash, and he would be there to catch her and take care of her. He would always be there to catch her.