Chapter 5

Tessa was surprised to see Bear and his new Subaru waiting for her after her shift. She hadn't seen him since the afternoon before. It was crazy how much she missed him.

Bear scooped her up into his arms and spun. Her legs dangled almost a foot and a half off the ground. "How's my Mama Bear and cub this morning?"

She clung her arms around his neck. "We're good. What are you doing here?"

"I took the day off. You've got your OB appointment this afternoon. I wanted to spend the morning with you before we went to see if your suspicion is correct about our cub being a boy."

Her stomach had grown even larger in the week and a half since their reunion. Due to her small stature, it looked like she'd swallowed a volleyball.

It was hard to believe she was halfway through her pregnancy.

Bear didn't place her back on the ground. He carried her to where his car was idling and opened the passenger door, where he placed her inside. He leaned in and kissed her lips, then leaned down and kissed her round belly.

"Have I told you today how beautiful you look?"

She'd just come off of a twelve-hour shift. She was hungry, tired, and really hoping she didn't have to throw up in an hour. She doubted she was beautiful.

But the way he stared at her… She felt beautiful. She felt loved.

"Not yet," she replied with a grin.

"You look beautiful," he said without hesitation.

She opened her mouth to respond, and ended up yawning instead. She covered her mouth quickly. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled and shrugged it off. "Let's get you home and in bed, Mama Bear."

Bear hadplans for his Mama Bear. She was twenty weeks pregnant, which meant it had been twenty weeks since he'd had sex. Don't get him wrong, he loved making love to her with his mouth. But he was dying to get inside her again.

She showed him open affection and touched him frequently. Generally in the mornings when she got off work, the only thing on her mind was shower and bed. The past couple of days, though, she hadn't been afflicted by her morning sickness routine. It was Bear's hope that he could get her in the shower and into bed without it interrupting them, so he could finally make love to her.

His blue balls ached the closer he drove to her house. He refused to speed though. Sex was not worth risking her or their cub's lives.

He drove with one hand on the wheel and one hand gripping hers. He couldn't believe his luck that she lived in his hometown. Their meeting in Pittsburgh had been so random in comparison. It seemed much more likely that they would have met around town. Yet it had been in a roadside bar on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.

Bear pulled into her driveway. He'd gotten more details about her living situation the day before. Tessa rented her house. Which had been great news, because he planned to move her into the new house on club property as soon as it was built. All she had to do was break her lease. His house, which he held the title to, needed to be put up for sale or maybe they'd decide to keep it as a rental. There was no pressure.

Bear had floor plans to show her for their new house. They had a little bit of time to choose that still, since Cage's construction crew still had to break ground, set the foundation, and run the utility lines. However, they needed to choose the floor plan, or at the very least the model type, before they could lay the foundation.

Bear could care less what the house looked like. He just wanted it to have multiple bedrooms they could continue to fill. Bear was leaving the final decision of the floor plan up to Tessa. He'd already contracted a sign for outside the house through Lucky with the words, ‘The Bear Den'.

Bear went around to the side of the cage where he opened the door for his woman. She looked so tired. Maybe he should rethink his plans of making love to her this morning.

Bear lifted Tessa up into his arms, bridal style. He easily carried her and her bag into the house. As he crossed into the bedroom, he also made a note to take her mattress shopping. They were going to need a King or California King in their new house. No way was he surviving on a Queen mattress, no matter how much she loved it.

"Tessa, honey." He put her down. "How tired are you?"

"Too tired to run a marathon, if that's what you're asking."

He chuckled. "It's not. I was hoping to make love to you this morning, but maybe we should wait until after you get some sleep."

Tessa's eyes perked up behind her glasses. Suddenly, she didn't look so tired anymore. "Oh, I'm awake enough for that."

Bear smiled widely. "That's my girl. Shower?"

"Definitely," she agreed. She held her arms up in the air for him to remove her shirt.

Bear did so, along with her bra. His eyes took in her naked torso and chest. He fell to his knees before her.

Fuck, calling her beautiful was an understatement. He'd memorized her petite form over the four months since their night at the motel. He'd replayed touching and tasting her over and over in his head until it was burned to memory.

He'd thought she'd been perfect before… His memory had not done her justice.

Tessa's body was meant to be pregnant. Not just pregnant, though, but pregnant with his cub. She was beyond beautiful. She was exquisite. She practically glowed with a radiance she hadn't possessed before.

He knew she was getting older. Statistics showed it was more difficult for a woman to carry a child to term after thirty-five. That gave him three years. That could be anywhere from one to three more cubs. Fuck, he wanted more, but not at the risk of her life.

On his knees, he was eye-level with her breasts. She'd been small before. He hadn't minded that, because it had fit her body then. Now they were large and plump. Full of colostrum and milk.

Then there was her stomach. He was well aware that his cub wasn't in her stomach. Though as a nurse, he'd heard some interesting ideas as to where people think babies are when they're still in utero. Her abdomen was distinctly round. He'd heard her compare her belly to the size of a volleyball and thought that analogy was pretty accurate. Her hips were wider too.

With their work schedules clashing, Bear only got to spend several hours with her in the afternoons. Generally, in bed while she slept and he held her. He absolutely loved holding her curled against him with his hand splayed on her belly. His cub was an active one, and Bear cherished those quiet moments when he could feel a movement under her skin.

The closest Bear ever thought he'd get to being a father was being uncle to Sissy and Scotty. He loved those kids, though one was technically an adult now.

But his own cub? Fuck, he couldn't wait.

Tessa stoodin her bedroom with her shirt and bra off as Bear worshiped her body. His hands and his mouth roamed over her breasts and belly. Gooseflesh rose wherever he touched. She felt in a daze, loving how cherished he made her feel. There was a reverence to his touch.

Slowly, Bear lowered her maternity jeans. He drew them down her legs with her panties. She lifted one foot, then the other with one hand on his shoulder to help her balance.

Bear rose, towering over her. She remembered being surprised when he'd stood at the bar. He'd obviously been a big guy, but she hadn't been expecting him to be that tall. Yet, she'd never felt intimidated by him. He was a foot and four inches taller than she was, and yet she felt like she was the one in control. All she had to do was say jump, and he'd ask how high.

In the past week and a half, he'd given her countless orgasms. Yet he hadn't had one. She was sure he was getting himself off at his house in the shower or elsewhere, but he hadn't done it with her. She didn't think he was shy—not Bear—and he certainly had nothing to be embarrassed about in his physique or endowment. She thought it was something more selfless. With their limited time, he wanted to ensure she achieved orgasm.

Bear stripped his own clothing off. Tessa's hand automatically reached for the curls of hair covering his chest. It was short, soft, and thick—just like a teddy bear's.

He lifted her. Tessa's legs wrapped around him but couldn't connect behind his back. His one hand patted and squeezed her bottom as he held her up.

He took her into the shower. Tessa loved how he washed her. His knuckles dragging over her sensitive areas, causing her to shiver. She knew the science behind sex, which was probably why her experiences with other men had felt mechanical. There were no ‘going through the motions' with Bear. With Bear, it was all feeling. He took her out of her head, made her feel more and think less.

No other man had ever done that with her. Only him. Only Bear.

With their height differences, Bear had to kneel to wash her completely. Rather than being annoyed by this, he acted like it was an honor to caring for her so.

There was still a whisper of insecurity in Tessa's mind that he was going to vanish one day. Though it was getting quieter with each day, she occasionally still wondered if perhaps he was only with her for the baby.

Then he would look at her with such devotion in his eyes, and all that doubt would vanish.

Once washed, he dried them off. She could definitely get used to this level of pampering. Bear brought her to her bed. Her eyelids felt heavy. She was warm and pliable from their shower. She held her hands up to him.

"Come here, Papa Bear."

He smiled lovingly down at her. Keeping a hand on her, he walked down to the foot of the bed, climbed on top, and crawled on hands and knees over her. His erection bobbed up and down against his toned belly.

When she described Bear as ‘large all over', she meant it literally. Bear's circumcised cock was long and thick.

She reached down, grabbing his length. "I know the vagina has the ability to stretch, but it still amazes me that this fits inside me."

He groaned at her touch. "Not to ruin the mood, Mama Bear, but my cub's head is going to be a lot bigger and you're going to have to make that fit too."

The doctor in her found his statement funny. The woman, however, did not. "Don't remind me. It's the only part of pregnancy I'm not looking forward to."

"Don't worry, Mama Bear. You're going to be fantastic. And I'm going to be right there with you. Whatever you need."

Tessa released his cock. She raised her hands to his chest, pushing on him. Sad bit was, she was putting a fair amount of effort into it. Yet, she knew that she would not have succeeded in getting him on his back on her own. Bear toppled over, grinning widely.

"I need to start lifting weights," she grumbled.

He looked like he was trying to hold back laughter.

Sitting up, she slid her lower body along his waist. All amusement left his face as she rested her center over his arousal. He hissed in pleasure, his large hands going immediately to her hips. As Tessa balanced herself against his abs with her hands, Bear arched up against her.

Tessa let out a moan as her head fell back. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, a fire only he could extinguish.

"I need to get you ready," he ground between his teeth. His hands slid down her thighs, his thumbs coming to rest at her labia covered in shiny dark curls from her secretions.

"I'm wet," she gasped out. "All I have to do is look at you, Bear, and I grow wet for you."

He groaned at her sensual words. His hands pressed her downward and his hips pushed up. A keening whine escaped Tessa.

"Please," she writhed against him. "Bear, I need you. It's been too long. I can't… Please…" His thumbs brushed against her engorged clit, teasing her with light caresses. She moaned. "Bear… More…"

Bear obeyed. Thank God. She was burning hotter. Her hips gyrated along his shaft. His eyes glowed with lust as he watched her lift her hands up to cup her breasts. She held his gaze, pinching and tweaking her nipples.

Heat flooded her.

His voice was deep, almost a growl, as he spoke. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Mama Bear. I ache so badly for you. I hate when I have to leave you and wish I could always be by your side. I want more than one cub. I want a house full of them. Don't ever leave me, Tessa Fisher. I'm falling in love with you."

An orgasm raked through her at his confession. Her walls quaked, squeezing around nothing, and making her crave more.

He flipped them suddenly. Tessa landed on her back, Bear pressed over her. His mouth took her left breast. Tessa's back arched, her fingers digging into his hair. Her legs spread wider, needing him inside.

"I love feeling your weight on top of me," she moaned. "Bear, you're so protective, so caring. I couldn't leave you if I tried. I'd never make it a single step, because I'm falling in love with you too."

Bear sat up on his knees. "Thank fuck," he growled, before he flipped her onto her belly. A quick slap across her ass had her yelping. It was a sharp sting of pain, followed by pleasure. "Ass up, Mama Bear."

As she lifted herself onto her knees, he took her left leg and hooked it around his hip. His hand reached between her, rubbing at her clit. Her breaths came out as short gasps. She could feel the heat in her veins rising higher the faster he massaged her.

She felt the tip of his cock nudge her entrance. Her eyes rolled back, her fists clenched. She raised her ass higher. "Please…" she begged.

He pressed deeper. She arched her back up. He was so big, thick. She moaned at the pinch of pain mixed with the pleasure of finally having him back inside her. She could feel herself being stretched to her limit, and wondered if perhaps she should have taken him up on his offer to get her ready.

Bear paused. She could hear him breathing heavily behind her. "Tessa, honey, I can feel how tense you are. Am I hurting you?"

She shook her head, even though it wasn't entirely the truth. It was true enough, though.

"I'm only about halfway in, honey. Don't lie to me."

Fuck. That was only half his cock? She was so full. "Just," she gasped out, "give me a minute. I love it… You're just so big…"

She felt one of his hands trail lightly up and down her spine. "Normally I'd love a compliment like that, but right now I'm actually wishing I was smaller for you."

She shook her head, wishing she was facing him. "No," she insisted. "No. You're perfect. I just…probably need a bit more foreplay next time."

He chuckled low. "My favorite meal. I love eating your pussy. I can stop," he offered. "Eat you out, stretch you with my fingers, and then take you again."

Tessa moaned. That sounded fantastic, but she was already starting to feel herself getting looser around him. She moved herself back, sinking him deeper inside her.

"Oh fuck," he groaned. "Tessa!"

She shimmied her way back more. With her leg lifted around his hip, her back twisted the closer she got to him. Her right leg shifted until it lay between his open thighs. She raised herself up on her right elbow.

He stared down at her in fascination and lust.

"Do it, Papa Bear. Take me."

He started to move. Fuck. Yes.

Bear withdrew almost to the crown and then thrust. Tessa cried out in pleasure. He pushed inside, again and again. His speed picked up, holding her left leg to him so she was pinned in position.

As his thrusts grew wilder, a large hand landed on her pregnant bump. His eyes grew intense, saying words he hadn't yet said. Then he reached up and tweaked her nipple. Hard.

Tessa shouted in ecstasy. "Bear!"

"Come for me, Mama Bear! Come right now. Need you to come so I can."

He pinched her nipple again. Tessa threw her head back with a yell, her body pulsing around his. With a shout, she felt his semen coat her inner walls.

Bear collapsed to the bed beside her. She rested her head against his heaving chest, the fire inside her finally extinguished. Together, they fell into unconsciousness.

Tessa wokeup to a warm washcloth between her legs. She lifted one eyelid to see Bear cleaning his dry semen from her thighs. It only occurred to her then that they hadn't used a condom. Mind, a condom hadn't served them very well the last time. However, condoms still protected from more than just pregnancy.

"You're the last person I had sex with," he said softly. He tossed the washcloth towards the bathroom. It landed with a squishy plop. "You're the last person I will ever have sex with. I'm clean, Tessa. I'd never risk you or our cub otherwise."

Her heart swelled at his proclamation. "You're SOL then if I start withholding sex."

He chuckled, curling himself behind her back. "I have a right hand, Tessa. Even if you did, I wouldn't seek it elsewhere."

She let out a long contented sigh. "Good thing for your palm I have no plans of withholding."

He nudged her gently. "Don't go back to sleep. We only have a couple of minutes before we have to get ready to go. Remember, you said you wanted to see Bree before your shift again so we're going to go straight to the hospital after our appointment."

Tessa groaned. As much as she knew she needed to go to this appointment—she wanted confirmation of the baby's gender after all—she did not want to get out of the warm cocoon of his body. He was like a furnace, which was going to feel awesome come wintertime when she could never seem to get herself warm.

His hand journeyed down between the apex of her thighs. "I think I know a way to keep you awake."

Her eyes rolled. "Make it fast, Papa Bear," she said, "I'm getting hungry."

He chuckled before getting to work.

Dr. Pedaleck was a short,plump woman in her late fifties-early sixties. She had a warm smile and smelled like sugar cookies. Her graying hair was up in a bun, and she had no fewer than four pairs of glasses on her person. Two sets were on top of her head, one was on her face, and the other was sitting out of the pocket of her lab coat.

Her offices were in the medical building on the same complex as the hospital and separated by the parking lot. She also consulted for the hospital when needed.

Bear felt far too large for the exam room. Tessa was sitting on the gynecological bed, her hands resting on her belly. Her legs were swinging lazily back and forth. Bear was sitting in the guest chair—or rather, the more accurate description would be, he was squeezed into the guest chair. Given the offices they were in, he wondered if the chair was going to spit him out and demand to be called ‘mama'. He was honestly questioning how he was going to get out of it when they were finished.

Tessa looked utterly amused by his dilemma.

Unfortunately, they hadn't had to wait until the end of the exam to find out. When Dr. Pedaleck walked into the room, he'd automatically stood—and the chair rose with his ass.

Tessa burst out laughing as Bear fought and cursed the chair. When he was finally free of it, he straightened to his full height and stepped forward as if nothing had happened.

The stout older woman took his offered hand. "You must be Bear."

He was surprised she knew his name. "I am."

"Tessa told me all about you. I'm glad she finally found you. She was really worried you'd never know about the baby."

Tessa had stopped laughing at the doctor's words. Her cheeks flushed as she stared at her feet in embarrassment.

Bear stepped up to the side of the table and encircled her in his arms from behind. "I'm grateful we found each other again too. She tells me she skipped her last exam. I'm anxious to make sure everything is okay."

The doctor set down on her rolling chair that had no restricting arms. She logged into the computer. "I saw her at eighteen weeks, knowing we wouldn't see each other again until after my vacation. I'm sure everything is just fine."

"I'm sure it is. Even though I'm an RN and Tessa's a doctor, neither of us is in obstetrics." He rubbed his hands up and down her bump. "I need to know everything so I can protect them and be prepared if something unexpected happens."

Tessa patted Bear's arm. "I told you he was like a giant overprotective teddy bear."

Pedaleck laughed. "That you did. Don't worry, Bear. I'll make sure you know everything you need to and I'm here for any questions as they arise."

"Thank you, Dr. Pedaleck."

The doctor turned her attention to Tessa. "How's your morning sickness?"

"Stopped mostly. Every once in a while, I get nauseous, but that's triggered by something specific. I still can't handle meat. It's like my pregnancy kryptonite."

"There's usually one or two things that will get you, and it's not always the same with each pregnancy." Pedaleck typed into her computer. "Any spotting or bleeding?"

Tessa shook her head. "Can't sneeze without peeing a little, but no menstrual spotting."

"Unfortunately, that'll only get worse as you age, but you know that. Any concerns or questions before we get started?"

Tessa shook her head and looked to Bear.

"What about her work?" he asked. "She's on her feet all night long, she's working twelve-hour shifts, and she's in a high stress environment."

"Tessa and I already discussed this. She knows her limits. If she feels she can't continue on those shifts, she'll tell me and I'll order her on limited work or early maternity leave."

"I'm aware there aren't restrictions about having sex while pregnant as long as her amniotic sac hasn't broken. Anything I need to know or should be aware of?"

"As long as Tessa continues to have good test results, there will be no restrictions. Depending on how she looks in her final weeks, I may ask you to cease penetrative sexual activity, but we won't know until we get closer to her due date. As always, whether sex was a factor or not, if she's experiencing bleeding, discharge, or severe cramping, get her in to see me or to the hospital immediately."

Bear nodded. "I expected that."

"Good. Anything else?"

Bear shook his head. "Reading about pregnancy and experiencing it as your own cub are two entirely different things. I appreciate your patience, doc."

She smiled at his nickname for the baby. "Are you ready to see your cub?"

"Yes!" they both said eagerly.

Bear stepped back while Pedaleck took measurements of Tessa's belly. Her fundal height was eighteen centimeters, right in the twenty-week sweet spot. Bear expected her to measure bigger, but figured her stomach only appeared bigger because she was so small.

"Okay, lay back. My sonographer is out this week, so I'll be administering your ultrasound today." Pedaleck looked down at Tessa. "Are you thinking boy or girl?"

"Boy," Tessa said with confidence. "He feels like a boy."

She looked up at Bear. "And you, Dad?"

He was so used to Tessa calling him ‘Papa Bear' that it threw him when he heard Pedaleck generically call him ‘Dad'. He was about to see his cub, moving and breathing on that computer monitor. He was going to be a dad.

"No preference," he said, his voice gruff. "Whatever we get this time, we'll aim for the other next time."

Tessa's eyes went wide. "Next time?"

He nodded, leaning down to kiss her. "Gotta fill the new house." She'd picked out the floor plan she'd liked best while they were in the waiting room. It was two-stories with four bedrooms, two and a half baths, a den, office, living room, kitchen, and wrap around porch.

Pedaleck got the ultrasound machine ready during their exchange. She squirted the gel onto Tessa's bump. Bear's heart picked up its pace. He reached for Tessa's hand.

Suddenly there was a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh filling the room. Tessa's hand squeezed his harder. They were listening to their cub's heartbeat over the ultrasound's speakers.

The doctor moved the wand around on Tessa's belly until she found a good position. "All right. Here's the head," she pointed, "arms, butt, and legs. Let me grab this image real quick so we can measure the baby too." The image on the computer stilled. Bear wanted to beg for her to wait—he wasn't ready to stop hearing his cub's heartbeat yet—but bit his tongue. "Right on schedule. Six inches. If you want a reference, imagine holding a bell pepper in your hand."

A bell pepper. So small… So defenseless…

"All right," Pedaleck looked back at them with a smile. "Let's see if we can get this little one to show us the goods." She poked and prodded the wand, encouraging their cub to move.

Tessa suddenly gasped her eyes fixated on the moving image on the machine.

"Looks like you were wrong, Mom," Pedaleck said, still smiling. "It's a girl."

Bear's stomach dropped. A girl? Agirl! Holy shit. A girl. A beautiful, innocent little girl. Pink bows, princess tea parties, and unicorns danced in his head. His cub was a girl.

"Are you sure?" His voice resembled that of a croaking frog.

Tessa looked back at him strangely.

Pedaleck pointed at the screen. "We call that the hamburger. It's her labia and clitoris. Definitely a girl."

A girl. He was going to have a girl. A daughter. A precious little girl who was currently only the size of a bell pepper.

Holy fuck. His club was still dealing with the clean-up of foiling a sex trafficking ring. The images of those thirty-four women and two girls in the back of that cargo truck flashed before his mind's eye. Women weren't weak, he knew that, but it was a fact of life was that women faced more challenges than men did. They deserved to be cherished and protected. Valued, as his dad would say.

And he was having a daughter.

Bree flashed in his mind. He alone knew what she looked like crumpled up on the side of the road, thrown away like yesterday's trash. She was someone's daughter. She might have been raised in foster care, but she'd had a mother once. The state of Massachusetts was supposed to protect her, and they'd failed. She'd been kidnapped, raped, sold, forced into a pornographic snuff film that was supposed to result in her death…

Bear knew right then and there that his little girl was never leaving his sight. He was quitting his job. Full-time bodyguard, that was his new job. His daughter, his little cub, was never going to face those horrors. He'd kill any man who touched her.

"…Hey, it's Tessa. I think I broke your best friend. … Yeah, OB's office by the hospital. Dr. Pedaleck. … Thanks."

Bear suddenly understood Lucky's panic attack while they'd been interrogating Marcos, Connelly, and Hannigan. After hearing about how all three men had targeted women, sold them into sexual slavery, Lucky had had the uncontrollable urge to know where his daughter Sissy was right then and there. Bear had told Lucky he was overreacting.

Bear was now very sure he'd been under-reacting.

Maybe there was a point to that whole Rapunzel story. He was building a house. He could build a tower too.

"Sadly, he's not the first father to faint at finding out he's having a girl. He's just the biggest."

"Maybe he was really hoping for a boy. What if he's disappointed?"

"Nope. I know that expression well. He's contemplating not letting her date until she's thirty and building traps around your house to keep the teenage boys out."

"Oh, good lord."

Traps sounded like a really good idea. He needed to talk to Steel. Maybe he'd line his lawn with bear traps. Because what was life without a little irony.

"…sorry. Came as fast as I could."

"You're fine. They're my last appointment for the day and this is more entertaining than watching my husband watch football."

"Can you excuse us, ladies?"

"I'm staying. He's too big for me to lift or I'd have put him in a chair or something."

"Then I apologize in advance for what you're about to see."

Bear heard a great thwack and then pain struck across his face. He sat up straight. "What the fuck?"

"Hi, sunshine." Lucky was standing over him, his legs straddling Bear's on the floor. "I hear someone's going to have a little girl." Lucky looked entirely too happy.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Tessa called me when you fainted." Lucky didn't even bother to contain his laughter.

"I what?" Bear couldn't have fainted. He'd never fainted in his life. He was a Marine. A combat medic. A registered nurse. He didn't faint. "I did not faint."

"Maybe not, but you were definitely in some sort of stupor." Lucky stood back and held out his hand. "Do you remember sitting yourself on the floor?"

No, but he wasn't about to admit that. Bear took Lucky's hand and let him bring him to his feet. "Damn chair doesn't fit me."

"Yeah. Totally explains why you were on the floor ignoring your woman."

Bear's eyes flew to Tessa. She was standing next to Dr. Pedaleck by the door. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Are you okay?"

"I will be once I figure out what Mount Grove's ordinances are for building towers."

Lucky doubled over laughing, Dr. Pedaleck looked amused, and Tessa stared at him like he'd lost his mind.