Chapter 26

It tookan entire week to summon the nerve to come out there. It helped to have a goal. I pushed past my comfort level daily to be strong enough to make the journey. I spent time with the crew in Blackridge, someone took me to town each day to be around new people, and I didn't let myself hide anymore. Runa helped a lot. She had me visit her every morning and talk about what I was afraid of. I wasn't better, she said that'd take more than a few weeks, but I was able to push past the fear when I needed to.

I wasn't brave enough for a commercial flight, but Aiden didn't mind letting us borrow his jet. He overheard me talking to Kiara, upset that I wasn't brave enough to fly yet, and offered to help. He even had a car waiting for us at the airport, so we didn't have to interact with many people once we landed. It helped. And even though I was still scared, it was so worth it.

Teddy's eyes kept darting to me and Leo. He seemed anxious, almost scared, like he was afraid he'd blink and we'd be gone again. I put my hand on his arm, rubbing his shoulder to settle his bear. He started growling the minute he had to let go of us.

"Sorry. I'm tryin'. I just never thought I'd see you again."

"You're allowed to have feelings," Leo said sagely. "That's what Mom told me."

Teddy nodded slowly, his brows drawn together tightly. "Yeah…?"

He didn't understand, but Leo didn't seem to mind explaining it to him. "Mom and I talked a lot. She said we gotta work on being honest about our feelings. If we bottle them up, they burst out and hurt the people we care about… I didn't mean what I said. I wasn't mad you were helping Mom. I was scared. My lion doesn't like being away from Mom. We've been practicing. Runa says the feeling will go away."

Understanding flashed across Teddy's face. He couldn't look at Leo, there was traffic on the road, but his growl turned soft and almost mimicked a purr.

"You're real smart, little cub. Talkin' is good. I like talkin'. I, uh, I don't talk about feelin's much, but I'll try too, okay? We can all try together."

"Calvin says ‘do or do not, there is no try'," Leo offered helpfully.

That made Teddy frown again. "Who's Calvin?"

"The man Kiara is protecting," I answered. "He's staying at the compound. He's a nice man."

He was also determined to win her over. The first time we spoke on the phone, he wanted to get advice on what she liked and disliked. Since he cared so much, I didn"t mind helping him. And whenever she was there with him, she didn't seem to hate it. She acted annoyed, but she smiled a lot and she didn't growl at him anymore.

I'd never been to a big town like this. I spent my whole life in the pride compound before moving to Aiden's mountains. The roads were busy even after dark, and the buildings downtown were all packed tightly together. The whole place smelled like concrete, and with all the lights from the buildings, it seemed bright, even though the sun was long since down. We pulled into the parking lot of a large brick building.

Teddy paused after parking. "Don't get out before I come get you. The building is pretty safe, but Bear doesn't want you away from us after dark. ‘Kay?"

We both nodded and Leo climbed over the center console to sit in my lap while we waited for Teddy to grab our bags and come around to get us. Leo hopped out on his own, but Teddy offered me a hand to help me out and pulled me up against him once my feet were on the ground. He pressed his forehead against mine, closing his eyes for a second, that purring growl rumbling through his chest again.

"Do you own this whole place?" Leo asked, staring at the building.

Teddy's eyes blinked open, and he frowned, looking over his shoulder. "No. It's an apartment building. Lots of people live here. They don't got those in the pride?"

Leo and I both shook our heads.

"Huh. Okay. Well, this building has five floors, and each floor has ten apartments. My apartment is on the second floor. It ain't that big, but I live by myself, so it don't matter."

"Not anymore, right? You're coming home with us," Leo demanded.

The elated smile that took over Teddy's face warmed my heart. "Yeah, little cub. I'm comin' home with you. Ain't no place I'd rather be."

He brought us inside, up one floor, and down a long hallway to his apartment. He had to duck to get through the door, and I was surprised at how small it was once we got inside. He was a big man, and he hunched a lot moving around the apartment. The entry was in a hallway, with the galley kitchen on the right and the bathroom on the left. The living room was about the size of the one in Rhea's trailer, and his bedroom was barely big enough for a bed. It was a little messy, and Teddy blushed when he noticed the clothes on the floor, but the whole place smelled like him. I missed it so much, I felt tears burn the backs of my eyes.

"Hey… You okay?" He dumped the laundry into the hamper, moving to my side and cupping my cheek with his big hand. I leaned into it, soaking up his warmth.

"I… I was scared I'd never see you again," I admitted in a whisper.

Teddy drew me into his arms, burying his face against my neck. He trembled almost as much as I did, hugging me tight enough that there was almost no space between us.

"You can draw?"

Leo's voice pulled us apart. He was prowling the apartment, getting his bearings, and stumbled onto a few notebooks on the end table by the couch. He was always curious about his surroundings and he was exploring more now that we'd both been working on getting better. The only place he got scolded for exploring without permission was Runa's cabin. She said there were things he shouldn't touch, and he needed to ask first.

Teddy released me and wandered over to sit on the couch near Leo. "Yeah, a little. Mostly just cartoons. They make Mama laugh, so I send her some every once in a while. She likes ‘em better than flowers."

When I sat beside him, Leo crawled into my lap to show me the art book. They were funny little sketches, and they made Leo laugh. At one point, Teddy ordered us some pizza, and we spent most of the night looking at pictures and letting Leo explore the apartment. Teddy offered to sleep on the couch so Leo and I could share the bed, but Leo preferred to sleep on the couch. His lion still had trouble sleeping, and he liked being able to prowl and check his surroundings whenever he needed to. Teddy said he understood and took the comforter off his bed to make a nest for Leo on the couch. After we brushed our teeth, Leo curled up in his little blanket nest and was out like a light a few minutes later.

"I used to do that. Get up all the time to make sure it was safe. Mama made me nests like that. Being surrounded made me feel better," Teddy whispered.

Leaning over, I kissed Leo's forehead and tucked the blanket up to his chin. I hoped it helped. We tried having Leo share a bed with me, but it didn"t seem to make any difference. He still got up randomly to check his surroundings. He was determined to protect me.

When we crawled into Teddy's bed, he immediately pulled me into his arms, his warmth keeping me plenty comfortable even without the blanket. I nuzzled against him, smiling to myself, and my lioness let out a loud purr.

Teddy hummed a happy sound, hugging me closer. "Hey, kitty."

I wasn't tired yet, and Teddy didn't seem to be either. We were happy to cuddle, our animals talking in purring growls. A part of me was afraid that we would get here and he would have found someone new. Someone better, less broken. I thought about calling him before we came out, but Runa pointed out that he had left to make us happy. He might not believe me if I told him I wanted him to come back over the phone. I was glad we came, despite how terrifying it had been. He deserved to know he was worth it.

Tipping my chin up to look at him, I smiled when he looked down at me. His answering smile lit up his whole face, and he squeezed me tightly.

"Missed you," he murmured.

"I missed you too."

He leaned his forehead against mine, his face falling a little. "You're sure you want me? I caused trouble, made you fight. I–"

I put my fingers to his lips to stop him, stretching to kiss him lightly before answering. "I'm sure. You make us better, Teddy. You helped me be brave, and you helped Leo make friends. We… We aren't perfect, and we've got a lot to work on, but… I hope you still want us anyway."

"Always. I always want you. You two feel like mine. My family. I wanted to go back the minute I left. I ain't perfect either. I'm not too smart and I'm kinda messy. My bear is overprotective, and possessive, too. I promise, I'll try to be better."

I shook my head, giving him a reassuring smile. "I don't want you to change. I love you just as you are."

He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes wide. "Say that again."

Biting my lip, I felt my cheeks flush. "I love you, Teddy. I love your smile, your kind heart, and how safe I feel when I'm near you. I love how patient you are with Leo, how you make him feel understood and reassure him that he's not wrong for feeling the way he does. And I love how smart you are. You helped us get better. You taught us how to be brave again. How to smile again. You did that. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for."