Bear With Me (7 page)

“Charlotte,
Aiden, you are now the proud parents of a girl.”

“You
hear that, honey? It’s a girl,” said Aiden.

Bear
lifted her higher so that they could take a look. “Daddy, you want to cut her
cord?”

Bear
clamped off the cord and Mia handed Aiden the scissors. His hand shook as he
cut his daughter’s lifeline to her mother.

“You
have a name for her? We can’t keep calling her Little One,” he said, handing
her to Mia as he began to close Charlotte up.

“Bridget,”
said Aiden. “Bridget Anne. It was my mother’s name.”

“Welcome
to the world,” said Bear.

“Nine
pounds, two ounces and she’s twenty-two inches long,” said Mia.

Bear
walked over to where Mia had placed the baby on the scale and checked Bridget’s
heartbeat.
 
A little slow but nothing to
worry about. Her fingers and toes were longer than the average human baby and he
guessed she’d inherited that trait from Aiden, but it wasn’t anything
noticeable that would draw attention.

Thick
dark hair, typical of bear shifter babies, a dark mark round her navel which
was another shifter trait that would disappear within the year. He turned her over
and saw the mark on her back. That wouldn’t fade, so if she ever saw a regular
doctor they’d need to lie and say it was a birthmark.

“Is
she okay?” asked Charlotte.

“She’s
perfect.”

“Does
she have any shifter looks to her?” asked Aiden.

“Oh
yes, but I think she’s got the best of both of you. And there’s nothing to
worry about, no one’s going to ask questions.”

In
fact, Bear was already madly in love with her, making him suddenly want a
hybrid of his own. She suddenly cried and it sounded more bear than human which
made him smile.
Nothing like a bear baby to warm your heart.
He wrapped her in a blanket and carried her over to Charlotte who cried the
first time she saw her.

“You’re
right she’s so beautiful. Thank you, Bear, for coming here to work at the
hospital and for bringing Bridget safely into the world,” said Charlotte.

****

Hannah
picked up her cell phone the following morning but then promptly put it back on
the table. She’d thought about Bear all night. Had she led him to believe that
there was something beginning to happen between them? Has she let him kiss her
only to drop that bombshell on him?

She
wanted to call him but didn’t know what to say. Her mouth was suddenly dry and
her hands shook. He deserved something better than he’d gotten from her the
night before. She had to find a way to apologize. She’d take him something to
eat, lunch maybe, and explain to him why she couldn’t physical be with a man
again. She owed him at least that. Her heartbeat picked up tempo as she quickly
punched in the numbers before she chickened out yet again.

“Hi, Dr. McWilliams speaking.”

“Bear?”

“Hannah?”

“Yes,
I hope I didn’t wake you or disturb you on this Sunday morning.”

She
glanced at the clock. It was noon, but he sounded sleepy. Maybe he was in bed
with someone. She didn’t know why, but her heart sank. How stupid was that?
First telling him she didn’t want to get physical and then being upset that he
might have taken another woman to bed. Of course he’d do that. Any man would.

“Nope,
it was about time I got up and back to the hospital.”

“I
did wake you,” she said.

“No,
I’d set my alarm and it was due to go off in ten minutes. I prefer your voice
doing that than music blaring in my ear.”

She
smiled. He was just a sweet guy. “Did Charlotte Renner have her baby?”

“Yes,
a girl delivered by C-section and hence the late night I had.”

“Are
they both doing okay?”

“Charlotte’s
tired and the baby’s had to have oxygen because it wasn’t breathing very well.
That’s the reason I need to get to the hospital soon.”

“I’m
sorry to hear that, but tell Charlotte not to worry because Sam had breathing
problems too about a day after he was born.”

“Why
don’t you come along to the hospital and visit her and you can see the baby?”

“Would
it be okay?”

“Sure
and I’d like to see you too.”

There
was silence. “How about I bring you some lunch?” she asked.

“That’s
perfect because I won’t have to stop to buy any, and as soon as I’ve showered I
can head back to my patients.”

Shower,
an image of him naked with water cascading over him was suddenly etched into
her brain.

“Okay,
I’ll be by around one-thirty. Will it be okay if I bring Sam, because I don’t
have a babysitter?”

“That’s
fine.”

****

Bear
glanced at the clock on the wall as he entered the hospital. He’d taken a quick
shower, grabbed a cup of coffee, and then headed out. He yawned for the fourth
time. He was a typical bear who liked his sleep. He pushed his hands through
his hair and headed down the hallway. He stopped at the nursery where right now
Bridget was the only baby.

Janey,
the day nurse, sat reading at the desk.

“How’s
the baby’s breathing been?” he asked, stepping inside.

“She
was fine, so I took her to Charlotte who fed her, but then she seemed to be
having trouble breathing again so I put her back in here and gave her more
oxygen.”

Bear
walked over to the crib and lifted the top off that provided the oxygen.
Bridget had a short nose which was typical of a bear shifter and he suspected
that was causing the problem.

“Hi,
sweetie,” he said, rubbing her leg.

“She’s
beautiful, isn’t she,” said Janey.
“Best of both worlds.”

Bear
smiled when the baby kicked her legs and wiggled her feet.

“Why
don’t I wheel her down to Charlotte’s room because I have to go check on her?”

“Sure.”

Bear
put his stethoscope over his shoulders and Janey opened the door so he could
wheel the crib down the hallway. He pushed back the door to Charlotte’s room to
see Aiden was still there along with his brother Christopher, sister-in-law,
Lilly, and their daughter Kaitlin.

“Afternoon,
everyone,” said Bear.

“Baby,”
said Kaitlin, running over to the crib.

“So
what do you think of your new cousin?” Bear asked her.

“She’s
pretty,” said Kaitlin.

“I
told Christopher she looks a lot like our mother,” said Aiden.

“How’s
her breathing?” asked Charlotte.

“The
oxygen’s helping, but we’ll keep any eye on the situation. How about I let
everyone visit with Bridget while I take a look at Momma here?”

Bear
pulled the curtain around Charlotte’s bed.

“You
feeling okay?” he asked her.

“Sore and tired.”

“That’s
why you’re going to stay in here for three days.”

He
pulled down the blanket and lifted up her gown.

“Let’s
take a look here.” He lifted up the dressing on her incision.
“Looks good to me.”

“You
ever thought of dressmaking because those are some of the neatest stitches I’ve
seen. In case you’re wondering I used a mirror to check your work,” said
Charlotte. “I’m guessing in a few months it’s going to be hard to tell I had a
C-section and I’ll be back to wearing bikinis.”

Bear
winked at her while he put the dressing back and pulled down her gown.

“You’ll
have another visitor soon. Hannah from Starlight Café’s dropping by,” said
Bear.

“Really,
now would that be to see me or you I wonder?” asked Charlotte.

Bear
pulled back the curtain to see Lilly now holding Bridget with Kaitlin standing
on tip toe to peek at her.

“So,
Lilly, are you next in the baby department?” asked Bear.

Lilly
looked at Christopher.

“I
guess we’ll be thinking about it very soon,” he said.

At
least he was going to be kept busy. Melanie Reynolds was due in six weeks. And
now there was Emily too.

“Hello,
is it okay to come in?”

Bear
recognized Hannah’s voice immediately.

“Sure
come in,” he said.

Hannah
held a shopping bag in her arms with Sam tagging behind her.

“Hi,
Sam,” said Bear.

Sam
did something Bear wasn’t expecting. He ran to him and threw his arms around
Bear’s body, resting his face on his belly. He hadn’t realized just how strong
a kid he was.
Almost like he was giving him a bear hug.

“It’s
good to see you too, young man,” said Bear.

“Women
can’t resist him and now
it’s
children too,” said
Christopher. “Hi, I’m Aiden’s brother,” he said to Hannah and extended his
hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

“And
my wife, Lilly and our daughter Kaitlin.”

“Hi.
Charlotte, I have some of your favorite cake. I hope that’s okay with your
doctor?” asked Hannah.

“Perfectly
okay with me,” said Bear as Sam continue to cling to his side.

Hannah
pulled out a transparent box in which sat what looked to be the most delicious
chocolate cake.

“The
infamous Black Forest cake,” said Aiden.

“Thank
you,” said Charlotte.

“You
are welcome and let me take a look at the baby.”

Hannah
walked over to Lilly who still had Bridget cradled in her arms.

“See’s
adorable. Look at her long fingers and toes. Sam had the longest toes when he was
born. In fact, he still does.”

Bear
ruffled up Sam’s hair.
“Perfect for swimming.
Did I
tell you I’m going to teach Sam to swim at Downward Facing Wolf?”

“Wow,
you hear that Kaitlin? Maybe you should go too,” said Lilly.

Kaitlin
skipped over to Sam. “Are you a bear?”

“Kaitlin,”
said Lilly. “That’s not very polite.”

Bear
saw everyone exchange glances and he hoped Hannah didn’t see it. He wasn’t sure
what they’d told Kaitlin, if she’d seen her daddy in bear form, or was even old
enough to understand that not everyone could turn into a bear or a wolf, or
whatever whenever they wanted.

“Fishing
with Bear,” said Sam.

“That’s
right, we went fishing yesterday,” said Bear.

“You
want to hold Bridget?” Lilly asked Hannah.

She
hesitated at first but then walked over to Lilly and took the baby from her.
She sat down and Sam walked over and touched the baby’s head and blinked
rapidly.

Hello, baby.
Nice to meet you.

What’s that,
what’s my name?

It’s Sam.

Bear
could read his mind and Sam’s sentence and internal dialogue was like that of
any other child his age. There was a normal kid in there, Bear knew it, and the
strangest thing was Bridget and Sam
were
communicating.

“You
want to
come
play?” asked Kaitlin, pulling on Sam’s
hand.

He
looked at his mother and then at Bear.

“Honey,
you want to go play with Kaitlin?” asked Hannah.

“I’ll
play,” he said.

“Only
in the waiting area and no going outside,” said Christopher.

Kaitlin
nodded and pulled Sam out of the door.

“It’s
so great she’s found a playmate,” said Lilly.

“You
know what you guys should do?” asked Charlotte, breaking off a piece of the
cake with her fork. “You should babysit Sam for an evening while Bear and
Hannah do something fun. I think they both work too hard and need a break.”

Hannah
looked at him. What was she thinking? Was she going to make some excuse not to
do something fun with him?

“We’d
love to have Sam visit and have a meal with us. I bet he’d love Barney…who’s
our dog by the way,” said Lilly.

“I…”
said Hannah.

“Perfect
idea because I could do with a night off,” said Bear.

“Great.
How does Friday work for you?” asked Lilly.

“Okay
with me.”

“Sure,
I can get someone to help at the café.”

Chapter Nine

Hannah
had been pushed into a corner over the night out with Bear. Today he looked
positively irresistible. His hair was a little unkempt and he hadn’t shaven.

“This
is so good and excuse me for talking with my mouth full,” he said.

She’d
made him a salad of roasted salmon and sweetened cranberries tossed together
with field greens and her own teriyaki dressing.

“I
still think you should market this dressing.”

“Yeah,
I’m looking into the farmer’s market thing.”

“Great.
Now where do you think we could go for our fun evening out?”

“Anywhere but a restaurant.”

He
laughed. “Yeah, I guess when you own one it’s not much fun going to someone
else’s. What made you buy it?”

“I’d
work in catering before and no one else seemed to want it. I got a good deal
and a more than generous loan from the bank.”

“Someone
told me the previous owner died suddenly,” said Bear.

“I
think they’d owned it for what seemed like forever. They kept it in pretty good
order, but hadn’t really moved the menu into modern times.”

“Well
you’ve certainly done that,” said Bear, finishing the last of the salmon. “So
let me think, no restaurants, and I hate going to the movies on a first date
because we can’t talk.”

First date.
He’d just
called it a first date. Things had shifted here. He’d gone from a nice guy
helping Sam to boyfriend material. How had that happened?

“You
know I think I’ve thought of the perfect thing we can do Friday night.”

She
had too and that was the problem.

****

Bowling.
Why on earth
had he picked bowling of all things? He’d only done it twice in his entire
life. Probably the least romantic thing you could do, especially on a first
date when you wanted to set the tone for things to come.

He
couldn’t take his eyes off Hannah as she leaned over, sizing up where she
needed to place the ball to strike the remaining three pins. She let the ball
go while still bending over to watch it spin its way downward.

The
ball struck two of them.

“Damn,”
she said, turning around too quickly for his liking because he was pretty sure
she’d sensed he’d been watching her ass more than what had happened in the
game.

She
sat down and took a sip of her soda. “You are going to kill me at this game.”

He’d
had two lucky strikes so far, but it really was beginner’s luck.

“So
what do you think Sam’s up to at Lilly and Christopher’s?” he asked her.

“They
were going to eat pizza and then Christopher had rented Despicable Me 2 for
them to watch.”

“I
loved the first one, didn’t you?” he asked her.

She
nodded. “Sam and I went to see it at the cinema. He laughed so hard he almost
fell off the seat.”

Bear
laughed just imaging that picture. He hoped to make that young man laugh some
more. He stood. “Okay, let’s see if I can get another strike.”

He
lifted up the ball, lined up his aim, and let the ball drop. This time it went
into the alley.

“Did
you do that on purpose just to make me feel good?” Hannah called to him.

“Nope,
I really do stink at this game.”

He
tried a second ball which turned into a spare.

Hannah
held her nose and laughed. “Yeah, looks like you stink at it all right,” she
shouted to him.

****

They
sat face to face on the couch, so close that she could feel and smell his
breath on hers. He flicked a stray piece of hair from her eyes. No matter what
he did it was gentle. He had kind eyes too, like the sweetest person resided
within his body.

“You
know I’m going to kiss you and do a whole lot more so we better talk about what
you said last week.”

She
knew what he was referring to. They’d had a wonderful evening, laughing at one
another’s antics at the bowling alley, but she’d not been able to truly enjoy
herself and relax as much as she’d have liked. Hannah knew how the night would
most likely end. Bear wanting sex. However, she was the one in control here and
if she really wanted him, really wanted this relationship to work then it
rested entirely upon her shoulders. That scared her so much that her mind raced
with what she should do and say next.

“I
haven’t had sex since the night I conceived Sam.”

There
it was out. Saying it out loud made it sound even more stupid than when she’d
kept it to herself. Now what would he think?

“And
the reason being what exactly?” asked Bear.

She
bit her lip knowing that if she was to reveal the truth then he’d have to know
more about her than she was willing to give up at this point. He looked at her,
clearly waiting for an answer. He deserved the truth. She’d never been in what
you’d call a true relationship and if this was to become one, she had to be
honest with him from the beginning.

“I
was a wild teenager. Went to pieces when my dad died and my mom remarried. I lost
my virginity at fifteen and after that slept around mostly to get back at her
for what I thought was betrayal to both me and my dad.
 
Some kids do drugs and drink. I did sex. It
wasn’t until I got into my twenties I discovered what sex did for my mind. I
kept needing more and more to feel good about myself. Sex addict you might
say.”

She
was right. It did sound like she’d been a total slut.

“Nothing wrong with enjoying sex.
I love it too.”

“It’s
different for guys. Society expects you to love it, to think about it every few
minutes, to want to get into every girl’s panties, but women aren’t supposed to
be like that in any shape or form.”

“So
Sam’s father, how does he figure into this past life of yours?”

“He
was one of my one night stands. A guy I met at a bar in Whitefish. I went
skiing with some buddies one weekend. That’s one of the reasons I came back to
this area. He told me he was part of a group of people from Kalispell. I
assumed they were fellow bikers. I have this crazy idea…well, I did, that he’d
find me and he’d finally get to meet Sam.”

“Did
you know you were pregnant?”

She
shook her head. “When I found out I was having a baby I drove up to Whitefish. I
went into the bar where I’d met him, asked around, but they said they hadn’t
seen him for a few months so I left a letter just in case he did ever pass that
way again.”

“And
that’s the reason you don’t have sex because you got pregnant?”

“I
guess I’m scared.”

He
put his hand on hers. “You do know that guys can wear condoms, women can take the
pill or wear a diagraph.”

“I
know that, but I’m a firm believer in lightening striking twice.”

He
ran his finger down the back of her hand. “Nothing’s foolproof, but I can
assure you I’m a very careful guy.”

“Bear,
I want to sleep with you, really I do.”

He
didn’t give her a chance to finish before his lips were upon hers. She
foolishly put her arms around his neck, causing him to push his body toward
hers. He was a big guy, but he felt
so
light as he
pushed her flat on her back. She looked up at him as he moved his mouth away.
She ran her fingers over his chin. He had a cleft there. First time she’d
really noticed it. She played with it by running her pinkie down its center and
making him smile. He had dimples too. The guy was too cute for his own good…for
hers too. No wonder the rumor was that women were lining up to be examined by
him. He wanted her. Out of all the women in town he could have, he’d chosen
her.

One step at a time.
If he could be
patient with her then maybe they could meet halfway.

“Bear?”

He
kissed her again, making her stomach flutter. Her heart did cart wheels, and
her pussy said
wow.

“How
about we compromise?” she asked him.

“Compromise?”
he repeated, flicking her bangs away from her eyes. He kissed the very tip of
her nose.

“Let
me ease back into the whole having sex thing.”

“I’m
listening.”

“How about some heavy petting to begin
with tonight?”

“Heavy petting.
Sounds like I’m
a dog.”

Hannah
thought she’d offended him, but then he began laughing. “You mean like this
sort of thing?”

He
rubbed the back of his hand over her nipples, making them achy and sensitive.
She remembered that sensation.

“Yeah, that sort of thing.
No penetration
tonight?”

“None?”

He
looked like a little boy who’d been told he couldn’t go out to play.

She
shook her head.

“I
guess a guy’s got to take what he can. Now can I make a request?” he asked.

“Sure,
go ahead.”

“I’m
a big guy for this couch so how about we go to your bedroom and fool around a
bit?”

“Your
request is granted.”

He
stood. She stood, getting hold of his hand and leading him out of the living
room and into her room, where she walked over to the window. She pulled the
drapes and saw Bear had already flicked on the bedside light.

“On
the bed, fair lady,” he said.

She
liked the way he talked, the way he took command. Even that was turning her on.
Would she be able to keep her word and not allow him to enter her tonight?

Hannah
sat upon the bed. Bear got in front of her and kneeled on the ground, reaching
up and unfastening the button on her jeans before pulling down the zipper.

“Lift
your gorgeous butt,” he said.

She
raised her hips as he pulled the jeans down her hips and legs.

“These
are very cute,” he said, drawing his fingers across the pink lace panties with
the tiny bow on the front. “I think you put these on just for me.”

“Really?”

“Yep,
and you wanted me to do this to them.”

He
gave them a tug, roughly pulling them down her thighs, their lace trim sending
her nerve endings into
a frenzy
as they moved over her
skin. She pushed her legs together, suddenly remembering he was a
Gyn
doctor.

“What’s
wrong now?” he asked.

“You
see women’s…pussies all the time and I’m thinking what if mine’s ugly or odd
looking.”

“I
don’t think of pussies like that and I’m betting yours is just fine. I’d like
to take a look at it right now.” Those dimples and cleft chin flashed again.

He
pushed her thighs apart. She studied his face as he looked between her legs.
What was he thinking?

“I’m
not just saying this, but your pussy is a work of art, lovely luscious lips…”

He
didn’t say any more but simply moved his fingers over her folds and up to her
clit. Bear placed his thumb on it and began to message the nub, looking up at
her, obviously for any sign that she was enjoying it.

“Do
you come quickly?” he asked her.

“What’s
normal, doctor?”

He
pressed harder, moved his thumb faster. “I have been known to…”

Hannah
pressed her butt into the bed and sat up a little, jerking her clit toward him
as her orgasm began to build.

It
had been so long since she’d felt this, like a storm that had been brewing
inside her for centuries. She tilted her head back and gasped as her body
quivered as she came. Bear kissed the tops of both her thighs before letting
his hands glide down them until one of his fingers found the opening of her
pussy.

“No
penetration,” said Hannah.

“It’s
my finger not my dick and I can assure you it’s not that special or unusual so
it won’t get you pregnant.”

He
had it inside her before she could say another word. He was right. She couldn’t
get knocked up again simply by having a man finger fuck her. This was perfect.
Hannah leaned back on her elbows as his finger pushed deeper and tickled the
back walls of her channel.

“Feel
good?” he asked.

“
Ummm
,” she said, lying flat on the bed looking up at the
ceiling. What would his cock feel like inside her? Was it big and long? Was he
as skilled with it as she imagined?

Her
legs twitched as he tickled her insides. She flexed her toes, felt her nipples
turn into concrete pebbles. Her eyes focused on the ceiling, knowing how good
this was and now she was walking a fine line. No penetration, none, she kept
telling herself. Self-hate wasn’t something she wanted to wake up with in the
morning.