Bearly a Chance: A Second Chances Romance

by Hart, Alana

  Aria tossed aside jeans and shorts and sweats until she finally stumbled across a decent skirt. Forgot I packed this. She ran the purple floral printed beauty through her hands, savoring its satin smoothness and light airy heft. Beautiful, but not at all suitable for the mood she was in. Still, further searching didn't reveal any better alternatives.

  With a sigh, Aria slipped the skirt on, and paired it with a lace trimmed black tank top and matching shrug. She dabbed on a bit of makeup, and gave a couple spritzes of her favorite perfume. With a final quick scan of her outfit in the mirror to ensure all her wayward curls were neatly in place and that she hadn't accidentally tucked her skirt into her nylons, she slipped her feet into low heeled sandals and tromped downstairs.

  Ben's sharp intake of breath as she paused in the living room set her heart to racing. The look in his eyes only increased the speed of her pulse. Her skin tingled under his lingering gaze, and she fought to control her desperate, physical need to make him hers. Down girl, it's just the magic talking. But a part of her wasn't so sure, in spite of the roundabout warnings Gramps had given her. My life, my choices and damn the magic and its demands. Although, she wondered sometimes if Ben's bear overwhelmed him as much as the magic tried to overwhelm her.

  "You look amazing," Ben's voice was low and rough. Aria felt her cheeks heat. But she'd put a fair bit of time into this look, for him, so she was glad she wouldn't embarrass him.

  "Where are we going?" Aria asked as she looped her arm through his and headed toward the door.

  She couldn't help detouring just long enough to plant a kiss atop Faith's golden curls. The girl was busy coloring, and from the watchful eye and sly wink gran sent her way, Aria didn't have anything to worry about if their night ran long. "Mommy loves you, baby." Aria whispered.

  Faith turned and her arms wrapped tight around Aria. "Wuv you, mommy." Faith flashed a bright smile, then waved at Ben before turning her attention back to her artwork.

  Gran smiled as their eyes met, and she shooed them out the door. "Go, have fun. I've got the babe for the night. We'll be fine, and if we're not, I know who to call for back up."

  Aria nodded and allowed Ben to escort her solemnly out the door and down the stairs to his truck. He'd insisted on driving, without saying precisely why. Aria smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek when he opened the door for her. His steady hand on her arm made the step up into his tall pick up a bit less wobbly. But she still wished she hadn't needed that extra hand, and that her arm didn't tingle with sparks of desire once he'd gotten her settled and made his way round to the driver’s seat.

  Not that she was against dating him, and eventually claiming him. But she didn't want to cause harm, nor be pushed around by all this supernatural stuff that had invaded her life ever since Faith started shifting.

  "Penny for your thoughts?" Ben's voice was smooth and even. Aria glanced at him, checking to see if he was serious. She couldn't help but admire his steady focus as he backed the big truck out of Gran's drive. She'd never learned the mysteries of driving a manual vehicle, but the way he made it look easy didn't have her fooled.

  "I'd think they're worth more than a penny," she answered with a smile.

  "Alright, name your price."

  "Teach me to drive this," she gestured at the steering wheel and gear shift. "If I can drive as well as you when you're done, I'll tell you anything you want to know."

  "Anything?" His sideways glance met hers, locked on for a minute. Then he shook himself, and visibly re-focused on the twisty road ahead.

  Aria nodded, slow and solemn. "I'll even pinky swear if you like."

  His gentle chuckle warmed her from the inside out, like hot chocolate on a bitter winter day. When he held his nearest hand up, pinky out, she giggled, and clasped her pinky round his.

  "I promise to tell you all my thoughts if you teach me to drive your truck like a pro."

  "Promise?" His voice was low and rough.

  "Pinky swear."

  "I pinky swear to teach you to drive my truck like a pro," he whispered, and she felt the weight of that promise in the gentle pressure of his hand on hers.

  "When do you want to start?"

  "After I upgrade my insurance. Just in case. This old beast has a hell of a kick for somebody just learning to drive manual."

  Aria slammed back in her seat when Ben stomped the gas, emphasizing just how much 'kick' the truck had. Her stomach dropped, as the truck topped out on a hill and rocketed down it, before accelerating around a sharp curve. Aria shrieked and gripped the door handle so hard her hand turned white.

  "It's not a race car, Ben." She couldn't help scolding him. His answering chuckle set butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

  His warm smile and laughing eyes reassured her a bit. "I'm still under the speed limit. But you're right, I'll take it easy if you insist."

  Aria nodded once. "Better safe than sorry."

  The hot gaze that met hers after Ben tapped the brakes was filled with worry and need and questions. Damn, where'd he been hiding all that all this time? And why was it showing up now?

  Then she realized he'd turned off the main road. She'd assumed he was taking her back to 'their' restaurant. Back to make amends for the night he vanished from her life for years. But the small gravel road the truck was aimed down wasn't on the way to Aurora, or any place else she was familiar with.

  "Where are we going Ben?"

  "You'll see." His voice was tight and tense. But his body stayed loose, and he eased the big truck over the gravel road with skill borne of long practice.

  "Do you live out here?"

  His wordless no wasn't much of an answer. From the way he was hyper focused on the road ahead, eyes flitting from one land mark to another, he wasn't all that familiar with this this drive either. Odd.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Aria fought to keep her curiosity in check. Ben needed to focus on driving, the gravel was loose enough that the truck had fishtailed around a couple of the tighter curves. The way the trees lined the road, looming over the road almost like angry sentinels. The last thing they needed tonight was to end up wrapped around one of those trees because Ben lost focus at just the wrong moment.

  From the way he was slowing, and peering closely at the tree line on his side of the road, wherever they were going, they were damn close.

  Then Ben slammed on the brakes and cranked the wheel hard. The truck slid before turning into a hidden drive. Aria's shrieked and clamped on tighter to the door handle, with both hands this time.

  The truck rumbled down the drive and through the trees a bit until they entered a fairly large clearing. A small log cabin squatted in the precise middle of the clearing. It was a reasonably well kept, trim little cabin with a nice front porch and a bright red door.

  "Is this your place, Ben? Because I thought-" Aria's voice trembled, then hitched when he shook his head in answer once more.

  "Then why are we here?"

  "It's yours. If you want it. Or ours, if you'll have us both."

  "Ben are you asking me to marry you?" Aria's nerves were so shot she was trembling as she twisted sideways for a better view. How the hell had he decided that giving her a cabin was the best way to start out a potential relationship? Much less propose in such a roundabout manner?

  She shivered as she watched Ben struggle with his jacket pocket for a moment, the pulled out a velvet box. She so wasn't ready for this.

  "Ben, I can't accept this-" She waved vaguely toward the cabin, then pointed to the box in his hand, and continued. "Or that, if it's what I think it is."

  Her heart sank at the disappointment that welled in his eyes. But he didn't put what she assumed was a ring back in his pocket. Instead, he held the box out on a flat palm.

  "It was supposed to be yours three years ago, it should have been yours all this time. I'm sorry for that, for not finding you sooner. Making things right."

  Aria choked back a sob at the pain that seeped into his words and echoed i
n her soul. Damn right things should have been different. Damn high handed relatives, meddling in stuff. Damn gods.

  Ben held his hand out, rock steady despite the tremble she'd heard in his voice. But she wasn't ready to say yes.

  "What will it mean to you if I accept this?" Her eyes locked onto his, hoping for an answer to her unspoken question. Will you run again? She couldn't handle another night like the one three years ago, the night she'd thought he left her.

  Ben shook his head, then closed his large hand gently over the box before putting it back into his pocket. "Give it – give me - a chance before you say no? Please?" He pointed at the cabin, then jerked a thumb at his chest. "I haven't let you down since you've been back, have I?"

  Aria couldn't help but shake her head at his question. He'd been there for her, for Faith. No questions asked, nothing held back. And she was damn grateful for that. But the hope blossoming in her chest, filling her head with daydreams that could never be made this even harder. Finally, after a moment of silence she spoke. "Ben, you've never let me down. Your bear, on the other hand-he stole you away." Her voice broke on the word away. "And he returned you a whole different man years too late."

  Ben nodded once. "Before you continue, come with me?" He hopped out of the truck, and dashed around the front.

  Before she could collect her thoughts, he'd opened the door, and helped her down. She was damn glad she'd worn flats, and beginning to wish she'd worn jeans as well. Oh well, not like monsters were going to get her, considering she had her own guardian bear. For now. The negative thought snuck inside and rattled around her brain. How long would he stay if she kept turning him down? How long could she fight her feelings-and the magic's demand to mate? She had the uneasy sense that if the magic didn't destroy her, her feelings damn sure would.

  Still, he'd gone to all this trouble, and he was offering a damn fine gift, without strings. Except the strings he tied three years ago. Still, this Ben, this faithful, devoted, rock steady Ben deserved her best. She nodded, and followed him into the tiny cabin.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Her jaw dropped when she saw the inside. It was her dream home, writ small! She'd loved gran's cabin as a kid, but some parts just felt out of place to her. This place, though it felt like home, like the place she'd always been searching for. The log walls were stunning. Bare, and pristine, just waiting to be engraved with magic. The open great room arched to a peak, and wood beams highlighted the loft above the kitchen area. The kitchen was small, but well appointed. Stainless steel appliances, and meticulously kept cupboards and granite counter tops. She could totally imagine cooking, and serving food right there at the bar height counter that divided the kitchen area from the living/dining area. There wasn't a stone fireplace, but there was a gorgeous little wood stove seated on rock tiles in the corner of the living room.

  The room was empty other than the stove. She couldn't resist peeking behind the doors set into the wall facing her. One, two bedrooms. Decent sized, with nice closets. The log walls were bare here too.

  She stared at Ben, shivering. No one had ever offered her so much. "How? Why?"

  His answering shrug, and the hand he clamped around hers before dragging her back to show her the back half of the cabin made her certain he would be too embarrassed to answer her questions. She took note of the location of the bathroom, just off the back of the kitchen, before he pulled her out the back door. Her breath caught in her throat at the view. Holy cow. However he'd gotten this place, it must have cost him a lot.

  They stood shoulder to shoulder on a cedar deck. From there, they looked down a gently sloping hill across the still lake. She could see the lights of town sparkling in the dusk just the other side of the lake. Damn, she'd been sure they'd driven farther than this! But the lake couldn't be more than a mile wide from where they stood to the edge of town. She could barely make out the lights of the swimming beach and the city park.

  "Mom left me a fair bit when she passed. I couldn't resist this place when it hit the market."

  Aria nodded, and clenched her hand tight around his. He hadn't mentioned his mom. She hated being out of the loop so much that nobody even told her when people fucking died. "I'm sorry Ben. I didn't know she was gone."

  He nodded, his big body shuddered for a moment. Then he spoke again. "I always wanted to raise our kids here, have a family, a life here. I know you probably hate me after everything-"

  Aria shivered at the desolate tone in his voice, the rough growl that warned his bear was close. No, she didn't hate him. But she couldn't let fate dictate her life either.

  "But I want my cubs to have the best. You deserve a home, you've done so well with Faith so far, but you need a safe haven. A place where cubs and kids can run wild and free, and grow strong."

  Aria felt tears trickle down her cheeks, and scolded herself for being so hard hearted toward this man. This beautiful, selfless man. Still, she needed answers from him. Needed to know he wouldn't vanish on her again, leave her to fend for herself against the unknown.

  "Why did you leave that night?"

  "I thought I was sick, I didn't know about any of the secrets this town keeps-didn't want to get kicked out for being drunk on the night I planned to make you mine." Aria shivered at the possessive growl in his voice on the word mine, her eyes followed his motion as he patted the ring in his pocket.

  "But?"

  "But it was the night of my twenty first birthday. The night shifters change for the first time. And if I hadn't left, Bear would have torn his way out right there in the restaurant. I didn't know that, then. Hell, if I'd been with-in stumbling distance of the hospital, I'd have headed there."

  "Where'd you go?"

  "The alley. Arcos was there, he watched me change. And laughed at my pain. He laughed even harder when we watched you leave that morning."

  "You watched me?" Aria trembled, flashing back to that moment, the golden eyes she'd spotted in the ally. Cats, or maybe coons, she'd assumed. Were those eyes really Ben and Arcos? Had to have been, and explained her sense that he'd not gone far and was in trouble. Damn.

  "I should have looked harder, called for more help-"

  "You couldn't have known Aria. I've learned a lot since then. Espen keeps its secrets well."

  "But still, we didn't have to be apart for so long."

  Ben nodded. "We did. Bear and I didn't get along." His dry tone sent shivers of conviction through Aria that this was more than an understatement on his part.

  "Oh? Why not?"

  "The moment bear set eyes on you, he demanded to claim you. Mate, mine, all possessive bullshit."

  "You planned to propose that night, yes?"

  Ben nodded. "There is an inherent choice in a proposal. Bear didn't care about choice. Still doesn't. Every day he demands I stake my claim, every day I demand he shut the fuck up and let you–me; us–choose. Choose our fate, our path."

  Aria's heart surged in her chest at his description, his determination to set even his bear straight and put her needs, her choices first. Above even his own needs and wants.

  How dared she hold his bear against him, when Ben had been diverting that beast, giving her freedom to choose?

  "But you didn't let him claim me?"

  "I couldn't chance hurting you. Couldn't chance losing you for good. If I'd thought for one minute that letting the beast have his way would have let us be together, I'd have gladly gone ahead with it. But you've never taken the straight, obvious path. Never taken the pre-planned path in all the time I've known you."

  "So you argued with your bear?"

  "No. We fought, Bear and I. Fought for ultimate control of this form, and this mind. Some days are still a fight."

  "Oh." Aria worried for Faith in that moment. Would she have to fight every day of her life too?

  Ben must have guessed the turn of her thoughts because he spoke again. "Arcos blames me. Says I need to let the bear take charge, instead of trying to compromise, come to an agreement all the t
ime. Or I need to take charge. But Bear has as much right to a good life as I do. So we fight, we argue, and eventually we agree."

  "Or agree to disagree as the case may be?" Arias smiled, small and light as she turned to face him. "How much arguing went into this?"

  "The house? None. Planning this night? More than you can imagine." His voice was low and growly, and his eyes flashed silver in the rising moon light.

  "Do you have to shift now?" Aria glances at the full moon hanging just above the treetops. She'd never noticed a correlation in Faith's shifts, but Ben wasn't Faith either.

  Ben shook his head, growled, then rolled his shoulders a few times. When his gaze met hers again, it was clear blue, without a hint of silver. "No, I don't have to shift. Bear sure would like to, though."

  "What will you do if I refuse this gift?"

  "Refuse it why? It's perfect for cu-er, kids. And it's yours, free and clear either way."

  "Because it's too much Ben. Too perfect, too extravagant and expensive. Besides where would you live?"

  "Out there, Aria." He pointed to the trees. "I'd live out there and keep watch. Be ready to help Faith the way Arcos should have helped me."

  Damn that man and his generous, protective heart. She couldn't stand to see him suffer for her selfishness, for her fear.

  "And when I move on from this world? If you're out there, then I'll obviously still be without a mate...who will watch Faith, be her mother, teach her about boys and dresses and silly things girls like?" Aria fought to keep her voice calm and even. She couldn't imagine such a day, but everyone else seemed certain it was coming, willy-nilly, if she didn't stake her claim soon.

  "I-" Ben's voice was tight and choked. "I, don't believe it'll come to that. Hell, Aria, I'll depose the damn gods myself to prevent it. But, Faith would never be alone, I'll always be there for her. And Victoria, probably even Delilah, the devious witch."

  Aria nodded with each name he listed. And her heart soared when he threatened the gods to save her. She watched, tense, only to see the barest hint of silver in his gaze. Bear was there, and ready to face all threats. But with such a sliver of silver, either bear was holding back or Ben was restraining his beast. Huh. That would be a damn good trick for Faith to learn.