The bartender laughed. “Because, my friend, it’s always the man’s fault. The sooner you learn this, the better your relationships will be.”
Calum sighed. “Well, I don’t think it was my fault this time. I went to her house when she was sick to take care of her. Brought her chicken noodle soup and everything. Then I kissed her, and cuddled her to sleep. I was very respectful, I didn’t even try to sleep with her or anything. Long story short, the next day she up and decides to move to Alaska.”
The bartender stopped wiping down the counter and came to lean over the counter, looking at Calum with interest. “Mia moved to Alaska? That’s pretty random.”
“Well, not so random. We’re both from there. But I moved away as soon as I could. So did Mia. Going back feels like defeat to me.”
“Defeat?”
“Yeah. I mean, I had all these plans to move away and make something of myself apart from my family, and apart from…the old shifter ways of doing things. If I go back it’s like I’m admitting that I couldn’t hack it.”
The bartender laughed so hard that he snorted. “Are you serious, brother? The world almost ended and you’re still sitting here proud of the fact that you managed to move away from Alaska? Hasn’t the last year taught you anything about what really matters? You have to spend time with the ones you love, and hold them close. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to anyone. If the only thing holding you back from chasing Mia to Alaska is your pride, then you’re not the man I thought you were.”
Calum frowned. “It’s not that simple, man. I have a job here. I’ve settled here. I love Mia, but I can’t just drop everything and move to Alaska.”
“You don’t love her. If you did you’d man up and go chase her down. If your job is more important than her, it’s not true love.”
“It’s complicated,” Calum said, taking a long sip from his beer. He was starting to feel annoyed. He had come out to the bar to ease his aching heart, and the bartender was only making it worse.
The bartender laughed. “It’s not complicated. If you love the girl, go show her. You say you’ve settled down, but you don’t look very settled to me right now.”
Calum felt anger rising in his chest. “Look, I’m not going to give up my life because everyone else wants to go back to Alaska. I’m not going to chase down anyone.”
“Well that’s your choice, man. But what you’re really telling me is that you’re not man enough to lay down your pride and admit that you can’t live without this girl. And if you can’t live without her, you don’t deserve her.”
The door to the bar slid open with an electronic buzz as another customer walked in, and the bartender left to take care of the newcomer. Calum sat there staring at his beer and brooding. The bartender’s words echoed over and over in his mind. By the time Calum had finished his pint, he knew what he had to do. Maybe the situation wasn’t perfect. But he couldn’t live without Mia. She was all he thought about. Her name was the last thing he thought about when he went to sleep every night, and the first thing that sprang into his mind when he woke up.
He had held back, wanting to prove to everyone that he didn’t need anyone. He wanted to show that he could survive without love, and without his clan. If he was honest with himself, his heart yearned to return to Alaska. But he had pushed away the feelings, not wanting to admit that he missed his home state.
Enough was enough, though. The bartender was right. Calum had been letting his pride get in the way of living the life he truly wanted. It was time to change that. With a determined growl, Calum set his empty beer mug down and rose to leave the bar. He gave the bartender a small wave on the way out.
“Well?” the bartender asked.
“I’m going after my girl,” Calum said.
The bartender smiled. “Good luck, man. And safe travels.”
Chapter Eleven
Calum spent the whole night packing. He didn’t have much in his small apartment. After a year of bouncing around to different hideouts, he had winnowed his possessions down to the bare essentials. By morning, he had two large suitcases packed with everything he wanted to keep. As the morning sunlight broke over the horizon, he climbed into his hover and headed for work.
He marched into the building with his head held high, and went straight to his boss’s office. As he had hoped, his boss was already there.
“Calum!” his boss said, looking up with a smile. “I’m glad you’re here a little early. We’ve just received a fresh batch of forms to process so it’s going to be a long day. It will be good to get a head start on everything.”
Calum took a deep breath. “Actually, boss, I came to ask for a transfer to Kodiak.”
Calum’s boss raised his eyebrows. “You’re about a week too late, buddy. That office was popular. All of the spots are filled.”
“Well, then, I need to turn in my resignation,” Calum said. His heart was pounding, but he held his head high as his boss’s face registered a shocked look.
“Calum, are you serious? We need your help. And this job is a really great position. If you leave, you’re not going to find anything better.”
“I know,” Calum said. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little bit terrified right now. But I have to get to Kodiak. I’ve already bought a plane ticket for later this afternoon. I would love to transfer and work in the office there. I can even do the same work you’re doing here. Everything is electronic, so there’s no reason I couldn’t do it remotely. But if there’s nothing we can work out, I’ll have to take my chances on finding something else in Alaska. I’m leaving one way or the other.”
Calum held his breath as his boss leaned back in his chair with wide eyes.
“Wow, you’re serious, huh?”
Calum nodded.
His boss furrowed his brow. “I really hate to lose you. We’re so short staffed and you’re so good at what you do. I’ll see if I can convince the higher ups to open a new position for you in Kodiak, or to at least let you do your work remotely. But you have to understand I can’t make any promises. I’ll advocate for you the best that I can, but no guarantees, alright?”
Calum felt a flood of relief. This was better than nothing. “Alright. I’ll be in Kodiak by this evening, but I’ll have the same mobile number. Let me know what you can work out.”
His boss nodded, but still look confused. “Okay, Calum. Good luck to you, whatever it is you’re going to do.”
“Thank you, sir,” Calum said. Then he turned and headed back down the hallway toward the exit stairs. As he neared the doorway, Angela suddenly appeared, almost out of nowhere. She stepped in front of him so quickly that Calum had trouble not knocking her over.
“Calum,” she said, batting her eyelashes at him. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”
Calum pushed past her and kept going, breaking into a run as he answered her by yelling back over his shoulder.
“I’m going to chase down the love of my life.”
* * *
The mornings in Kodiak were chilly, even though it was technically still summer. Mia sat at her kitchen table and looked out the huge picture windows that offered a view of her beautiful front yard. She loved how green the lawn was, and how perfectly spaced the bushes were. The previous owner of this house had obviously taken great pride in his landscaping skills. He also hadn’t upgraded much of the house to modern technology. The walls in the dining room and kitchen didn’t even have built in computer screens. It was strange, but refreshing at the same time. Mia had enjoyed her time away from technology while living in the wilderness of Michigan, and she hadn’t realized how quickly she had fallen back into the technology trap when she arrived in D.C.
Her life here in Kodiak had a good balance. There was technology, but not too much of it. She had work, but not too much of it. She enjoyed many modern conveniences, but she also had access to the vast Alaskan wilderness. And she had good friends to keep her company. Overall, she couldn’t complain. If she could only get ove
r the deep longing in her heart for Calum, things would be perfect.
Mia sighed and took another sip from her coffee cup. She looked at her watch out of habit, but then realized it didn’t matter much what time it was. The office in Kodiak was closed today for computer upgrades. When Mia had arrived in Kodiak, she’d quickly realized that the technology in the office out here was severely behind the technology she’d enjoyed in the D.C. office. Luckily, her new boss had noticed it as well, and had arranged for a massive overhaul of the security and computer systems. The upgrade was so large that it was putting the entire office out of commission for a whole day. Mia should have been happy for the extra day off, but she was already feeling antsy. Everyone else she knew was at work, and having too much free time always resulted in her thoughts turning to Calum.
Mia wrapped the palms of her hands around her mug, enjoying the sensation of warmth on her hands. She should go grocery shopping or something. There had to be some way to fill her time that didn’t involve pining for Calum. She should at least go for a walk in the forest. Mia looked out at her front yard once again, and then froze at what she saw.
Standing there, looking noble and fierce all at the same time, was a giant polar bear. Its perfectly white fur contrasted sharply with the deep emerald green of Mia’s lawn, and its deep violet eyes were gazing in her direction, clearly watching her. Mia would have known that bear anywhere.
It was Calum.
His bear was slightly older now, but it was the same bear she had spent hours running through the tundra with as a young girl and teenager. Her heart pounding in her chest, Mia released her grip on her coffee mug and slowly stood. She walked toward her front window and pressed her face against it, never taking her eyes off of the bear. As soon as she reached the window, the bear shook his giant head in a beckoning gesture. Calum wanted her to come outside with him. Mia knew instinctively what he wanted. He was home in Alaska, and his bear wanted to run through the forest and reconnect with the nature they had left behind so long ago. And he wanted her bear to go with him.
Mia had so many questions. Why had he come? Was he here for good? How had he found her? And, perhaps most importantly, did he love her?
Mia felt a rush of emotion. Her heart beat faster, and her mind raced with the possibilities. If he decided to stay here with her, life would be perfect. Calum gave another shake of his head, beckoning to her once again. This time Mia responded. She ran out her front door, and didn’t even bother taking the time to take her clothes off before shifting. She didn’t care if she ruined the old sweats she was wearing. She just wanted to let her bear out to play with Calum. A rush of energy filled the air, and Mia’s human skin gave way to thick bear skin. Soft white fur covered her body, and her head morphed from a human head into a bear head, complete with rounded ears and sharp teeth. Where her hands and feet had been, she now had long, sharp claws. Her bear was smaller than Calum’s but still large, and still magnificent. The two of them side by side must have made quite a sight.
Mia’s bear lips turned up in a smile. It wasn’t that long ago that it would have been strange to see two polar bears together on the lawn of a home in the middle of Kodiak. But these days, with shifters free to be who they were out in the open, it had become more common to see animal forms amongst humans.
Calum stepped up to Mia and nuzzled her bear nose with his. Mia felt a happy thrill at his touch. Whatever had convinced him to come to Alaska, and however long he was here for, she was just going to enjoy this moment while she could. She would worry about the details and reasons for his visit later.
Calum let out a happy grunt, and then took off running down the street. Mia quickly followed him, enjoying the sensation of her bear legs getting stretched out. Sometimes it took a few minutes after switching from human to bear form for her to truly feel at home in her skin. Perhaps this was the result of years of worrying each time she shifted that she might get “caught.” Even though shifters were accepted as part of society now, old mental habits were hard to break. Mia still caught herself looking around every now and then, concerned that someone might see her in bear form.
Calum didn’t seem to share her worries. He was picking up speed as he headed toward the edge of town, and Mia struggled to keep up. She could see the playful bounce in his run, and her heart filled with joy. When she was younger, Calum had been one of the happiest people she knew. The world had worn him down over the last several years, though, and he had progressively become less and less enthusiastic about life in general. It was good to see the bounce returning to his steps.
He ran for a long time, glancing back every now and then to make sure Mia was still following him. The air warmed as the sun rose higher in the sky, but still, Calum kept running. They crossed rocky streams, jumped over fallen logs, and sprinted past tall pine trees. Mia was tired, but in a good way. It was the kind of exhaustion that comes from a good workout, when you know you’ve let your body move in the way it was designed to move.
Finally after several hours of romping through the woods, Calum slowed his pace. He walked to a small clearing between the pine trees, and Mia was surprised to see a large picnic basket sitting on a rock next to a large pile of blankets. A moment later, she felt a rush of energy as Calum switched back into human form.
Even though it was normal for shifters to see each other naked, since clothes never survived the transition between human and bear form, Mia couldn’t keep herself from staring at Calum’s naked body. She had seen him naked hundreds of times before, but it had been a while. And the last time she saw him naked was well before she had ever considered him to be a potential lifemate. Now, looking at him with new eyes, she drank in how perfect his body was. His broad shoulders gave way to his strong arms, with perfectly sculpted biceps. His chest was large, rising and falling rapidly as his breathing continued to slow to a normal level. And abs were defined into a clear six-pack.
Mia’s eyes continued to take in his body, and her breath caught in her throat for a moment when she let her gaze rest on his massive dick. It was huge, and even Mia’s bear cheeks flushed pink as she let herself imagine it inside of her. She quickly continued her survey of his body, looking at his large thighs. They were so muscular that even in human form they looked like they belonged to a beast.
Calum let her look for a moment, and then stepped toward the pile of blankets. He picked one up and spread it on the ground, then set the picnic basket on it. Next, he picked up a second blanket and held it out to Mia. She understood. He was inviting her to shift back into human form, and to use the blanket to cover up since she obviously didn’t have any clothes out here.
Mia let out a low growl and prepared to shift, and noticed that Calum averted his eyes as she did. He was such a gentleman. He had seen her naked hundreds of times as well but he was trying to be respectful of the fact that their relationship was changing. Since he had made it known that he was interested in her, he wanted to let her wait until she was ready to show him her naked body.
A rush of energy flashed across the small clearing as Mia shifted back to human form. She took the blanket that Calum was holding out and wrapped it around herself, then sat down on the picnic blanket. Calum wrapped another blanket around himself before busying himself with opening the picnic basket. He pulled out plates, forks, and wine glasses. Then he pulled out two large sandwiches, placing one on each plate. Mia’s mouth watered as her nose picked up the aromas of turkey, salami, cheese, and mustard. She hadn’t even realized how hungry she was until she smelled the food. The picnic basket also had potato salad, cole slaw, and fruit salad in it. Everything had been carefully packed with ice so that it stayed fresh and cool. Finally, Calum pulled out a bottle of sparkling white wine and a small corkscrew.
He opened the wine with a loud pop, and then poured a generous amount into each of the two glasses. He held up his glass, and Mia followed suit.
“Cheers,” he said, clinking his glass with hers. It was the first thing either of them had said si
nce he appeared on her front lawn this morning.
Mia took a long sip of her wine, and then set it down to look directly at Calum. She wanted to eat, and she wanted to wait to let him be the one to start the conversation of what, exactly, he was doing in Alaska. But, as often happened, her impatience got the best of her. She tilted her head sideways and cocked an eyebrow in his direction.
“Why did you come?” she said.
Calum took a deep measured breath, and then met her intense gaze with his own deep, violet eyes.
“I realized that I couldn’t live without you,” he said. “I’ve been a stubborn fool, Mia. I wanted to show everyone that I could make it on my own, and that I didn’t need to go back to Alaska. And the truth is that I didn’t need to come back to Alaska necessarily. But I do need to be wherever you are. I don’t care if it’s here, Texas, D.C. or freaking South Africa. I just want to be where you are. Everything else pales in comparison to the way I feel when I’m around you. I pushed it down for so long, trying to keep myself from feeling the things that my heart was demanding I feel. But after you left, the feeling only got stronger. When I didn’t have you at work every day, and couldn’t at least have the chance to see you, the hunger inside of me only got stronger.”
Mia took a couple of deep breaths to steady her racing heart. “Are you saying you’re going to stay here in Kodiak?”
Calum nodded. “I’m here to stay, Mia. As long as you’re here, this is where I want to be. I’m sorry I was so stubborn before. It wasn’t fair of me to ask you to stay in D.C. when the rest of the clan was moving here. I was being selfish.”
“Did you get a job transfer, then?” Mia asked. Her head was spinning as she tried to wrap it around the realization that the man she had admired from afar for so long was standing here in front of her confessing his feelings for her.
“Well, not exactly,” Calum said. “I asked for one, but they had already filled all the positions in the Kodiak office. My boss is trying to put in a good word for me and see if they can work something out. But there aren’t any guarantees, so I’m technically jobless at the moment.”
Homecoming in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 6) Page 7