Bearly In Control by Kim Fox Page B

do.” Her pulse was racing. “You’ve never cared about my happiness. All I ever wanted to do was become a painter. I had talent and you just knocked me down. You made me go to law school.”
    “And you refuse to become a lawyer so what’s your problem?” he asked, shaking his head, looking annoyed. “You organize charity events and you don’t even get paid for it. I told you then and I’ll tell you now. You’ll never get any respect as a painter.”
    “I don’t care!” she yelled, the clenched tears escaping down her cheeks. “I just want to be happy.”
    She wiped the tears away angrily, furious at herself for showing any weakness. Her Dad would just blow it off as ‘that time of the month.’
    “And now the one guy that I love and who loves me comes along and you don’t want to have anything to do with him because he doesn’t fit into your perfect mold.”
    “He’s a nobody,” he said. “Devon is an-”
    “Asshole,” Grace said, finishing his sentence. “Just like your wife. You don’t even care that she cheated on you. You’re going to ignore it because dealing with it will be bad for your image.”
    Her Dad exhaled in frustration. “I have a chance to bring this family to-”
    “Stop saying that word,” she interrupted. “You don’t care about family and you certainly don’t care about me.”
    Grace shook her head and stepped back. “I’m so sick of this fake lifestyle. It’s so phony.” She turned towards the exit. “I’m done here.”
    “Ci Ci wait,” he said. She stopped but didn’t turn around.
    “I need you for the press conference Ci Ci. I need to look like a family man.”
    She took a deep breath. “Well I need to go. I have to do something for me for once.” She stepped towards the exit.
    “If you leave now,” he warned, “there’s no more allowance, no more trust fund. I’ll take back all of your stuff.”
    “Keep it,” she said as she walked out of the room. “And your hair looks like shit.”
     
     
     

     
     
     
    Edwin sat on the cold cement floor in the corner of the train station and watched a cockroach skitter along the tracks.
    His chest was hurting. I thought a broken heart was just a metaphor.
    It hurt but he did the right thing. For Grace. He was no good. And Grace deserved better.
    He couldn’t even pass a few days without phasing. He would always be a freak like his parents called him. He would go back to the woods and live out the rest of his sad life as a bear.
    His breath caught in his throat when he saw Grace rushing through the crowd. She was wearing a pink summer dress that hugged her gorgeous body. Her head was darting around, looking for something. Her eyes were frantic and alive.
    Their eyes met and Edwin felt warmth flow through him. He held his breath as she made her way over. She knelt down in front of him as his bear purred in content at the delicious smell of his mate.
    He looked down at the floor. Even her toes were perfect.
    “I know what happened,” she said.
    His cheeks flushed in shame. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I tried not to phase. I failed you.”
    “Not that,” she said, lifting his head up. Her blue eyes were sparkling like a lagoon. “With Daisy. I heard what you said. That you love me.”
    It didn’t matter. He didn’t deserve her.
    “Did you mean it?” she asked. “I know that your bear bonded with me but I didn’t know that you loved me.”
    “Of course,” he whispered.
    She smiled and Edwin’s pulse raced. “I love you too,” she said. “Let me come with you.”
    Edwin was shocked. That’s not what he was expecting to hear. Still. He had to do what was best for her.
    “I think you should stay,” he said. “I can’t give you the kind of lifestyle that you deserve. The luxuries. The-”
    “I’ve had that my entire life,” she said shaking her head, “and I’ve never been happy. Well, until I met you.”
    She ran her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes, focusing on her touch,