Bear Bride (Bear Cove #1)
By Shelley Shifter
Chapter 1
Keyla
Ironically, the morning of what would be the worst day in Keyla’s life was also the first morning it really felt like spring. The sun had just started spilling over the mountain ridges like molten lava, but it was already warm and a balmy breeze carried white petals and floral scents from the blooming gardens around the small town of Bear Cove.
Keyla didn’t notice. She had been up for hours already and not because she was an early bird. She just couldn’t stand tossing and turning in her narrow bed any longer, her mind plagued by images she couldn’t stop. She knew this day was coming, but knowledge itself didn’t stop the numbing pain that twisted her stomach and covered her palms in anxious sweat. She sat on the wooden swing on the back porch, facing the nearby hills, snuggled under a thick wool blanket, cradling a steaming cup of fresh coffee. This was her favorite spot. She had spent countless hours here engrossed in a novel, savoring the fresh pastry aunt Cynthia had just taken out of the oven or simply daydreaming, her gaze lost in the deep greens of the pine trees lining the horizon.
She was blind to the awakening beauty around her, the birds’ melodic chirps, the intoxicating scents of the spring woods that were only a few feet away. She sighed deeply.
“Keyla, honey,” Aunt Cynthia’s voice announced her arrival as she kicked the screen door with her foot, while balancing a tray with more coffee and freshly baked rich cream scones with blueberry jam that she knew were her niece’s favorites. Keyla didn’t look up. She kept staring at the far distance, her eyes welling up and a single clear tear breaking off and rolling down her rosy cheek. Cynthia left the tray on the small wooden fold-up table and sat down next to Keyla, putting her arms around the girl’s knees and looking up at her, an expression of genuine compassion contorting her features.
“Come on now,” Cynthia started in a soothing voice, “no need to ruin the gorgeous day. It is what it is. No one expected this and you should certainly not blame yourself. I know it’s hard, just think that every single woman in the world has gone through the same heartache at least once in her life. Shh. I brought you some scones.”
Keyla covered her face with her hands and started weeping quietly. Her shoulders heaved with the painful memories and hurt feelings she had been harboring for weeks now, pretending everything was okay.
“I can’t even breathe, Aunt Cynthia, it hurts so much,” she managed to say in a slow, dragging voice. “It looks like all life has in store for me now is endless days of the same old routine, pain and disappointment.”
“Hey,” Cynthia suddenly shook her shoulders tenderly, “listen to me. You can’t give in to this. Troy is not the only man in the world and if he has chosen another, he is most definitely not the right one for you. I don’t want to see you shed another tear for someone who doesn’t deserve you even thinking about him! Come now, let’s get inside and get started on this cake. I’ll understand if you don’t feel like helping today. Just say the word.”
“No, no, I’ll be there in a minute, I just need a bit more time out here,” Kayla said, trying to sound casual. “And Aunt Cynthia?”
“What is it honey?” The woman turned around as she was walking back inside the bakery.
“Thank you for the scones!” Keyla produced a cheeky grin, her face still streaked with tears. Certainly the best way to fight misery and complete desolation was with a crispy, buttery cream scone that melted in her mouth, the sweetness enveloping her taste buds and waking up the pleasure centers in her brain, making everything seem at least slightly more bearable. Keyla closed her eyes and simply chewed, trying to free her tortured mind of the incessant loop of self-pity and anger that flooded it in waves.
It was Troy’s wedding day today. And she was not the bride. There was nothing to hope for anymore. There would be no conversation that would clear things up, no change of mind, no happy ending for her. He had been the love of her life and was still the only man that made her heart beat violently in her chest, her blood boil and her knees buckle, and yet she could never have him after today.
They had met in high school and she had been captivated by his menacing height, chiseled jawline and strong, muscular arms, his deep low voice and his flashing, light blue eyes that changed color with his moods unlike those of any other person she had ever met. Above all, she treasured his broodiness, his mysterious aloofness, his melancholic gaze. He was a real introvert, always carried away in one of his books or carving a figurine out of wood bark, lost in thought. He was nothing like the other boys of Bear Cove, who were loud and obnoxious and incredibly childish, their interests only spanning sex, beer and pranks.
They had only been out a few times and she had already recognized herself in him. Dizzy with happiness in those couple of weeks, Keyla had started to believe, even for a while, that she too deserved happiness, that she was just as beautiful and interesting and special as the rest of the girls in Bear Cove High with their slim thighs and their straight blond hair, their skinny jeans and heavy eye-liner and shallow conversations. In fact, she had been scared to overanalyze why he had chosen her among the others for fear of ruining the fairy tale. With her luscious curves, healthy appetite and long, wavy chestnut hair, she had always felt different or sometimes inferior until Troy had come along to shower her with his unwavering fascination as if she was the only girl he had eyes for.