Forbidden Bear (Bear Creek Biker Bears #1)(13)

Joel promised himself there and then he would somehow make her life easier. He would never make her give up being the president of Wolf Valley Motorcycle Club, but he sure as hell would make sure no man ever raised his fists to her again. Not for any reason.





Chapter Thirteen – Mia


Her bike hummed beneath her. She should have been rushing back to pick up the pieces of her life. Yet she wanted to delay her return to Wolf Valley for as long as possible. Here, cruising along the back roads, the sun out, leaving dapples on the ground as it found its way through the leaves of the trees which swayed lazily in the breeze, she could pretend her life was different.

Only one thing stopped her from believing that dream. She wasn’t with her mate; instead, the bond between them was being stretched out as Joel disappeared in the other direction, back to Bear Creek. He was right; they couldn’t spend the rest of their lives apart. What would happen when she got pregnant? Another uncertainty: bear cubs or wolf pups?

Family. Her thoughts turned to her brother. Maybe Joel was right. It might be time to try to make some connection with him. Kurt would be her children’s uncle. Mia thought back to their childhood; he had always fought her corner, well, fought alongside her anyway. Back to back, side by side, they had been a good team. Until the lure of the biker gang had taken hold of him.


Speeding along, Mia opened the throttle some more. Wolf Valley hooked its desperate claws into her and almost seemed to beg her to free it from the pit it had become. Once, the town had been thriving, full of fun, mates meeting and falling in love. Now when a couple mated, they tended to move away. This was no place to raise a family. Corruption breathed corruption here now.

The very same corruption that had pushed Kurt into making his mistake, a mistake that had torn their family apart. A memory which became more real as she reached her house.

“Hey, Mom,” she said as she took her helmet off and placed it on the table just inside the door. Mia ought really to have gone to the hangout first, but she wanted to speak to her mother first.

“Hi, Mia. How are you feeling? I was worried when you didn’t come home last night.”

“I’m good, thanks, Mom.” She kissed her mom on the cheek and noticed she had been crying again. “How are you?”

Mia went to the kitchen, trying to decide what to have for breakfast. “I’m starving. Have you eaten?”

“No. I’m not hungry, thank you.”

“I’ll make you something.” She looked up and this time she felt a pang or worry and guilt. “I would really like to spend the day with you. I thought we could have breakfast together … and then I wondered if you were going to visit Kurt.”

“Kurt. You want to visit him?”

“I thought it might be time. If you’re going. Don’t worry if not, I can go another day.” Mia knew it wouldn’t take much for her to talk herself out of the visit.

“No. I go every day.”

“You do?” Mia asked, surprised. She had no idea.

“Yes. I take him some fresh fruit. Get a new book for him from the library. He likes to paint, too.”

“Paint? Kurt?”

“Yes, they persuaded him to paint, as therapy.”

She thought back to the finger paintings they used to do as kids. “That’s great.”

“It’s helped him a lot. He had a lot of anger inside him.”

“Don’t we all,” she said, wondering if she should take it up too.

Her mom looked happier, coming into the kitchen and saying, “I would love to have breakfast with you, Mia.”

“Thanks, Mom. Oh, I had better go and have a shower first.”

Her mom laughed, “Go on, you go and I’ll make us breakfast.”

“No. I said I would do it.”

“Go. Shower. I actually love cooking for you, but I never know when you are going to be in these days, so I will cook. I can make pancakes and then take some with us when we visit Kurt.” Her mom went to the cupboard and began pulling out the ingredients, humming happily to herself.

“If you’re sure,” Mia said, and was away and up the stairs and into the shower while her mom cracked some eggs, the smell of cooking reaching her just before she stepped into the warm shower.

Letting the water wash all her worries away, Mia felt a lot lighter by the time she got out and dried her hair. It was time to start putting her life back in order, the order she wanted it to be. Joel had shown her that there was a different life for her. If only she could find the courage to grasp it.

“You look perky,” her mom said as she placed a plate of pancakes down in front of her.

“Do I?” Mia asked, trying not to blush. Too late.

“Oh, my. Oh, my darling, you’ve met him.”

“Met who?” Mia shoved a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

“Don’t play with me, Mia. Let me have something to look forward to.”

She sighed and chewed her pancakes, swallowing them down and then sipping her coffee. “Yes. I have. Although I’m not sure where I’m going with it.”

“What do you mean where you’re going with it? You’ve met your mate. There is only one way to go with it.” Her mom hadn’t touched her pancakes, but sipped her coffee, not taking her eyes off Mia.