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Bear grunts at my words and stands up before telling the kids, “Let’s go inside so I don’t have to look at your mom’s muscle.”
I take their hands and glance back at my security detail. They stare forward. Their eyes are hidden by black glasses. I miss the days when the guy following me around was an “uncle.” These icy-faced robots make me nervous.
As we enter the house, I’m again startled by how large it is. Siobhan showed me pictures, but I wasn’t prepared for the enormous size of this single man’s home.
“Why is your house so big?” I ask Bear after he shuts and locks the door.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“You live here alone?”
“No, I have the cats.”
“Meow,” Hector says and his sister replies in kind.
“The boys are in the living room, enjoying the sunlight,” Bear tells the kids after shooting me a dark frown.
The kids creep behind him. Bear stops to frown at their weird walking.
“I told them to be careful with the cats,” I explain.
“Good. They don’t know anything about kids.”
Bear’s hostility leaves me planted in my spot. He isn’t acting like I expected. I was ready for anger when he visited the mansion, but he was highly pushy about us getting married. Now, with me expecting him to be warm, he acts cold and put out.
The kids don’t pick up on Bear’s aggression. His bad attitude is low-key next to Andrew’s outbursts.
Despite the kids creeping and whispering, the cats see small humans and flip out by running to hide under a massive leather couch.
“They ran away,” Jacinda tells Bear.
“I don’t know what to tell you, kid. They get spooked about things.”
“Maybe you can get on the ground and wait for them to get used to you,” I suggest when Bear’s words only confuse the kids.
Hector and Jacinda nod, plop on their butts, and watch where the cats peek out at them.
Once Bear moves to the kitchen, I see a chance to fix the negative mood between us. I stroke the kids’ heads and join him near the massive island.
“Your house is beautiful.”
“But?”
“I’m just giving you a compliment.”
“You’re different today,” he says and frowns. “Fake.”
“I’m not fake,” I reply, struggling to hold my tongue. “Why are you acting different today? You wanted me to come here. Now I am, but you seem to want me to leave.”
“No, you’re not going anywhere. We’re sticking to the deal.”
Exhaling unsteadily, I don’t want to argue. The kids are overwhelmed with the size of the house and the cats peeking out from under the couch. I should just focus on them. Except I need Bear to understand how I’m not running.
“We’re getting married in a month.”
“I know.”
“You act like you don’t trust that will happen.”
