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I can’t help but smile over the hint of jealousy coming through. “Don’t worry, I blocked him.”
“Good riddance, Callie. A man like that doesn’t deserve to have access to you.” He shakes his head before continuing. “I’m just so sorry that happened. That’s awful.”
“Yeah it was,” I say, picking at one of the hangnails on my right hand. “I was in pretty bad shape, too—ended up drinking my sorrows away after that. Had a real rough patch...”
“Ahh, I see. So that’s why you haven’t wanted to talk about it, huh?”
“Somethin’ like that.” I nod, unable to maintain eye contact with him.
“Well, nobody is perfect,” Wade says with a shrug. “And I don’t even blame you. Though, it’s not like I have much room to talk—I’m pretty much known for my drunk and disorderly conduct. And even now, I still don’t have my life together.”
“You’ll get there.” Looking up at him, I give a reassuring smile. However, it quickly fades as the worry returns. Bear has been with me through all the ups and down in the last nearly six years. I can’t imagine a life without him.
“I know I will. Now, let’s go find Bear.” Wade squeezes my shoulder, assuringly. “Bear!” he shouts, his hands cupped awkwardly around his mouth since he’s holding a flashlight. I nearly hate how unbelievably handsome he is, looking perfect in faded jeans and a sweatshirt—he doesn’t look like a famous celebrity with a party reputation. He just looks...
Normal.
I listen for a few moments, trying to discern any sort of sound that might be Bear. He’s a loud dog, so there’s never any mistaking him—unless he’s managed to go for a good few miles. He’s done it before.
I should’ve put the leash on him.
God, please let us find Bear.
“I won’t stop looking until we find him,” Wade says, giving me a heart melting smile. “Even if you need to call it a night, I can always go and get Hunter up. I’m pretty sure Hunter lives for this sort of thing. He’s always up for late-night adventures.”
“He’s something else, that’s for sure,” I agree, carefully tromping through the tall grass behind Wade. “Bear!” I call out, hoping more than anything that my big goofy hound will come bounding out of the shadows around us. I wrap my arms around myself, the breeze biting as the night has really settled in. I didn’t bother to put on a coat before heading out into the night—and now my thin long sleeve shirt isn’t panning out to be enough.
“Here,” Wade offers, slipping right out of his black sweatshirt.
“Oh, no, you need it,” I say, holding out my hands in protest. “I can’t take that from you.”
“Callie, take it,” he nearly demands, going as far as hooking it right over my head. The moment the soft material hits me, all I can smell is him. I feel like a giddy high schooler, getting the quarterback’s letter jacket or something.
“Thanks,” I choke out, sliding my arms through the massive sleeves. It’s about three sizes too big, but I don’t mind, scrunching the sleeves up so that my hands are exposed to the night air. “I appreciate—”
“Shh.” Wade holds up a hand, nearly clamping down on my mouth. “Listen.”
I freeze, my ears perking at the all too familiar howl piercing the once-silent night. Relief washes over me.
There you are, you silly dog.
“Which direction is he howling from?” I ask, trying to orient myself with the baying. It sounds like it’s echoing through the entire pasture, leading me to feel confused as to where it exactly came from. “I can’t tell.”
“That way.” Wade points across the pasture to a thicket of heavy trees and brush. “He probably found something in there, I’ll bet.”
“Yeah, he’s always finding something,” I joke, trotting off toward the woods. “Bear! Bear, come!” I do my best to sound firm and forceful, though my voice nearly breaks with the pure joy that I feel for having found him. “Bear!” I shout again as I reach the edge of the woods. “Come.”
“I can go in and look for him—there’s gonna be a lot of brush. I don’t want you to get your jeans all torn up,” Wade says, coming up from behind me. “I think he likes me enough that I can probably get him out.”
“I don’t mind getting my jeans torn or dirty,” I reason with him, giving him a daring smile that causes his eyebrows to raise. “I was raised in the middle of nowhere Arkansas, I think I can handle some woods.”
“Touché.” He chuckles, just as a loud rustle grabs both of our attention. I jump sideways right into Wade, and as his arm wraps around my shoulders, a dark shadow bursts from the woods right in front of us.
“Bear!” I cry out, falling to my knees as he lands right into my arms, smelling heavily of outside. I wrap my arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly and taking in his soft fur. “I’m so glad we found you,” I mumble into the side of his head. I can feel the tears already slipping from my eyes, the emotions of the last nearly six years with him catching up to me.
Bear has been there through it all, and I have no idea what I’d do without him.
Chapter Nineteen
