“I wanted to wait until after you ate. That way, I know that you get enough.”
“Seriously? There is no world where I will ever eat as much as you put on this plate. Go grab some food for yourself, then we will eat and talk. Just like old times,” she said with a roll of her eyes.
“You’re not going to eat unless I do, are you?” he asked.
“Nope. Not a single bite until I know you are taken care of too.”
“Fine.” He went to grab a plate of his own.
“Now eat and talk,” he ordered.
Joy took a bite of the chicken and rice he had heaped onto her plate and carefully chewed it before asking one of the questions on her mind. “Why did you chase me the first time I saw you as a bear?”
“Honestly, I didn’t realize you were talking about me when you screamed bear. I was running to help you get away from the bear. It wasn’t until I looked down and realized, oh shit, I’m the bear she’s running from. Not my finest moment, if I’m being honest.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Joy laughed. “I thought you were trying to eat me!”
“It was a real bonehead move on my part. I’m sorry that I scared you. I really didn’t mean to.”
Joy took a couple more bites and mulled over his answer. It definitely wasn’t what she had expected to hear. But his words rang true in her mind.
“Is there anything else that you want to ask about?”
“I have a million questions, but I don’t want to seem too intrusive with my questions. I’m just trying to reconcile the human part of you, who I’ve fallen for, versus the scary beast part of you. I’m really trying here, but it’s hard,” she explained. Her mind was truly a mess, and the irony wasn’t lost on her. She sat knee to knee with the man she loved more than life itself, yet she was terrified of his polar bear side.
They continued their meal in silence. Thankfully, Adam gave her the time she needed to process her thoughts without demanding anything from her.
He was the first to set his plate down when he was finished and break the silence. “I want you to know I would never hurt you. Not when I’m in human form and not when I’m in my bear form. My bear sees you as someone he loves and likes being around. It would literally kill him to see you hurt,” Adam said.
“Is it just your bear that loves me?” she asked quietly as she set her plate on the table and turned to face him.
“No, Joy. He’s not the only one. I love you too, and I don’t ever want to be without you again.”