Flawless River (Grizzly Bear Lake #2) - Ruby Shae Page 0,43

with,” he laughed. “I love you, too.”

He placed a gentle kiss on her lips, and then he slowly pulled out and made his way to the bathroom. His big body looked weak, or drugged, and the fact that he looked the way she felt made her smile as her eyes drifted closed.

She briefly registered the feel of a warm washcloth between her legs, and she knew she mumbled something between their link, but she wasn’t sure it was a thank you. Whatever it was, the words made Lael laugh, and soon he was laying beside her and cradling her in his arms.

His big, muscular—perfect—loving arms.

Two weeks later…

Stacey put down her slice of pizza and wrapped her arms around her middle. The story Levi had just finished telling about the crazy guest he’d had to deal with earlier that day had sent a round of laughter around the table, but when Liam added in his part of the story, everyone laughed harder.

Poor Liam. The quietest member of the Rivers’ family hated dealing with guests face-to-face, unlike the rest of his family members, and the crazy woman in question had no idea who she was dealing with when she’d requested to speak to a manager.

She glanced at Elle and there was no mistaking the love she had for her mate, and when she looked at Lael, she saw the same expression looking back at her. He leaned over and kissed her on the temple.

I love you.

Three simple words spoken through their link, but they meant everything, and she reached out and linked her fingers through his. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and then she picked up her slice of pizza and took a bite while he relayed their craziest story of the day.

She still worked in the cafe until noon, but then she usually spent the rest of her day at the shack with Lael, and they had seen their fair share of crazy over the last two weeks. Mostly from lake girls throwing a tantrum because Lael was off the market, but they weren’t the only ones, and the story Lael told involved a man and a fishing pole. The man had returned to the shack, angry, and demanding a refund on the rental because he’d hooked his hat and lost it in a tree. As it was happening, Stacey had had to turn away to keep from laughing in the man’s face, and now, hours later, she was still laughing around her pizza.

Lael was way better at handling the crazy than she was, and he took care of the man with professionalism and tact, but the whole time he was sending hilarious comments through their link that nearly had her in tears.

The sound of someone banging on the door caused everyone to quiet, and Levi rolled his eyes as he got up from the table and walked out of the kitchen. The whole family was eating dinner in the main house, as they usually did after hours, and she’d never witnessed an interruption before. Usually, guests that needed help read the sign posted and called one of the numbers listed.

As if on instinct, Lael and Liam followed Levi out of the room, and when Lacey got up, Stacey and Elle followed. They all reached the lobby at the same time Levi opened the door.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, we’re looking for our daughter, Anastasia Rourke, and we’re not leaving until you produce her.”

Levi looked back at her, and when she nodded, he stepped back and allowed the couple to enter. Lael stood in front of the group next to Liam, as if blocking the women from whatever threat lay on the other side of the door, but she wasn’t afraid of her parents, so she pushed through the crowd and stood by his side.

They looked exactly the same as when she’d left. Her father stood tall, as if he outclassed everyone in his expensive suit, and her mother was overdressed in a cocktail dress that stopped just past her knee. Every hair on the woman’s head fell exactly where it was supposed to, and all the plastic surgery she’d had done made her look twenty-five, instead of a few years over fifty.

Her dad looked at her and shook his head.

“You look terrible,” he said.

“Anastasia,” her mother said. “What are you wearing? You know someone your size should never be caught dead in shorts. And your hair is…” The woman shook her head. “We will have to schedule an emergency