Free Bearly In Time by Kim Fox Page A

the same way. That he had wanted something monogamous.
    She had went back the next weekend and saw his true nature. She saw how he really felt about a relationship. And she had been devastated.
    And Mark used that to worm his way back into her life.
    Mark had convinced her to go along with the wedding. It was the logical thing to do. They had an apartment, they shared a car, a cat. Their whole life was already set up. They even had all of the deposits paid for the wedding.
    He had an affair and now she had had one too, although Mark would never know that. They were even. They could start fresh.
    It had been easy to slink back into her old life and pretend that Mark’s infidelity had never happened or was just a one time thing.
    The only hard part was trying to forget Connor. No not Connor. The idea of Connor. The Connor that she fell in love with didn’t really exist. He was playing her. Like he probably did to countless other women.
    Rebecca glanced up at the dark clouds smothering the bright sky.
    She had made a very important life decision when she was heartbroken and upset. And now she was feeling like she was in too deep and unable to get out. The wedding was on Saturday, only five days away. Everything was set up and ready to go.
    Five days.
    To the biggest mistake of her life.
     
     

two
     
     
    Two months ago…
     
     
    Rebecca cranked up the radio and smiled as she saw the sign announcing her entrance into the state of New Hampshire. Her anxious foot pressed down on the gas pedal as she sang along with Beyoncé, flying around the curvy mountain roads.
    The past week had been torturous with all of the waiting. Every minute was spent thinking of Connor and planning for this weekend. She had organized her week with military-like precision. Manicure and pedicure on Monday. Bikini wax on Tuesday. Tanning bed on Wednesday. Clothes and new bikini shopping on Thursday. Hair on Friday. She would need to make more than the salary of a kindergarten teacher while dating this guy. Or she’d go bankrupt before he proposed.
    Proposed? Maybe one day. Rebecca had a strong feeling that one day he would. And that one day would be soon.
    She smiled to herself as Beyoncé came through her shitty car speakers, telling all the single ladies to put their hands up. Oh Beyoncé, she giggled. Get all of the single ladies fired up and then you go home to your husband.
    Rebecca had packed a couple suitcases even though she was only staying for the weekend. She was hoping that Connor would ask her to stay for the summer. She was free until the school year started at the end of August and she had big plans on how to spend it: curled up in the muscular arms of a sexy bear shifter.
    She had no more attachments back home. Hell there wasn’t even a back home. Mark had kept their apartment and cat, Lucky, and Rebecca was currently living in her childhood room back at her parent’s, cramped townhouse. She was excited to escape her nosy mother who couldn’t quite seem to understand why the wedding was called off.
    Rebecca grabbed a piece of licorice, her kryptonite, and then threw the bag into the back seat where it would be out of reach. You’re going to be spending the rest of the summer by the river in a bikini, she thought as she munched on the candy, you don’t need to gain any more weight.
    Rebecca drove the next hour with her fingers clutching the steering wheel, her knuckles white with anticipation. She couldn’t wait to see Connor. He thought that she was only coming tomorrow but she left a day early to surprise him. In the past hour she had managed to go through her TLC, No Doubt and Cranberries CDs (she had always been a sucker for 90s music) and eat half of the bag of licorice that she stretched and contorted backwards to reach like a yoga master.
    The sunny afternoon was near its end but she would still have time for a quick dip in the river and maybe still have a bit of time to tan before the sun packed it up for the night.
    The