Taming the Beast

“It helps that I had a sexy tutor to help me write it and a furry assistant to help me finally find the sneaky little owls.”

“No,” Logan said, shaking his head. “It was all you.”

She leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips. “I wouldn’t be here without you.”

Logan knew exactly what she meant because he wouldn’t be where he was without her either. He would still be living in the log cabin in the woods, spending the days in his bear form and the nights all alone.

Bella had done so much for him and he would always be grateful to his mate. She had helped him see that he did have the courage and strength to return to his old life.

His colleagues were initially shocked to see him and his new scars but like anything, they got used to it and it hardly came up anymore. He would still get looks and stares from strangers on the street but as long as the scars didn’t bother Bella, they didn’t bother him either.

Another worry was how his young patients would handle seeing the gruesome scars but it didn’t quite have the effect that Logan thought that it would. The kids would ask him almost immediately how he got the scars. The children were intensely curious and their curiosity always outweighed their manners.

When Logan would tell them that it was from a bear attack, he instantly got way cooler in their eyes. He was seen as a cool superhero who fought off a bear and it helped the kids warm up to him.

They walked to the restaurant as Bella chatted about her day and how excited she was about her A plus. Logan could barely focus on his mate’s words. He was a little nervous.

The paper wasn’t the only thing that they would be celebrating tonight.

He tapped the side pocket of his coat just to make sure the ring was still there. He took a breath of relief when it was.

It was a white gold diamond engagement ring that had more carats than Bugs Bunny. People said that an engagement ring should be the equivalent of three-months salary but Bella was worth more than that. He had bought the most expensive ring in the store.

She deserved the world and he was determined to give it to her. His life had been a dream since they moved to the outskirts of Seattle where they lived in a beautiful home in the country. It was the best of both worlds. They had access to the city where he could work as a surgeon and where Bella could find a job now that her schooling was all finished, and they had access to acres of forest, mountains and rivers where Logan’s bear could wander around in peace. It really was perfect.

Now it was time to make it all official.

Logan was planning on waiting until dessert to pull out the ring but he just couldn’t wait any longer. He dropped to a knee on the sidewalk and pulled out the ring. Bella didn’t even notice and kept walking, blabbing on to herself as she walked away.

“Bella,” he called out with a laugh.

She stopped and looked around, clearly confused as to where her man went. Her mouth dropped when she spotted him down on one knee, holding up a diamond ring.

“Is that?”

Logan nodded.

Her shaking hands flew up to her mouth as she stared at him with wide eyes.

“Want to come back over here so I don’t have to shout at the entire block?” he asked with a laugh.

“Right,” she said, giggling as she hurried over. She stopped in front of him with her eyes sparkling.

She couldn’t be more beautiful.

“Bella,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “Would you-”

“Yes!” she shouted, jumping on him and nearly bringing him down to the pavement. “Yes, I’ll marry you!” she said, squeezing his neck with her arms as she showered him with kisses.

“Wait,” she said, pulling back and looking at him funny. “Is that what you were going to ask?”

He laughed. “Yes,” he said, taking her delicate hand in his. “That’s exactly what I was going to ask. Will you marry me, Bella?”

She placed her hands on his cheeks and gazed into his eyes. She said the one thing that he was hoping to hear:

“Yes!”

Part III