Love Bears All Things

By Christin Lovell

What do you do when your fiancé does the unthinkable, and not only cheats on you, but gets the other woman pregnant?

For Olive Scarsdale, the answer is easy: run and then stew in that pain for seven months…until he shows up at your job as your newest assigned case.

What do you do when you do the unthinkable to the only woman you've ever truly loved, to the only mate you and your bear will ever have?

For Callum Xander, the answer is leave her alone while you try to deal with the aftermath…until the aftermath blows up in your face, forcing you to seek legal help at the only law firm in town run by a shifter, which also happens to be where the woman whose heart you broke works.

Was this fate taunting them or destiny intervening? Because no matter how much you love the person, the past will always be the past – unchangeable and permanent.

But love is supposed to conquer all, right?

Olive doesn't know. She only knows that even after seven months, there was no out-running what she had with Callum; there was only walking through it, which meant they were about to find out if love really bears all things.

—

WARNING: This is not an easy book to read. It deals with heavy, sensitive topics, real emotions, and hard truths. While I can't guarantee that you will enjoy trudging through the mud on these pages, I can guarantee a happy ending and a lot of insight along the way, hopefully making it worth the time and effort, should you choose to read it.

—

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christin Lovell
• Release date: Sep 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393570387

Book preview

To Seal.

—

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

– 1 Corinthians 13:7 ESV

—

LOVE BEARS ALL THINGS

by Christin Lovell

What do you do when your fiancé does the unthinkable, and not only cheats on you, but gets the other woman pregnant?

For Olive Scarsdale, the answer is easy: run and then stew in that pain for seven months...until he shows up at your job as your newest assigned case.

What do you do when you do the unthinkable to the only woman you’ve ever truly loved, to the only mate you and your bear will ever have?

For Callum Xander, the answer is leave her alone while you try to deal with the aftermath...until the aftermath blows up in your face, forcing you to seek legal help at the only law firm in town run by a shifter, which also happens to be where the woman whose heart you broke works.

Was this fate taunting them or destiny intervening? Because no matter how much you love the person, the past will always be the past – unchangeable and permanent.

But love is supposed to conquer all, right?

Olive doesn’t know. She only knows that even after seven months, there was no out-running what she had with Callum; there was only walking through it, which meant they were about to find out if love really bears all things.

—

WARNING: This is not an easy book to read. It deals with heavy, sensitive topics, real emotions, and hard truths. While I can’t guarantee that you will enjoy trudging through the mud on these pages, I can guarantee a happy ending and a lot of insight along the way, hopefully making it worth the time and effort, should you choose to read it.

—

Preface

There is no such thing as a perfect love story. Behind nearly every seemingly-perfect couple is a messy story of perseverance, and we were no different.

Only our story was messier than most, with complications most would never know.

I can’t tell you how we got here. I can only tell you our story and hope you find it for yourself.

—

Chapter One

Olive

March

It’d been seven months since I’d seen him, seven months since I moved to his town, and eight months since he shattered my heart. He was my fiancé, and I was still riding the high of being newly engaged, taking the next step of moving in together and steady planning our forever.

But a series of choices changed everything.

Callum was a scientist, and a brilliant one at that. He was also a bear shifter who was only surly to those he didn’t like. When it came to those he loved, he was fiercely protective of them. He was fiercely protective of me.

Until he became the one I needed protection from.

Callum’s brother, Caleb, lost his wife, his mate, tragically. As a shifter, once you are mated, you are incapable of intimacy with someone else. You are repulsed by them in every way, in ways that cause your brain to respond in a flight sequence, as they aren’t the one your body, mind, heart and soul long for. Callum, being ever the good man I knew him to be, wanted to help his brother, to protect him from a forever filled with loneliness. So, he set out to create a pill that allowed Caleb to move forward in his life, something that allowed him intimacy without the pain. But he ran into the issue of cost. So, he sought an investor for his company, MakeShift Labs. And after many months of searching, he found one, one with deep pockets and a world of hope given that he’d lost his mate as well. His only stipulation was that Callum moved and worked out of the investor’s home city, so he could monitor his progress.

We talked. We talked long and hard, but it was his dream, and I couldn’t keep him from his dream. So, I supported the move. We did the long-distance thing for a while until Callum proposed. And then we were making plans to live together and to make our happily ever after a reality.

It wouldn’t look the way we wanted it to look though, and that was something I mourned hard.

That was something I was still mourning hard, and perhaps that was part of the problem.

Mooreland was a big enough place that I didn’t have to look over my shoulder around every corner, afraid of running into them, but it was small enough that I still looked over my shoulder everywhere I went, afraid that I would run into them.

Them was Callum and Jessica.

Jessica was Callum’s lab assistant. She was smart, beautiful, and wasn’t afraid to speak openly about her interest in Callum.

But Callum had always been faithful to me. He adamantly stood behind the fact that I was his mate, the person he was fated to be happy with forever and always.

And that’s what made him the perfect test subject for his creation, the pill he called ‘Cal-X.’

He claimed that he loved me. He claimed that I was his forever, the only one he wanted forever with. He claimed that he would never hurt me. He claimed a lot that was shattered in a single moment.

The pill worked perfectly. And it was great for everyone but me. Because he chose her in that moment. He chose to test it with his ever-willing lab assistant. And the result wasn’t just a successful product testing, it was a baby.

The man I loved, the man I was planning to spend forever with cheated on me and made a baby with the human woman he’d chosen to test his product with.

I couldn’t begin to explain the pain that spliced my heart the moment I found out. I was cold and numb, shocked and unable to process what he was saying. It came out of left field. I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t prepared for any of this.

In a single moment, my entire world shattered.

My apartment was already rented to someone else and everything was already loaded on the moving truck. I had quit my job a few days prior and lined up a new home and job in Mooreland, where I had planned to spend at least the new few years with Callum, building our future as we each chased our dreams.

He shattered everything. He claimed that he loved me more than anything, yet he was willing to risk losing me, losing everything that we had, for insert-any-reason-here. Literally. You could put any number of reasons into that slot. It didn’t matter. What did matter was that in that moment, I wasn’t his top priority. I was demoted. I was betrayed in such a deep way that I couldn’t even process it at the time.

I glanced around the home we had rented together. He offered to give me what furniture he’d moved into the place before I arrived, but I refused. I didn’t want to see a piece of him every day; it was hard enough that I consciously was aware that this was the place we’d chosen together to live in. This was where we were supposed to start our forever journey.

The familiar pang burned in my chest. Tears welled in my eyes, stinging them, as I considered everything that had happened yet again, for what felt like the millionth time. I was ready to let go and move forward, and yet, I couldn’t seem to press beyond that single truth: he said he loved me, that I was his mate, that he wanted forever with me, yet he used himself, leveraging me and us to test his creation, and it worked; he cheated on me, he betrayed everything he claimed in that moment and made a baby with her.

We had talked about having children. We both wanted it. I looked forward to the experience, of going through all of the firsts with him as a shared experience.

The sob broke free, as did a curse. I slammed my half-empty coffee cup on the counter, surprised it didn’t shatter from the force I exerted. Tears streamed down my cheeks; my lungs seized, making each breath harder than the last. That was supposed to be our experience to share.

They weren’t together. He maintained his claim that he didn’t want to be with her, that he only wanted me. But she maintained her claim that she did want to be with him, and they had a reason since they were having a baby together.

I tried not to think about that moment, because it hurt the most. I always knew Callum would be an amazing dad. He was this big, strong bear who was scary to most humans, but beyond the gruff exterior was an amazing man with a heart of gold. That little girl or little boy would have him wrapped around their little finger in no time.

And that only further complicated things. Jessica wasn’t going to allow me near their child. She’d never liked me. Even if I could summon the ability to forgive and semi-forget what Callum did, Jessica would always be there, a detractor and a point of contention in our relationship. And being the man that he was, Callum would never abandon his child.

It all was a complete and utter mess. A big, painful mess that I wanted to forget.

But I couldn’t. Dammit. After all this time, I still couldn’t seem to let go. I thought about him, night and day. I found myself wanting to drive to MakeShift Labs, just hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Despite everything, my heart still longed for him. I missed him. I missed the way he made me feel when I was with him. I missed the way we laughed together. I missed the way he would hoist my extra curvy body over his shoulder and carry me to the bed and then gently set me down, with the utmost care to my fragile human physique.

Why did I still miss him? Why couldn’t I just let go? Why did he have to ruin everything? Why? Why? Why?!

I had a billion why’s that were never answered.

Sucking in a deep, shaky breath, I clenched my fists at my sides. You will stop crying this instant, Olive. Yup. My dad was a big Popeye fan and insisted that I be named after Olive Oil. My dad was an ex-con, a man in need of a reason to clean up his act, and that’s what I was. He said that I was his reason, much to my mother’s chagrin. And perhaps that’s partly why this hurt so much: I knew what I meant to my dad, how much more I meant to him than my own mother, and I knew this baby would be the same to Callum; it would be the good that he clung to.

And that thought broke me. I crumbled into a heaping pile on the cold kitchen floor, the tears fallings too fast to protect my t-shirt from them. I couldn’t tell you how long I sat on the wooden surface. I couldn’t begin to describe the pain that seemed to pierce every inch of me. I couldn’t explain why, after eight months, I still fell apart at the thought of it all, at the fact that I’d lost my mate, the man I wanted forever with.

The man that I still freaking want forever with, even after all of this.

Dammit!

I heard my alarm going off in the distance, giving me a thirty-minute warning. I had thirty minutes to pull myself together, get presentable, and leave for work. I had thirty minutes to stop these tears, attempt to contain this agony, cover up all proof of it with make-up and a semi-flattering outfit, and head out into the world to face yet another day without him.

I glanced down at my empty ring finger. I only got to wear the ring for a few weeks before everything happened, but it was enough time to get comfortable, to have that finger feel naked without it, even all these months later.

Gosh, I was a wreck, and not the hot kind.

—

Chapter Two

Olive

I put two layers of liquid foundation and concealer on my face to try to disguise the redness from my crying bout, but it didn’t erase the red streaks striating my eyes. It was one of the rare instances where I was glad that I wore glasses. I opted for my contacts most days, but by choosing my glasses today, if anyone dared question it, I could easily use them as an excuse for the redness. My contacts didn’t want to cooperate this morning, and then my eyes just rebelled to the point where I had to wear these instead. It was a plausible excuse.

It was Friday, the end of the work week. I worked in a mid-sized office. There were enough people to not know everyone by name, but we were still small enough that we knew a lot of people by name. It made it harder to hide. Thankfully, it was payday, so most of my co-workers would be too busy planning their splurge weekend. And the fact that it was Friday meant that I could dress semi-casual in skinny jeans, a comfortable white t-shirt, and nude wide-width heels that didn’t make me feel like an uncoordinated klutz. Gold stud earrings and a delicate necklace made it more business-like, meaning Joe from human resources was less likely to give me a cocked brow as he scribbled something down in the notepad he carried with him everywhere. Rumor was he documented every potential infraction that he saw, so when it came time for the company to let someone go, they had plenty of ammo.

I put a pile of cases on your desk, Sheila smiled, quickly falling into step with me.

How kind of you.

She laughed, unbothered. It was kind of me. I gave you the smallest stack. And, even better, when you finish them, you can go home.

I stopped mid-stride. "Go home? Are you feeling okay? Do you have a hot date tonight? What’s the special occasion, because no one clocks out until five on the dot, even on Friday?" I replayed her words back to her.

She shrugged. No clue. Boss wants the building cleared for a top-secret meeting with a potential client who apparently has the net worth of all of our clients combined.

I felt my eyes widen. We weren’t a tiny law firm and we specialized in corporate law and all things related, meaning we dealt with wealthy CEOs all of the time. I won’t say no to that, but my curiosity has definitely been peeked.

Tell me about it. She took a sip of her large coffee. She always had a cup of coffee in hand as she strolled about the office. I’m curious enough to give up my plans tonight to try to sneak a peek.

"Plans? You have plans tonight?" I chuckled. I was smiling on the outside but groaning on the inside. Sheila’s marriage ended around the same time my engagement came to a crashing halt. The fact that she was going out only further reminded me how pathetic I was, considering I couldn’t bring myself to move forward. Why can’t I just let it go and move on with my life?

Shut up. He happens to be hot enough to warrant Friday night plans. She flushed, and the woman didn’t flush easily.

Sheila had been married for twelve years to the man of her dreams, or so she thought. There was no big scandal or anything. He just said he didn’t love her the way he once did, and for that reason, she deserved better. Their sex life had died a good six months before that announcement. Sheila said the writing was on the wall. She was angry at first, but a few months later said it was the best thing that could have happened. I wished I had her outlook. At forty-one, she was starting over. She had no kids, an extra round mid-section that wasn’t what was labeled as acceptable in the curvy girl world, and it turns out, her soon-to-be ex-husband had been falling out of love with her and slowly spending their money to set himself up, so she had no savings either. But here she was, going out on a date with a man she’d described as a ‘dream from across the pond.’ What a Brit was doing in Mooreland was beyond me. It wasn’t exactly a place that stood out on the map and we weren’t the capital of anything.

Good for you. I fully expect you to enjoy his company, and then give me all the naughty details on Monday.

She winked. You know I will. She broke away and headed into Hussain’s office, likely to tell him what she’d told me about going home early.

Stepping into my office, I closed the door. It was one of the few things I was grateful for: having my own work space. It was a rarity at my level of employment. I wasn’t a manager or anyone special. I just happened to replace one of the original employees who happened to have their own office because they’d been with the company so long. It was luck, pure and simple.

I spent the next six hours sipping two more cups of coffee and working my way through the case pile. I did research. Not in a scientific manner, although it was a science of its own. It was my job to scour the internet and find the dirt on the ex-employees or competitors that were suing our clients and any person that could be called to the stand. My job was interesting, to say the least. But it was also a crutch. I was good at finding information, which meant I was good at finding information that I shouldn’t.

Callum only had corporate social media pages, but Jessica didn’t, and neither did Caleb. Jessica hadn’t posted a picture of herself that wasn’t a selfie in months; along with her selfies were photos of her food and beverage choices with the odd picture of Callum in the lab. Those were the photos that sent me spiraling. Caleb on the other hand was all about fitness, meaning shirtless pics of himself flexing, and cars, especially since Cal-X worked and it meant he could sleep with any woman he wanted.

A loud knock sounded on my door before Sheila burst in. Go home. Client’s coming in early and the office needs to be empty in twenty.

I’m in the middle-

"Leave it for Monday. I do not want to get my ass chewed out because one of my people didn’t listen."

I expelled a breath. I hated when I got into a groove and it was interrupted. Okay.

Thank you. She sounded genuinely relieved.

Putting a sticky note where I’d left off, I closed the manila folder and began shutting down my computer.

Another knock came just as I bent to grab my purse from the bottom drawer of my desk. I half expected it to be Sheila again. Don’t worry, I’m going, I said as I straightened. Only to find my boss’s boss standing at my door.

I need you to stay. Burt didn’t do casual. He still wore dress slacks, a button up shirt beneath an Express sweater, and shiny hard bottom shoes on Fridays. He always dressed like he was ready for a GQ magazine fashion shoot. Despite the grays streaking his hair, the man looked impeccable for his age.

I set my purse on my desk. Did you need me to do something in particular for you, Mr. Stone?

The client has requested you specifically to be the lead researcher on his case, if he decides to go with us. I need you present for the meeting.

My stomach knotted. There was only one person who would request me, and it was the one person I’d been trying to get over for the past eight months. I felt the color drain from my face as I collapsed into my chair.

Burt frowned, stepping into my office and closing the door. Listen, Liv, whatever personal business you may have with this guy, I need you to set it aside for the good of this company.

He was right. I needed to be professional. I needed to set all emotion aside and focus on the task at hand.

I sucked in a deep, shaky breath and nodded my head in agreement.

Thank you. He studied me for a long minute. Did you eat lunch?

Um, no. Sheila said to get through my case load and go home, so that’s what I was focused on doing.

He shook his head. I figured as much. He glanced as his watch. I don’t know how long this is going to take, but I’ll take care of your dinner tonight.

I was suddenly regretting not eating breakfast, yet at the same time, I was grateful. I didn’t know whether I was going to lose my stomach or simply felt like I was going to lose it. Okay.

Meet me in my office in five and bring something to take notes. He scanned my office, although I didn’t know what for and then issued a single nod before walking out.

I exhaled, clenching my hands together to try to control the tremble overtaking them. I’d been careful to avoid him for months. The first few weeks he tried incessantly to reach me, but I just wasn’t ready to face him. Or her. Or the situation. But then he stopped trying, and it made me question whether I was actually his mate; if he ever actually cared about me. When I fell down the rabbit hole, I started analyzing myself. What did I do wrong? What could I have done better? Had my looks gone to crap? Had my