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Back The Long and Winding Road
Chapters (31)
  1. The Long and Winding Road
  2. Table of Contents
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Prologue: Or, Where Bear Answers the Door
  6. PAST
  7. 1. Where Bear Makes the Wrong Assumption
  8. 2. Where Bear Finds Out
  9. 3. Where Bear Makes a Decision
  10. 4. Where Bear Learns the Art of Breathing
  11. 5. Where Bear Has Bro-Time with Creed
  12. PRESENT
  13. 6. Where Bear Attends the Most Awkward Homecoming Ever
  14. 7. Where Bear Tells Tyson Everything
  15. 8. Where Bear Makes a Promise
  16. 9. Where Bear Goes to Lamaze Class
  17. 10. Where Bear Gets Advice About His Sex Life
  18. 11. Where Bear and Otter Role-Play at a Hotel Bar
  19. 12. Where Bear Faces the Reality of Married Life
  20. 13. Where Bear Sees Everything Change
  21. FUTURE
  22. 14. The Long and Winding Road
  23. Epilogue: Or, Otter’s Perspective, As It Were
  24. Coda
  25. No. Absolutely not. No way.
  26. More from TJ Klune
  27. Readers love the Bear, Otter, and the Kid Chronicles by TJ Klune
  28. About the Author
  29. By TJ Klune
  30. Visit Dreamspinner Press
  31. Copyright

I pretended that wasn’t a critique at my delivery. “No, you are. In fact, you might be the coolest person I’ve ever known in my life. And I know now, and I’ve known for a long time, that I will never love anyone as much as I love you. You have put up with so much shit from me. From the Kid. This life… we’re—we can be a mess, Otter. The two of us. We got fucked over and dealt the worst hand, and the hits kept on coming. It didn’t matter how much happiness we tried to hold on to, we were battered again and again and again. She didn’t give a damn about us. She left me. She left the Kid. She fucked off and ran because she couldn’t deal with the reality she’d made for herself. And that wasn’t fair. It wasn’t. And I did my best. I really did. And I made mistakes. Jesus, I made so many fucking mistakes. And sometimes I didn’t even learn from them. I did what I thought was right, even when it was wrong. And then you came back and—”

“Bear—”

“No, please. Please just let me finish. Because you have to know what you did for me. For us. Otter, we wouldn’t be alive now if it wasn’t for you. I really don’t think we would. Not as we are now. Maybe we would have survived, but we wouldn’t be alive. Because we didn’t have a home. We didn’t know how to live. And then you came back and you showed us how, and you protected us and kept us safe and made sure that no matter what, we would always be safe and happy, regardless of what else happened.

“And then there was… just. Jonah. And my mom. And Isaiah. And your stupid ex-boyfriend teacher who apparently still wanted to bone you, and I really fucking hated that guy. Like, you don’t even know how much. And then—and then Mrs. Paquinn, and you, and I had your fucking ring around my neck, okay? I stood above you when all those machines were beeping and you had a goddamn tube down your throat, and I thought you were going to die. And it wasn’t fair. After everything we’d been through, it wasn’t fair. But you didn’t, okay? You didn’t, and you opened your eyes, and then we got married and then the Kid was gay and got addicted to drugs, and you know how that went.”

“Holy summarizing,” Otter said, voice rough.