Total pages in book: 254
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 240032 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1200(@200wpm)___ 960(@250wpm)___ 800(@300wpm)
“Can I tell you about my father now so I can tie in that story with Henri avoiding me?”
“Proceed.”
Only with them could I grin through this conversation. “My DNA dad may or may not be waking people at the ranch up in the middle of the night, in a dream that’s not a dream, asking for his ‘child.’ The gnomes think it’s him or a family member.”
“What?”
That sounded as outrageous as it was. I told them what happened.
Moving the camera back to only focus on her, she mouthed “whatttt,” and I nodded again. “There’s a lot to unpack here, but let’s back up a couple steps.” Sienna leaned forward again. “What exactly would you do if he said yes?”
We were back to that. “Do it,” I told her instantly.
She leaned away, then zoomed back in. “Really?”
Did she have to sound like it was that crazy? “Yeah.”
Her eyes slid from side to side. “I haven’t gotten the full story, but it sounds like you might have options, and if you do, then why wouldn’t you explore those instead of him?”
I’d known this was coming. I sat up on the bench seat. “He’s very handsome. He’s so good with all the kids. He bickers with me but in a fun way. He works hard, but too hard. He’s very protective—”
“Henri?” She couldn’t believe it, and I laughed.
“Yes.” Not that she could see, but my shoulders dropped. “Henri. He ticks all my boxes. Every single one of them.” I paused and told them the truth, even though I couldn’t see Matti at the moment. “I like him a lot.” Saying that out loud made me… it made me sad, because I did. And nobody was indebted to like anyone in return, but why couldn’t that be the case? He was the first man I’d ever felt this level of attraction to, on so many different levels, not just physically and….
Sienna narrowed those green eyes at me, but all she said was “Huh.”
I shrugged, and I knew my struggle had to be evident. I more than liked him, and if I couldn’t admit that to them, then who could I say it to? Raising my eyes to the ceiling, I told her without moving my lips, “I think I’m a little in love with him.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “Sorry, Matti.”
Sienna didn’t say a word, and I peeked back down at the screen.
She had the saddest look on her face. “I’m sorry, Nina. That doesn’t explain that kiss, but…” Si shrugged. “It’s his loss, and I kind of hope he regrets it when you mate with someone else.”
It said something that she wasn’t telling me things would work out, and it said even more that Matti stayed quiet too.
The low-key grief was there in my tone. “I kind of hope so too.” I shrugged. “It’s fine. I saw a couple of the wolves who did seem interested, and they were nothing to be disappointed over.” I could love anyone. If I gave it time and watered the love, fertilized it… it could grow. That rang true for every kind there was.
Just because one person couldn’t love me didn’t mean someone else couldn’t.
There was no reason for that thought to hurt me as much as it did, but it did. My stomach, though, revolted like it always did when I pictured that.
My oldest friend leaned in front of his wife. “Give me names. I’ll do backgrounds checks.”
The three of us were smirking, but something that felt exactly like disappointment took a little bit more of my joy away.
At least I knew what I was working with. At least I knew where I stood with him. With Henri.
At least… I had another chance to be with someone else in the future.
Child. Nina?
I sat up.
My throat hurt. My nose stung. It was the grogginess, though, that was the worst of it all. Duncan, fortunately, was sleeping peacefully against my leg. Safe. Innocent. Undisturbed.
I took a breath in through my nose and let it come out shaky. And when a minute went by and then another and there was no knock, no barging in, no handsome man coming to save me, no nothing, I told myself it was for the best while wiping at my eyes and my nose with the back of my wrist. I did it again before I put my elbow on the mattress and crawled out from beneath the covers. Duncan lifted his head up from where he was on his side, and I curled my body around his. And my sweet, perfect puppy wiggled his way up to tuck his head beneath my chin, and he gave me exactly what I needed right then.
“Love,” he told me.
LOVE, I tried to tell him right back.
“…farted in my eye, Dunky. If I end up with pink eye, it’s going to be your fault,” I rambled to my donut who was on his way to being a bear claw, as we made our way down the staircase.