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)
We passed by the door that Franklin had been standing in front of when Duncan and I had come downstairs. It was closed now. Every door had a small doggy door. I hadn’t noticed that until now. It wasn’t only his.
I focused on the bundle in my arms. He was relaxed, curious, and very awake. I pulled him in a little tighter to me. “That’s a great option—”
“It’s not an option.”
I focused on the back of Henri’s head, his hair was shorter around the sides and longer at the top, like he cared but didn’t really want to put in too much effort either. It was a good haircut for him. “All right. But do you think we should wait a couple of days until he settles in since we just got here?”
Henri had the nerve to glance over his shoulder, his dark eyebrows arching slightly as he took in the puppy in my arms. “He looks settled to me.”
I waited to bite the inside of my cheek again until he was facing forward. “I think he’s doing great so far, but it hasn’t even been a day—”
He cut me off. “He’ll be fine.”
I could not growl at a werewolf, especially one that looked almost nothing like every other one I’d ever met—size-wise. I had questions about that, but none of them I could ask in this building or without soundproof walls. I reminded myself that I didn’t need to argue with Henri. We had to get along. I wanted to be his friend. “I don’t want to stress him out or make him think he’s being abandoned….”
We passed by the front door and headed toward the faint sounds of what had to be little kids.
I started to get a little nervous. “How about tomorrow?”
Henri stopped right in front of a door halfway down the hall. Like every other one we’d gone by, this one also had a puppy-sized mini door at the bottom. The only difference was that it was twice the size of the rest of them.
The serious man gave me an even more grave expression. “He’ll be fine,” he insisted.
I pressed my lips together, trying to stop myself from arguing with him again. I was trying to stay on his good side, dang it.
“He isn’t nervous or scared, and you said he understands what we say, so there’s no reason why he’d think you aren’t coming back for him.” His eyes moved to my chest area. “You understand what’s happening, don’t you, Duncan?”
Only I heard the “Yes” he projected.
There went my last hope. He’d been sitting here overhearing our conversation and hadn’t made a peep to disagree about his nursery attendance. I guess he didn’t mind…?
I barely managed to hold back a frown. “He agreed,” I admitted, knowing dang well how glum that statement came out. I looked at my sweetheart and only lowered my voice a little bit. “I guess you’re staying, Donut.”
“Yes,” Duncan agreed, making me sigh. How could he be this mature already?
I hugged him two more times, and he gave my chin and cheek the same number of licks.
A throat cleared. “When you’re done, let’s take him inside.”
Just like that, it felt like I’d swallowed a bag full of Warheads, and I would’ve been surprised if my face didn’t reflect it.
If he felt any compassion for me leaving Duncan for the first time, it sure didn’t reflect on Henri’s face.
It wasn’t that I hadn’t believed him when he said the nursery was mandatory or that Duncan would more than likely be fine being away from me, but….
I had hoped that he would change his mind. I swallowed and clung to my donut tighter. How could he expect me to just drop him off?
There was a sigh, and I wasn’t sure I imagined that Henri’s voice might have gone slightly softer. “This’ll be good for him. This environment promotes socialization, the strengthening of pack bonds, emotional maturity—”
The beginning of the end of him being my baby.
I suddenly understood why parents cried when they dropped their kids off at school.
Duncan had needed me for almost everything the last two years. He relied on me, and the truth was, I relied on him too. He was my shadow. My ride or die. The cilantro and lime to my carne asada tacos.
A knot formed in my throat, and it took everything in me to exhale. It came out strained. This is what we were signing up for, for him to be safe.
Even knowing all that, it really didn’t help.
“Yeah, I get it.” My voice was small. I didn’t want to get it, but….
“Love.”
I peeked at Duncan’s face. He was sitting up in my arms, watching me, but his nose was busy twitching as he smelled what, or more likely who, was in the room.
Being here period was the end of a lot of things, but it could be the start of something new too.