Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
“I see you two finally worked out your differences,” Franny said. In her hand were three coffees, and he scented the cinnamon buns already. He’d come to realize cinnamon was Harper’s favorite sweet treat.
“The coffee shop is still open?”
“Yeah, only a couple of places close today,” Franny said.
Harper let them into the shop. While she wasn’t looking, Franny gave him a thumbs-up and a thumbs-down, looking at him in question, and all he could do was shrug. He had no idea if last night was the start of something great. For him, it was. He didn’t know how Harper felt.
Franny rolled her eyes, and then forced a smile to her lips as Harper turned toward them.
“I know what my job is,” Mateo said. “I’m checking the stock that came in last night, and you were a little pissed with how they dropped off the order. I’m already on it.” He took his coffee and package of cinnamon buns, and made his way into the stockroom.
This was where Harper always sent him, but he found ways of drawing her back to him. He did stop a few feet inside, and attempted to listen.
“You don’t look like you want to murder him, that’s got to be a good sign, right?”
Harper laughed. “Yeah, it is.”
“So, did you take my advice? You look like you took my advice.”
He smiled.
“Yeah, I took your advice.”
“And? Come on, Harper, was I a genius?”
He heard Harper sigh. “You’ll only know if you are a genius tonight.”
Franny groaned. “At least tell me if it was good? You need to give a girl a clue here.”
Harper chuckled. “Why should I? All I’m doing is exactly what you told me to do.”
“And did it feel good? Did you love it? Is it what you always hoped it would be?” Franny asked.
Harper sighed. “Yes and no, I guess. I don’t know.”
He frowned. He didn’t like how sad she finally sounded. What the fuck did he have to do to show her that things were going to be different?
“Look, take a sip of your coffee, and tell me,” Franny said.
There was silence for several seconds, and then Harper released another sigh, and he heard her move.
“I don’t know, I guess I’m scared.”
“What would you have to be scared of?”
“The rest of our lives, Franny. Don’t you see, yes, for now, he wants to stick around, and last night was one of the best nights of my life, but don’t forget why I did it.”
Franny groaned. “Don’t think of it like that.”
“I did it so at least I had a choice before tonight. None of us know how our wolves are going to react.”
“I thought your wolf hated Mateo,” Franny said.
“She did, but I don’t know, I guess the whole closeness makes the heart grow fonder. I don’t know. All I know is something is different. I’m nervous, but for some reason, she isn’t. She trusts him.”
“And does that bother you?” Franny asked.
“A little. I don’t know if I can trust him. I don’t know if this is all a ruse or what. I don’t know, and that part is where I’m totally going crazy.”
“Why don’t you forgive him and talk to him, and try to move past it?”
He heard Harper sigh. “You know what, I want to do that, but I can’t help feeling that a part of me is giving in. His rejection hurt.”
“Men are assholes, Harper. You’ve witnessed it time and time again, with male mates coming here as a last resort because they had forgotten some anniversary or birthday,” Franny said.
“Yeah, well, we’re not exactly talking about Mateo forgetting a birthday or anniversary.”
“No, you’re right, he did forget all of those.”
Mateo gritted his teeth. He had always been tempted to get her a gift to celebrate her birth, and there had even been multiple times over the last seven years where he had thought about getting her an anniversary gift, but to him it felt insensitive.
He was fucked either way. Why did he always think he knew best? He sensed his wolf agreeing with him. Fuck!
“So, once this full moon is over, you’re just going to send him back to his own pack?”
Mateo held his breath, waiting for the cruel rejected words, that he knew deep down he deserved.
And he waited.
“I don’t know,” Harper said.
There was a brief silence.
“Well, isn’t that, like, I don’t know, a shock of a lifetime?” Franny said. “I was expecting you to say you wanted nothing to do with him, and that’s final. So come on, tell me, what has changed?”
“Again, I don’t know. Nothing has changed and yet everything. It has been amazing having him around the past couple of weeks, and not just because he can lift those large boxes or anything. I’ve liked having him here.”
“I see that smile, Harper.”
Mateo remembered to take a sip of his coffee before it got too cold. It was just at the right temperature.