Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 75(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 75(@200wpm)___ 60(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
I shake my head as a smile forces its way across my lips. “How many children do you really envision us having? And will they be shifters?
“You’re what I need to survive. Children are a bonus, and I don’t really care if we have one or ten.” There he goes saying stuff that melts my insides. “Shifter children are human during their younger years. The first change usually comes around age five or six, and it takes them a while to get complete control of their shifts. Some take much longer than others.”
“I’ve had a few kids shift in class this week.”
“I bet that was shocking for you the first time it happened.” He leans back and drapes his arm across my back.
“That’s an understatement. When I looked up and found a small brown bear sitting in Timmy Cole’s seat, I almost passed out. Luckily, the teacher next door saw what was happening and came in to help me. I had no idea when the school requested extra clothes for the kids it was so they’d have something to wear if they rip their outfits during their shifts.”
The waiter interrupts with our food, and I’m relieved at the distraction. “Can we change the subject for now and come back to finish our conversation once I’ve had time to absorb this much?”
“Of course.” Asher smiles down at me.
CHAPTER 5
Asher
I can see my mate is struggling to make sense of everything I’m throwing at her, so I decide to spend the rest of our first date concentrating on lighter subjects. She has plenty of time to discover everything—our entire lifetime.
“Tell me about your family.” She smiles at me, and I notice the wine has given her silky cheeks a little tinge of pink.
“I’m the youngest of three boys,” I tell her and reach for her soft hand. “And the most handsome.” I wink at her, and she throws back her head to laugh at me.
“I have no doubt you are.” She winks back. “Tell me about your brothers. Do they live here in town?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I moved to Honey Pot Hollow after college to escape from my overachieving family. My parents are both college professors at Helton College in Celestial Falls. Griffin, my oldest brother, is the district attorney in Moon Crest, which is about an hour from Celestial Falls. Our middle brother, Brody, is an emergency room doctor in Celestial Falls.”
“Do they make you feel bad because of your choice of career?” Fire flashes in my mate’s blue eyes. “Because I think being a firefighter is way more impressive than arguing in court, and most doctors I know are jerks,” she huffs, and my heart squeezes in my chest when I realize my mate is defending me.
“They don’t give me trouble.” I kiss her soft cheek. “I always knew I’d do something different from my family members. Growing up, I was the one outside as much as possible. My parents weren’t shocked when I told them I wanted to be a firefighter.”
“But you got a college degree first?”
“I did. My parents wanted to make sure I had something to fall back on in case I got tired of physical labor.” My bear rolls his eyes at the old argument I had with my parents.
“What did you major in?” She places her chin on her hand and waits for my reply.
“Computer engineering.” What can I say? I love computers.
Parker’s eyes widen as she gasps. “How did you decide on that major?”
“My parents blame it on my love of video games.” I shrug. “And they aren’t completely wrong.”
“So, you’re a video game fan?” Her eyes light up and she clasps her hands together.
“I am.”
“What’s your favorite game?” It seems my mate and I have more in common than I first thought.
“The Dead Rise.”
“What level are you in?” Parker nearly vibrates with excitement.
“Twenty-seven,” I tell her proudly. It took me months to get to this level, and I actually did it mostly to rub my achievement in Warrick’s face.
“I’m in twenty-nine.” Excitement shines from her bright blue eyes, and I realize this girl just stole the rest of my heart. The first moment I saw her, I knew she was destined to be my mate, but I had no idea just how perfect she is. “We should play sometimes.”
“I would love to play with you.” And not just on video games. My bear shakes his head sadly and grumbles, Stop screwing around and close the deal.
“I can’t wait to kick your bootie.” My sassy little minx likes to trash talk. I’m not sure she could get any more perfect.
“We’ll see whose bootie is getting it.” I wink at her and watch as her cheeks turn pink.
“Yes, we will.” She snuggles closer, and I realize I need to know everything there is to know about my mate.