He let out a long exhale as if he’d been gut-punched. Taking her hand, he led her toward his truck.
“Wait,” she said, pulling back slightly. “I drove here in my SUV. It’s parked along the street there.”
James stopped walking and turned to her. “We can pick it up later.”
She glanced away, and he could sense her mind turning, perhaps weighing whether she should get into his truck or drive herself. Driving herself meant independence. A way of leaving on her own terms if things went badly.
“Okay,” she said finally.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Okay,” he repeated, and guided her to his truck.
He opened the door and helped her inside, his fingers gripping her elbow gently. The mate bond flared between them, stronger this time, a warm current that made his skin tingle. He closed the door as she settled in her seat, then jogged around to the driver’s side, not wanting to waste a moment.
Now that he’d decided to tell her, now that she was ready to trust him, he wanted it over with so they could move on. Could start planning their life together.
If she accepted him.
That thought niggled in his brain as he climbed into the cab, started the engine, and turned the heater on full blast. Doreen huddled closer to him as if trying to steal his warmth. Or maybe she simply sought comfort, reassurance that she’d made the right choice.
She wasn’t touching him, not quite, but he could feel the nearness of her. Feel her warmth radiating through layers of fabric. He’d never been more aware of another person in his life.
He wished he could put an arm around her, hold her close, but in these weather conditions, he needed both hands on the wheel.
Safety first,his bear reminded him. And they both knew their mate’s safety was the most important thing. He would never forgive himself if any harm came to her.
They wound through the narrow roads leading away from town, snow-laden pines creating dark tunnels against the night sky. Doreen sat with her hands folded tightly in her lap, her profile illuminated by occasional flashes of moonlight as they drove along the mountain pass. James gripped the wheel, his knuckles white—not just from the treacherous conditions. The closer they got to his cabin, the more his stomach knotted.
This could blow up in his face. Completely. Utterly.
We’re past the point of no return,his bear rumbled.She deserves to know.
He stole another glance at her as the truck’s headlights cut through the darkness, revealing the winding path to his secluded home. How he wished he could read her mind, know her thoughts.
When they reached his cabin, he stopped the truck and got out, not daring to look at her, not giving her a chance to say, “Stop! I’ve changed my mind.” He opened the truck door and helped her out.
He wanted to kiss her more than anything, but the greater need won out. The need for truth. For honesty between them. He took her hand and led her around the side of the cabin.
“We’re not going inside?” Doreen asked, her voice catching slightly.
James shook his head, squeezing her fingers gently. “What I need to show you is outside.”
She hesitated, and he felt her hesitation like a physical thing. He saw the questions flashing behind her eyes as she glanced toward the darkness beyond the cabin. For a second, he thought she might bolt. Then her jaw set, shoulders squared, and whatever internal battle she’d been fighting resolved itself.
“Lead the way,” she said, stepping forward with him. Not blindly following butchoosingto trust.
I hope she doesn’t run,his bear whispered inside him, uncharacteristically subdued.
They were about to find out.
The backyard stretched before them, a blank canvas of untouched snow gleaming silver in the moonlight. With no features visible beneath the pristine white blanket, just emptiness and, he hoped, possibility.
But they weren’t here to admire his garden, buried now beneath winter’s shroud. They were here for something more profound.
James stopped walking and turned to face her. “You trust me, right?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Doreen opened her mouth, but no words came. She closed it again, swallowed hard, and nodded once.
That was all the answer he needed.
