Archer glanced at the tattoo on his arm and replied, “I want you to yell at me when you’re mad and tell me if I’m being a dick. I want you to tell me when you’re hungry and what you want to eat for dinner. If you want me to drive thirty minutes to buy you a hot dog, I’ll buy you three.” He crossed the room and stopped a few feet short of me. “I want you to stop overanalyzing everything I say. I’ll never lie to you, and I won’t judge you or try to change who you are. I wantyou—good, bad, all of it. That’s the only love I know, and it’s the only kind I can receive. I don’t want you making me a sandwich because you think I can’t do it myself.”
“That’s not why I offered.”
He averted his gaze. “You tied my shoe in the bar. I know you were just trying to be sweet, but you have to accept my weaknesses. You gotta love the whole package even if it’s missing a piece. I need to learn to tie my own shoes. I’ve been avoiding a lot of shit for too long and want to make more of an effort.” Archer closed the distance between us and touched my cheek. “I know you’re struggling because of him, trying to figure out how to navigate a relationship. Even I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. But what Idoknow is that you shouldn’t be worried about pleasing me. Wear perfume thatyoulike, or don’t wear any at all. If you ask me to buy you lobster, I will.”
“I hate lobster.”
He quirked a smile. “Good to know.”
“How do you feel about my running a bookstore?”
He jerked his head back. “It’s kick-ass—that’s what I think.”
What he couldn’t understand was how I struggled with that. “It’s just hard. He always made me feel guilty for wanting thingsand not considering his time. You’re not working right now, and I don’t want that to be an issue.”
“Whatever Noah made you believe is a lie.” He stood next to me and leaned against the sofa. “Hope and Mel aren’t just designers who create amazing pieces of art—they run their own business. That’s a huge undertaking, and their mates are supportive. Mercy and Bear have an equal partnership in terms of earning money. In fact, Mercy earns more. The thing is, Noah brainwashed you into thinking you needed to be taken care of and under his thumb. That’s not what most men want. There’re always jerks out there who want to dominate, but I’d never do that to you.”
“What if I fail?”
“You don’t fail when you put your heart into it.” He gave me a sympathetic smile. “New stuff is scary. But you’re smart, and the bookstore could grow into a big business. Look at you—you’re carrying on your father’s passion in your own way.” He bumped his shoulder against mine. “Do you think I’d stand in the way of that? I used to have an ego, but that’s not me anymore. I’ll be there to support you and bring snacks.”
My heart leaped at the realization we were finally having the talk—one that laid the groundwork for a future.
“Cici, I love you.”
My chest tightened. “How do you know? I mean… how do you know it’s real love?”
“I just do. My wolf brought you a rabbit more than once.”
I smiled with surprise. “That was you? I thought Catcher was out hunting.”
“Wolves hunt for their mates. Trust me, it wasn’t Catcher.” He shook his head. “It’s embarrassing as hell.”
“Why?”
“Horses aren’t meat eaters. I don’t expect you to eat it.”
I chuckled softly and stood in front of him. “You need to let me know what your triggers are.”
His eyebrows drew together. “We can talk about triggers as we go. I’m not sure either of us has it all figured out just yet. There are still things you’re going to have to unlearn.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t care if you’re messy. I love your hair up or down or covered in paint. However you dress your body is sexy because I know what’s underneath,” he said in a smoky voice. “I’m not a relationship expert, but we can figure this out together. I’ve got my own hang-ups I need to work through. Like learning how to accept someone’s help. So tell me what you think.”
I looked down when he held my hand. “I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
Tears unexpectedly blurred my eyes, so I quickly blinked them away. “How can I trust you? I love you, Archer. I love you more than anything, and that scares me the most. I think about how happy you make me feel. But Noah had his moments in the first year.”
Archer stood and got down on bended knee. “I can’t promise we won’t have our disagreements, but I willnevermake you feel less than. I’ll never make you cry unless they’re happy tears. I’ll never ignore or raise my hand to you.” He took my hand in his. “My wolf has found his life mate. I don’t want you to trust me on word alone. I have to earn that trust, and that’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. You’re my only.You’rethe piece that’s always been missing in my life—not the arm.”
I dropped to my knees. “Can I make you happy? Kissing in front of people makes me uncomfortable. Sometimes being in public makes me nervous. I’m not always emotionally open, and that might take time. But I can’t make promises. Sometimes you might not know why I’m upset, and I don’t know how to express myself when I’ve spent my entire life repressing myinnermost feelings. My father was kind but not demonstrative. With Noah, it was like walking on eggshells. He didn’t like seeing me upset, and he was always suspicious when I was overly happy.”
Archer leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my mouth before drawing back. “If you still want to sleep in here until you feel ready, that’s cool. I’m not pressuring you. But I want you, Cecilia Talius, to be my mate. I want to share my bed with you and hear your laughter at night when we’re talking about our day. I want to hold you when you’re sad and make you laugh. If crowds bother you, we’ll have date nights on the sofa. Bear can cater our dinners in the backyard. But I also like going out and having fun.”
“I like going out sometimes, and that’s not something I’ll hold against you. But I’m not comfortable in noisy, crowded places. Not for long periods and sometimes not at all.”
