He stroked my rounded belly. “Do you think your wolves will let me do this? Animals don’t like my kind. We don’t carry a scent, and that scares them.”
Staring up at the ceiling, I said, “My wolves have minds of their own, but I’ll do my best to convince them you’re a friend.”
A lock of his hair slipped forward. “They might wonder why you’re sleeping with your friend. Do you shift in your sleep?”
The thought of my wolves attacking him startled me, and I touched my chest, inwardly commanding my heart to slow down.
Atticus kept stroking. “I would never harm them, even in self-defense.”
“I’m worried aboutthemharmingyou. Especially Gypsy. They’ll be more protective with the baby, and they’ve already been through so much. I have no idea what they’ll be like around my own pack. They haven’t come out since I left the lab and might be too traumatized. It worries me how they’ll adjust to suddenly being in a pack and—” I covered my face.
Atticus lay on his side. “The sky isn’t falling. You can’t worry about everything.”
Lowering my hands, I searched his eyes. “I worry about what might happen when you leave tomorrow. What if you get hurt or killed? I don’t want our beginning to have an end.”
He caressed my cheek. “I want you to knit me a hat while I’m gone. Can you do that? I need something for winter.”
“But the cold doesn’t bother you.”
He winked. “To keep my hair in place when it’s windy. How long do you think it will take you?”
I thought about it. “A day or two. It depends on chores and whatever else might be going on.”
“That’ll keep you busy in the quiet moments. By the time it’s done, I’ll be back.”
“What color? Maybe something cheery like yellow and white.”
He barked out a laugh. “I’m afraid that wouldn’t suit my pale hair, but I’ll wear anything you make. Preferably black.”
I bridged the gap between us and pinched his chin. “But yellow is joyful.”
Atticus put his hand on my tummy and smiled. “The baby likes it when you laugh. While I’m gone, do something that puts you in better spirits.”
I pressed my forehead to his. “I’ll try, but only if you promise to come back.”
“You know I can’t promise that.”
I closed my eyes and felt his warmth. “I hate goodbyes.”
“It’s not a goodbye.”
“Then what is it?”
He traced his finger across my eyebrow. “Until we meet again.”
“Do you think it’s serendipity that we moved here? We had other options, and Salem didn’t want to join a smaller pack. Do you believe an external force is moving people together for different reasons?”
“I’d like to say that it’s just luck we met, but my connection with you is too intense.” Ambivalence bled from his expression. “If thereareforces that orchestrate our lives, I’d like to ask them why my family had to die for me to find you. Why did I have to wait threethousandyears?”
It would’ve been disrespectful to suggest it, but had it not been for his first love’s death, he wouldn’t have chosen to become a Vampire, and we would’ve never met. I only hoped that she and her child found happiness in another life.
“If I’d met you ten years ago, Atticus, I wouldn’t have been ready. I’m a different woman who doesn’t want this night to end if it could be our last night together.”
He pressed a long kiss to my forehead. “I’ve lacked joy in my life for so long, and here you are. Get under the covers. I’ll fetch the appetizers.”
“No eating in my bed. Besides, it’ll give me indigestion.”
“Then I’ll read to you.”
