Hawthorn cupped my face with both hands, making me look at him. "Hey. It's okay. We'll decorate them together."
His touch grounded me and some of the urgency eased.
"Sorry," I whispered. "I don't know why this is so important to me."
"It's fine." He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Let me handle the morning rush and I'll help you. Okay?"
I nodded. Hawthorn unlocked the front door and I started on the icing. I had white for the muzzles, and black for the eyes and noses. I made yellow icing and some red as well for little hats or maybe bowties. I considered a kerchief but would make that decision later.
The morning rush came and went and through it all, I decorated cookies. Each one had to be perfect with the eyes exactly the same size, the smile symmetrical and the little paws positioned properly. If one wasn't how I wanted it, I set it aside and started over.
My beast was exhausted just watching me and declared he’d need a nap when I was done.
"Those are adorable." Mrs. Trent had come in for her sourdough. She peered through the doorway to where I was working. "Are they for a party?"
"Just making them," I called back.
"Well, they're precious. You should sell them."
Maybe I should. But the thought of selling them made me teary and I grabbed a tissue and dabbed at my eyes. These weren't for sale. They were mine.
By noon, I'd decorated five dozen teddy bears. My back ached from standing so long and my hands were cramping. But I couldn't stop. There were more cookies that needed decorating.
"Zale." Hawthorn's gentle voice penetrated the need to complete my task. "Come here for a minute."
"I'm almost done with this batch."
"Now, please."
The firmness in his tone made me look up. He was standing by the doorway and his expression was serious. His furrowed brow suggested he was concerned. Maybe fearful too.
I set down the piping bag and walked over to him. He pulled me close and buried his nose in my neck. He inhaled deeply and his body went very still.
"What?" I asked.
He pulled back and looked at me. His eyes were wide and that worried me. Could he sense the onset of a cold or flu? "Your scent. It's different."
Oh, so I was about to get sick? That was cool he could predict it. "Different how?"
"Sweeter. Warmer." He scented me again, this time near my temple, then lower by my shoulder. "When's the last time you shifted?"
I tried to remember. "Christmas Eve? No, wait. The day before that. Why?"
"Have you been tired lately?"
"A little. But we worked a lot leading up to Christmas." My cheeks warmed and I imagined them dotted with pink. "And we haven’t gotten much sleep since we mated."
My mate returned my smile.
"What about your emotions? Has anything changed recently?"
"Nothing unusual." Though I had cried yesterday when a customer's kid showed me a pic he’d drawn of his family. And the day before, I’d gotten teary when I looked at a picture of puppies. "Hawthorn, what's going on? Is there something wrong with me?"
He studied the cookies spread across every surface in the bakery. I followed his gaze and noted the dozens of teddy bears with smiles and rounded tummies.
"You're nesting," he said quietly.
"I'm what?"
