“He just retreated,” he said, surprised.
Jericho smiled.“He recognizes you as the alpha.This is a good thing.”
“What happens when I go back to Scotland, and there aren’t any packs?Or if it might take time to build one?”
He didn’t miss the quick look between the three men.
“I don’t know,” Jericho replied honestly.“I don’t know if he’ll hibernate again.”
“He might disappear once more?”
“It’s a possibility.”
“Loneliness is hard on a shifter,” Miles said quietly.“I was without my mate for fifteen years, and sometimes I still wonder how I remained sane without her.”
Tavish shuddered.Now that he knew Mairi, now that he was learning how valuable she was, walking away sounded impossible.He couldn’t imagine fifteen days, let alone fifteen years, without her.That wasn’t a future he wanted.
****
With a deep breathto calm his nerves, he knocked on Mairi’s door.A heartbeat later, she opened it and he immediately held out the flowers he gripped like a lifeline.Surprise flittered across her face as she accepted the flowers and brought them up to her nose.
“Thank you,” she murmured.“They’re beautiful.”
“They don’t hold a candle to your own beauty.”
A blush stained her cheeks.“Would you like to come inside?”
“Aye.”
She moved back and he entered her apartment.It wasn’t anything fancy, but warm colors decorated the space, giving it a cozy feeling.
“Would you like something to drink?I have beer, juice, wine.Water.”
“Beer, please.”
She headed to a tiny kitchen and dug out a glass, filled it with water, and placed the flower stems in it.Then she grabbed two beers from the refrigerator, popped off the caps, and handed him one.
“Cheers,” she said.
“Cheers.”
The atmosphere threatened to turn awkward, so he quickly launched into his idea for a date.
“I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”
“Tonight?”she asked, her smile dropping.“I’ve already eaten.”
“How about tomorrow?”
She bit her lip and tilted her head as she studied him with cautious hope.“I guess so.”
Relief poured through him.
“Not the diner,” she said.
“Not the Italian restaurant,” he added.
One eyebrow arched.“That doesn’t give us very many choices.”
