“Maya.”
She bumped my hip with the side of her foot. She always left it there while I washed the dishes, to drag out the break from my wolf.
Her touch wasn’t calming him down completely anymore, but she didn’t know that. She didn’t need to. She wasn’t interested in having a mate, and I wasn’t going to push her.
“I’m serious, Cupcake.”
“Hi, Serious.”
She scowled, leaning closer to put her hand on my cheek and turn it so we were looking at each other. Without the sunglasses on, we would’ve been looking into each other’s eyes.
I itched to have that.
To have a real, normal relationship with my mate.
To have her with me, the way my friends had their partners living with them.
“What’s wrong?” she pressed.
“Nothing.”
“Stop lying to me.”
“Nothingnewis wrong.” I pulled her hand away, kissing her palm before turning back to the sink.
She set her hand on the countertop again and leaned back. “Have you told your friends about the issue with your wolf since we met?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t need their pity. They can’t fix this.”
“You’re closer to them than you are to your family, Ethan. They wouldn’t pity you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“My friends don’t pity me or judge me for what happened with Aidan, and I was the one who chose to stay with him. You didn’t choose to struggle like this.”
“Just drop it, Maya. Please.”
She sighed, leaning back on her hands. “Alright, let’s make a deal. If you tell them, I’ll tell you what’s going on at work.”
She had my attention with that.
I didn’t let her see it, though, focusing on the sink. “I’ll buy you another pot if you tell me.”
“You already bought me every pot I wanted, remember?”
Dammit. I had. In the exact colors she wanted. She used at least one of them every time she cooked. I was pretty sure she left one or two out on the stove like decorations at all times too.
“A pan, then,” I said.
“I have enough pans.”
I held up one of them. “This bastard has seen better days. He could join your rainbow of pots. Think how happy he’d be if he got to retire and a bright green one took his place.” She didn’t have a green one yet.
“Nope. If you want the story, you have to tell them,” she said matter-of-factly.
