Liv sat at the kitchen table when I walked in. I still hadn’t gotten used to the sight of her being here. I hadn’t gotten used to the smell of coffee whenever I woke up. I hadn’t missed that she brewed enough for both of us every morning.
Her eyes raised to meet mine when I walked in. For the briefest of moments, her lips pursed, and her eyes darkened as I walked into the room. Then it disappeared, her normal smile that was nearly always on her face emerging. Despite the smile, I didn’t miss the lingering awkwardness that had hung between us ever since she moved in.
“I made coffee,” she said, the way she did whenever we ran into one another in the morning. “Feel free to have some.”
“Thanks,” I grunted.
As I poured my coffee, my mind wandered. I still couldn’t believe what I had done, forcing Liv to move in with me. I wasn’t entirely sure what had come over me, only that I had known in my core that I couldn’t let her leave. Some primal instinct had roared to life when I saw what she was planning. I knew she hated me for it, even more than she already did.
I didn’t know how to broach any of this, though. I guessed the best way was the direct approach.
“So I figure we should at least talk about the mating ceremony,” I grumbled.
She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have to be so surly about it.”
“I’m not surly.”
Liv giggled. “Drake, you are quite possibly the grumpiest person I’ve ever met.”
I tilted my head, one eyebrow raised. Her laugh deepened.
“See? There’s that surly expression you always have.”
I scowled, and the giggling intensified. It would have been annoying from anyone else, but on Liv, it was charming and adorable. I waited for her laughter to subside before pushing further.
“I wanted to know what sort of ceremony you wanted,” I grunted.
She blinked, her brow furrowing. “What?”
“A lot of women have specific ideas about their mating ceremony,” I muttered, sipping the still-scalding coffee. “Given everything, I wanted to make sure that you at least got the type of ceremony you wanted.”
“Oh,” she said.
“Something wrong with that?”
“No, no. It’s more that I didn’t…” she trailed off. “I appreciate you asking. That’s all.”
I had the feeling she had been about to say, “I didn’t expect you to ask,” but didn’t want to follow that path.
“Well, is there anything you want?” I asked.
She bit her lip, something flickering in her gaze for a moment as she hesitated, then the smile resurfaced. “I mean, I was kind of hoping for a smaller thing, you know.”
That hadn’t been the answer I’d expected from Liv. I had thought she would want something large, more extravagant. Not because she was shallow, but because she liked sharing festivities and celebrations with people. I would have anticipateda massive guest list that comprised half the pack, a large dance party, a pretty dress. She deserved it, if that’s what she wanted.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I think it’s easiest, don’t you?”
“Sure,” I agreed. “But I’m not asking what’s easiest. I’m asking if there’s anything you want in particular.”
She studied me for a long moment before shaking her head.
“Small is best,” she said.
Something about that didn’t sit right with me, but going deeper didn’t seem like a good idea. If she wasn’t going to tell me otherwise, then I was going to have to take her at her word.
“What about after the fact?” I asked.
