“I need to get all this food in the fridge,” Kelsey said. “You could follow me back to Maggie’s, if you want.”
“Okay. Yeah.” Were his hands shaking?
The drive was never-ending. At last they were stepping quietly over the threshold, Trevor’s arms laden with the bags. Kelsey peeked into Maggie’s room; her aunt was fast asleep. Well, good. Maggie needed the sleep, and they might need the privacy.
She got everything organized and put away in either fridge or freezer, then fastened the various gift cards to the fridge with Maggie’sGone with the WindandCasablancamagnets. Then she turned to face him. Trevor stood watching her, hands behind his back, what looked like panic in his eyes.
“Time to talk,” she said.
He nodded.
He had to find a way to say all this without messing up. He had no idea how much to tell her. They’d been just kids when they broke up, oblivious kids who’d barely heard of “fated mates.” Shoot, too much wolf lore at once might weird her out. Then again, nothing about the wolves had ever weirded Kelsey out before. She accepted them as fully as she would accept any human.
He had to hope he’d know when the moment came how much to tell her and how much to keep to himself. His heart was pounding and his mouth had gone dry. Arlo had helped him talk by asking specific questions, by already knowing so much. But Kelsey wouldn’t know what to ask.
“Trevor?” she said quietly.
He couldn’t talk yet, so he led her to the living room and took a seat on the floor, his back braced by the couch. He didn’t know why this felt more right than simply sitting on the couch like always. He didn’t seem to know anything at all right now.
Kelsey knelt on the floor too, in front of the dormant fireplace. Mere feet away.
“Did you and Arlo talk about me?”
He nodded.
“Does he think I shouldn’t be here?”
His head cleared a little at her unexpected words. He drew up his knees and wrapped his arms around them as he leaned toward her.
“He thinks I should be honest.”
“You haven’t been?”
A heavy question. “I’ve never lied to you.”
“But you’ve kept things from me.”
“Not on purpose.”
“Okay.”
She sat waiting, filling his senses until he could hardly keep still. Hardly keep his hands still. He wanted to scoop her into his arms the way Aaron had done with his brotherly goodbye hug. Not the way Aaron had, though. He wanted to claim her mouth with his. He wanted to push her hair back from her temples, feel it between his fingers. He wanted…
“Trevor.”
He mastered his thoughts, opened his mouth to speak, but a quaking began in him from the inside out. Go on, say it. Reveal his weakness. Ask her to consider him again.
And hear her say no.
Her eyes would dim with disappointment in him. She would pity or despise him. She would know the wolf she’d fallen for back then was the least of all the pack.
Kelsey scooted forward on her knees. “Trevor, I’m listening, but you have to say something.”
“I’m trying,” he whispered.
“Is this about what you let them all believe about me? Because I already know. Sydney made it clear.”
“Wh-what?”
