Huh.That werewolf hearing was no joke.
“Come on over,” he said.“Sit down and eat.”
I did, taking a big swig of the orange juice set out for me.“I can wait for you to make your omelet so we can eat together.”
He pulled a plate from the oven with two omelets on it and grabbed the plate of bacon to bring with him.He almost sat, but then remembered one more thing, going back for a plate of toast.
When he finally sat and picked up his fork, I was overwhelmed by a wave of love.“Thank you.”
Using his fork, he pointed at my plate.“Go ahead.Before it gets cold.”
He’d made me a ham and cheese omelet, and it was delicious.My breakfast got blurry as I stared at it.
“Wait.”He reached over the table and took my hand.“What’s the matter?”
I used the paper towel he’d put by my plate to dry my tears.“Sorry.Hormones, I guess.It’s wonderful.Thank you.”
“Oh.”Looking relieved, he sat back.“I’m glad you like it.Now go ahead and eat.”
I did while he distracted me by talking about the dining table he was making for us.
“Chairs are a pain in the ass to make, so some of our guests are going to be sitting on metal folding chairs tomorrow night.”He took a couple of pieces of bacon for himself, placing more on my plate too.
“Is this what it’s going to be like?”I asked.“Living together?”
His eyebrows rose as a flash of panic shone in his eyes.
“I hadn’t anticipated this.”My chest felt tight and my eyes filled again.“I don’t know what I expected.Maybe what it was like when you spent the night at my place.We slept together then went in separate directions for work.I didn’t know about cooking breakfast and snuggling on couches—though, I guess we tried to do that on my too-small studio couch.”
Smiling through the tears, I continued, “The hair washing, the hugs and kisses, the plans for rooms and furniture, constantly foisting food on me.”I swallowed, trying to dislodge the tightness in my throat.“Sharing my fears over the little one.Having someone one hundred percent on my side.You may get frustrated or annoyed with me, but I never have to wonder if you’re only pretending to care about me to get something from me.”I wiped at my tears again.“I don’t think you understand what a gift you are, one I am so very grateful for.I hope someday I make you feel as loved as you make me feel.”
He blinked glassy eyes and said, “You already do.”
Shaking my head, I bit into my bacon.“No.I’m not there yet, but I’ll try harder.”
“Eat,” he said.“That’s all I need.”
TWENTY
Flew!
After breakfast, I dealt with the dishes.We got cleaned up, and dirty, and cleaned up again.I loved the way he washed my hair.He was thorough but gentle.While I conditioned and dried it, he went down to his workshop until it was time for the drive to the gallery.
Dressed and ready, I got to the bottom of the stairs with my backpack and saw our dining table.It gleamed under the light.It was a dark walnut with an inlay of a reddish curly sinker heartwood pine.It was stunning.
Seeing the table made me want to step up the schedule on the light fixture I was making.Maybe I’d work on that today for a bit.It’d be nice to take a break from octopuses.I also needed to tell my agent Mary Beth not to accept big orders like this again.Too much repetition drove me insane.
Declan had three chairs built and was working on the fourth.
“Wait.We never talked about the new client.”I ran my gloved hand over the table.“Does he want you to make a dining set for him?”
Declan looked up and gazed at me for a long moment.It made butterflies take flight in my stomach.Finally, he nodded, putting aside his tools.
“He does.A dining table, twelve chairs, a buffet, two coffee tables, and three end tables.”
“Holy moley.That’ll keep you busy for a while.Can you deliver the pieces as you finish, or does he want it all at once?”
He took my hand and walked me out to his SUV.“I’ll deliver in sets.The dining table and chairs all together.The buffet on its own.Then the coffee tables together and the end tables together.I want it to be easy to integrate my pieces into his home, cutting down on all the rearranging of furniture.”
