Elton didn't let me talk him into getting mimosas, but he did order some decadent waffles with caramelized bananas on top.When he was mostly finished eating, I finally asked the question I'd been holding in all morning. “Have you told your family we’re dating?”
He laughed. “You're forgetting that I posted about our date on Friday on social media. My brother texted me before I even got home, and my parents weren’t far behind.”
“Your parents aren’t coming for your surgery?”
“No. They’re heading this direction starting next week, and I expect they’ll alternate visiting me and Lennon for a while before taking off again. But they were too far away when I found out I needed surgery to get here by tomorrow. My brother’s tasked with updating them on my status.”
“I'm looking forward to meeting him. Though I understand if you want to have brother-only time today.”
Elton appeared uncertain. “Would you mind? I already promised Lennon we’d go to the Menil Collection this afternoon and then have dinner at this hole in the wall taqueria he likes.” He made a face.
“You're not a fan?”
He shrugged. “It's pretty greasy, but their chalupas are decent. I usually get those.”
“Well, I’ll miss you, but spending time with your brother is important too. Will you give Lennon my number, and ask him to text me when you’re out of surgery tomorrow?”
“Sure. It’s scheduled for 7:30 a.m., and it’ll take an hour or so.”
“Thanks. That’ll ease my mind. What if I bring dinner for the two of you tomorrow night once you're home from your surgery?” I winked at him. “It'll be so romantic for Valentine's Day.”
Elton's face went slack with horror. “Oh my god, Valentine’s Day! I haven't even thought about it. Rafferty, I'm so sorry.” He made an aborted gesture to grab my hand but pulled away at the last second. “I don't even have a card or anything for you.”
“When did you have time? We’ve only been dating since Friday, plus you’ve got bigger things on your mind.” I smiled into his worried eyes, wishing I could smooth away the creases on his forehead. “If you're willing, there's one thing I'd like above all else for Valentine's Day. But it can also be something you give me on a random day several weeks after Valentine's Day. No pressure either way.”
He eyed me warily. “Okay, what is it?”
I leaned forward until my face was only around six inches from his—not quite near enough to trigger our magics reaching out—and I lowered my voice to a whisper. “A kiss.”
Elton's pupils dilated, and as close as we were, I heard his heart rate pick up. “Oh.”
“Like I said, only if you’re ready.”
He looked down at his plate, then back up at me. He leaned forward another inch. Our magics flared up, trying to create a connection, so he backed up a bit. “Will you ask me again tomorrow night, so I know you still mean it after the surgery?”
I suppressed a sigh. I had to accept that he wasn’t going to believe I wouldn’t change my mind. “I promise I will still want to be your mate after the surgery. But, yes. It would be mypleasure.” For the first time, I concentrated on sending my emotions to him. Strong affection, probably only days away from becoming love.
Elton’s cheeks tinged pink, and he smiled as he dropped his gaze.
My wolf was restless after we left Elton. He didn’t understand why we couldn’t sleep in the same space as our mate again tonight, and he was extremely uneasy about Elton having surgery without us there. Frankly I felt the same on both counts.
Sleep was difficult, which was the only reason I was awake at 4:00 a.m. when Elton called. I sat up in bed, gripping the phone too hard. “What’s wrong?”
“Hey, sorry to wake you.” He sounded like he was on the verge of crying.
“I want you to wake me.” My wolf pressured me to point out that we would’ve already known what the problem was if Elton had let us stay over again, but I refrained.
“Lennon ate something bad. He’s been throwing up all over the bathroom for the past couple of hours. I’m supposed to take this super-clean shower with this special anti-bacterial soap, but I can’t even get in there.”
“Shit.” I threw back the covers and rolled out of bed, scanning the floor for my shoes. “I’ll come get you and you can shower here. Do you feel alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Ididn’t eat any of the sketchy-looking tacos al carbon!” He said that last part very loudly, and I heard retching sounds in the background in response.
I grabbed my keys and left the apartment, not bothering to lock the front door. “What time do you need to be at the hospital?”
“6:00 a.m. You don’t mind taking me?”
“Baby, I wanted to be the one to take you all along.”
