I want to kick myself for waiting so long to ask her out, especially now that I know another Alpha is interested.
I need to make up for lost time.
8
MAEVE
I can’t stopthe goofy smile on my face.
I missed Ivan like crazy and not seeing him all day was torture.
I could scent him through the walls, all caramel apples and summertime, but both the clinic and the rescue were so busy that I didn’t have time to see him.
It washorriblewithout him.
“It’s about time,” Mari observes, and I can hear the smirk in her voice. I grab my purse from the back room and reapply my lip gloss.
I’m meeting him at the bookstore, then we’re going to dinner afterwards.
Now, if I had known ahead of time, I would have dressed in something cuter besides a loose black top and faded jeans.
But honestly? I’m tired of waiting, and I’m high on the excitement.
I have three crushes on three different Alphas, and I’m finally going on a date with one of them.
“Wish me luck, Alvin,” I whisper, pressing my lips to his head and inhaling his calming cat scent.
He responds with a deep purr and a sweet nuzzle to my cheek.
“Oh, I should keep this from Avery, huh,” Piper says suddenly. “Right?”
I point my finger at her. “Tell my brother and I’ll kill you,” I promise her. “He’ll worry and fret for nothing.”
She gives me a pointed look. “Sounds like someone else I know,” she says. “It must run in the family.”
Rolling my eyes, I sling my purse over my shoulder and head toward the door. “Uh-huh.”
“Hey,” Piper calls out. “You better keep us posted in the group chat. And text us when you get home.”
“Okay,Mom,” I grumble, but secretly smile to myself.
It’s nice to have people care about my wellbeing and watch over me.
Avery’s always done it, and I’ve had some good friends before, but never like Piper and Blair.
After a childhood of hoping for my parents to want anything to do with me, I finally have people that want the best for me.
That includes Ivan, too.
He’s always so kind. Always checking in with me at work.
And I swear his scent alone is a warm blanket around my heart, keeping me tethered to the earth when the rest of me wants to journey into a world of worries and panic.
Maybe I should tell him that, I think to myself as I park at the bookstore where he’s waiting for me, casually leaning against the outside wall with a grin on his face.
My stomach flips. He changed into light jeans and a grey thermal that shows off his slim waist and the definition of hisarms. His dark, thick wavy hair is slightly messy, which I assume is from him running his fingers through it.
He’s so cute I can’t stand it.
