Erica laughed. “I did! See, you weren’t listening.”
He sighed, and she could imagine him rubbing his hand over his face. Over the weeks, Erica had had the chance to learn all his little quirks, and by now, he was almost predictable. “I’m sorry. This stuff is driving me up the wall, and we’ve got the alpha meeting in a couple of hours.”
“Was that tonight?” She turned and looked at the calendar pinned to the wall. Dominic took the liberty of marking the days with all the meetings and shifter-related events so she’d be aware of them in advance. That was another thing she’d have to get used to. These unavoidable meetings with all the alphas ofTolstone. Hank and Cole would be there, along with Gage, and the new alpha from Kansas who had just arrived a couple of days ago. It was a big night, and Erica could have sworn it wasn’t for another few days.
“Yep. And I’m so not prepared for it.”
“Well, let me get you some food and maybe that’ll help you transition from daytime antique shop owner to moonlighting as a Prime Alpha.”
He let out a low, core-quivering chuckle that never failed to make her smile. “Moonlight Prime Alpha. I like that.”
Erica stood from her chair at the breakfast nook table and walked down the hall, her bare feet slapping against the newly refinished, polished wooden floors. She loved that sound. “So, the usual? Anything to drink?”
“We’ve got pop upstairs.”
“All right. I’ll be there in an hour or so. Just let me get changed.”
Dominic’s voice drawled out in that sexy way she liked so much. “Man, I wish I were there to see that.”
Erica giggled. “I bet you do.” Even though he wasn’t there to see it, she subconsciously swung her hips as she climbed the stairs. It drove him crazy whenever she did that.
“You’ll just have to show me what I missed when you get here.”
A flash of heat plumed up her neck and into her cheeks. “Did you ever fix the lock on that office door?”
“No,” he groaned.
“Then I don’t think a strip tease in the shop is a smart idea.”
“Tonight?”
“You have the alpha meeting.”
“I mean after that.”
As she rounded the top of the stairs, her hand lingered over the smooth baluster, pretending she caressed Dominic’s firm, muscular body. “Maybe,” she teased. “Your place or mine?”
“I have the bigger bed… Ah, shit.”
Erica froze. “What?”
“Hank’s here. I’ve got to go.”
She rolled her eyes, hating that their playful conversation had to be cut short. “That’s fine. I have to get dressed anyway.”
“I’ll see you in a little bit. I love you.”
Those words, so simple and yet they always evoked such a stirring response from her heart, as if they were spoken for the very first time, every time.
“I love you too,” she replied before the call disconnected.
The last month had changed her life in ways she could have never predicted. She didn’t come to Tolstone looking for love, but she found it in Dominic. She didn’t think she would ever find a family, but Cole came out of nowhere, and every member of the shifter packs in the town was so welcoming to her as the Prime Alpha’s mate. This community proved to be everything she needed but never knew she was missing. They were a support group of people who were willing to root for her, her business, and do everything they could to make her feel accepted.
The house had improved by leaps and bounds. People like Jaime and Gwen gave her old furniture that they were looking to get rid of. Declan, one of Gage’s pack, was a competent architect who came over to either help with repairs to the house or give her pointers on how to maintain the Victorian architecture. Some stuff she already knew, but she let him give his two cents worth. Not a week went by when someone didn’t offer her help, furniture, cooking ware, or artwork to make her house into a proper home that she could feel comfortable in again.
As she dressed, her gaze fell onto the box that had shaken her world. Erica had pushed it back into the closet, and it remaineduntouched since that day she discovered Cole was her father. The open box lids taunted her, calling her to take one more peek into the past that was so perfect before she was born, before her parents split up.
She didn’t think she was ready to dive in again and look through the photo albums full of smiling faces or touch the movie ticket stubs that her mother had once touched. As she stared down at the lonely box of memories, it invited her to look again.
