“No. This is it.”
I nodded and rang him up, hoping he took the hint.
The alpha left, and I went back to making salves. I was out of stock now on several and getting a good handle on what sold and what didn’t. I would keep them all but had to make more of the more popular items.
I checked my phone an embarrassing amount of times, hoping Lewis would text or call.
He didn’t.
Not a peep.
I could text or call first but I knew my worth. He was the one who ended the date out of nowhere, and I left feeling empty and questioning everything.
I was not going to chase.
I’d done that before, several times, in other relationships. The alphas liked being chased, and I ended up doing all the work in the relationships. Setting up dates. Begging for their free time.
Fated mate or not, I would not do that again.
On Sundays, I closed the shop at one and caught up with inventory, but I kept an eye on the front door for Lewis.
He felt what I had. Our beasts bonded almost immediately but infinitely so while we were running together.
During that run, he had been free of whatever rules and grumpiness he’d decided belonged ti him.
He was free then.
At first, I was aggravated and frustrated, but now that I’d had time to stew, I was heartbroken.
All I wanted was for him to come through that door and admit that what we had was real. That he was as head over heels as I was.
Maybe that was too much to ask of the grumpy bear.
Chapter Eleven
Lewis
After spending the night wide awake and figuratively kicking myself for my behavior, I got up and went about my chores. The chickens were waiting for their breakfast, and everything else that had suffered while I was ill needed my attention, allowing me to distract myself from how I acted toward Wilder—a little. But, in fact, no matter how I tried to focus on the bees and the trees, I kept finding myself running over what happened at the end of our first date.
We had such a good time together, and the omega was nothing but good to me. My bear was wild for his wolf and demanding we get together again as soon as possible. But then he’d also informed me that any shifting would remain painful until I’d mated and marked the omega of both our dreams. And I still didn’t know if he returned that sentiment.
Or if my grouchy demeanor had done just as my dads warned and pushed him away. I’d been out here on the farm by myself since they passed, and I’d have said it was pretty close to paradise, but suddenly, being by myself held no charm whatsoever. Everything I did, I wanted to turn and talk to him about it.
Would he even be interested? Maybe…
The gardens had some herbs, but there was room for improvement. Wilder made so many of his remedies with herbs, and I wondered where he got them. There were a lot of great farms around Oliver Creek, many of which would be able to provide the things he might need. But my bear and I didn’t like that. We’d rather give him the land to grow his own or, even better, grow them for him.
For a couple of days, I worked and thought, thought and worked, and tried my best to decide what, if anything, I could do about the situation. I’d done everything except tell him to leave. Was I trying to make my fathers right?
I could come up with a thousand excuses, but none of them would make it any different, and I finally had to recognize that there would be no peace in my life without him. I’d spend the rest of my years wondering what it would have been like if I had actually done the right thing and been gracious. But there was no going back to fix what I’d already done. I could only hope that going forward, I could prove myself to the omega.
With that in mind, I showered and dressed and got ready for town.
It was after hours, and the healing shop would not even be open, but he’d told me he lived upstairs, and I could always call and tell him I was outside. Why did I not call before I went? Because I thought I stood a better chance of being admitted if I stood right there looking as pathetic as I felt. Twice, I’d behaved in a manner that no omega should have to put up with.
Under the circumstances, I didn’t want to show up empty-handed. For one thing, Wilder had pointed out what bad manners it was, and for another, I wanted to show him how sorry I was. My lack of experience in any kind of serious relationship actually had me struggling a little about what to bring while I drove toward town. Candy? Food from one of the fabulous restaurants that drew in tourists from all over the world? Maybe a piece of pottery?
In the end, I decided to keep it simple. A bouquet of flowers was a romantic gesture that should show what I was thinking. I cared about him—to put it mildly—and I wanted him to know that. Head filled with romantic impulses, I found my way to the small florist near Wilder’s shop. There were always customers in there, and today was no exception. I had to wait in line for afew minutes while the others were served, and as I finally drew close to the counter, trying to decide between roses or a mixed bouquet, the lion alpha ahead of me was taking forever to make his selections.
