“You mentioned your mother. Tell me about her?”
While I told him about my mom, Lewis pulled out plate after plate of amazing-looking dishes. Simple, but I could tell he took care in preparing them. Slices of ham. Deviled eggs. Potato salad. A small board of cheeses and fruits. Honey buttermilk pie. The bread I brought fit in perfectly, and he showed off different kinds of honey, each one with its own custom honey dipper.
I’d gone on and on about how I was brought up while we ate.
Gosh, I was talking too much.
“You were raised here? On this land?”
The alpha nodded. His scent changed, and I could feel the pride rise from him. The bond between his bear and my wolf already taking shape. “My parents were farmers.”
“They bought the land?”
He nodded. “Before Oliver Creek was even on the map. It was cleared land when they purchased it. It cost them their life savings, but they were both hard workers.”
“May I ask what happened to them?”
Lewis looked off into the distance. I knew that look well. I had the same one when asked about my mother. “They passed about five years ago. They were older when they had me and so when I graduated high school, they were way up there even for shifters. My alpha father died of an aneurism and my omega died less than twenty-four hours later.”
“They must’ve been deeply in love.”
He nodded. “They were. My father would light up when my dad came into the room.”
“People dream of a love like that. It doesn’t happen for many. They must have been fated.”
A few minutes passed with no words. We were both sitting in the past.
“Are you done eating?” I sat up straighter, snapped out of what was.
“I am.”
“Would you like to shift and run with me, alpha?”
Chapter Nine
Lewis
“I-I am not sure.” The bold omega had asked me to shift with him, and while I wanted that more than almost anything, “I haven’t been able to take my fur since I got so sick.”
“Can you hear him?” Wilder laid a palm on my chest. “Is he in there?”
“Yes and yes.” Although, I was having a hard time breathing with the omega touching me. “But by the time you showed up with your soup, I was not able to raise him at all. I sensed his presence but feared he was also sick.”
“Not now?”
“No, he’s quite active in there.” And noisy. “He likes you.”
“That’s so nice. My wolf really wants to meet him. So, want to give it a try? If you can’t it’s okay. I’m sure it will just be a matter of time and healing. I have a tincture that might help.”
“I’m game to attempt a shift. If I can’t, you are very welcome to let your wolf have the run of the property. Just give the hives a berth since they aren’t used to you.”
He shook his head. “Thank you, but I only want to do it together. We are on a date, right?”
“You know, omega, you really are outspoken and I like it. Yes, we’re on a date, and I suppose that means we should stay together for the duration. I just didn’t want your wolf to suffer if my bear and I can’t get it together.”
“I’ve been called mouthy,” he said. “As well as a lot of synonyms of that word. I hope I’m not too much.”
“You’re just right.” I gathered our picnic things. “If we leave these here, real animals will move in on them. There’s a bench on my back porch where we can leave our clothes.” Even thewalk was a pleasure with him at my side. I climbed the steps and opened the screen door to set the basket inside.
