too short to be face-to-face with him, but she certainly was in his space. “Oh my gosh. You tell me right now we’re not mated or whatever you silly werewolves do.”
“Well—”
“Don’t you dare ‘well’ me again. Give me an answer, Scott.”
She was so hot when she was ticked off. “All right. I’ll explain. If another werewolf came to town and passed by you, he might assume you were mated. You do have the scent of a werewolf mate. Just like if a female came to town and got near me, she might assume I was mated by my scent.”
“Assume?” she asked, eyes narrow.
“Right. Like if you wore a ring on your left hand, people would assume you were married, but that doesn’t necessarily make it true.” He tucked a piece of her hair away from her face, careful to keep his hand gentle because he could smell the edge of pain she still carried.
“Honestly, Lucy? If I had my way, you would already be my mate. Werewolves know when things are right. With Tiffany, things were right for many years, but we changed when she started having mental problems. Those are so rare in werewolves that none of us realized what was wrong until it was too late. The two of us dated a week before deciding to formalize our mating. I know you’re human and you’ve got different expectations and experiences. I’m very willing to take my time. But, if you decided to be my mate right this minute, we’d be really happy together.”
“You just know?” she asked, her eyes once again narrow in suspicion, but his answer was as easy as pie.
“I just know.”
“It wouldn’t matter that I spend a huge chunk of my time working and can’t cook to save my life? Or that I haven’t had sex in over four years and haven’t put any thought into having a relationship in those years?”
He shrugged. “What do you want me to say, Lucy? That I’d put conditions and boundaries on how I’d love you? I’m sorry if others did, but in my world, love is different. You take the good with the bad, you embrace it all and if you always burn the bacon, I don’t care because I’m perfectly capable of making enough to share with you. It doesn’t bother me that you haven’t been with a man in a while, just like it doesn’t bother me that you were married—okay, that bothers me a little. I wish I could be coming to you without a past. I wish you were coming to me that way too, but I’ll take it all if you’ll let me.”
She looked unconvinced. He hoped she was starting to at least get a picture of what mating and family meant to him. Her grandmother sounded like an amazing woman and it sounded like she’d done a lot of good in her years. Unfortunately, her upbringing had left Lucy with a few family scars. She didn’t get terribly close, she’d give, yet never expected reciprocation. In her marriage, she’d probably been able to keep a measure of distance, especially if her husband had been away. Those were things she’d learn to change with him.
“And I’d take you on just the way you are? With twins on the edge of puberty and an inquisitive little girl? Your long hours, your whole wolf thing?”
“And don’t forget after I work a double, my feet smell horrible,” he added, putting a cheerful note at the end. “I’ll hit the showers with my shoes on so it doesn’t bother you. Just like you see things as flaws on you, I’m not perfect. I’ll never pretend to be, but I know having you love me will make me better.”
Her breath caught a little at the confession and he wasn’t sure but he thought she might have said ‘love’. He forgot sometimes how human she was and that she couldn’t smell and see emotion on him like shewolves could. He’d learned with the kids how much words mattered, since the little ones needed to be taught what love and affection—the good kinds—looked like. He’d foolishly set that wisdom aside with Lucy.
“Love is important,” he said quietly, crouching slightly so he was eye to eye with her,
“Well—”
“Don’t you dare ‘well’ me again. Give me an answer, Scott.”
She was so hot when she was ticked off. “All right. I’ll explain. If another werewolf came to town and passed by you, he might assume you were mated. You do have the scent of a werewolf mate. Just like if a female came to town and got near me, she might assume I was mated by my scent.”
“Assume?” she asked, eyes narrow.
“Right. Like if you wore a ring on your left hand, people would assume you were married, but that doesn’t necessarily make it true.” He tucked a piece of her hair away from her face, careful to keep his hand gentle because he could smell the edge of pain she still carried.
“Honestly, Lucy? If I had my way, you would already be my mate. Werewolves know when things are right. With Tiffany, things were right for many years, but we changed when she started having mental problems. Those are so rare in werewolves that none of us realized what was wrong until it was too late. The two of us dated a week before deciding to formalize our mating. I know you’re human and you’ve got different expectations and experiences. I’m very willing to take my time. But, if you decided to be my mate right this minute, we’d be really happy together.”
“You just know?” she asked, her eyes once again narrow in suspicion, but his answer was as easy as pie.
“I just know.”
“It wouldn’t matter that I spend a huge chunk of my time working and can’t cook to save my life? Or that I haven’t had sex in over four years and haven’t put any thought into having a relationship in those years?”
He shrugged. “What do you want me to say, Lucy? That I’d put conditions and boundaries on how I’d love you? I’m sorry if others did, but in my world, love is different. You take the good with the bad, you embrace it all and if you always burn the bacon, I don’t care because I’m perfectly capable of making enough to share with you. It doesn’t bother me that you haven’t been with a man in a while, just like it doesn’t bother me that you were married—okay, that bothers me a little. I wish I could be coming to you without a past. I wish you were coming to me that way too, but I’ll take it all if you’ll let me.”
She looked unconvinced. He hoped she was starting to at least get a picture of what mating and family meant to him. Her grandmother sounded like an amazing woman and it sounded like she’d done a lot of good in her years. Unfortunately, her upbringing had left Lucy with a few family scars. She didn’t get terribly close, she’d give, yet never expected reciprocation. In her marriage, she’d probably been able to keep a measure of distance, especially if her husband had been away. Those were things she’d learn to change with him.
“And I’d take you on just the way you are? With twins on the edge of puberty and an inquisitive little girl? Your long hours, your whole wolf thing?”
“And don’t forget after I work a double, my feet smell horrible,” he added, putting a cheerful note at the end. “I’ll hit the showers with my shoes on so it doesn’t bother you. Just like you see things as flaws on you, I’m not perfect. I’ll never pretend to be, but I know having you love me will make me better.”
Her breath caught a little at the confession and he wasn’t sure but he thought she might have said ‘love’. He forgot sometimes how human she was and that she couldn’t smell and see emotion on him like shewolves could. He’d learned with the kids how much words mattered, since the little ones needed to be taught what love and affection—the good kinds—looked like. He’d foolishly set that wisdom aside with Lucy.
“Love is important,” he said quietly, crouching slightly so he was eye to eye with her,
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