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“Imagine getting to run with us!” Rosie said excitedly. “And play with Noah in your lycan form. God, it would be so cute. I think you’re gonna be a badass wolf.”
I found myself blushing at her compliment, not sure why it flustered me so much. “I hope so,” I said. “I’d really like to make Cole proud. And maybe it will be easier to get Noah’s adoption approved if I’m a shifter, too.”
“Oh my god! You’re planning on adopting Noah?”
“Yeah. He deserves to have a momma, don’t you think? And he’s been testing the waters with calling me his mom. He seems like he’s still not sure about it, but Cole and I are just letting him set the pace.”
“I think that’s smart,” Rosie agreed. “What stage are you guys in with all of that?”
“It’s sort of on the back burner until we get some of these other things handled,” I said. “We’ve got a lot on our plate, and we don’t want to overcomplicate things. Plus, we still have a lot of work to do on headquarters before we can bring any social workers to visit and clear us. I know Noah is feeling anxious about it, though. He’s been asking me questions about it.”
“Kids can be really perceptive, huh?”
I nodded. “He’s so damn smart, it blows me away sometimes.” I smiled, thinking of the adorable little guy.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I took it out, seeing a text from Lana come up on the screen.
So, we’re having a sleepover tonight?
I snorted a laugh and typed back a quick response.
I see Paulette got to you.
Lana sent back a bunch of sleepover-related emojis, and that was answer enough for me.
“Well, looks like we’re officially having a girls night,” I said to Rosie. “I hope you’re ready for Lana and Paulette to dare you to sneak into Ashton’s bunk.”
“I mean, they won’t have to try very hard...” Rosie said under her breath.
“Rosie! Dirty lil’ bird!”
“Oh, come on! You’re one to talk!” she shot back. “You’re with Cole.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked her, starting to panic. “What have you heard?”
“I didn’t have to hear anything. Sometimes, you can just tell,” she said with a shrug.
“Bullshit,” I retorted.
“So, you’re telling me he’s not an animal in bed?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny.”
“Oh, come on!” she pressed. “Don’t hold out on me!”
“Listen, I am not nearly drunk enough to deal with this right now,” I said. “Let me get through this event, and then I will tell you all the juicy details you want, okay? But only if you promise not to tease me about them. I will die of embarrassment if you do.”
“You got a deal!” Rosie said happily, offering up her pinky for a promise.
I giggled, latching her pinky with mine. “It’s a deal, then.”
I checked the time, seeing with some surprise that it was already getting kind of late. “Hey, give me a few minutes, would you? I told Cole I’d call him.”
“Sure thing,” Rosie said with a smile. “I’ll be right here.”
I nodded and stood up, walking over to a side door that led out to one of the gardens we were working on. I picked up a couple of flyers that had either been missed or had blown over from somewhere in the forest. It sort of felt like cleaning up glitter or cat hair—we never seemed to get every bit of it.
I held the phone up to my ear as I cleaned up, listening as it rang before Cole’s outgoing voicemail clicked on with the message I’d nearly memorized. As I waited for the tone to go off, signaling my opportunity to leave a message for my husband, I saw a brief blur of movement in the corner of my eye.
