He finally looked at her and gave her asmall smile. “I do.”
“Anyway, Walt’s funeral was this morning andGlenn’s funeral is tomorrow. I don’t expect to be able to go; thedoctors think Roger should rest and stay away too, but—”
“It's a bad idea, Maggie. The funeral willbe the prime place for the Savages to stick a human to watch foryou. They’ll expect you to show up there.”
She sighed and rolled a piece of muffinbetween her fingers, creating a ball with it. “I understand, but Ihave to get back to work soon. I have bills to pay, and I can’tkeep expecting my coworkers to cover my shifts. It’s not fair tothem, especially since I’m healthy.”
“It’s not safe.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“I’ll help with your bills.”
“No.”
“Maggie—”
“No. I won’t allow it. I take care ofmyself.”
“But you don’t have to anymore.”
“I’m not sure what this is between us. Ilike you, a lot, but I haven’t known you long, and I’m not going torely on you to support me. It’s bad enough you’re buying my foodand paying for my hotel room. I’m not used to this; I don’t likeit. Even if we were married, I wouldn’t like it, and we’re notmarried. I can only do one small step at a time, and you supportingme isnota small step.”
“Fair enough,” he relented.
“Besides, we can’t continue to keep hidingout in the hotel. Are we supposed to spend days, weeks, monthsthere?”
The way his eyes raked her body made herpulse race. “Would that be so bad?”
“For my job and the rest of my life, yes.For us, no,” she replied honestly, and he smiled. “But that’s notthe way the human world works.”
“No, it’s not.”
He didn’t tell her the mate bond was a farmore binding connection than marriage. If she agreed to completeit, she would realize that on her own.
“I’ve always taken care of myself or pulledmy share of the weight,” she stated.
“I’m not supporting you,” he said. “I’mhelping you as you’ve helped me.”
She stopped eating, but her fingerscontinued to pick at her muffin. “How have I helped you?”
“By bringing tranquility to my life.”
“Oh.”
“Not all support is money.”
“True.” She popped a ball of muffin in hermouth.
Aiden’s eyes were drawn to the door when ayoung couple entered, laughing as they made their way to thecounter. He watched them until he was certain they weren’t athreat.
“Okay, so we’re helping each other,” Maggiesaid. “But we can’t remain locked away forever, no matter how muchwe both want to.”
“No, we can’t,” he reluctantly agreed.
“So, what do we do next?”
“Why don’t we take the rest of today toenjoy each other and figure that out tomorrow?”
