“It’s not.I’ve looked for you for years.”
Daisy doesn’t seem to hear me.“Nothing in my life has ever been easy.And I guess I don’t trust things when they are.”
“Daisy—”
“But I trust you!I feel good around you.I know I’m safe.You’ve been nothing but honest and kind and perfect.I just—I feel like I’ll be a burden to you.Either we clear my name, or we don’t.Either I go to jail or I’m on the run forever.I won’t be able to work or travel.I’ll just—I don’t know,” she finishes weakly.
I pull her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her waist and smoothing a hand over her back.“Take a deep breath.I’ve got you.I told you we’d get everything cleared up, and we will.We’re already making progress, and it’s only been a few hours.We’ll figure it out.”
She nods against my shoulder, and I kiss the top of her head again.
“As for us, nothing has to happen.I’m happy just being around you.I want to take care of you.I want to see you smile, hear you laugh.I want to support you through the hard times.And I want to do all of that without putting more pressure or stress on you.Am I stressing you out?”
“No!No, you’ve been great.It’s me.I don’t want to saddle you with all this drama.”
“I want you to.I want to be there for you, help you solve your problems.
Daisy gives me a watery smile.“That’s crazy.”
“That’s fated mates, baby,” I tease.
She sighs.“I have so much to learn.”
“You’ll get there.One day, this will be a great story to tell our children.”
“Oh, God,” she groans.
I chuckle as I rock her in my arms and feel the tension ease from her body.
“For what it’s worth, I’m so glad that it was me who ran into you.I’m grateful that fate brought us together.”
“Me too,” she whispers.“I just wish that it had happened a year ago.Before all of this mess started with Joe.”
“I should’ve looked for you harder.When I got out of the military, I should’ve searched for you.”
She wraps her arms around me.“You were in the military?”
“Marines.I did four years before I was injured on deployment and medically discharged.That’s when I came back to Night Grove Falls.”
“You grew up here?”
“Born and raised in the pack.”
“Pack?”
“Shifters typically belong to a pack.A few of us prefer to go solo, but we’re stronger together.”
“There are more shifters here?”
“Many.Wolves, bears, cougars, mountain lions, rabbits, elk, you name it.”
“How can you tell who is what?”
I twirl a strand of her hair around my finger.“You can’t.I can smell their animal on them, but you can’t tell from looking.”
I wrap my arms tighter around her.I love having her in my lap, love having her scent all over me.
We’re silent for a while before Daisy clears her throat.
