His eyes widened but he nodded, leaning over beside her to work her panties to past her thighs and then her knees to pool around her ankles. When he straightened up, she moved toward the toilet and he helped her sit. “I’ll be right outside. Call me for anything at all.”
“Thank you, Rance.”
Rance quickly left the bathroom and leaned against the wall beside the bathroom door, his head back, his eyes closed. “Give me control,” he whispered. Leaning close to her, removing her panties, her scent, feeling her warmth, had almost undone him. If she’d not been injured, he wasn’t sure he’d have had the strength to step away from her.
It wasn’t long before she was calling his name. “Rance?”
“Right here,” he said, opening the door, just a crack, then pausing before going any further. “Can I come back in?”
“Please,” Gwen said.
Rance opened the door and walked the rest of the way in.
“Bet you never thought you’d be helping some female you don’t even know pull her panties up,” Gwen said.
Rance laughed. “Maybe not exactly like this, but it’s all good.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry you got elected to help me pee,” she said.
Rance, who’d already bent over and lifted her panties to her knees, paused just a few inches from her face and looked into her eyes. “I’m not. I’ll be here, no matter what you need, no matter how unexpected. You will always be able to run to me. Always.”
Gwen swallowed slowly as she looked into his eyes. “Okay,” she finally whispered.
“Let’s get you back in bed,” he said, clearing his throat and trying to force himself back into the role of caregiver rather than unrecognized mate.
“Okay,” she said again, putting her arm around his neck and shoulders to hold on as he lifted her to her feet again.
Before she had the opportunity to do so herself, he reached down and gently slid her panties the rest of the way up her thighs and into place, before tugging the tail of the over-sized button down shirt down over her ass. “All set?” he asked.
She nodded.
They made their way back to the bed, where he helped her lie down and got her tucked in again. “I’ll be back with some food. Won’t take me long,” he said, smiling at her as he straightened up from getting her settled.
“Thank you, Rance.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, backing away from her before turning to walk out of the room.
“Rance?” she said, just as he was stepping out of the room.
“Yeah?” he asked, looking back at her.
“I don’t mean just for this, here. I mean for everything. Thank you. I appreciate the choices you made. I know it wasn’t easy. But you made that choice regardless of the way it would affect you.”
He stood there, his mind whirling with the realization that she knew what they were, had known probably from the same moment he knew. “It wasn’t about me then. It was about you. And you were happy. You deserved to continue to be happy.”
She nodded.
“I’ll be right back. Eggs cook quickly. Grits, I’m pretty sure they have those instant ones because their daughters have zero patience.”
Gwen nodded. “I’ll be right here.”
~~~
Rance was busy cooking Gwen’s eggs and grits when he heard the front door open and close. He stepped around the corner of the kitchen and looked through the formal living room toward the door. “Feral? You alright?”
“Yeah,” Feral answered. He walked past the kitchen to be able to see through the den where all the kids were sleeping again, to the pool area outside. Most of his people were still outside around the pool, visiting and enjoying the night.
“You don’t look okay,” Rance said, darting back into the kitchen.
