Page 50 of Novice Girlfriend

“It’s good what we have. This is amazing, and if we can do it again that would be great, but all of the time might be tiring and have more problems. We’re having fun though. I told him about all the other familiars and he’s getting to tell me more about when he goes out. It’s really fun. Thank you so much for sharing. You’re really the best. I hope he mates you. I do.”

Everything was beyond amazing… Until that last part.

Wyatt cleared his throat and looked away, sitting down and asking about the food awkwardly.

“What just happened here?” Winter asked dryly, gesturing between the three of us as Teddy approached.

I decided to ignore the whole hoping Wyatt mated me thing and focus on the rest. “Miracles do happen.” My voice cracked and I set down my container and hugged Quinn with all I had but was still careful of his smaller body. “Thanks, Quinn. Thanks for not being selfish with me.”

“Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t understand at first and hurt you. Some things get really confusing, you know?”

“Yeah, they really do,” I agreed and looked at Wyatt. I mouthed “thank you” to him.

He nodded but then let out a slow breath. “It’s how I really feel. I realized that when I thought about it more—had more time to wrap my mind around it all.”

“Wait, I need to be included here,” Winter said firmly as he greeted his familiar. He shook his head when Wyatt seemed like he was going to argue. “Naw, I’m in now, man. I was worried about you. Talk to me.”

Wyatt seemed to accept that and put up a barrier over us, and I handed him a container in thanks, plus the wasabi from mine since he was a lunatic who practically slathered it on. He thanked me and then explained the conversation he’d had with Quinn, not just the fox’s excited rambling.

“Wow, that’s big of you,” Winter accepted when he was done. “Really.”

“It is how I feel,” Wyatt repeated. “I don’t have years of hiding it. There are too many variables—I have thousands of students a day staring at me waiting for me to slip up. I would. But also reading the research Bev’s put together about the people who can hear animals, none of them had familiars. There’s a reason for that.”

“One gift or the other,” I muttered. “Actually seems fair.”

“Seems the way to keep your sanity,” Wyatt added.

Winter shot Teddy a look and the polar bear seemed like he had a lot to say, staying oddly quiet through the whole thing. “Others won’t agree. You know that. I think it’s smart to leave the apples where they are for now, leave that stove alone if you will.”

Teddy looked down. “You’ll let me talk to Winter though eventually, right, Bevin? We’re friends too, not just you and Quinn. I know I don’t understand it all, but even if you had ten, you’d pick me.”

I realized this wasn’t even about wanting to experience it with Winter, but he thought I didn’t love him as much. I reached over the huge glamping bed and rubbed his leg. “Yeah, Teddy. If I only had ten apples, you’d get one, buddy. I promise. We just don’t know what they do or how long. If you only get a few days, you want to plan to use them best, right?”

“Yeah, just wanted to make sure you would pick me.” He raised his head and smiled at me. “I’d pick you, gorgeous. Even over some of his other friends. You’re Bevin.” He nodded like it was the truth. “And I wouldn’t ask again. I get what Wyatt is saying. Maybe in an emergency or if we were really worried about Winter. Only then.”

I told the others what Teddy said and Winter couldn’t hide how proud he was of his familiar. I smiled at Wyatt. “Thank you, really. I didn’t…”

Several emotions danced in his eyes. “Yeah, I know. This was a really tough one, Bev.” He let out a shaky breath. “You gave me a miracle that I will treasure forever. If nothing else, I should have helped on how to navigate this minefield.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks for trusting me to do so.”

“You were the right choice,” I whispered, focusing on my food as my cheeks flushed.

Because I was pretty sure we both knew I meant about more than just this. I meant as my priest too.

“Not to turn the mood, but I heard about what happened with Nina,” Wyatt said quietly. “You okay?”

“Can I ask what Taylor got?” Winter asked, glancing between us. “I know I can’t get the how, but it’s kind of hard to help mediate and figure out how bad her reaction is when I don’t know how the other example went. Kind of?”

That was actually fair and I nodded to Wyatt to go ahead.

Winter choked on his sushi when Wyatt did, thumping himself in the chest and a piece of the roll going flying. He didn’t care at all, simply staring at Wyatt as if he’d grown another head. Then he slowly looked at me with WTF practically stamped on his forehead.

“Yeah, I know,” I whispered. “Add awe and that was how Taylor basically handled it though.”

“I bet,” Winter drawled. Then he told Wyatt about today with Nina and Sergey.

“Yeah, the three of us aren’t the ones to really know how to handle loving parent stuff,” Wyatt drawled, giving Winter an apologetic look. “You love yours but never met them. Ours are monsters.”

“I didn’t ask him to pick my side. I wouldn’t have. I even understand him acting a bit like I overreacted because in his mind he knows his mom and that she would never hurt me. My point is that in that moment I didn’t know if she would hurt me or not. That’s unacceptable. And then he made it so much worse saying I was punishing her not doing the sessions.”