Page 103 of Knot What I Expected

Whatever.

I've handled worse.

I straighten my fitted black shirt, fix my hair, and swipe another coat of mascara over my lashes. My phone sits silently in my purse. I don't look at it.

And I especially don't think about the fact that he hasn't come into Dick’s all week.

Not once.

Which is fine.

Great, actually.

Exactly what I wanted.

Except I heard about the wildfire A-Feral has been fighting on the far side of the ridge. It's been burning for days.

Gia is worried sick. I've been keeping her company through video calls whenever I can, mostly because Wreck is out there too and pregnant Gia pacing alone in her cabin is a recipe for disaster.

So I know from her that the crew is safe. Or at least they were the last time Wreck managed to call her.

Which means Havoc is safe.

Not that I asked. Because I didn't.

But if I am being honest, I came close approximately seventeen times.

Still, I didn't.

I haven't seen him since the park. Haven't heard from him.

Nothing. Not a single peep.

No enormous blond Wolf sitting at the end of my bar.

No golden eyes tracking me around the room.

No hundred-dollar bill beneath a six-dollar beer.

No growled questions.

No Honey Girl.

And I hate how much I miss it. How much I miss him.

It’s completely ridiculous.

We never even kissed. Nothing actually happened between us.

He bought my son cookies and lunch. We argued. He told me I felt like more. And then—sadly and predictably—he disappeared.

Maybe the game got boring.

Maybe I stopped being interesting the second I made it clear I wasn't going to fall into his arms because he flashed those impossible eyes at me.

Or maybe—my stomach twists.

Maybe Matteo made it too real.