Page 23 of Wrong Number, Right Gray Wolf

“Mmmm. The cutest button nose and the most kissable lips.”

“But of course.”

While eating breakfast, I learned that my mate preferred runny eggs and he liked his toast with a hint of burn. And earlier, I discovered he wasn’t a morning person but enjoyed good coffee first thing.

“Okay, gotta go.” He kissed me, opened the front door, and came back to kiss me again. “I’m going to miss you. Come by for lunch and we’ll talk to Posy.”

“You want to do the ‘we’re together’ speech?”

“It’s not fair to her if we don’t. Besides, she can’t have a sleepover every night, and I don’t want to hide you. There’ll be no sneaking out in the middle of the night.”

There were more kisses, and he tweaked my ass before I shoved him out the door.

Why did you do that? my beast asked. He could have stayed longer.

I explained why he had to leave, and as we were going to tell Posy about us, I should get her a gift. If she wasn’t ready to accept me as her dad’s mate, it would be from me as her friend. She’d given me a present, so now it was my turn.

And that gave me an idea of how my present to Posy would tie in with the one she gave me.

I wandered up and down the aisles of a gift shop looking for a container. I paused beside a glass one emblazoned with bunnies. That was the one. At home, I added things to the bunny container and arranged each one so they were visible without opening the lid.

As I waited until I could leave for Clyde’s, my foot tapped on the floor, irritating my fox. I couldn’t concentrate on a book or the TV. Even my favorite playlist failed to soothe me.

She already likes you, so what’s the big deal? My beast was thinking logically, but this was a little girl whose life was about to change.

Damn, I had to change my shirt because I was sweating and the new shirt didn’t go with my pants. And now I was going to be a few minutes late. Other than mating, this would be one of the most significant moments of my life, and I couldn’t even be on time.

I pressed my foot on the accelerator, but now I was over the speed limit. Being given a speeding ticket wasn’t a good example to set for Posy. I was going to be a dad, and I needed to be more responsible.

A few minutes late wasn’t a disaster, and I hoped if she knew I was coming and that she wasn’t waiting for me on the porch. But as I turned the corner, both Clyde and Posy were in the garden and waved as I pulled up.

“Stephen, come and see my room.”

She dragged me inside, and I admired her pink bedding, her framed paintings on the wall, her toy box, and a tablet she’d gotten for Christmas. Clyde strolled in, and I told Posy I had a present.

“Sit on the bed and close your eyes.”

“Is it a toy?” She was bouncing up and down.

“No.” I took one of her hands and brushed her fingers over the container.

“Is it for flour? Like what we use for pancakes?”

“Guess again.” I hoped no one had ever given her a present like that. What a letdown for a little girl expecting something interesting or exciting.

“Bath bombs so I smell good after taking a bath?”

“Nope.” I told her to open her eyes.

She gasped as she held up the container. “Buttons.”

“They’re from my collection. I hope you like them.”

She upended the container so the buttons spilled out. She picked up a silver one. “This is so sparkly.”

Clyde pointed out a black glass one. “Where’s that from?”

“It’s from Victorian times. Women wore those when they were sad.” I avoided saying it was from a mourning dress.