Page 23 of Titan’s Mate

Kitty: OMG you should see the guys’ faces.

Lila: Score: Titan 2, McCalls 0

Titan typed: McCalls 0, Titan 1, Mari 1 – she found the pic

Jaeda: I like her already. Assuming her boobs aren’t too big to fit in my sweaters, tell her she’s welcome to borrow anything she wants.

He looked down at Mari, who looked pleased. “Tell her thank you from me,” she whispered, as if Jaeda might hear through the text.

Titan messaged: @Jaeda Mari says thanks. Me too. Now she’s going to take her shirt off. Mari dissolved into giggles. He added: Go away, all of you. This is a private moment.

He silenced the phone before he pocketed it. “They won’t really go away,” he explained, before heading toward the stairs. “I’ll go find you something to dress up in.”

Chapter 10

He came back with the most gorgeous sweater—super soft with a cuddly nubby knit, in a deep autumn red that complemented both his shirt and her skin tone. Mari rubbed it gently.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It will look good on you.”

She went into the bathroom off the mudroom to change. There was a pile of clean towels in there, and the guys had removed the dead turkey from the tub, so she took a quick shower before putting on Jaeda’s sweater. She could hear Titan and Brock out on the porch, laughing over something.

They were happy, she realized. Both of them were sad and broken in their own way—she’d felt it. But right here, right now they were happy. She was glad Plan C had at least done that.

She heard her gong-gong’s voice in her memory. Joy is waiting for you, under every rock. She leaned against the shower wall, trying to find that joy for herself, but all she could feel was a terrible sense of loss.

I don’t want to die.

She wanted more Thanksgiving dinners. She wanted to see Christmas. She wanted another spring.

She wanted to run her fingers through long silver hair like moonlight, and kiss some of Titan’s sorrow away.

But wanting and getting were two different things, and she wasn’t going to waste this day wishing for things that could never be.

Today. Grab as much joy today as you possibly can.

Today she had friends, Mermaid Punch and Tater Tots, a sexy polar bear in black jeans to admire, and pretty clothes to wear. She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, then put on her yoga pants and Jaeda’s sweater.

She looked in the mirror, and gasped. The sweater did… something… to her. It clung in just the right places, making her look dressy and sexy, while still being amazingly soft and comfortable.

She stepped out of the bathroom, feeling a little self-conscious. Titan came in from the kitchen and stopped in his tracks.

“How do I look?” she asked, feeling suddenly shy.

“You look…” He shook his head, as if words failed him. “Amazing.” He held out his arm. “May I escort you to the dining room?”

She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. She was acutely aware of the heat of his skin through his shirt, the huge, hard muscles of his arm.

He seated her formally at the head of the table. There were places set for him and Brock on either side of her.

While she was in the shower, the guys had set the table and brought over all the side dishes: green bean casserole with lots of crispy onions on top; spicy braised bamboo shoots; Tater Tot casserole with bacon and cheese, and bowls of sour cream for topping.

Rolls, stuffing, cranberry sauce. A proper Thanksgiving spread—except for the missing turkey.

It still looked awesome, Mari thought. Not fancy china and crystal like some magazine photo, but full plates of food, mismatched glasses, lots of wine.

Things to be thankful for.