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CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Hallie’s heart melted. Literally, right there on the damn floor. Who the hell knew that a hottie like Rev would turn out to be such a softie? Everything he had said was everything she had dreamed of hearing. She wasn’t the only one who had fallen hard in their short amount of time together.
“Will you explain to me what this whole mate thing means now?” she asked. Her curiosity really was getting the best of her.
“I guess I should, all things considered.” Rev rubbed his forehead, trying to find the right words for what he wanted to say. “A mate to a shifter is a lifelong partner. It's kind of like marriage for humans, but at the same time, there's a much deeper connection between true mates than human spouses.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“It means that for me, there will never be another woman in my life or in my heart. Only you. It means that you were made for me and sent to me by the Fates. And in some folklore, it’s said that even death cannot part true mates. That they are together in this life and all lives that follow.” He placed his hand under her chin, gazing directly into her eyes.
Hallie’s heart skipped a beat, maybe two, when he looked at her the way he was. She could feel all the longing, the need, and the lust with one glance.
“You are my everything, love. The very reason for my existence from this moment forward.”
“Oh! You really mean it, don’t you?” she asked, trying to keep the cheesy grin off her face.
“I do, love. I want to be with you always. The time we spent apart made me realize that I never want to be away from you like that again. I need you, love. I want you more than anyone I’ve ever met.”
There was a knock at the door. Rev sniffed the air, wondering who the hell would show up at his house without a quick call or text.
“My mom is here.” Rev sprang from the bed and pulled his clothes on as fast as he possibly could.
“Oh, no! Should I hide? What should I do?” Panic washed over Hallie. This was definitely not how she wanted to meet his mom. Fresh outta bed with her son. Sweet Jesus! Talk about making a lasting first impression. His mom was going to think she was some sort of two-bit floozy.
“Are you kidding?” he laughed. “My mom already knows you’re here.”
“How is that even possible?” she asked. It wasn’t like his mom had set foot in his house yet. How could she possibly know she was there? It wasn’t like she had ever seen her Jeep before or anything.
“She’s a tiger. Just like me. She smelled you the second she got out of her SUV.”
Hallie’s eyes nearly bugged out of her damn head. “Duh!” She palmed her forehead. “I guess that answers one of the questions I was planning on asking later,” she said, realizing she probably sounded like the biggest idiot on Earth. She jumped out of the bed as if she had just suddenly realized she was naked. “I need to clean up some before I meet your mom.” She grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom.
“Meet me in the living room when you are ready,” he said, pulling the bedroom door closed behind him.
Hallie didn’t know if she would ever be ready to meet Rev’s mom and certainly not like this. She could only imagine what his mom would think of him declaring that his mate was a human. She didn’t know much about the shifter world … well, she knew nothing really, but she couldn’t imagine his mom taking Rev’s declaration well.
Racing through her bathroom procedures, Hallie cleaned up in record time. She didn’t bother showering or washing her hair, only making herself presentable. Hopefully, Rev would explain what they had been through, and his mom would understand why she looked slightly better than roadkill.
Hallie sucked in a deep breath and headed into the living room to meet Momma Macay.
