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She waves me off. "I do this because I love you. Soon enough, you two will have a proper kitchen of your own and I won't be able to cook for you all the time."
And just like that, she's gone.
I slip back into the cabin and set the tray on the small table next to the woodstove.
Roused by the scent of food and coffee, Caleb groans and slowly emerges from beneath the blankets. His hair is mussed, and his eyes are heavy with sleep. Stifling a yawn, he stretches his arms above his head. "Is that food?" He forces open his eyes and peers across the room curiously.
"Yep." I pour some coffee from a carafe into a mug. "My mom brought it by. Coffee?"
"Mmhmm." Rubbing his eyes, he slips out of bed and shuffles slowly across the room. "That smells delicious."
Caleb slides into the chair that I've placed by the woodstove, and we sip our coffees in companionable silence until he breaks the spell. "So…what happens now?"
I can tell he's nervous about our future, but I don’t have a great answer for him yet. "We'll figure it out as we go, but I promise we won't do anything rash.”
"It's just..." He exhales as he sinks back into his chair. "Well, yesterday morning, I thought we were on the same page with each other. Now..."
I frown as I reach for his hand. "You don't know where you stand with me?"
“No, that's not what I meant." He shakes his head. "Last night was wonderful. Better than wonderful. I’m so relieved I don't have to worry about spending my life in a meaningless relationship. There's no one I would rather have as my mate than you."
"So, what’s wrong?"
"I..." He shifts uncomfortably. "I just keep thinking about what you said about your business. When we talked about it before, it seemed like you'd be spending a lot of time away from here so you could work on your app. That you were going to be so busy with your business and your pack duties that I'd barely see you, and...I was kinda okay with it then..."
My expression falls. I'd hoped we'd be able to postpone this conversation a little longer. Because the truth is, I still haven't figured out how I can keep everything balanced.
"But things have changed now," I finish for him. "Our relationship has changed. And I still don't know how I'm going to juggle everything. How am I supposed to balance being an alpha with being your mate and running a business?"
Caleb bites his lip and fidgets with the cup in his hands. "I don't know either."
"But I need to figure it out." I reach for his knee and hold him. "Because I don't want you to resent me for the decisions I make."
He laughs nervously. "You really think I would resent you?"
"I hope I never have to find out. If it comes down to it, I’ll sell the app and close my business."
He stares at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine for support. Finally, he nods. "But I don't want that to be the first solution. I know it's important to you."
I get closer to him and wrap him in my arms. "Not as important as you are."
He smiles softly and squeezes my hand again. "I only wanted to bring it up to make sure we're talking this stuff through. I know I'm just an omega—"
"You'remyomega," I correct him. "And that means your concerns are mine. I want to know what's going through your head. And I’ll do my best to make sure your needs are always met."
He chuckles. "Well, right now, I need you to serve me some of that bacon."
Smiling, I slide the plate over to him. "Here you go."
He takes a piece of bacon and crunches into it. "Delicious."
I nod in agreement as I take another bite of my own breakfast.
"How are you doing, really?" He holds his bacon midway to his mouth as he really studies me. "With everything that happened yesterday."
"I'm alright." I shrug, grateful yesterday is over. "I was stressed out all day long, but when it finally came time for the chase...everything just felt…"
"Perfect." He meets my gaze with a happy smile.
