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Within twenty minutes, I’m at the empty rest stop. The sun is about to set, and the air is crisp around me. I jump out of the car and shift. My senses get clearer, and I feel strength pouring into me. I can get to Rockport in less than an hour if I’m lucky.
As I blend in among the forest, I realize I’ve missed this. The connection to my wolf. Grounding myself in the most primal part of me.
The scent of soil and pine fills my lungs, the twilight seems to glow around me as the division of night and day is blurred. And the more in tune I am with myself and my surroundings, the more I realize I’m not alone.
I can feel my baby.
As I leap over a stand of rocks, I also realize that the precious life within me is mirroring everything I’m experiencing. The simplicity of our animal side, our connection with the earth.
But also all the pressure and stress of what I’m running toward. The worries. The uncertainty…
The fear for Jace. My baby’s father.
I pause, focusing on my breathing as I soothe the pain of my child. I didn't realize my thoughts could be picked up on by the little one.
“Don’t worry, we’re going to be okay,” I whisper in my mind, continuing to Rockport without breaking my pace. “Daddy’s going to be okay, too. He’s strong and he’ll defeat Devon. Once it’s over, we’re going to all live together without any troubles, okay? I promise you, there’ll be no more of this. We’ll be safe and at peace.”
The sense of anxiety lowers, loosening its grip on my heart. My baby, our baby, is being soothed by my words. It brings tears to my eyes as I continue through the forest, the cool wind drying them almost instantly. I realize I feel better after repeating reassurance to the baby and myself.
I’ve articulated how this has to end. The only way it can. We have to be fine, and I need to tell that to Jace. Both me and his child need to feel his presence next to us.
I shift back to human when I reach Rockport, slipping back into the clothes I’d tied around my neck. I go to the beach house first, thinking he’ll be there to clear his head. But I find it empty.
Next is his house, but the doors are locked and the lights are turned off. He won’t be asleep this early and won’t ignore the bell that I’ve been ringing a million times.
So with a huff, I make it to Wet Spot. It feels both awful and amazing to be back here. I missed the beach and the homey feeling this town has given me from the first moment I arrived. While walking down the street to the bar, memories of my past come flooding back to me.
The moments when Jace and I met at the beach house, the instant chemistry, and how I befriended Danika. There are bad ones too, like the time I found out about my parents, when Devon threatened me and when Jace was pulled away by Beth. But most of all, Jace and I fell in love here. We created this little blip living inside me, in this town. I tip my chin up and breathe the air in deeply before pushing open the door to the bar.
I catch sight of Danika serving a few people. I slip behind the crowd before she can spot me and then go to the other side of the bar. I stop when I see Jace’s figure slumped over a stool, his hand gripping a tumbler of liquor. I go to him quickly, my gut tightening, and take the seat beside him. Jace cocks his head to me, eyes widening. He looks drunk. His gaze is hazy and cheeks rosy.
“Carli,” he slurs.
“Hey.” I put my arm around his shoulder and hug him. “I’m glad you’re fine.”
Jace’s lips turn down sadly. I’m not mad at him at all. As I press my cheek to his shoulder and hold him close, I realize that he’s putting his life on the line because of us, because this would end the ugly feud with Devon and even Beth. I feel guilty for pushing him to this point. I feel guilty for taking him away from his home, and for…everything.
“I’m sorry, Jace.” I hold his hand and he squeezes it affectionately. “We’ll get through this.”
“I know,” he smiles and brings his lips to mine in a tender kiss.
Chapter20
Jace
Ican't decide if I want to pull Carli closer to me or push her away. If I should convince her to go back to her apartment or take her to my bed. Titling my head to the side, I stare at her. I can’t believe she’s here. She came here for me, and just like that we’re both back at the town where this all started. Before I can stop myself, a chuckle escapes my lips.
Carli cocks a brow at me. “What's so funny?”
“We’ve come to the beginning of our story. You and I are in Rockport.”
“I was thinking the same. It has me feeling nostalgic,” she says, shaking her head.
It’s bittersweet. We had some amazing moments, some really shitty ones too. I’m just hoping our next chapter in life is something way better than we expect.
“Why did you come back?” I ask her, knowing she’s afraid. She was hell bent on staying in the city she built her home in, maybe that’s why I’m still shocked she’s beside me. Or I’m drunker than I think.
“I didn't want to leave you alone. We promised to be there for each other, Jace.”
