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“Ah, geez. Not that bad, I hope.”
Veronica laughed. “No, of course not. With Sara, the look isn’t lethal. It’s loving. I don’t think I’ve seen you act quite like this before. Your expression, your way. It’s a mix of deep love and protection. Kind of like our dad with our mom, come to think of it.”
“Do you think Sara feels the same way?”
“Oh, my God. A thousand times, yes! It’s you who are nuts now for being blind. She’s completely head over heels for you, Xavier. I mean, at the mall today, she couldn’t stop talking about you. How much you’ve done for the pack. How gentle and understanding you’ve been with her through this mating and pregnancy. At one point, I thought she was talking about someone else. But she’s right. When I see you with her, your roughness and aggressiveness simply disappear. It’s so lovely to see.”
Xavier got up and refilled their tumblers.
“Well, saying that, do you think Sara will be happy when I ask her to mate for life?”
Taking back her filled tumbler, Veronica answered. “Just simply tell her your feelings. She’ll handle it if she is as strong as we both think she is.”
Brother and sister drank up. Despite the liquor going down strong and taking his breath away, Xavier hadn’t breathed so easily in so long. As he took his leave from the lounge to check on Sara, his step was lighter, and his shoulders carried less emotional burden.
Xavier took the stairs in twos to the upper landing. He saw the bathroom was empty. He looked from room to room and finally found Sara in the nursery. To his surprise, she was sitting in the nursing rocker and reading a bedtime story out loud for the infant nestled in her womb. With one hand, she held the storybook. The other she laid on her stomach, caressing the baby shifter inside.
During the time he had been talking with Veronica, Sara must have had her bath and then finished decorating and sorting out the nursery. A carousel of little baby wolves slowly twirled above the crib. A baby-wolf-themed side table lamp glowed a soft white. And glow-in-the-dark cut-out stars, planets, and jumping sheep filled the ceiling overhead.
Xavier’s heart overflowed with joy. The scene he saw was a house turned into a home with everything and everyone he could ever want or love.
“Hey, sweet thing, what are you doin’?”
Sara looked up and blushed. “Oh, I guess getting in some practice. How do you like the place?”
“It’s beautiful, Sara. Enchanting. I can’t believe we’re really having a baby. But looking at you in here, it’s all sinking in, and in such a way I can’t even describe.”
Xavier entered the nursery and took a seat on the ottoman next to Sara. He sat facing her and took her hand in his.
Xavier swallowed hard, hoping what he was about to say would come out as he had dreamed.
“Sara?”
“Yes, Xavier.”
Xavier put his finger to her lips. “No, please stay quiet until I get this all out.”
Sara silently nodded. She didn’t smile.
“Sara, I want you to know exactly how I feel. Please know my feelings for you haven’t changed since the first moment we met. Sara, you are my fated mate. There is no question, no doubt. I have considered you mine since the start. And I will consider you mine forever. If you’ll have me as your fated mate too.”
FOURTEEN
SARA
Sara sat there in disbelief. She didn’t know what to say or do.
His fated mate?She thought, bewildered.
She had heard the term before and knew what it entailed, but she didn’t understand it enough to fully comprehend the weight of this. Just that it was heavy, and he had no choice in the matter.
The last part stung a little as she thought of it.
Maybe he didn’t even want me around, but his wolf sense told me he had to and gave him no choice.
She had to ask, no matter how unpleasant the answer would be. “So, fated mate. I know that means that you are destined to be with someone, but does that mean you have no choice, even if you didn’t want me?”
Xavier’s laugh caught her off guard.
