Page 53 of Her Second-Hand Mate

“I know I’ve been an idiot, but that’s over now. You’ll see. I’ll show you who you are to me.”

That got a reaction out of her.

“I am just a warm body to you, that is who I am. I could have been anyone in the dark. You don’t even knowme!” she spat as her chest heaved with anger, but I remained calm.

“I know you hum after your first sip of tea in the morning. I know you like to snack while reading your Nana’s letters, andyou hold your breath during really good parts. You always fix people’s hair and straighten their clothes.”

She seemed momentarily flustered but recovered quickly.

“You had access to my thoughts and feelings for a long time, something was bound to stick.”

“None of this was in your head. I bet you never even realized you did these things.”

“Is there a point to this little exercise?” she pinned me with a cold glare.

“There isn’t. I’ll go talk to my mom downstairs. I’m guessing you sleep here?”

She nodded. I nodded back and went downstairs, where I found Mom putting away the leftovers in the fridge.

“How angry is she?” I asked.

Mom shook her head, “I always walked on eggshells around you, Dom.”

Penelope wasn’t the only one who was angry.

“I felt guilty for how I handled your Dad’s passing,” she looked at me sadly, and I clenched my jaw shut.

She shouldn’t be talking about that. Why mention Dad now?

“See? Right there? You still can’t talk about him. And that’s all my fault. I’d hoped finding your mate would heal that part of you, but then Cassie died, and I was even more at a loss for what to do with you.”

“Gee, Mom, you make it sound like I’m a basket case,” I frowned.

“No, not a basket case. To all the world, you seem a high-functioning, capable, strong male. But you’re emotionally shut down and have been for the longest time. And it might have damaged your mating beyond repair.”

The room started spinning. What the hell was she saying?

“Mom, I - ” I shut my eyes and tried to focus. “I will explain things to Penelope. She’ll understand.”

“Idon’t even understand!” she threw her hands up. “But I’m done handling you with kid gloves, done being afraid of triggering you or wounding you more than I already have.”

I remained silent. I was still mulling over what she’d said about my mating. She had to be wrong.

“I hope you manage to pull your head out of your ass before it’s too late, Dom.”

She patted me on the cheek and left.

That night, my wolf slept on the floor in front of the nursery. He wanted to be close to his family. Penelope must have felt his presence because, at some point, she let him in, and he cuddled up to her and his pup in bed. It was understood that he’d be leaving in the morning and that I was to stay away from them at night.

This was done only for her wolf, who couldn’t come out at this stage of pregnancy and who’d missed her mate. I was there with all of them, but I wasn’t. It felt like I’d been cut off from my own family. I’d messed up worse than I thought.

13 - Dominic

Penelope was still asleep when I quietly left the nursery in the morning. Carrying around a pup had to be exhausting. I made some coffee for myself, and for her, I made a cup of the new tea I’d brought her from Spruce Mountain.

Whenever I traveled, I found a new blend of tea to bring home to her. I enjoyed watching her as she tried them, feeling her joy and pleasure at the new taste combinations.

Today, however, her nose wrinkled as she approached the kitchen island.

---