Page 80 of Her Second-Hand Mate

Later, I woke up to an empty room, but I could hear him downstairs with Gabriel. My heart pulled me toward them. I kept my eyes on the floor, not wanting to look at the new photos Dominic had put on the nursery and hallway walls. He must have brought them back from Utah. When I saw them the first time, I completely broke down. Now I only occasionally let myself look and trace the faces in them with my finger. And yearn.

I gave Gabriel a loud kiss and snuggled his neck, which was rewarded with a giggle. I then stood up, hugged Dominic’s waist, and put my head on his chest. He froze for a moment but then hugged me back fiercely. In another life, I would have giggled like Gabriel just had. I made to pull away, but Dominic said, “No. You’re staying right there. Stand on my feet.”

I wordlessly obeyed. And that’s how he made breakfast. A grown male, walking around the kitchen with me standing on his feet, keeping me plastered to his chest, as our pup watched us from his blanket on the floor. If there was still any happiness left in the world, this was it.

I never lifted my head to look at him, though. I knew what I’d find – that loving, nakedly tender look that was reserved just for me. I’d squeeze my eyes shut whenever he looked at me like that. It felt like emotional overload.

Maybe that was what Dominic had been doing all those months. Squeezing his heart shut to ward off the pain love would inevitably bring. Even the happiest relationships ended in death, and no heart was safe.

???

“Happy birthday, Dom!” her annoying voice carried through the ceiling. Something primal propelled me to my feet, tinged with shame for neglecting my mate’s birthday.

I moved silently toward the stairs when I heard her say, “It’s not right, Dom, and the whole pack knows it. You need to feel appreciated, especially today.”

“Heather, how can I make this clear to you? I don’t give a flying fuck what is right in the eyes of anyone who’s not my mate. What you should be focusing on is not making me feel appreciated but getting to your own damn sessions with Vera! She told me you still haven’t been to see her. Maybe we need to talk about you transferring back to your old pack after the holidays because I think you’re not living out your full potential here.”

Heather whimpered like a wounded animal before hastily apologizing and going back to whatever hole she crawled out of.

I slowly came down the stairs, just in time to see Dominic staring at a bunch of cupcakes on the kitchen island. He looked up at me, and I said, “Trash.”

He grinned, “Trash?”

“Trash,” I nodded. “And then let’s go out for breakfast.”

???

“Look at what he’s doing,” Dominic urged.

I looked up from my book and saw that Gabriel was trying to grab his banana and shove it into his drooling mouth. I grinned.

“You’d think he’s being starved in this household. That food’s still not for you, Gabriel.”

“Soon, little male,” Dominic told him and then looked up at me, “right?”

I nodded, “In a month or so.”

“You know who used to love bananas, Gabriel? Your grandpa Hugo. Your grandma Florence used to tease him that he was a monkey shifter,” he said with a grin, and I burst out laughing.

“You can’t be serious!”

Dominic looked at me affectionately like he did whenever I showed a happy emotion these days. He also did it whenever I said I was hungry or when I went on walks with friends. He seemed so... proud of my recovery that it filled me with a giddy sense of accomplishment, too.

“I’m one hundred percent serious. Those two were the funniest couple. Best friends.”

“See, that’s not the picture of mating I got growing up. But it is something I hope Gabriel will get to witness,” I smiled at Dominic shyly, and he leaned over to give me a brief kiss.

“He will,” he looked at my mouth with his eyes unfocused but then shook his head slightly and turned back to watch Gabe staring down the banana. “So, what’s on your agenda for today?”

“I’ll take Gabriel to your mom’s, and then I’m going to do part of my holiday shopping with Charlotte, and we’ll get coffee after.”

“Sounds good. Have fun and get me something nice,” he winked, and I screwed up my face and shook my head at him.

???

“What do you need to get?” Charlotte asked as we entered Sophie’s boutique.

“Today, I was hoping to get a belated birthday gift for Dominic.”

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