Page 20 of Surprise Mother Pucker

“She’s precious,” he said, his smile widening.

“She’s at that age where she’s really starting to get curious and react to the world around her. It’s adorable and stressful.”

“I can imagine. I hate that you’re on your own, though you’re doing an amazing job, from the looks of it. A master’s and a baby is no small achievement.”

I preened at his praise. It didn’t matter that I hardly knew him; I was a sucker for praise.

“Well, let’s see if I actually make it to graduation first.” I laughed ruefully. “I’m pretty sure I failed a test recently because Char kept me up for three days straight after deciding she hated sleep.”

Eli winced. “That sounds brutal.”

“It is. Parenthood is not for the weak.”

“My pack mate Micha has seven siblings… I’m convinced his mother was a saint!”

My jaw dropped. “I’m struggling with one baby. How on earth can she cope with eight? The laundry alone…”

“She had a pack, so I think that helped.”

A pang of sadness gripped me. How much better would my experience have been in the early months of motherhood if I had a pack of alphas to support me? There would have been less sleepless nights, that was for sure.

I hummed in agreement. “I can imagine it would.”

“Do you want more kids?” Eli asked, cocking his head to the side before a surprised expression spread across his face. “Crap, that’s probably a bit too personal right now, isn’t it? I’m sorry!”

“No, I’m happy to answer. I guess I haven’t thought about it much. I’ve been so focused on Charlotte, plus dating as a single mother isn’t exactly a priority. In the future, if all the stars lined up, I would like it. I always imagined having a gaggle of children.”

Eli’s smile made my stomach flip. “My pack has always wanted that as well. Don’t get me wrong—until the last year or two, Storm was basically a giant child himself, but we always knew we wanted it in the future.”

“College is the time to be young and crazy,” I agreed with a nod.

Eli snorted. “Well, some of my pack mates have definitely enjoyed their youth. I would never classify myself as young and crazy.”

“You did ask a potential serial killer out on a date in a random library late at night,” I reminded him. “If that's not taking a walk on the wild side, I don't know what is.”

His beaming smile gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside that, deep down, I knew was dangerous.

Our conversation flowed easily. It didn't stall when we got our food; we simply nibbled on our paninis while we went through board game after board game. Scrabble, Monopoly, and even chess.

It was the perfect first date activity. If there were any awkward moments, we could focus on the game. Only, there were no awkward moments between us. We were engaged, chatty, and I didn’t think our smiles slipped for a single moment.

We were so absorbed in one another that we didn't realize how late we had been out together until the server came and told us that they were closing in ten minutes.

“Oh my,” I muttered, glancing at the empty tables around us. “It must be getting late. Shoot, I totally lost track of time.”

Eli smirked. “I’m not going to complain about that, because it means you’re having a good time.”

I pulled out my phone. “I am having a good time, but I do need to check in with Beth. Usually, I text every hour for an update when I leave Char.”

“Of course. Why don’t you do that while I take care of the bill? As much as I want to stay here and continue playing, I think we're about to be kicked out,” he said, looking at the server, who was watching us pointedly.

“They don't look happy with us.” I giggled as I opened my messages.

“I’ll tip them well,” Eli said as he slid out of his seat and made his way to the counter.

I had a few messages from Beth on my phone.

Charlotte is doing amazing. How is her lovely mother doing? I’m guessing no news is good news.

---