Page 87 of Mated To My Boss

“Yeah … I'll go do that now.”

I hesitate outside Cora's door. She's back in her old office on her old floor. I knock and hear nothing at first. Just as I'm about to knock again, she tells me to come in.

“Nate,” Cora acknowledges without looking up. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I wanted to talk about Madeline.”

“Ah, I figured this conversation would come up sooner or later.”

“You did?” I ask, taking a seat.

“You two are in love with each other, but she's going back to school. It's not exactly rocket science.”

“That's fair. I'm here because I've made a decision.”

Cora frowns. “Are you about to ask my blessing to pull Madeline off law school? If you think—”

“I want to move away with her.”

Cora blinks twice. “What?”

I take a deep breath before explaining. “Madeline means the world to me. I want her to get everything she desires, and thanks to you one of those things is becoming a lawyer. I'm willing to move closer to her law school so we can be together.”

“Are you sure you know what you're saying?” she asks. “You'll lose your job here. You may not come back to this pack for several years, if you choose to come back at all.”

“Madeline is more than worth it.”

Cora settles into her seat. “I have to say, I didn't think this was what you would do, Nate. My respect for you has grown. Do you have any other options?”

“I can't think of anything that would have us staying here and I'm not about to let her uproot her life.”

“Hmm … when are you going to talk to her about this?”

“Tonight, at dinner.”

Cora gives me one of her rare smiles. “Good luck, Nate.”

I scramble to pick my jaw off the floor when I see Madeline. “You are … breathtaking. I mean that in every way possible. Wow.”

She gives me a little spin in her red dress. “Thank you.”

“How are you, beautiful?” I ask, making her giggle. I open the door for her and she enters.

It's almost impossible to keep my eyes off her. The drive to the restaurant is short, though. I lead her inside, and we take our table, ready to be served.

“I’ve been looking forward to going out tonight,” Madeline says. “I really like spending time with you.”

This gives me the confidence to admit what's been on my mind. “I need to talk to you about something.”

She frowns. “You're so serious all of a sudden. What's wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, it's just something I want to tell you.” I pause for breath. “I've decided to move with you when you’re ready to go back to law school.”

I watch as my mate's eyes flare. “What?”

“I can't bear to be apart from you, Madeline. You're my world now and if that means moving across the country, I'll do it. As long as we're together, I'll be happy if you’re happy.”

Madeline smooths her hair out of the way. “I guess it's my turn to come clean,” she says.

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