Page 50 of Her Bully Alpha

I know that I can't walk away. Before, I had thought it would be easy. It would have been what I wanted, but now, seeing him like this, being cared for like this…it muddied the waters and made it impossible to see.

Chapter 19 - Jay

I walked into the kitchen and found Sam standing near the island, pouring herself a glass of juice. She glanced at me and gave me a soft smile as I walked in. My heart skipped a beat, wanting to wrap my arms around her and pull her close to me. Since finding out she was carrying our child, I wanted to be near her more.

But I didn't push the boundaries. We had walked around them. I'd held her hand a few times when it was needed, but hugging and kissing…that only seemed to happen when she wanted it. I would happily accept whatever she gave me.

"Afternoon," I said as I shrugged my jacket off, hanging it over one of the chairs. "I didn't realize you were home already."

"I decided to work half a day today," she said, taking a sip of her juice before she walked to the fridge, putting the rest of it away. "I thought I would take it easy today since I went to work early this morning."

It had been two weeks since we went to the doctor and Sam had been taking things easy now. She worked a little less, and I was pretty sure she'd told her boss she was expecting and had her load lightened.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I leaned onto the island. "Has your nausea gotten better?"

"Better, the nausea has stopped, which is nice." She walked back to her glass, taking another sip out of it. "I would rather not have to continue running to the bathroom to vomit while with clients."

I stared at her, taking in her frame. She'd gotten a little bump coming in now, and word had gotten around, which I had expected since we had shopped for the baby. We had already started to change one of the rooms upstairs into a nursery. We hadn't put anything together, but we'd discussed it.

We hadn't discussed a lot, and I wanted to, but I also knew Sam had a lot on her plate as it was with trying to figure out her magic, work, and the pregnancy. I didn't want to add more.

"What are your plans today?" I asked, "Since you took half a day."

She shrugged as she took a seat. "I don't really have any. I thought I would relax a little. Maybe do some laundry, but otherwise, I hadn't thought that far."

She moved her fingers on her glass and tilted her head at me. "What are your plans?"

"I was just coming home to change and heading out for a run. A bunch of us shifters are going out and taking in the nice weather before it starts to get cold and the season changes. But I can stay home if you want to do something instead."

I watched her eyes sparkle, and she stood up a little taller. "You're going out for a run? Like in the forest?"

I couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

She chewed on her lower lip for a moment before she placed her hands together. "Do you mind if I go with you?"

I tried to imagine her trying to run with us. She wouldn't be able to keep up. She would fall behind quickly, but she could catch a ride with me. I'd seen some people do that before, but I'd never had to, never would have thought of allowing someone to ride with me.

"You want to go running?"

She nodded. "I obviously can't run, but I could just stick behind and enjoy the weather. I like being around nature."

I had gotten that vibe from her bedroom. She had a lot of plants, and when I thought about her little home before, she had a natural feel to the place.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."

She nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to go. It would be nice to see you in your other form since I haven't."

It was true she hadn't seen me in my shifter form, and if I was being honest, I wanted her too. "Okay, let me go change, and we can head out."

After I changed, we headed out to a large parking lot where there were a few other vehicles waiting. A lot of people had a season that they liked more than others, but most were out more when the season changed from summer to fall. The shift in the temperature and the change of the seasons seemed to bring people together.

Sam looked shocked as we parked. "I didn't realize this many shifters were going to be here."

"Most have probably gone out already." I glanced at Sam, not wanting her to sit back alone by herself. Everyone was aware of who Sam was, but with the pregnancy and the virus, anything could happen.

"Do you want to ride me?"

The question made her look at me with wide eyes and confusion. "Excuse me? What?" She looked around the space and then back at me. "Jay, there are people around."

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