Page 139 of Labor of Love

The bell above the door startled me from my thoughts. His scent hit me before I could even look up from my papers. He came in three days earlier for the first time. Since then, he’s often been on my mind, except when I thought about how I got here. Officer Henry Daniels. His woodsy scent stirred something in me. He was tall, measuring a good six inches or so above my height, with dark hair turning gray at the temples and brown eyes. He dressed casually today, in a white t-shirt and jeans. He still looked just as yummy.

My mate.

So far, those words have never failed to surprise me every time they popped into my head.

“Officer Daniels.” I couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on my face. Seeing Henry was exactly what I needed. He always managed to pull me out of my own head.

“Hey, Liam.” He’d been coming up with an excuse to come to the shop every day since we first met. I wanted to have areal conversation with him, not struggle to search for the right words. There was one thing that stopped me. Rejection was a rare occurrence among fated mates. If there’s a reason to turn away from your fated mate, it’s that he’s carrying another alpha’s pup. "I want to take you to dinner tonight.”

“Oh.” It took me a moment to realize that that wasn’t an answer. “Y-yes. I’d like that. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch.”

He frowned. “Do you make a habit of going this long without eating?”

I shrugged in response. No, I didn’t, but somehow that seemed to be happening more and more lately. I wasn’t going to tell him that, though.

“Are you all done in here for the night?”

I blinked, looking past him out the window. I hadn’t even realized that the sun had gone down, and it was dark out. The streetlights were on, casting a warm glow on the cars I’d been watching earlier. “Oh.” Wow, I was doing great with words. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Yeah, I’m done for tonight. I’m pretty much ready for opening next week.”

When he smiled, his whole face lit up, but I was starting to wonder if that was just how he looked whenever he saw me. He always looked excited to see me, and that made it difficult to worry about his reaction to my secret. A secret I wouldn’t be able to hide for long. One way or another, I was going to find out his reaction.

I made quick work of closing everything up and grabbing my jacket. It was starting to warm up during the days around this time of year, but once the sun fell, it got way too cold for my liking. Though I had grown up in the Midwest, I still managed to not get used to the cold.

Henry waited while I locked up the building, leaving a light on in the store since I would be back later. My small apartmentwas above the shop. This was convenient, but it might get annoying when I opened the store.

“Do you mind if we walk? It’s only about a block away.” I nodded, happy with whatever time I would get to spend with him. Every fiber of my being craved his presence, his touch, and the sound of his voice. I needed him in a way that was unexpected, given that we barely knew each other. But I knew he felt the same way. I now understand all the stories I heard as a child. I always loved them, but I thought they were dramatic. “I noticed you got your sign up.”

I nodded again before realizing that I was going to have to actually talk to him. “Yes, they came and installed it today," I said. I was proud of the work I’d been putting into the shop. It had come a long way in the small amount of time I’d been in Oakland. I wanted everything done and ready well before the pup was here, though. Next on my agenda was going to be hiring staff. There was no way I could work by myself.

The walk to the restaurant was quick. The cold made me stay close to him, hoping to soak up his warmth.

Henry opened the door for me. His simple gesture made me swoon, and that reaction showed how bad my dating life had been. In my twenty-eight years of life, I’d never managed to make it past a third date with anyone. It was for the best, of course.

A host led us to a booth, and the red vinyl seat felt more comfortable than it looked. I shifted in my seat until I was comfortable. I looked up and realized that Henry was watching me. He never seemed embarrassed when I caught him staring. He smiled at me.

“Have you eaten here before?” he asked.

“No, I haven’t gotten a chance to go out anywhere since moving here,” I said. “I’m lucky I even remember to eat most days.”

This earned me a frown from the alpha.

“You mentioned something about that earlier, too. Do you forget to eat a lot?”

“I don’t know if I’d saya lot. But I tend to forget more than I should.” He was shaking his head at me before I even finished the sentence. I wasn’t used to having anyone care enough to remind me to eat. I knew I should make sure to eat more. I found my hand drifting again towards my stomach. I sat on my hand to keep from touching my stomach without thought. That would give me away if I wasn't careful.

We ordered our food, and thankfully, Henry asked me questions to keep me talking. I wasn’t always the best at conversation. I told him a bit about my family, though I kept some things to myself for now. He didn’t need to know about the constant arguments with my mom and dad since I had come out as gay. Most people didn’t even care. I didn’t know why my parents cared. He told me about his own mother, who lived in a nearby town, and about his father, who had passed away a few years back from cancer. I found him easy to talk to. I felt at ease with him. By the time we left the diner, I was laughing and chatting freely. My purple cardigan was almost too thin to keep me warm, but I was more than happy to stay close to him.

We took our time walking back to the shop. I didn’t want the date to end, and I don’t think he did either.

We paused outside the shop. We kept chatting until Henry saw me shivering. It was much colder out now, almost cold enough to see my breath. He rubbed my arms, though it did little to warm me up. “You should get inside and warm up.” I found myself pouting again. “Can I bring you dinner tomorrow? I know you said you have to be here late for a delivery.” My face lit up again at that. He’d remembered.

“I’d like that.”

Henry

I hated to have to walk away from him. He was pretty, with wavy brown hair and blue eyes. There was a small scar at the edge of his right eyebrow, and I wanted to know where it had come from. I brushed a strand of his hair off his forehead. I wanted to stand there and stare at him for hours. But the cloud of his breath in the air reminded me that he needed to get inside. It was way too cold to stand out here. “Six tomorrow?”

“Works for me.” His eyes darted down to my mouth.

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