Page 37 of Made

She looked serious. “You’re being cute, but now that I think about it, you really did make my dreams come true when you moved here. I wouldn’t have met Diarmuid. I wouldn’t be an Irish fae queen. Rhiannon wouldn’t be close to being fully baked. I guess I owe you.”

“You think you owe me for that? What about nineteen hours of labor to bring you into the world? What about last-minute science projects? Trips to urgent care because, let’s face it, you’re a klutz. Sitting up when you had a fever. Chaperoning roller rink birthday parties. Cleaning up…”

“Mom. Slow the roll.”

“Just getting warmed up. I have lists upon lists of life markers for being your mother, human or otherwise.”

“Okay. I get it. I owe you now. I owed you before. I’ll never pay off the debt.”

“I’m glad I don’t have to get out the dry erase board.”

She looked around. “You have a dry erase board?”

CHAPTER EIGHT Flowers are Forever

Kagan more or less shoved the huge bouquet at Esme. “Here. These are for you.”

Esme's arms automatically encircled the flowers, but once she was holding them, she couldn’t see. “Could you help? Perhaps put them on the table in the back? I can’t really, ah, see.”

Without a word, he took the bouquet and walked past her to the weaving studio in the rear. He knew the way, since he’d been in Esme’s inner circle for a while. Her reaction wasn’t exactly what he’d been hoping for, which made him anxious about whether or not he’d hit the mark with the flowers.

She followed him to the back and watched him set the bouquet on the table, all the while wondering if she had a vase large enough. He then turned to her for further instructions.

“Thank you,” she said tentatively. “This is… unexpected. Since I thought we aren’t…”

“Youthought we are no’ what?” Kagan’s presence flooded the space with concentrated ferocity. And that intensity made him seem even larger than usual. Once he’d made up his mind to challenge the breakup, he’d arrived as all male, on a mission, anddetermined not to be denied. “Wedid no’ agree on anythin’.”

“Agree?”

“We started a thing together. If there’s to be an end, it should be mutually agreed. We end it together, or we do no’ end it at all. And no’ over somethin’ as bloody daft as thinkin’ you’re no’ my match.”

“But that’s…”

“Like I said. A bloody mad way of lookin’ at things.”

“You said daft, not mad.”

“What?” The fierce expression briefly melted into confusion.

“You said bloody daft then just now you said bloody mad.”

“You want to argue over that, Es?” He took three long strides toward her and closed most of the distance between them.

“No.” She shook her head as she took two short steps away, but her back hit the wall. “We’re not arguing over anything. We’re not together.”

And with that, the lion resurged. He once again closed the distance between them, but this time there was no more than inches separating their bodies.

“We damn well are together. If you do no’ want me, saythatand I’ll walk out the door. But ‘tis the only reason I’ll be leavin’.”

Kagan, as hunter, was intensely focused on every aspect of Esme’s reaction. When he saw the lines between her brows smooth out, he knew she was paying attention. What he had yet to find out waswhether she was open to persuasion. He liked that Esme was as stubborn as they come. The fact that she was no pushover was one of the things he found admirable about her.

His eyes dipped to her mouth. Her lips parted in response, drawing him closer like a magnet with mega-ton pull. Kagan was close enough for the heat of his body to jumble Esme’s thoughts. When she opened her mouth, she’d known what she was going to say, but then the shop door tinkled. Blinking, as if trying to get a fix on where she was and what she was doing, she took a deep breath.

“I need to get that,” she said quietly, ducking away to rush toward the front of the store.

Kagan’s shoulders fell, but the tension in his body wasn’t relieved. Not in the slightest. He would stand right where he was till she came back. No. He’d listen for the customer to leave then hurry to turn the sign to “CLOSED” and lock the door. Esme would object. Of course. But his errand was more important, to both of them, than any customer who might happen by. He knew she wasn’t in need of money. So, Esme’s studio could stand an hour’s closure. More if he was lucky.

The visitor lingered for twenty minutes, normally nothing to a long-lived fae. But in this singular case, it seemed like hours. There was only one signal at the front door to alert Esme that a customer was coming or going. When Kagan finally heard the delicate tinkle of bells, he acted on his plan. Afterturning the sign to “CLOSED” and locking the door, he turned to face Esme.

---