Page 121 of Changing Rules

“Yeah.” I shuffle my feet under her scrutiny. “Thank you so much for letting him stay.”

She waves a hand. “I love seeing him, and I love how happy he makes Bella.” Her words are genuine, warming my skin. “Congratulations on your win, by the way.”

“Thank you.”

“She watched too. I think it was good for her—the game and spending time with Milo.” She pats my hand. “You’re on the right track. Just be persistent and present.”

My heart leaps.

Holy fuck. Did she just give me her blessing?

“I better head out.” Bella appears, her brow knit as she looks from Millie to me. “Is everything okay?”

Her aunt kisses her cheek. “Just thought I’d say hi to Alexander.” Bent at the waist, she gives Milo a pat. “It was so good to have you here. Maybe your human will bring you to visit again soon.” She looks up and winks at me before straightening.

“I’d love to.” I grin, leaning in to give Millie a kiss on the cheek.

“Can I walk you out?” Bella asks.

Out front, her duffel bag thrown over her shoulder, she crouches to stroke Milo’s fur.

“Bye, boy. I was incredibly happy to see you.” As she stands, she gives me a small smile. “Thank you for letting me spend time with him.”

“You did me a favor, a big one. I should be thanking you,” I say, roughing my free hand through my hair. “Any chance you’d be interested in watching him next time I’m away?”

Her eyes light up. “I’d love to.”

Yes!I want to scream and throw my fist in the air. Instead, I say, “Thank you.”

“Well, I better go.”

“Got anything fun planned today?” I ask. I’m not ready to let her go.

Her lips kick up on one side. “After my workout, Millie and I are having dinner with Ben and Tom.” She takes a step back. “Anyway…bye.”

“See you, Bella.” I make a point to use her name, curious about how she’ll react.

She shoots me a look but wordlessly strides to the driver’s seat of Millie’s car.

Baby steps. Today, we took the tiniest step in the right direction, and that’s enough for now. I won’t rush this. I won’t push. Patience. Resilience. Calm. Nothing else.

But I know exactly what I’ll do next.

CHAPTER 33

YOU CAN’T TELL ME YOU DON’T STILL FEEL THIS CONNECTION

BELLA

August

Once I’ve sentthe commercial offer for the wedding Ben agreed to organize for his friends, I reward myself by pulling up my newest audiobook. It’s about a werewolf and his human mate, so as much as it’s a reward, it’s also a distraction from what my heart keeps urging me to do.

As I head to the kitchen for a glass of water, the main characters banter back and forth. It’s flirty and witty and perfectly entertaining. I chuckle to myself.

My first thought is about how much they sound like Xander and me. And a second later, as the implication settles, I drop my head back and groan. It’s been like this all fucking day.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and find his recent text.

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