Page 2 of Back to You
Ronan cleared his throat.“There’s no one.I lost my mate a few years ago, unfortunately.”
Reece’s expression told Ronan that he understood all too well what that meant.“I’m sorry for your loss,” Reece murmured.“I know how hard it is.”
Ronan nodded.“I’ve been told that you lost your mate, too.”
“I did.She died in childbirth.Our baby didn’t make it, either.”
That was even worse than what had happened to Ronan.“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.It’s been years, but sometimes, I still miss her.”
“There isn’t a day that I don’t think about my mate.”
“I get it.I just want you to know that losing your mate doesn’t mean you can’t be happy.I’m sure this is the reasonIwas asked to do this with you, actually.Cam knows about your mate?”
“I told Bryson.”
Reece nodded as if that explained everything.“It took me a long time, and I’ll always love my mate, but I’m currently in a relationship with two men.Losing your mate doesn’t mean you can’t be happy.”
“I’m not sure I could do that,” Ronan confessed.
“Being in a relationship with two men?”Reece teased.
“I don’t care how many people you’re in a relationship with, and I wouldn’t be opposed to having more than one person in my life.No, I’m not sure I can have a relationship with anyone.Even though my mate has been gone for a few years, the wound is still fresh.I’ll never forget him.”
“You don’t have to forget him.You just have to keep an open mind.The love you can find after losing your mate won’t be the same as the one you had with him, but it doesn’t mean it’s not love.Even though Sage and Carey are mates, they never make me feel like the odd one out.I never feel any less loved by either of them, even though they share a bond I don’t have with either of them.I know that some people think it’s weird, and I did initially, too, but I’m happy I gave them a chance.”
Ronan slowly nodded.He understood what Reece was saying, and part of him wanted to find someone to settle down with and be happy.He was young, and he didn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life.
But another part of him felt like this was it.He’d had a chance at love, and he’d lost it.There was nothing he could do to get it back.His mate was gone, but Ronan wasn’t.He had a chance at a fresh start with the pack.Here, he’d have a home and a place where he could feel safe.He could put down roots.He wished his mate was here to see all of that, but there was no way to bring him back.Ronan had to continue living without him, and he knew that his mate wouldn’t have wanted him to be alone for the rest of his life.
That didn’t mean he was ready for a relationship, but maybe, like Reece had said, he could keep an open mind.
* * * *
VINCENT DIDN’T USUALLYanswer phone calls from numbers he didn’t know.This particular number had been calling him for days, though, and he was reaching the end of his patience.He didn’t know anyone who would want to contact him so badly except for one person, and he didnotwant to talk to his father.
He stared at his phone, hoping it would stop ringing.When it finally did, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.
Only for the phone to start ringing again.
“I think that whoever it is really wants to talk to you,” Emma said from her desk.
“Couldn’t they have emailed me?”
“I know you’re scared of talking to people, but you need to find out what’s happening before this drives all of us nuts.”
Vincent glared.“I’m not afraid to talk to people.”
“Then answer the damn phone.”
“I don’t know why I like you.”
“You don’t.You’re forced to see me every day because we work together.”
She wasn’t wrong.Thatwasthe reason they saw each other every day.They were friends, but they’d never gone out together outside of work, and that was fine with Vincent.Most days, he didn’t have enough energy to be social by the time work was over.
The phone was still rattling on his desk.He snatched it up, swiped the screen, and raised it to his ear.“I hope this is important because you’ve been calling me for days, and you clearly can’t take a hint.”
