Page 10 of The Return
I held my arms out. “Come here.”
He was to me in less than a heartbeat. He stood there and let me hold him as shivers coursed through him. The body might be bigger, harder, but the heart? As soft as always. That was the Jonas I knew, the one who wouldn’t hurt me no matter what.
“I know you’re mad at me,” he said, his voice breaking. “I never would have walked away from you if I could have helped myself.”
And I had been mad, but I’d also been unfair. I thought of my hurt, my sadness, but never once gave consideration to what Jonas had gone through.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured into his chest. “I should have let you talk.”
“No, you were right to be angry. I hurt you and—”
“I think there’s been enough hurt, yeah? How about we sit down and clear the air? Would that be okay?”
He smiled then. It was tremulous, uncertain, but it was a smile nonetheless. “I’d like that.”
“How long will it be before people come back to the shop?”
He nibbled on his lower lip. “I’ll send out a mail blast tonight. I’m sorry about that, truly I am.”
“A mail….” I laughed. “Twenty-first century werewolves. How awesome is that?”
He snorted and pulled me in again. This time there was no fear I could feel. It was a welcome home.
And I was grateful for it.
CHAPTER4
JONAS
Corey closedthe coffee shop for the rest of the day. There wasn’t any sense in keeping it open since no one was going to come anywhere near me until the all clear was given. I would make up the lost business to him somehow.
When we got to the house his parents had owned, I was surprised by the changes. Gone was the flagstone in front of the house. In its place were blooms in bursts of riotous color. The landscaping was immaculate, as opposed to when we’d been kids and the house had a truly lived-in look. I could still picture Corey’s bike laying in the driveway and still hear his father’s vain attempts to get him to put it away.
I’d practically lived in this house for years. I could recall so many memories, and it was those that helped me through my tribulations after my dad took me away from Corey. The living room where his mother made us a blanket fort to watch cartoons in, then baked us some cookies. How we’d dozed off, lying side by side, with Corey’s head on my shoulder. I knew I wanted to protect him. If I could have, I would have claimed him then, even if I had no idea what that meant.
One thing caught my eye. On the mantel was a crystal that reflected the lights. I walked over and picked it up, and discovered it was a wolf’s head etched into the insides. The wolf looked almost alive.
“What’s this?”
Corey’s cheeks pinked. “I got it after you disappeared. I saw it in a magazine, and I knew I had to have it.”
My heart beat a little faster. “The place looks great,” I said.
Corey smiled, and my insides went all gooey. “I know it’s different from when we were kids, but I wanted it to look nice.”
“It doesn’t looknice,” I informed him. “It’s remarkable. Hard to believe this was where we’d sit and watchTom & Jerrycartoons.”
His cheeks pinked. “I might still watch them,” he admitted.
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” I moved closer, grateful when he didn’t back away. It took everything I could muster not to reach for his face. “I know it doesn’t help, but I missed you every fucking day.”
He leaned in closer and inhaled. “It means a lot. I…. I thought you forgot about me.”
This time I couldn’t stop myself. I swept him into my arms and tilted his head so he had to look me in the eye. “I could never forget about you. Thoughts of you consumed me, and that was what made it harder to get through my training. It took more than a year for my dad to get me to focus on the pack, and he only did that by reminding me every day you were a part of it, so I was actually doing it for you.”
He pulled away, his shoulders drooping. “I’m hungry. You want something?”
“Pizza?” I pleaded. “You don’t get those in the woods. You get gamey rabbits and chipmunks. If you’re not fast enough to catch your food, you don’t eat that night.”
