Page 50 of A Surprise Baby for the Wolf Shifter

Someday, I would have to return the favor for him. Though when it came to Gemma, I wouldn’t know where to begin. She was worth her weight in the most precious, rarest material known to man. And then some.

But I would worry about returning the favor if I made it past this day. With hope, this was the start of a brand new beginning.

Besides, all I cared about, as I sat in front of Gemma, was her and the baby and getting her to give up on the adoption.

Please, not the adoption. Anything but the adoption. Well, not anything.

Noticing those papers sitting out on the table struck me with a nine-ton-wrecking ball. It brought back all the feelings and memories I had put behind me. Worse still, the pain became fresh and almost as new as the day those horrible things first happened to me.

Being in her presence felt like home. Although, I did question the anxiety making my pulse race. Perhaps it was the filled-out papers for adoption sitting on the table in front of me. It tore me up inside. I was, at the very least partially, responsible for them being filled out in the first place. I had pushed her away. And the not so gentle reveal of my animal side was the straw that broke the camel’s back. If only I had been just a little smarter and had given her credit. If I had gotten rid of Tabitha when I first knew what I was dealing with when it came to her, Gemma wouldn’t have run away.

The list of if onlys went on for days. There was a lot I had to make up for and not enough time for me to do it in. Because I would never, ever be able to fully make up for the things I had done to her, and the way I had treated her.

I didn’t deserve a second chance. Though that wouldn’t stop me from wanting one… needing one as though my life depended on it.

And it very well might have.

But one thing was for certain. I realized, while sitting across from her, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that she was truly my mate. That was the only thing that explained all the emotions and sensations rushing through my system. And I was so close to losing everything. Including my unborn child.

I frowned.

“What is it?” she asked.

I looked at her. A pinch formed in my forehead. “What?”

“You frowned,” she said. “Why?”

I shook my head. “I am realizing just how much I had messed up. How much I had put you through. And I also realize it doesn’t amount to much right now, but I want you to hear just how severely sorry I am. For everything.”

Her eyes widened and she exhaled a heavy breath of air. “Thank you for the apology.”

I had so much to make up for. So much time I had lost that I could never get back. So many mistakes to mend. So much to beg forgiveness for.

“You’re welcome,” I said. “I understand I should have apologized sooner, but I was trying to respect your space. I should have come after you, but I was afraid.”

“I understand,” she said and smiled softly and settled her beautiful blue eyes on mine. “I needed the space. I needed time to wrap my head around everything.”

“And now that you have had some time?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I have a lot of questions.”

“I would be happy to answer what I can, when you are comfortable enough to ask,” I said.

She gave me the impression she was hesitant to continue. Even pulled her gaze from mine. Her hands rested on her large, round belly and she shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Please,” I said, “give me a chance. I want nothing more than to prove myself to you and to my unborn child.”

“Weylan, I’m giving him up for adoption,” she said. “The papers are already filled out. You are free from any responsibility. You don’t need to feel any guilt over this.”

I nodded. My gaze settled on the papers in front of us. “I can tell that the papers are filled out, but they have yet to be turned in. There is still time. There’s still hope.”

She let out a shuddering sigh. “Weylan… I am not sure. I don’t think—”

“I know from experience what the kid is going to go through if you give him up,” I quickly said, cutting her off. “He needs his father. He needs me. He needs to learn what it means to be a shifter. That he’s not a monster or something to be ashamed of. I want to keep him from experiencing what it is like to be shunned and ridiculed because of what he is.”

“I understand where you are coming from,” she said. “But I am not ready to be a mom.”

“Who was it that said there was a perfect time for kids? Didn’t they come when they are ready?” I asked.

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