Page 37 of His Wild Mate

“Don't worry. You can wear one of Uncle Emmett's shirts. Sometimes I wear one of Daddy's to sleep in.”

She rummaged through the drawers and pulled out a T-shirt.

I put it on. It was several sizes too big. I gave her a skeptical look.

“It's perfect.” She rummaged around a bit more and then handed me a pair of Emmett's boxers. “Here, try these.”

The boxers were way too big and just fell right back off of me.

“I can fix it,” Willow assured me.

She took a hair tie out of her hair and then scrunched up the waist of the boxers and tied it with the hair tie. It no longer fell off of me.

“See. It's perfect.” She smiled up at me with her toothy grin, and I couldn't help but smile back.

“Hi, Willow. I'm Paige. It's nice to officially meet you.”

She giggled. “We already met, silly. Come on, let's eat.”

Her little hand reached for mine as she pulled me back into the kitchen.

The other girls were quiet this time as they ate, but Lily smiled appreciatively at her daughter.

“It's really nice to see you, Paige,” Lily said.

Willow pulled out a chair and made me sit with them while Lily set a hot bowl of beef stew in front of me.

“Thank you,” I said.

The meal was a quiet one. I felt very out of place. Aside from my breakfast with Emmett, I hadn't eaten a real meal with people in a very long time. The spoon in my hand felt awkwardand uncomfortable, but I tried my best. If I were alone, I'd simply slurp it up like I would in my wolf form, but even I knew that wasn’t civilized behavior.

The girls sniggered a few times before Cammie grinned and picked up her bowl and lifted it to her mouth to slurp it down.

“Cammie,” Lily warned, but the girl just winked at me.

I took her queue and set down my spoon. It was so much easier and more efficient this way. I didn't understand the insistence of proper etiquette. It was ridiculous and a waste of time.

Willow giggled and picked up her bowl. Soon all the girls had joined in.

Lily rolled her eyes but smiled as she raised her bowl in a sort of salute and ate hers that way too.

I started to relax, seeing how they were trying so hard to make me feel comfortable.

After lunch Lily sent the older two girls outside to play while Willow and the youngest, whose name was Lilah, took their afternoon naps. I was feeling a little sleepy too.

“Sorry about all of this. It's a teacher workday so the girls are out of school today,” she explained.

Lilah fell asleep in Lily's arms and then she laid her down on the guest room bed to sleep. Willow had curled up in my lap and fell fast asleep.

When Lily returned, she just stood there staring down at her daughter with a strange look on her face.

“Here, I'll take her.”

Carefully she moved Willow into bed with her sister. I didn't want to admit it, but I missed her immediately.

“Willow doesn't usually take to people like that. She's my quiet little bookworm who keeps to herself too much. My littlelone wolf. She's always been that way, but with you, she's seems to have found her pack.”

Pack?

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