Page 83 of His Wild Mate

“You know, people have always asked if that little brat-face was my kid. I couldn’t imagine it. But maybe if we'd met back then it would be conceivable that she'd have a close in age little niece or nephew.”

I nearly choked on my own spit.

“You want kids?” I managed to say.

“Not right away, but yeah. You don't?”

“No!” I practically yelled. “If I have a daughter, it would only pass the curse on to her. I don't think I could ever risk that happening.”

“But if Thomas's order holds for you, then we already know how to keep her safe when that time comes.”

I shook my head. There was no way I was ever going to risk putting my child through this.

“And who knows, we could always have sons.”

“For at least the last eight generations, that hasn't happened. The firstborn is always a daughter to take the curse.”

“We don’t have to decide anything right now.”

But I could tell by the tone of his voice that this conversation was far from over. I'd already seen him with his sister and with the children of some of his friends. He was going to be an amazing dad someday, just not with me by his side.

That was just another reason why I had to leave. It made me sad to think of, and I rubbed at the ache in my chest.

You have to. He deserves so much more than you.

I pushed those thoughts away and smiled at him. “It's really nice here.”

“I'll make a run into town at the bottom of the mountain tomorrow for groceries and stuff. They keep a few cans of odds and ends up here for emergencies. So if you're hungry, I can raid that. The kitchen is over here. That hallway beyond it leads to a big mud and washroom. And on this side of the house, you'll find the bedrooms.”

Still carrying the bag, he walked in the direction of the bedrooms while I followed.

“There are actually five bedrooms on this wing and there is a basement with two more, plus a rec room.”

“Why did you and your sister sleep in the loft then?”

He shrugged. “There's just something really cool about it. We both love it up there. The owner's suite is at the end of the hall with a private bath, and then there are two rooms on each side that share a bathroom.”

He stopped at the first door on the right and opened it, smiling. He looked so happy and at ease here.

The room was nice and cozy, a little smaller than I expected, but I liked that. Big open spaces were sometimes difficult for me. I could even see the mountains through the door leading out to a deck. The mix of nature and comfort gave me peace.

“Is this your room?”

“Yup. We can stay in the owner's suite. It's bigger with a better bathroom.”

“That's where your parents usually sleep?”

“Yes.”

“Will that be weird?”

“Nah, come on.”

We walked down the hall to the owner’s suite. The room was enormous and nice, but I could tell Emmett wasn't entirely comfortable there. He was a grown man, but here, there was a bit of the kid he had once been shining through. This was clearly still his parents' room. Besides, there was too much unnecessary space in the room.

“This is nice, but I think I like your room better,” I told him.

The way his shoulders relaxed told me I was doing the right thing.

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