Page 19 of Wolf's Midlife Baby

“Well enough. He’s settling in with me until he gets things figured out.” The logistics of fitting his father into his apartment weren’t at the forefront of his mind, though Rick’s words were. He only had so much time, and he couldn’t waste it. There was something between them. Pierce knew it was important, and the time crunch was very real. His words hit a wall in his throat and refused to come out.

“That’s kind of you.” She pressed her lips together and looked away as she hugged her knees.

Why should it be so awkward to be there with her? Things definitely hadn’t been when he’d brought her to Selene’s and then back to his place. For those few hours, Pierce had felt like the two of them were truly mates, that they fit together as perfectly as puzzle pieces. Now, his wolf still knew the truth. That didn’t make it any easier to get past the reality of the situation surrounding them. “You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

She ducked her head toward her knees and frowned. “Yeah.”

“Are you all packed and ready?” It was small talk, nothing that meant anything, but as he said it, he became curious. She and Dahlia seemed to be in very different stages of getting ready to leave.

Holly shook her head, making her dark hair caress her shoulders. “Not yet, but I’ve been caught up with my writing. I didn’t bring much anyway, so I’ll just throw it all together in the morning.”

“Do, um, do you and Dahlia need a ride to the airport?” It was a desperate attempt to spend more time with her, even though he’d only be teasing himself if she agreed.

“No,” Holly said quickly. “We’ve got that taken care of, with the rental car drop-off and everything.”

“Right. Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” He knew how badly he wanted her. Not just physically—although he could certainly imagine what the two of them might do if they had this place all to themselves at the moment—but in every way. When she left, he’d be lonely. He’d sit at home or at the firehouse and wonder what might’ve happened if things had worked out differently, if he’d asked if there might be a way for things to work out. He’d lay in bed at night and think about the softness of her hair or the vibration of her laughter against his chest. He’d be miserable.

Something made him look at the suitcase again. She’d packed her life into it, just as she did every year. That didn’t mean she could make a home there or that she even wanted to. She had a life back in Cape Cod. It wasn’t up to him to make her change that.

Given the way she was acting, he was pretty sure she didn’t want him to. Holly was barely looking at him, studying her toes or the floor instead of his face. She hadn’t run into his arms to greet him, glad to see that he’d stopped by. Instead, she played the obliged hostess, bringing him into the house but not into her heart.

He stood. “I’m sorry. I know you’re busy, and I should’ve called before I came over. I just wanted to thank you for a nice time and say goodbye.”

“Thank you, and thank you for taking me out,” she replied politely as they moved toward the front door.

It was a polite exchange, but there was nothing more between them than two high school kids who’d gone out simply because their parents were good friends and thought they’d like each other. Pierce hesitated in the doorway, wondering if there was something else he could do. She’d told him all about how gorgeous Cape Cod was, how comfortable and happy her little home was, how she’d spent far too much time decorating her office space so that it would be perfect when she was writing away. There was no room for him in that life, nor could he rip her out of it and expect her to be a part of his.

“I was happy to,” he replied honestly. Pierce leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, giving himself one last thing to cling to during the long nights ahead. “For what it’s worth, I wish we could’ve figured out a way to spend more time together, to get to know each other. I know what we have between us is special, even if it can’t last.”

She twisted her fingers together, looking down at her feet and then back up at him. “Me, too. I know sometimes people try long-distance relationships, but that’s really long.”

The distance was one he was painfully aware of. Pierce had never been to Massachusetts, but already he could feel every mile like a stab in his heart. “I guess that’s just as well. I come from an old-fashioned pack, and the differences between us might make things difficult.”

Holly tipped her head back and narrowed her eyes. “They already don’t like me?”

“I think it’s quite the opposite.” Pierce checked quickly to make sure Dahlia wasn’t around. “It’s just that we have a tradition of marking our mates. I know that’s a rare thing these days, even among wolves.”

She lifted her brows. “How would something like that work between a wolf and a bear?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, and he supposed he’d never get a chance to find out. “No one’s ever done it before that I’m aware of. Anyway, now I’m just making excuses for standing here longer. I’ll go. If it matters, I’ll miss you.”

“Me, too.”

He walked out the door and to his car. That was it. His mate was about to fly off home, and he would be alone. It was over as quickly as it’d begun.

9

“Where are we going next?” Holly tried to keep a light inflection in her voice, even though she wasn’t feeling it. She’d been following Kyle all over Eugene for the last two days and had yet to figure out exactly what his process for this article would be. Her feet hurt, and she was starting to think she should’ve just gone home.

Of course, if she had, that meant she would’ve been leaving Pierce and everyone else like him vulnerable to Kyle. The guy could be an absolute pest, but he’d proven himself within Newman Media Group to be driven and determined. If he thought there were shifters out there, he was going to find them. Holly just had to hope the other shifters didn’t find out about them first.

Kyle walked slowly through the Whiteaker neighborhood, his head swiveling and his eyes alight. “Anywhere and everywhere,” he replied quietly.

“That seems a bit more random than I would’ve imagined,” she mumbled.

He let out a superior laugh. “Holly, honey, you’re an excellent writer. You know how to immerse someone in a whole new world. But it’s my job to find that world in the first place so you can write about it. A subject like this is going to be the kind that hides in plain sight, one that’s everywhere, yet no one talks about it. We need to talk to everyone from the humble grocery store clerk to the mayor.”

That was going to take a hell of a long time. Not that Holly wanted to point him in the right direction and expose the shifter community, but if they got down to the nitty-gritty, she might be able to figure out a way to stop him and put this whole thing to bed. “You don’t really think they’re just mingling with regular society, do you? I mean, you mentioned you thought a lot of people at that club might be involved. What was it called? Selma’s?”

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