Page 29 of The Runaway Mate

“But I was scared,” Wally continued. “I didn’t know what it meant, and I didn’t know if I was ready for that kind of commitment.” He paused, looking at me with earnest eyes. “Thomas never gave up on me. He was patient, kind, and he always knew when to push and when to back off.”

As he spoke, my mind snapped to Seth. Patience wasn’t his strong suit. He’d tried to dictate every facet of my life until I became a shell of who I once was. The thought of giving someone that kind of influence over me again was terrifying, even if it was Ryan.

“Eventually, I realized that I couldn’t run from this. We were fated mates; it was meant to be, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him.”

Meant to be? Like I didn’t have a choice anymore?

Wally must have seen the panic on my face. “Look, where have you left it with Ryan?”

I shrugged. “He explained everything about why he rejected me, but it’s not that easy. He can’t just say, ‘Oops, my bad, let’s start again.’ Too much has happened. I’ve changed too much. I’m not the person who ran out of here. I’m sure he isn’t the same person he was four years ago, either. And now he wants to have dinner tonight. Dinner. Like a date!”

Wally grinned at me. “That boy moves fast! A date is exactly what you need right now. Why don’t you go? Forget about everything else for one night?”

Forget? How could I? My past was a tapestry of experiences that had shaped me, and Seth’s dark thread was woven through it all. I didn’t know how to move past it, to even consider writing a new story with Ryan and not let Seth’s shadow darken everything.

“Ignore the past, Mai. Just go and get to know him. Let him meet the person you are now. No baggage, no anger, for one night, just you and him and leave all this stuff at the door. Get to know Ryan for who he is now, and let him see the strong woman you’ve become.”

I thought about it, about forgetting the past for one night and just being with Ryan. I was tired of being angry, of being scared, of feeling confused about everything. Maybe if I just switched off for a night, showed Ryan who I was now, found out who he was, then maybe I could decide what to do next.

“I guess I could try.”

“Good.” Wally smiled at me, a satisfied look on his face.

I looked out of the window. Ryan was in a familiar position, leaning against the car, arms crossed, glaring at the house.

“He might not think so,” I replied, nodding toward Ryan. “He has no idea what he’s let himself in for.”

Chapter twenty

Mai

Isat on the plush couch in the Shaw brothers’ cozy living room as Derek tapped away on his computer. My new phone was plugged into it, and he’d just finished giving me the 101 of how to be a spy. At least, that was what it felt like.

I’d told Ryan about Wally’s idea on the way back.

“Sounds good,” he’d said, holding my gaze for a moment and making my stomach do a flip. “I’ll take anything I can get.”

“Alright, then,” I’d replied. “Pick me up at seven, and don’t be late.”

When we made it back to the compound, Derek had been waiting for me, and Ryan slipped off “to make some calls.”

My eyes followed Derek as he shut his laptop with a definitive click. “Okay, your digital life is now Fort Knox,” he announced, looking pleased with himself.

“Fort Knox, huh? I feel safer already.” I smiled. “Seriously, thanks for setting this up. It means a lot.”

Derek leaned back in his chair, eyeing me with a smirk. “You do realize that ‘password123’ isn’t the epitome of cybersecurity, right?” His eyes twinkled with mischief.

I rolled my eyes. “I know that now. It’s a process. I’m evolving.”

“Evolving, you say? Can someone who always clicked on the ‘You’ve won a million dollars’ emails evolve?”

I grimaced, remembering my younger, more hopeful self. “Okay, fine. I get your point. This isn’t the flip-phone era anymore.”

“Exactly,” he said, getting serious for a moment. “With the kind of attention you’re attracting, you can’t afford any digital vulnerabilities.”

I leaned back to mirror his posture. “Alright, Mr. Cybersecurity, any other wisdom you’d like to share?”

“Just remember to update your apps, especially the security ones. You don’t want to be that person who ignored the update notifications and got hacked.”

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