Page 44 of Forbidden Daddy Mate

“I love you,” I said. “I should have said it a long time ago, but I wasn’t sure if it was right. But I’m tired of fighting it. I love you, and if anyone has an issue with it, they can take it up with me. I’m not letting you slip away again.”

She smiled, eyes shining bright. “I love you, too,” she said.

Before I could think better of it, I pulled her to me, pressing my lips to hers.

I held her there, wanting to feel her, to smell her, to know she was there and that it was over. I didn’t want to let her go. So I held onto her, tangling my fingers in her hair and holding her in place as I continued to kiss her.

“That…explains a lot,” Tannen said.

We broke apart, turning to see the Silver Wolves all staring with varying degrees of bewilderment.

“Told you,” Rand said, folding his arms and smirking. He turned to Tannen. “You can pay up when we get back.”

“Lucky guess,” Tannen muttered.

“Guess?” Rand snorted. “It was pretty obvious when we saw how he freaked out. I can’t help it if you’re oblivious.”

I shook my head, then turned to Freya. “Come on,” I said to her. “Let’s go home.”

Chapter 22 - Freya

Jenn was waiting at Malcolm’s house when we came back. She raced toward the door the instant we opened it and stepped inside. Her face, filled with worry, broke into a relieved smile as she saw me.

“Oh, thank god,” she said, pulling me into a bear hug. “Oh, thank god. I was so worried about you. I thought you were—”

Even with my anxiousness at having to see her again, and what I was going to have to tell her, I couldn’t help but return the hug. Her enthusiasm and relief were infectious, and it wasn’t until her arms wrapped around me that I realized just how much I’d missed her.

“I’m fine,” I promised, squeezing her back. “Everything’s okay.”

How could I have been so stupid as to avoid her for so long? She was my best friend. She didn’t deserve that.

“I was so worried about you,” she said. “I can’t imagine what that must have been like.”

“Definitely not one of my top-ten experiences,” I said, and Jenn laughed. “I don’t think I’ll make a repeat.”

“You better not,” Jenn said. “Or you and I are gonna have words.”

Malcolm chuckled. He was still covered in blood and dirt, but he looked almost invigorated.

“I’ll leave you two to catch up while I take a shower,” he said. He gave me a knowing look, and I gave a very short nod in response. What I was about to do wasn’t something I particularly relished or wanted to do, but it was necessary. At the very least, Jenn deserved to know, and I wanted to be the one to tell her.

And I wanted to do it in private, just the two of us. She deserved that much. I could only hope that she’d forgive me.

“I’ll stitch you up when you get back down,” Klyte said to Malcolm, dropping a med bag on the table. Malcolm grumbled and waved his hand in annoyed acknowledgment before stalking up the stairs.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Jenn asked, looking me up and down like a mother might.

“I’m fine,” I promised. “Just a little shaken up, you know? But I’ll get over it.”

“I’m just glad you’re back,” Jenn said, beaming. “Now things can go back to the way they used to be.”

“Um…” I hesitated. “Not quite.” Color flooded my cheeks as I struggled to find the right way to go about this. “Jenn, there’s something you should know…you were right. I was avoiding you, and I’m sorry. I just…you see…Malcolm and I, at the cabin…”

Jenn held up a hand. “I don’t need all the details,” she said. “I already know.”

I gaped. “You knew?”

She tilted her head from side to side. “I sort of figured it out when I saw how Dad reacted to you getting kidnapped. It wasn’t the way he would react if you were just his daughter’s friend to him. I guessed it was something more.”

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