Page 69 of The Alpha's Sold Pregnant Mate

Esme's tear glands began to charge as she fought back the urge to cry. What happened the last time she shed tears was catastrophic, and she couldn't afford any of that. However, she was stronger now than she was then.

“I'm here for you.” Juniper held her hand.

Esme swallowed, blinking back her tears. “I'm…I'm afraid that I'd fail as a mother.” The tears flowed at this point. She drew in a deep breath. “I never knew a mother's love while growing up.” She shrugged her shoulders lightly. “I never actually experienced any form of love from anyone.” Esme looked into Juniper's eyes. “How do you give what you don't have?” She sniffled.

“Esme… You have love in abundance. Your love is more than enough to heal the entire Pack,” Juniper said to her. “You're capable of love. Look how well you're doing with the townspeople here despite being rejected by your own people. Esme, if you can love an outsider, what makes you think that you can't love your own flesh and blood?”

Esme sniffled, swiping a thumb over her eyes.

“You're one of the most caring people I know. Hell, you go as far as caring for plants and even that squirrel—what's its name again?”

She laughed lightly. “Jerry.”

Juniper smiled broadly. “You are a paragon of love, Esme.” She helped wipe her tears. “Your child will feel that love to the fullest.”

Juniper had been of tremendous help to Esme, helping with her powers and offering words of advice and consolation. She was the closest thing to a sister that Esme had.

Esme's respect for her increased speedily these past few months, and she was grateful to have actually met such a wonderful soul.

Even though she had discussed this with Juniper, Esme still couldn't shake off all her fears and anxieties. Her most pressing concern was her relationship with her husband. It was missing the juice, the romance.

She was not fully exposed to the world yet, obviously, since she'd spent all of her life in that small town. Esme wanted to see the rest of the world; she wanted to feel loved, pampered, and taken care of. Not that Asher wasn't doing a good job. He was really trying in his own way.

Juniper was right about the difference between communication and comprehension. Now, this was the problem.

She would talk to Asher when he returned home, but the fear of his reaction was gnawing her intestines.

Will he see me as ungrateful or think I'm asking for too much? Will he get mad? Will he think I'm being obsessed? What will he say? What will he do?

All Esme wanted was love. The sex was good—great, even—and she always enjoyed it. Asher never made her feel any less of herself, and she admired that about him. He was gentle sometimes and a beast some other times. Their sex life was spicy—but their love life was dying.

She wondered if he truly loved her or if he was only with her out of a sense of duty to his Pack. Esme had stopped herself so many times from saying those special three little words. She was afraid of ruining it, thinking that it was too early for that.

But deep down, she was yearning to hear him say those words to her. She wanted to experience the romance she read in novels. No one had ever said those words to her except for her mother, and she wished that Asher would discern what she needed without having to spill it out for him.

She had tried many times to get him to say it, but he always found a way to deflect, which made her wonder why.

Yes, their marriage had happened under strange circumstances—she got that part loud and clear. But it still didn't stop it from hurting that she missed out on some of little romantic gestures.

She never used to spend much time imagining her wedding, because she had thought no man would ever love her enough to marry her. But during the little time she spent in that imaginary world, she always saw herself being proposed to in an open place with fireworks brightening up the night sky and people applauding them. The man in her imagination was always tall, muscular, and handsome. Asher had all these qualities, and for that, she was grateful.

But what happened to; ‘Esme, will you marry me?’?

She felt like she had been robbed of the chance to say,“Yes!” joyously like normal people would.

Esme was never engaged properly, and she hated that she had missed out on that. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That wasn't entirely true, but that was how she felt anyway.

She felt like she was trapped, like her pet squirrel in its cage. Esme didn't want the Pack to be all that she was going to know for the rest of her life. No. The world was a big place. She wasn't asking for much, just a little travel or maybe even a date.

Is that too much to ask?

If she was feeling this way when she wasn't even a mother yet, what would happen when the baby finally was born?

What was the guarantee that she would ever experience all that after the arrival of the baby? Would she still look good to him? Would he still find her attractive?

Shit, Esme! Pull yourself together. You're losing it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She knew immediately that it was him, and her heart skipped.

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