Page 7 of Her Grumpy Alpha

James chuckled, his eyes holding a hint of nostalgia. “It’s a small world, isn’t it? I had no idea you were here. How have you been?”

My mind raced as I tried to process this unexpected reunion. I had opened the preschool, finished the renovations on the farmhouse, and had been fully immersed in this new chapter of my life. Yet somehow, our paths had crossed once more.

“I’ve been busy,” I replied, my voice filled with a mix of emotions. “The preschool has been open for a few months now. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s incredibly rewarding.”

James nodded, his gaze sweeping over the children playing in the yard. “It looks like you’re doing an amazing job. I’m impressed. I didn’t know you were even in Maple Creek, never mind that you had this awesome business here.”

“Yeah, well, I inherited the land and wanted to change my life a little.”

A sense of warmth and familiarity settled over us, and the years that had separated us seemed to melt away. The connection we had shared in Cancun had not been forgotten, and I couldn’t help but wonder if fate had brought us back together for a reason. I certainly felt a brand-new warmth spreading through my body, making me happy in a way I didn’t know I could feel.

Gregory, always full of energy and curiosity, approached us with Mookie, our loyal golden retriever. Mookie’s tail wagged vigorously as he sniffed the air, clearly intrigued by James’ scent. It was a scent that held a familiar note, one that might have been similar to Gregory’s, reminding me starkly that James’ presence in my life again might not all be sunshine and roses.

Shit. Guilt flooded me, I could hardly breathe as I darted my eyes between James and my son.

“Mom, who’s this?” Gregory asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.

I smiled and introduced them as best I could. “Gregory, this is James. He’s an old friend of mine from a long time ago.”

James extended his hand to Gregory, his expression softening as he saw the young boy’s innocent curiosity. “Nice to meet you, Gregory.”

Gregory shook James’ hand with a friendly smile before pointing to our dog. “This is Mookie. He’s our good boy. He loves it here, you know?”

Mookie wagged his tail even harder, as if to confirm Gregory’s statement. James knelt down to greet the friendly golden retriever, and for a moment, his serious facade seemed to crack. It was interesting to see that vulnerable side of him once more.

“Well, it is very good to see you again.”

As Gregory and Mookie raced off, I was intrigued by the stiff and formal way James spoke to me. He was more like the guy I encountered the morning after our night together, not the passionate man I’d slept with. It was intriguing. I wanted to know more about him.

I’d tried to forget about James over the last few years, which wasn’t the easiest thing to do because I’d never expected to see him again. I never thought that we would cross paths once more but having him standing here right in front of me made my heart ache for more. He brought me back to life in ways I wasn’t expecting. I didn’t even know I was dead.

“Abe!” some of the kids cried as another man stepped out of the truck. A truck I could only assume James had stepped out of as well. “Come and play with us.”

I smiled as I watched the kids greet Abraham, their joyful interactions revealing the strong sense of community that had developed in the area. The preschool had become a hub for families and children, and it was heartwarming to see the bonds that had formed.

“Seems like everyone knows everyone here, right?” I laughed. “Abe seems popular.”

I was learning a lot about Maple Creek during my time here, such as the fact that Wyoming, and Maple Creek in particular, had a big shifter population. It wasn’t like that in Memphis. We hardly had any wolves there as far as I knew, so I was slowly getting comfortable with all this.

“Well, we don’t want to get in the way of your day.” I had to admit that my heart sank as James took a step back from me, but I did need to get back to work. The kids needed me, but that didn’t mean I wanted James to walk away from me again. I didn’t even know his phone number, but I supposed in this small a place, we would see one another again. “But I’m sure I will see you again, alright? Maybe for coffee this weekend?”

My heart skipped a beat. I wanted to act cool, but I didn’t know how. “Saturday?”

“Perfect. I’ll meet you here at midday.”

“Sounds good. I will see you then.”

He waved at me, and my heart honestly stopped beating as he wiggled his fingers in my direction. Everything about me was on fire. This was crazy.

I grinned and watched him leave, feeling a weird fizzing sensation tearing through my whole body. What the hell was going on here? What was going to happen next? This was absolutely wild. I couldn’t fathom what direction my life was going to take next, but I was definitely intrigued.

Gregory, always observant, approached me with his bright, curious eyes once he noticed me standing there alone. “Mom, who were those two men?” he asked.

I smiled down at my son, wondering how to explain this unexpected turn of events to him properly. “Well, sweetie, the man I was talking to is named James. He was my boyfriend for a little while a long time ago. We didn’t continue our relationship because, well, he’s a bit of a stiff grump, and we used to argue a lot. Not much fun.”

Gregory furrowed his brow, processing the information. “So, he’s not your boyfriend now?”

I chuckled and ruffled his hair. “No, not anymore. But I’m glad I ran into him again. Sometimes people change, and maybe he’s not as grumpy as he used to be. It’s nice to have old friends in your life, even if things didn’t work out romantically. And I think it’s great to have a lot of friends here since we’re still pretty new to Maple Creek. It isn’t like Memphis, is it? Where I knew lots of people because I had grown up with them.”

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