Page 20 of Fated Secret Baby

He’s careful to stay away from any topic regarding Juniper, which I’m grateful for.

It makes the time between us… light. Fun. More than fun, I’ll admit.

Being around Orion like this again? It’s more than just falling into an old pattern.

It’s like coming home.

On top of the great conversation… he’s insanely attractive. I think that I must have fallen for him so young that I, like, imprinted on him or something. I’ve seen other men, of course, and I’ve been around a lot of attractive men.

None of them have ever made my heart beat like Orion does.

He’s wrapping up a story about a teenage wolf being stranded in a human wildlife clinic, and I can’t stop laughing.

“Well, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks it’s funny,” he laughs as I snort at the image of the alpha pretending to be a wildlife rehab vet. His blue eyes sparkle, and they look so much like Juniper’s that my breath catches in my throat.

My laughter dies, and I’m just staring at him. “I… I missed you,” I blurt.

It’s definitely the whisky talking, and I immediately wish that I could pull the words back into myself.

Orion’s face softens. “I missed you, too.”

I take a deep breath. I need to tell him. He’s not a bad person. When he stood up to his mom earlier, I felt like, for the first time, he was willing to create some space between them.

It made me wonder what else has changed for him. And what that means for us.

But telling him about Juniper is going to ruin the moment.

I’ve missed this so much. I don’t want to ruin it now.

“I’m sorry if I made things weird with your mom,” I say.

He straightens, then sighs. “She’s… a lot.”

“I’ve never seen you be so firm with her.”

Orion nods sharply. “It’s time.”

“What’s different?”

He sighs again, then leans back on the couch. From this angle, he looks… not relaxed, exactly. Poised. Somehow. Like he’s waiting for something.

It’s sexy.

You think everything he does is sexy.

“I’m turning thirty in two months,” he says.

My heart flutters. “Okay.”

“She has… she wants me to find a mate.”

“Do you?”

It’s just a question. But it feels like I just ignited a fuse. The tension simmers in the room.

Am I worried that he’ll say no? Yes?

I don’t know. I have no idea what I want his response to be. I do know that it will kill me if I don’t ask.

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