Page 60 of The Beta's Blind Date

“She’s my mom.”

Something about the way he says that makes me look at him fully. My breath catches and my heart stutters when my eyes land on him.

His eyes are wide, and his lips are in a smile, but it’s a sad smile. A broken smile. But despite that, he looks at her with love and admiration, with open vulnerability.

I swallow, my throat tight. “She’s an incredibly talented fighter.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. “She was.”

“Was?”

“She passed away. When I was nine.”

It’s silent after that, the video over and the screen dark, back at the start of the disk. We sit there, him staring at the now blank television, picturing his mom fighting and showing off her skill, and me watching him.

I have no words for him because I know as well as he does the pain of losing a parent, and that nothing anyone says truly helps. It is a pain that will never go away, no matter how much time passes.

I shift in my spot on the couch, setting the blanket aside, closing my notebook, and placing my hand on his leg, giving it a squeeze to let him know I am there, and I understand. My movements jolt him out of his trance, and he turns his head, his eyes meeting mine.

“Thank you,” I say, my gaze locked with his. “This was very helpful.”

He nods but says nothing. His hands clasp together, his jaw ticks, and he’s breathing harder than normal, but he just stares at me.

I stand and slip my feet back into my shoes, reaching for the heel to pull them on. “I should get going since the video is done,” I say, picking up the notebook, hugging it to my chest, and moving towards the door.

“Or we could watch an actual movie? Now that training is over?”

I bite my lip as I turn to look at him, at the smile that is back on his face and the tiny glint that’s returned to his eyes.

There he is. The male I’m used to is back, breaking through like the rays of the sun after a thunderstorm. Although it’s nice to know there is more to him than the happy-go-lucky cookie-loving jokester, I’ve grown attached and addicted to his goofiness, to his smile and his laugh. My wolf wags her tail, and there’s no doubt in my mind what my choice should be.

“Sure. Why not?” I shrug, bouncing back to him before I can change my mind. Not that I would have.

I take my shoes off again and sit down beside him, wrapping his cozy blanket embedded with his comforting, Christmassy scent around me, settling in with him for a real movie night.

Chapter 21

REID

Sunlightteasesanddancesbehind my eyelids, tempting them to open, but I squeeze them shut tighter. Warmth surrounds me. My body is relaxed and at ease, more rested than I’ve been in weeks. Or maybe ever.

I adjust my body, settling further into the plush, soothing warmth, wrapping my arms tighter around the body snuggled on top of me.

My eyes snap open, and my chin tilts down until Taryn fills my field of vision. Taryn, curled up on my chest, my blanket tucked around her body, her eyes shut, and her breathing deep and even, a small smile on her face in her sleep.

I hold my breath and don’t move a muscle, too afraid to wake her up. Because when she wakes up, the magic of this moment will disappear, the spell broken, and she’ll leave my arms, taking her warmth, light, and scent with her. And because I am selfish, I want to steal any moment with her I can, even though she can’t feel our bond yet. My wolf is calm and settled, pleased we spent the night with Taryn in our arms and against our body.

Taryn stretches, her neck arching up and a sleepy, content moan leaving her mouth. I bite back a groan, my eyes squeezing shut as I fight my instincts and desires and focus on something other than her body moving on top of mine.

She tucks my blanket under her chin, her hand coming to rest between her cheek and my chest, right above my heart. Then she relaxes again, her heart rate and breaths slowing further as she falls into a deeper sleep.

I let out my held breath, relaxing with her, my hand rubbing her back in time with her inhales and exhales. The TV is off. The power save feature must have kicked in after our second movie ended since we both fell asleep, and the early morning light peeks in around the curtains. The snacks are almost all gone—we ate quite a bit throughout our afternoon and evening together—but the dishes remain.

The clock on the wall reads 7:30 a.m., which is later than I’m used to waking, but it’s Saturday, so it doesn’t matter. My only plans for today are training Taryn, and since she’s already here, since we had an accidental sleepover, we can move that training to a bit earlier.

Or… or I can let her sleep longer. I can fall back asleep with her. We can snuggle and sleep in for as long as our bodies need, then have breakfast together, hang out around the packhouse, and train whenever we’re ready to. She may not know we’re mates, but some subconscious part of her must recognize what I am to her if she’s this relaxed while sleeping in my arms and on my chest.

I pull her tighter against me, adjusting our bodies until my lips brush the top of her head and her hair tickles my nose, the coconut scent of her products blending with her natural peony, strawberry, and peach scent like a summery fruit salad. “I wish I knew why you don’t feel what I feel,” I say into her hair. “It’s not fair, and it doesn’t make sense.”

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