Page 58 of Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart

Patting her stomach again, she promised, “Your daddy might be gone, but you’ll never doubt how much you are loved. I promise you that.”

The next day went by in a haze. She was on automatic pilot the next day. It was Dakota’s last day in town. She knew he would be too busy to see her even if she wanted to. Walking away from him a second time would break her. There was no way she could handle that.

She cried all over again when she got home. The collage that Dakota had made her was propped up by her door. He didn’t leave a note or anything else.

“Why should he? We said all that we had to say last night.”

The rest of the week dragged by. She knew she wasn’t herself. The shifter kids brought her small gifts to try to make her feel better, and they all told her how happy they were that she and Mrs. Garner were okay. She thanked them and assured them that she would be back to normal in no time.

Talia stopped by after school on Friday. “Sebastian, Conner, and Rory are going with the rest of the Griffins on a bike ride. Savvy, Beth, and I are going to hang out at Beth’s place. She’ll cook and the kiddos can run all over the place. Why don’t you come, too?”

Sadie thought about it. On one hand, she could sit on her couch, watching true crime shows, and feeling sorry for herself, missing Dakota. That would be easier than motivating herself to go hang out with her friends. On the other hand, her friends would support her and, while they couldn’t take away her pain, she could cry on their shoulders.

“What time?”

“We’re going to head over there about nine. If you come that will give us the fourth person we need for spades. Beth and Savvy beat us in two out of three games last time. We must get our revenge.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be there.”

Talia paused for a moment. “Are you okay?”

“I’m good. I knew he was going to leave. It was just harder than I thought it would be.”

“Do you want to come for dinner tonight?”

“Nah. I’m good, thanks.”

Sadie went home and started going through the items in the guest room. She had a box for the things that she could donate and moved what she was going to keep to other rooms.

“I guess I could donate the dresser and bed frame. They weren’t part of a set or heirlooms.” She took the pictures off thewall and stripped the bed. “I’ll call the women’s shelter to find out if they could use the bedroom furniture.”

She was surprised at how late it had gotten outside. Sadie was shocked to see that it was almost eight. Her stomach rumbled.

“I got your message loud and clear. We need pizza.”

As she waited, she thought about getting a puppy. The baby and the dog could grow up together and be best friends. There were plenty at the sanctuary who could use a home. The nice couple who ran the place knew the animals intimately and would know which would be a good match.

“One life change at a time,” she muttered to herself.

The rest of the night consisted of episodes ofEvil Lives HereandWho the Bleep Did I Marry?pizza, and sweet iced tea. It wasn’t until she went to bed that it hit her that she would never again be wrapped up in Dakota’s strong arms again. She cried herself to sleep.

Beth, Savvy, and Talia were already on the front porch with coffee when Sadie pulled up. She could feel their eyes on her as she walked toward them, holding the strawberry cheesecake in her hands.

“I’ll put it in the fridge,” Sadie said. “I assume there’s more coffee for me in there?”

“All you can drink,” Beth assured her.

She came back out with a cup and took one of the chairs on the porch.

Beth spoke first. “How are you doing?”

“As well as can be expected, I suppose.”

Talia sipped her coffee and looked at her. “Did you get a chance to tell him about the baby?”

“Baby? Congrats,” Savvy said.

“I’m sorry, you didn’t know,” Sadie said. “I swore Beth and Talia to silence until I could tell Dakota. I never got a chance to tell him.”

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