Page 53 of Daddy's Mail Order Mate

And apparently it does the same thing to my libido, because it makes me want to climb him like a goddamn tree.

I stare down at my coffee and try to brace myself for the day as best I can.

And it really is a day. Not that anything major happens in and of itself. In fact, it passes in a way I can only describe as mundane. But it wears my nerves so thin to just have himexistingaround me. My entire being goes into a sensitive alert every time I have any trace of him in my space. Passing looks between us have me needing to fend off a mental tailspin, and it feels like I’m constantly trying to interpret traces of interest in every comment he makes. We even accidentally touch hands trying to both reach for Rowan and I’m glad it’s not just me who gets awkward after. I use it as a perfect opportunity to go excuse myself to go job hunting on my laptop alone, but I can’t help but feel like his eyes are drilling into me as I hurry upstairs.

By the time we get through dinner, I’m a bit of a nervous wreck, though I think I’m putting on a pretty strong front.

I’m in the middle of doing the dishes and putting things away when Thorn slips into the kitchen. Rather than making any sort of remark or commentary, he just nods in my general direction and goes for the fridge. I keep myself from staring and go back to work with the cleaning, though I stare after him when he makes his way back out the room.

Curiously, he goes to the front door and heads outside without a word.

He doesn’t usually do that.

I look to where Rowan seems to be dozing off in his little kitchen crib.

Normally, he’d be taking his son to bed and putting him down for the night around now.

With anxious questions buzzing in my skull, I work my way through the rest of the dinner chores and eventually go to sneakily investigate.

I peer through the window blinds and see him sitting on the porch swing. He’s not on the phone or anything that I can see. All he seems to be doing is nursing the bottle of beer I saw him leave the kitchen with earlier and staring out towards the night beyond.

What if I join him? Would that be too presumptuous? I should ask before I help myself to a beer and his company.

I shake my head and pace my way over to the kitchen to go take care of Rowan. I’m not some sheepish little girl anymore. If he gets upset about it, he’ll be sure to make it clear. And after everything that’s happened lately, I could use a goddamned drink.

Thanks to Rowan already nodding off, it only takes me a few minutes to go and get him settled down in his room. Once I make my way back downstairs, there’s no sign that Thorn’s come back inside. So with that, I head into the to pop open the fridge, pluck out one of the bottles from the six pack, get the top off, and make my way out front.

The sound of the door perks him up from where he’d been slumped back. I try not to lose my nerve when I see him staring at me in the dull glow of the porch light.

I lift the bottle in a cheeky little salute and take a sip as I make my way over to the railing. The wood makes a dullthudwhen I set the bottle down next to me and cross my arms against it to support my weight.

“Rowan’s asleep?”

I reach into my pocket and pull out the little baby monitor to wiggle it demonstratively.

“Mhm.”

I place it next to beer on the railing and I chuckle a bit at the sight.

“They’re a hell of a pair, right?”

Thorn follows my gaze. It takes a beat, but he huffs in amusement. I can’t help but feel a warm twisting swell of pride in my chest at that. For a man as severe as Thorn, every crack was a major success. And I like to think I’m pretty funny.

“Match made in heaven.”

I laugh under my breath and let my eyes linger on the two objects. But then his words remind me of the mate bond, and I have to go for a drink to chase the thought away. A few moments pass with the crickets singing along out there in the dark beyond our little refuge of light.

“How’s work been going?”

“Fine.”

“It’s interesting to see a Council member just… Around. I remember when we were kids and how much they seemed like some sort of. I dunno. Boogeymen.”

“Neither of our packs weren’t particularly fond of the Council back then. So of course they seemed distant and frightening to us. Cherrygrove and Portsmill did their best to stay under their radar, and when theydidshow up, they needed to make sure they didn’t get put on any lists.”

“So, the Council keeps lists, huh?”

“Too fucking many,” he grumbles.

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