Page 54 of Forced Knocked-Up Mate

To get so close to him and then find out he’s even further away than before is tearing me in half.

We park at Shelley’s and head inside, finding Bailey, Gina, and Rider sitting at the long table.

“Thanks for coming in so quickly,” Bae says, smiling. “We just wanted to follow up from yesterday, since the meeting was interrupted.”

Bae’s tact isn’t lost on me, and I keep my eyes down. I don’t feel good about creating a situation the day before, or escalating it by storming off like a volatile teenager.

“What we’d like is for you to start a course with the kids in each town,” Bae continues. “It will start with very small groups, working in town initially, so you don’t have to go far. Since you have so much experience living wild, I’d like you to teach all our youngsters the basics of survival.”

“It’s a job I’d love to do,” Rider says. “But as alpha, I have other business that keeps me busy. You’d have to check in with me and Bae regularly, and coordinate with our betas to organize your routine.”

“It will also mean talking to a lot of the parents and teachers in the area,” Gina says. “Your primary work will be with the kids, but to organize your session times and activities, you’ll need to learn to communicate and compromise with everyone involved.”

There is a hint of challenge in Gina’s voice. To my surprise, Peter grins and nods enthusiastically.

“When do I start?” he asks. “Organizing session times might be a bit of a nightmare at first, so I can work around Lucy. But once the spell is broken, I’ll be more flexible.”

There it is. He’s desperate to get away from me.

“Okay,” Gina says, beaming. “Let me set up a little meet-and-greet with a few parents and their kids to start with. But are you sure about this, Peter?”

“Positive,” he answers, still smiling. “How hard can it be?”

Gina clears her throat and tries to cover her grin. “Remember that you asked that question after you’ve come out of a full day wrangling seven-year-olds.”

I stay quiet as I promised I would. It feels like everyone at the table has forgotten my existence.

So, it looks like everything is going to work out, and Peter will stay and become a valued member of the pack. But once the spell is broken, I’ll probably never see him again.

Chapter 18 - Peter

Leaving Shelley’s with Lucy, I feel content and happy in a way I never have before. Even though I’m anxious about starting work with the kids, I’m looking forward to it as well.

From what I’ve seen so far, kids are far easier to deal with than adults. They talk straight and actually say what they feel.

We’re almost home when I realize Lucy hasn’t said a word. I appreciated it at the meeting, but now I’m starting to wonder if I did something wrong.

“Is everything okay, Lucy?” I ask.

“Hmm?” she says distractedly. “Yeah, sure. I’m just thinking.”

“Not too hard, I hope.”

“Why?” she asks with a little laugh.

“Don’t thoughts turn into actions? Isn’t that how spells work?”

“It’s not quite that literal, thankfully,” she says as we pull up at the house. “I’m just trying to respect your space, you know. I don’t want to put any extra stress on you.”

I glance at her as we get out of the car and walk towards the door. I didn’t notice earlier, but she looks stressed. Maybe even a bit sad.

“The meeting went well,” I say. “Don’t worry about that. I think I’ll fit in with the packs just fine.”

“I’m sure you will,” she answers, opening the front door and going past me. “I’m going for a shower. I’m glad things worked out for you.”

Suddenly, I can’t stand to watch her walk away. A low-level panic sings in my blood, as if I’m dangling over a chasm that I can’t even see.

Is this how men in relationships feel every single day?

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