Page 58 of The Wolf's Plus-Size Bride

“Really?” I ask, curious.

“Yeah,” he says, coming into the room.

He hands me a small metal object. I turn it over in my hands, examining it. A small flower. A delicate, intricate, beautiful piece of art. When I take it from him, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out half a dozen more.

“Reiner,” I breathe, tracing my finger over the petals. “These are gorgeous. There’s no way you made these.”

He smiles, his cheeks flushed. “I’ve been working on them for a couple days. You liked the wolf so much, I just thought…”

“They’re perfect,” I whisper, tears pricking my eyes.

This has to mean something, right? He wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of making all this for me if he didn’t care about me. Right?

“Thank you,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“You’re welcome,” he murmurs, kissing my cheeks. “Care to go for a walk? It’s a beautiful night.”

“I’d love to,” I agree, smiling.

We head out, and he takes my hand in his. We walk in silence for a while, just enjoying the night air. He’s right. It is lovely out. The night sky is clear and full of stars, and the moon is bright. It’s looming in the sky, full and round, casting a silvery glow on everything.

That’s another thing I would miss about this place if I go back home. The sky is so much clearer here. At home, the light pollution makes it hard to see the stars.

“What are you thinking about?” Reiner asks, glancing over at me.

“I was just thinking how much I’m going to miss this place,” I say, gesturing to the sky.

A strange look crosses his face, but it’s gone as quickly as it came.

“Yeah,” he says, his voice tight. “It’s a nice place. When I was in Stardust Hollow, the first thing I noticed was how different the sky was. It’s not as clear, not as beautiful.”

“I know,” I agree, sighing.

“So, when are you guys supposed to leave?”

“In a couple of days,” I say with a shrug.

“Oh.” His jaw clenches, and I’m waiting for him to say something, anything.

I want him to ask me to stay. My heart needs him to be the one to bring it up, to make the first move. But he doesn’t.

“Well, that’s not too long,” he says, his voice strained.

“No, it’s not,” I say as disappointment floods me.

Maybe I was just imagining things. Maybe he doesn’t care about me the way I care about him. I know he said he wanted to give us a chance, but based on what I’m seeing right now, that chance was only meant to span the time between then and now. He makes no mention of the future, and I’m not sure if that’s because he doesn’t want to pressure me or because he’s not interested. But the bottom line is, I was the one to put myself out there last time.

When he was in Stardust Hollow, I put my heart on the line. I told him I had feelings for him, and he shot me down. I just can’t bring myself to take that risk a second time. If Reiner wants me to stay, then dammit, he needs to be the one to say it.

I’m not going to chase him. Not again.

“We better head back,” he says, clearing his throat. “I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I agree, trying not to let the disappointment show on my face.

I guess that’s that, then. I’m leaving in a couple of days, and he’s not going to stop me. Reiner doesn’t want me to stay. If there’s one thing I know about this man, it’s that he speaks his mind. Granted, he’s not the best when it comes to articulating his feelings, but if he wants something, he goes after it. The fact that he’s not asking me to stay tells me everything I need to know.

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks, and I feel my heart breaking. I’ve been holding out hope, but now it’s clear. He doesn’t feel the same way I do. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. I knew I shouldn’t have let myself fall for him. But I did, and now, I’m paying the price.

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