Page 5 of Forever Mine

It did sort of creep me out at times like this when she actually got it right. Something was definitely very, very wrong.

“You're being ridiculous. I'll be home in about two hours. Plenty of time for the party.”

“Okay, see you then. You're sure nothing's wrong?”

“Positive. Bye.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Before I put my phone away, I scrolled through emails, quickly finding the one I had read just last night inviting me to a fundraiser in San Francisco Friday evening. Double-checking to confirm the convention Jacob Winthrop was speaking at would last through the weekend, I quickly RSVP'd my acceptance and sent Christine a text to book me a room. I was leaving in the morning. I knew I wouldn't find any peace until I got to the bottom of the Maddie look-alike called Jane.

Stopping by the supercenter store, I picked up the balloons first. I knew Lily would never let me hear the end of it if I forgot them. Next, I wandered through the children's clothing section on my way to toys and sporting goods at the back of the store. I found I cute little suit complete with bow tie that I knew would drive Kyle nuts. Even as the former CEO of Westin Foundation, my brother hated dressing up. I didn't mind. I knew I looked good in a suit and tie, but I doubted Kyle had put one on since his last official day at the Westin Foundation. Our little man was going to look sharp.

I also grabbed a pair of baby Chucks to go with it. While I didn't mind the suits, I despised the normal footwear. Zander was going to be the coolest kid around in this outfit. I threw in a couple pairs of PJs he probably didn't need and headed for the good stuff.

Walking through the toy aisle, it was one electronic thing after another. I already knew Kelsey really didn't like him having those. A small part of me was tempted to get one just because of that, but I suspected Chase had it covered already. Stuffed animals were too girly for me. I looked at the small bikes, but he seemed too young even for those. That's when I remembered—basketball.

My thoughts immediately went back to the kid and the mysterious woman I could only imagine was his mom. The Maddie look-alike that my wolf was so worked up over. She couldn't be Maddie. Maddie wasn't old enough to have a kid that age, but the resemblance was uncanny. I was already obsessed. It wasn't like me to behave in such a way.

Girls were a dime a dozen, and I knew I could have my pick, and I didn't want to settle down, anyway. My wolf had never responded to a female the way it did this Jane chick, though. I didn't want to believe it was the girl herself, just the mystery behind her resemblance to an old friend who had disappeared without a trace. Still, I knew I had to see her again.

Oscar had been right, they actually did make a basketball hoop for toddlers. It said eighteen months and up on the box. Close enough for me. Plus, I was likely to have the biggest present of the day. I knew it shouldn't be a competition, but of course I wanted mine to be the best present of all. It came with a small soft basketball, but for good measure, I got a small real basketball, too. I liked to play. Why not teach him? Oscar had lit up like a Christmas tree talking about basketball. Maybe it was an omen.

I grabbed several rolls of wrapping paper along with scissors and tape and headed out, suddenly thankful I'd taken the truck, because otherwise that beast was not making it home. I was going straight there and didn't want the others to see what I'd gotten. Boy, were they going to be surprised.

It became a bit of a comedy act as I made a poor attempt to wrap the thing in the back of the truck in the middle of the parking lot. Two giggling girls took pity on me and came over to assist.

“Awe, it's so cute. Is this for your son?”

I knew she was fishing, but I answered honestly anyway. She was cute enough. Maybe she'd take my mind off Jane for a while. “No, ma'am, it's for my nephew. He turns one today.”

“Awe, that's so sweet!” she gushed.

My wolf growled in my head and surged forward as she made an advance, placing her hand on my arm as she cooed. I bit back the growl, but the reaction stunned me stupid. What was going on? He clearly wasn't happy. It was strange. He never minded the ladies before, especially human ones. Feeling very off, I helped them with the last of the wrapping and thanked them before jumping into the truck and hitting the road.

“What the hell was that all about?” I asked aloud to myself, to my wolf, to the universe. I wasn't really sure which.

I cranked up the music and drove, feeling more at ease the closer I got to home. Still a little unsettled, I put on my best smile and headed inside. Carrying in the massively sized box that was easily five times bigger than the birthday boy himself, I yelled into the living room.

“Where are we putting presents?”

“What did you do?” Lily asked, frowning at me when she saw my gift.

I shrugged. “Wrapped it the best I could. It's not that bad.”

“No, not that. What is it? It's huge. He's one. You do realize, right?”

I laughed and shrugged. “He'll love it. You'll see.”

I passed her the balloons she had asked for, and Elise walked in and kissed my cheek. “I'm not even asking. I need you to hang streamers. Come on.”

Grabbing me by the hand, she pulled me into the living room. Her mate, Patrick, was there, shaking his head and laughing.

“Recruited you too, yeah?”

“Looks like it. What else needs to be done?”

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