Page 48 of Forever Mine

Elise's eyes widened as we passed her and sat down on the couch in their small living room. She wouldn't stop staring at her.

“Elise, stop staring,” I warned. “You're making her nervous.”

Elise glared at me. I knew I was going to get an earful later, but I could take it. “Come on,” she finally said. “I feel like I'm looking at a ghost. Just tell me I'm not going crazy, or introduce her to me already and stop being rude.”

“Elise, this is Jane. Jane, this is my sister Elise,” I said spitefully.

Maddie laughed and shook her head as Elise looked disappointed.

“It's a long story, Elise,” Maddie said. “But yes, I'm Madelyn Collier.”

Elise jumped up and ran to hug her. I tried to warn her off, but she ignored me and embraced Maddie anyway. My sister was crying and my mate was starting to cry when Patrick ran into the room to see what the commotion was all about.

“What is going on here?” Patrick demanded.

“Does Lily know?” Elise asked, ignoring her mate.

“Yes, she does. I spent some time catching up with her this week,” Maddie told her.

“But how? When? Where have you been?”

“Enough!” I said, louder than I intended.

Elise sat back and stared at me like I had two heads. Maddie smiled, reassuring me she was okay, but I had promised to protect her from stuff like this and my wolf wasn't backing down. My blood was pumping as my wolf surged forward to protect our mate.

Patrick started laughing. “Bloody hell, look at you. Found your mate, did you?”

Elise looked back and forth between the two of us before bursting out laughing.

“Oh, you lucky dog! What are the odds that your one true mate would turn out to be the only girl you've ever cared about?”

Lily had told her the same. Heck, I'd even confessed as much, but still Maddie looked confused, like she just couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Elise leaned in and sniffed my mate, frowning. “Seriously? Liam, you've been in love with her since you were like eight years old. Why have you not marked her to the start the bond yet?”

Patrick laughed. “That's rich coming from you, love.” Then, turning to Maddie, he added. “This one gave me the go-around for months. Of course, she's worth it, but put me through bloody hell first, she did.”

Elise rolled her eyes, but the love between them now radiated throughout the room. It began to calm Maddie, and therefore my wolf, too.

“It's complicated, E, and back off. She doesn't like people in her personal space,” I said, grabbing my mate by the wrist and pulling her closer to me and away from my sister.

“It's just so natural and you only ever get one true mate, so why are you fighting it?”

Patrick snorted and gawked at her in disbelief. I had had a front row seat for their mating period and she had no room to judge anyone on such things.

“Elise . . .” Patrick started, but she interrupted him.

“I know what you're thinking, but they've liked each other practically their whole lives. It's not the same as it was for us.”

“I told you, it's complicated.” I tried again, hoping she'd just shut up already.

“What could possibly be so complicated?”

“Oscar,” Maddie said swiftly.

“Oh shit, there's another man? But you're not mated to him, right?”

“No, Oscar's my son.”

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