Page 21 of Confusing Hearts

“It doesn’t bother you that I’m not wolf?” I asked incredulously.

Liam shrugged. “We just want the kid to be happy. We’ve both been blessed to find our true mates, and if you’re it for him, then great. I mean, who the hell am I to judge anyone? My kid’s half tiger.”

I wasn’t sure I heard him right. “Excuse me? Half what?”

“Tiger,” Liam said definitively. He pulled out his phone and Chase rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Now you started it,” he warned.

Pictures of an adorable boy with dark hair and dark eyes flashed across the screen.

“This is Oscar,” Liam said proudly. “My son. He’s half wolf and half tiger. So, sure, cats and dogs, not exactly the norm. Not everyone will get you two, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work.”

“You really should be getting back. I can hear them starting to look more aggressively for you,” Patrick said.

I wanted to stay. I had a million questions for Liam after hearing his mate was a cat, too, but I couldn’t risk being caught with them.

“Okay,” I said, and started to walk away.

Chase grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. “Try actually responding to my texts or calls once in a while.”

He gave me a quick kiss on the lips right in front of his brothers and I turned in shock, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks as I walked away.

“Pup’s never actually texted or called first, and he sure as hell hasn’t been ignored by a lady before, so give his poor bruised ego a break and answer him next time,” Liam said to my retreating back.

When I reached the edge of the woods I dared to look back. Patrick had Chase in a headlock, giving him noogies as they harassed him. No doubt they were talking about me. I still couldn’t believe he so easily told his family. The more people who knew, the less we could be together. I made a note to discuss the importance of keeping this to ourselves the next time I saw Chase.

Chase

Chapter 9

I lay awake staring at the ceiling and thinking of Jenna. I grabbed my phone and texted her, but first I corrected the name on her number. Erasing Tessa, I added Jenna as the new contact and marked her number one on my speed dial.

CHASE: Sweet dreams, beautiful

I didn’t expect her to answer, but my phone dinged almost immediately.

JENNA: Can’t sleep

CHASE: Me neither

CHASE: You actually texted me back

JENNA: This is crazy

CHASE: life’s crazy

On the next ding of an incoming text Liam groaned. A pillow hit me hard across the head.

“Go to sleep or at least silence that thing,” Liam complained.

I tossed the pillow back to him. Nothing was going to dampen my mood. The most beautiful woman in the world was my mate and she was texting me back. I was on cloud nine. I silenced my phone and looked back at the screen.

“I’m getting too old for this shit,” Liam grumbled as he rolled over, away from the light my phone was shining. I turned down the brightness as much as I could, but it still lit up the room.

JENNA: No one else can know. Promise me.

CHASE: I promise.

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