Page 55 of Sparks Flying

“That’s it?”

“Yup.”

“I don’t know how I know it, but you’re lying.”

“Don’t make a big deal out of it. I’m fine.”

“Aren’t wolves prone to scents? This place has to be crawling with mine. Shouldn’t that make you relaxed or something?”

She sighed. “It’s just all a little overwhelming. That’s all. I’m okay, really. I just need time to adjust.”

“Adjust to what?”

She stared at me and then shrugged. “This house. It’s enormous. The house I grew up in is smaller than thisroom, Dean. I guess it just hit me hard that we are a lot more different than I could’ve imagined from just our species.”

I reached for her hand, grateful when she didn’t pull away from me.

“I don’t care about any of that stuff.”

“You say that because you’ve always had it. What happens if your parents freak out and kick you out?”

“First, they’d never do that. Second, there’s not a ton that I spend money on, so my salary, bonuses, every extra penny I get goes into savings or stocks. You will never have to worry about finances, Bailey. Not ever.”

“What if I want to work?”

“I’m not going to stop you.”

“What if I want to go to college?”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Unless you’re talking online classes, it wouldn’t be easy, but I had the privilege of going away to college and I wouldn’t trade those years for anything. If that’s important to you, then we’ll find a way.”

The fact that we were talking long term should have scared the shit out of me. Instead, the thought of her pulling away was far more terrifying.

“I’ve never had a girl over to the house. I mean, besides my sister. This is a first for me. And I’ve never seen the same girl two nights in a row. Another first. I could go on, but the point is, I want this to work and I know we come from two different worlds and the cards are stacked against us, but I know this can work. We can make it work. And if you agree, then this is going to be the first of many firsts.”

A tear ran down her cheek. I reached out and swiped it away with the pad of my thumb.

I never really cared about having a mate, at least not at this stage of life. I considered that maybe Bailey felt the same. She was six years younger than me and some days I still felt like a kid.

“I’ve never really had anyone I could rely on. Well, that’s not true. I have Oscar. But my family isn’t like yours, Dean. I didn’t have a picture perfect life with amazing siblings willing to support me through anything. My dad died when I was young. My mom mated his brother, who was a drunk and beat my mom on an almost daily basis. And my siblings all abandoned me the second they could get away from that house. I didn’t blame them for it. But I’m ten years younger and have been stuck there. This is my first chance at freedom, and here you come along ready to settle down and plan for the rest of my life. It’s all a bit overwhelming. I think I’ve been caught up in the emotions of mating and hadn’t really thought about that until now.”

I was shaking all over at the thought of her stepfather laying a hand on her.

“Dean?” she asked, but it was too late. I was ready to fly all the way to California and peck this asshole’s eyes out. “Dean?”

“Did he hurt you?” I managed to say in a voice I didn’t even recognize.

“No. Never. She made a deal with him to protect me. He never physically hurt me.”

Still, I couldn’t seem to calm down. It wasn’t until she reached out and touched my arm that I began to calm. Bailey grounded me.

I crushed her to me in a big hug and hung on for dear life.

“I will never hurt you or let anyone else hurt you. Do you understand?”

“I know. Oscar and his family helped me see just how dysfunctional my own family was. But they also showed me what a healthy relationship looks like. I’ve seen it with your siblings and their mates. That’s got to be a testament to how you were raised and says a lot about your parents.”

“They’re they best. A bit judgy at times, but we’re working on that.”

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