Page 34 of Forced Plus-Size Mate

“Okay, guys,” I say, handing out blankets. “Gather round and have a rest, then you can go on to the other tasks Body has set up for you.”

The kids gratefully take the blankets, and Body puts on a long overcoat. When I sit down by the fire, I’m surprised when he comes to sit next to me.

“Amanda, I’m sorry,” he says.

“I’m pretty sure you said that already,” I mutter, but he shakes his head.

“No, I mean, I’m sorry for before. Well…andeverything else. I don’t know how to explain to you, but I am trying.”

I want to snap at him, tell him to shove his apology and the explanation behind it, but I can’t. A flicker of hope has bloomed in my heart, and it feels like all the pain I’ve suffered might just be worth it—if Body and I can find love again.

I never stopped loving him… but trust? I don’t know if I can ever trust him again.

“How about we talk later,” I suggest. “After the kids are asleep.”

“Sure,” he answers, grinning. “That sounds great. Amanda, I—”

“Don’t get your hopes up!” I cut in. “I want to talk, not dance around in meadows celebrating our newfound love.”

“Damn,” he mutters. “It’s been so long since I wore a daisy crown.”

I giggle in spite of myself. He was always good at dropping the most random, unhinged comments. It was one of the things I loved the most about him.

We spend a few hours with the kids as the night falls around us. I hear the odd howl coming from different directions, and I know the pack is on patrol, not just to protect us, but to hold their lines and look for trouble.

Every minute that passes causes my anxiety to rise another notch. I don’t want to be alone with Body, and there’s a big part of me that doesn’t want to hear his explanation.

Or excuses. That might be all he’s got.

My anger made me who I am. It’s been burning in my veins for ten years, and I don’t know who I’ll be without it. I didn’t like being a nobody at high school, the awkward, clumsy geek who read too many books and blurted out weird stuff in front of the whole school.

It’s not my fault that I can hear all of nature speaking to me. Sometimes their voices are more real than any human’s.

After Body dumped me, I became a strong, powerful witch. Everything that made me strange also made me exceptional at my craft and unparalleled in talent.

Body makes me weak. He’s the only thing that can hurt me. But at the same time, he’s the only thing that can save my magic.

When he sits down next to me, I try to stay calm, but I know he can hear my heart hammering in my chest.

So he knows I’m anxious. So what? He doesn’t have to know why.

“Amanda, look at me, please.”

With a sigh, I shift around until I’m facing him. Both of us are wrapped in big jackets with hoods. Even so close to the fire, the mountain wind is brutal.

“I don’t know where to start,” he admits.

“How about at the end? You know, when you dumped me?”

He winces, and I can see the hurt in his eyes.

Well, forgive me if I don’t have a whole lot of sympathy for your pain!

“You just… took me by surprise, that’s all,” he begins. “I was getting ready for a party with the team and the cheerleaders. It’s the kind of thing you wouldn’t have been interested in, anyway. I had offers for college as well. There was just so much going on, I couldn’t think straight. Then you just appear, and you’re like, okay, we’re going to run away together. And I couldn’t deal.”

I stare at him in complete disbelief. “That’s your explanation?”

“I’m trying, okay?” he sputters. “It wasn’t just that, either. It was my parents.”

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