Page 57 of Rejected Nanny Mate
It was intense, and when we finally caught our breath, I rolled onto my back, bringing Gwen with me so that she was on top. Her head was on my chest, and I stroked her hair as our breathing slowed.
“I don't want to move,” she said quietly. “I never want to move again.”
“That's fine with me.”
We laid like that for a while, and I was sure she'd fallen asleep before she spoke again. “This doesn't mean we don't have to talk, you know.”
I chuckled. “Yes, Gwendolyn, I'm well aware.”
“Just not right now.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Yes. Not right now.” I brushed my nose against her neck, and she shivered. “Right now, just be with me. We have all the time in the world.”
***
Hours later, we'd returned from the forest, having run back in wolf form, our clothes abandoned in the underbrush. Everything was filthy, and Gwen couldn't stand the idea of putting it back on, so we'd chosen fur instead. Back inside, we shifted once more, and she joined me in the shower, where we took turns scrubbing one another clean.
The house was still silent, but I knew we wouldn't have it to ourselves for much longer. I kissed Gwen soundly, stepping out of the shower while she wrapped herself in a towel and went back to her room to get dressed.
I was riding high on the bliss of what had just happened, and had been stupidly ignoring my phone. By the time I remembered I existed, I was cooking eggs while coffeepercolated in the pot next to me. Powering on the device, I flipped an egg, and my eyes widened as message after message came in.
There were ten, in all, unanswered. Most of them were from Nayeli, asking when I was going to pick up Rose. Then, from Nayeli, again, telling me that Mia had stopped by and picked her up instead, so I didn't have to worry about it. That chilled me for a moment, as I remembered the confrontation I'd had with Mia the night before. Why would she have picked up the baby without telling me?
Before I could think about it for too long, the door cracked open, and Mia stepped in, Rose's carrier in hand. She was dressed like she was going to yoga, ponytail high on her head, and the same flirty expression on her face from last night.
“Hey, Alpha,” she purred, setting Rose's carrier down and making no effort to get her out of it. Our daughter babbled, annoyed, but Mia only had eyes for me. “I picked up the baby for you, so you didn't have to go out.”
“Thanks...” I said, and slid one egg onto a plate before going to free Rose from her confines. Her annoyance abated when I held her and went back to cooking, trying my damndest to ignore Mia. “What are you doing here?”
“I missed you,” she said. “We were interrupted last night, and I wanted to finish our talk.”
“There's nothing to say.”
Mia pouted, but I didn't look at her. I sensed Gwen coming down the stairs, and while I dreaded the two of them being in the same room again, it gave me the opportunity to back up everything I'd told Gwen last night. I waited until she was near the bottom of the stairs before I turned, adjusting my hold on Rose as I spoke to Mia.
“Look. I don't blame you for wanting to solidify yourself in the pack, but you're not going to accomplish that by trying to sleep with me. I want you here, Mia, but as Rose's mother and nothing else. What happened between us was a one-time thing, and now it's over. If you keep pushing me, I'm going to send you to Scott's pack. But if you can let it go, then you're welcome to stay in the same pack as our daughter. Understand?”
Gwen had reached the kitchen and was watching us, her lips parted. Mia shot her an angry glance before looking back at me. “I understand. You're really not interested in me? At all?”
“No. I'm really not.” I set Rose down on the floor when she started to squirm, and she crawled into the living room, babbling as she pulled herself up to standing using the couch. “Now, I'd appreciate it if you went back to Malcolm's.”
Mia's expression changed, and she said nothing as she turned and made her way to the door. She stopped long enough to tell Rose goodbye, but the baby was occupied with an empty cup she'd found, and in minutes, Mia was gone.
I turned to Gwen, who was staring at me with stars in her eyes. “Joe...”
“You don't need to say anything,” I assured her, but the approval on her face gave me a deep sense of satisfaction. “Just make a plate and eat. I want to take Rose to the pumpkin patch today. Just the three of us.”
***
We made it to the pumpkin patch a little after noon, and while it was crowded, none of us minded. Rose was bundled up in a little pink coat, hat, and shoes, and she was excited about all of the people around her. She was unsure about the hayride, butsettled down when she discovered she could pull out handfuls of straw and throw them everywhere.
I chose a huge, misshapen pumpkin, and Gwen opted for a small one with a fat, round shape that would be perfect for carving into a jack-o-lantern. Rose held Gwen's hand, walking unsteadily as she helped her inspect each and every pumpkin, until finally she settled on a bright orange one the size of her torso. I hefted it into my arms, and then we took the hayride back to the front.
To close out the afternoon, we rented one of the many firepits and made very cautious s'mores, both of us working overtime to keep Rose away from the flame and not catastrophically sticky from the marshmallows. It was the best date I'd been on in my life.
“I never knew how much fun this could be,” Gwen said once the fire died, watching Rose as she crawled through the fallen leaves, picking them up and throwing them in the air. “This was wonderful, Joe. Just what I needed after the past few days.”
“Me too,” I admitted, but I wasn't talking about the pumpkin patch. She was all I needed, and maybe, all I'd ever need. I kissed her once, and then twice, only stopping when Rose screamed-laughed, crawling over to grab at our legs and get the attention back on her.
