Page 9 of Mane Full Of Stripes
“Is that fair to him?” Ella asked. “You’re his mate too, and he deserves to know why you’re reluctant. Tell him what you went through and see how he reacts. That should tell you all you need to know.”
“I don’t want to go over it again. I lived it and I’m moving on now. Why dredge it all up?”
“Because it’s holding you back and stopping you from accepting your mate.” Anslem put his cutlery down and stared at Jost. “Time moves on, Jost, and you need to move on as well or face being left behind. He turned up now because maybe you need him. Meet him. Talk to him.” Anslem shrugged. “See how it goes from there. If he’s willing to go at your pace, then he’s a good mate. If he tries to rush you, then back away.”
“But you’ve met him. What do you think he’ll do?” Jost nibbled his bottom lip, his eyes flicking up to Anslem’s, then away.
“He’s always come across as a decent shifter. He cares for his dazzle and the children he teaches as the local school. Give him a chance. One date and go from there. If he treats you right, then have another date. Slow and easy with no strings attached. If he’s aware of what you went through, then he’ll understand why you’re hesitant to take things farther.”
“I’m not sure…” Jost licked his lips and sighed softly. “I want to. I think.” He reached up and rubbed his chest, which felt tight. Constricted. Just the thought of going on a date had his breath catching, his heart racing, but if Apollo was his mate, then he was Apollo’s. One date. He could manage that. Somehow. He had to give Apollo that.
As Anslem said, he was Apollo’s mate, so to cut him off without giving him a chance didn’t seem right to Jost. Yes, he was scared, but he had to give Apollo a chance. It was the right thing to do. He couldn’t deny Apollo that. They only had one mate and to say no to Apollo would hurt them both, Apollo more, and that wasn’t the kind of shifter he was.
“I’ll go on a date with him. Maybe the diner in town for lunch.”
“It’s in public, so they’ll be plenty of people around. You’ll still be able to get to know Apollo, but you’ll have the security of knowing there are others around.”
Nodding, Jost bit his lip, then sighed softly. “I want to try, but I don’t as well.” He rubbed his chest again, then looked up at Anslem. “He deserves a chance, right?”
“He does, and as I’ve said, be up front as to why you want to take your mating slowly.” Anslem pointed to his food. “Eat up while it’s warm. We have things to do today.”
“I need to go to the stationery shop for some crayons and pencils.” Jost began to eat his food, smiling at Ella when he noticed her watching him. She returned his smile and patted his hand. “I want some flash cards as well, to help teach the alphabet. The ones I have need replacing.”
“Keep the receipts, so you get your money back.” Anslem sat back and pushed his empty plate away. “Want a lift into town? I need to drop Freya at her dance class.”
“I need some flour as well. I want to bake some muffins this afternoon, and Otto needs to tidy his bedroom.”
“Aww Mom. It’s fine. I don’t need to clean it.”
“If you consider not being able to see the floor because of the crap covering it as fine, then okay. But when we have rats and mice making their homes in there, don’t come screaming to me or your dad, because we won’t help you.”
“Rats!” Freya screeched. “I will set fire to your stuff if you don’t clean your bedroom. I’ll throw it all out of the window and burn it.”
“Then I’ll grab your makeup and hair shit and lotions and potions and throw them on the fire.”
Jost winced as they screamed at each other and looked at Anslem, who shook his head. “Children,” he rumbled, giving them both the look. The look that said if you don’t stop, there’ll be trouble. Both stopped, then apologized, and silence descended in the kitchen until Anslem murmured, “Thank you. Always nice to have a quiet family conversation in the morning.”
“Sorry, Dad, but he started it!”
Jost chuckled softly as both Freya and Otto began to blame each other. He loved his siblings, but some days he wanted to love them from a distance where he didn’t have to listen to them shouting at each other. “This is really nice crispy bacon, Mom. Thank you.”
“Why couldn’t I have had three of you, Jost?” Ella blew on the coffee she held in her hand before taking a sip. “They were so much easier when they were younger.”
“When you could put them in the cribs and walk away?” Jost smiled when Ella mocked being shocked. “You may have mentioned it a time or two.”
“Those were the days. I was lucky all three of you slept through the night from an early age. Now I have this to deal with.” Ella used her cup to point at Freya and Otto, who were now glaring at each other from across the table.
“Have them help Ged Campbell on his farm as punishment. They’ll soon behave after mucking out the stalls for a few hours.”
“Jost!” Freya’s mouth fell open. “How could you? It would take me days to get the scent of manure from my hair.”
“Don’t pick fights with Otto, then.”
“And I thought you were the nice brother.” Freya narrowed her eyes at him. “How could you say something so mean to me? And here was me hoping Apollo was the perfect mate for you.” She winked, then smiled. “Make him take you on lots of dates. You deserve it after you know who.”
“Thanks, Freya.” They annoyed the hell out of him some days, but he did love his siblings.
“You should go ice skating as well. Plenty of hands on time without it leading to anything. You can see how you feel.” Otto shoved some food into his mouth, then stopped when he noticed everyone staring at him. “What?”
