Page 29 of Wolf's Midlife Bite

“So what’s wrong, then? That sounds great. I, for one, won’t mind having another woman around here. Does she like wine?” Dawn leaned back into the chair and grinned at her brother. “She can drink whatever she wants to. Just let her know that she’s invited.”

“I might, but I don’t think she’s ready to meet all of you.” Brody propped his elbow on the arm of the chair and laid his head in his hand. “I’m worried I scared her off yesterday when we went out. There’s a lot that the two of us have to talk about, and it’s not always comfortable, but we were having a good time. Then she started telling me how she felt and describing this pull she has toward me.”

“That’s not a surprise if she provoked your wolf enough to nip her in the first place,” Dawn noted.

“Yes, but she didn’t understand what all of that meant because I hadn’t told her about mates yet. So I did. I tried to explain it all to her, along with marking. I don’t think I did a very good job of it because she kind of shut down after that. I asked her if anything was wrong, and she said no, but the rest of the date definitely wasn’t the same.” He’d been able to feel just how much distance there was between them after that, and it’d been bothering him ever since. They’d made so much progress, only to slide back again.

“To be fair, all of that is a lot to swallow,” Lori said gently. “It sounds to me like she started to feel like she knew who she was and could understand this whole wolf thing, but mating and marking is a whole different aspect. I was a little unsure about it myself at first.”

Brody rubbed a hand over his face. “To me, it’s just a tiny part of something much bigger we might have going on.”

“Because you grew up with that knowledge,” Lori pointed out. “You’ve been a wolf your whole life. You know about these things the same way humans know about wedding dresses and throwing a bouquet. It’s just part of the ritual.”

“That’s a really good point,” Dawn agreed. “We probably don’t think about it that much.”

“I told her so she could be prepared,” Brody tried to explain. “Of course, that’s also what I thought I was doing when I explained she would turn into a wolf. I just keep driving her away every time I try.”

“Be patient with her,” Lori advised gently. “I didn’t know anything about my heritage, and I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it. Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder how there can really be a wolf inside there, yet I’m living with it every day.”

Brody pulled in a breath and let it out through his nose. He didn’t mind if Robin wanted to wait a while before they furthered their relationship. He just didn’t want her to decide she couldn’t handle it and leave him. He needed to get to the point of knowing that things would be all right. “I’ll try.”

Dawn reached over and put a hand on his leg. “Don’t give up on her, Brody. I know you’ve been hurt before. I can still see the worry of that all over your face. Robin is different.”

He looked up, giving her some side-eye. “How would you know? You haven’t met her.”

“No,” Dawn laughed, “but she’s got to be one hell of a woman if she can get Brody Glenwood to worry about something. You let us know when she’s coming over for some drinks and girl time.” His sister winked at him.

“In the meantime, are you staying for dinner tonight? I’ve got my spaghetti sauce simmering in the kitchen,” Lori said.

His stomach growled, responding for itself. “I guess I am. I’m just going to grab my sketchbook.” He got up and headed out, fetching the book and his custom pencil case from the pencil bag. As he straightened, he looked up at the house.

This was where he’d grown up. This was where his family was from, a family that had loved and supported him. He hadn’t always felt as though he fit in, but he was starting to realize he was less of an outsider than he’d thought. His father was right in telling him not to get caught up in the past. Dawn and Lori were right in advising him to be patient as he waited for the future.

He could only hope that he and Robin would find a way to make this work.

15

“There’s hardly beena thing for me to do here,” Robin said with a smile as she wrapped things up with her last patient of the day. “You’re doing such a great job brushing and flossing that we’re actually going to finish the appointment early. Keep up the good work.”

“Don’t give me too much credit,” the young man said as he sat up and swung his legs down to the floor. “I only do it because I’m afraid of having to get drilled again.”

Robin laughed at his honesty. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

She brought him out to the front desk, where she saw Maggie leaning over her keyboard with her hand pressed to her forehead. “Are you okay?”

“Hm?” Maggie straightened, looking at her with bleary eyes. “I’m just not feeling all that well this afternoon.”

Robin flicked her fingers at her. “You go on home, then. I can get him checked out.”

“I don’t want you to have to do that,” Maggie replied.

“Don’t be silly,” Robin insisted. It was clear that Maggie was barely hanging on. Her skin was pale, her eyes were bloodshot, and she was moving slowly. “You’re only going to miss the last half hour. I won’t tell Watson,” she added quietly as she moved around behind the counter.

“Okay. I think he’s still got a patient back there, though.” Maggie reached into the drawer to grab her purse.

“I can take care of it, and I’ll cover for you.” Robin knew as long as things were being handled, Watson wouldn’t care if Maggie was behind the counter or ‘in the bathroom’ when his assistant brought his patient up to the front.

There was, of course, plenty of cleaning to do at the end of the day. Robin spent a few minutes straightening out the waiting room, putting magazines back where they belonged, and shutting off the television. She was finding that her wolf had given her a strange new sense of energy and purpose. The slog of daily life had turned into an eager determination to get things done and see what was around the next corner. It was a good feeling, one she could definitely get used to. It didn’t hurt that her wolf was becoming acclimated to the sensory overload that came with the dental office.

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