Page 130 of She Wolf

“But I want to live here forever with Gunner. And he wants to keep me!” My heart would beat out of my chest if it wasn’t for the stamping of his foot.

“Well, that may be true but none of us are ready for that,” I admonish, nudging him to get into bed.

“What do you mean? It’s been a whole summer.”

“It has, but in an adult relationship that’s not a long time at all.”

“But really, it’s not just a summer. I was three.” His little brow furrows like he can’t believe I’m not getting this.

“Three when what?”

He rolls his eyes and I narrow mine. “When Gunner loved you. Casey introduced you. They were both brand new Wolves.”

“I…What?” That is so not what I was expecting him to say.

“Gunner. He loved you even when you only just met him. It was love at first sight.”

“How do you know about love at first sight?”

“I just do. You think I’m a dumb kid,” he pouts.

“Jack! I have never uttered those words.” Did he turn eight or fourteen?

“I know that, but you think because I’m a kid I don’t know stuff when I do. Gunner loves you. Like, looooves you. And you know what? He loves me too and I want to stay and so does Kate.”

This kid, Jesus. I’m getting a headache and it’s getting later and later. “What do you mean, Kate wants to stay too? Has she said that?”

He nods as he succumbs to my prodding and gets under the light summer sheets.

“Like, when she comes home from being at school, she wants to come back to

Gunner’s to be with us and Biscuit. Her mom is mean or sick,” he shakes his head, “I don’t know. But we can’t leave Gunner, mom we just can’t and if you really think about it, you know we need to stay.”

“Jack it just doesn’t work like that.”

His eyes turn soft, and he takes my hand in his. “Don’t be scared mom, I’ll never leave you and Gunner loves you just as much as me.”

On a big exhale I feel my blood pressure starting to decrease. “Son, you make it sound so simple.”

“Because it is,” he says matter of factly.

Is it? My eight-year-old has spun my head and after I tuck him in and Gunner comes to say goodnight too, I see the secret wink they send each other. Just as I close the door Gunner’s face lights up.

“Itreallyis that simple,” he says nudging my shoulder as we walk back down the hallway.

“Not you too. You know why I need to go back.” To stand on my own two feet. To not depend on Casey so heavily. To not depend on anybody for that matter. For my independence. To feel empowered. To live what I preach when I talk to the students at school. To feel free. To feel—

Gunner hangs his head. “I swear to God, I should have run that bastard through with

my hockey stick when I had the chance. Of all the spiteful, manipulative things he must have said, I think this may just be the worst part. The lasting damage he’s done.” He pulls on the back of his neck.

“What’s mine is yours, Coralie. I can change the deed on the house tomorrow so it’s

both of ours. We can be a team. There’s no shame in that. There’s no shame in two people loving each other and living together in a house that was paid for years ago. It makes you no less of a woman or a mother to want to share this with me. You have nothing to prove, but fine, go ahead. Continue to live at the Cottage, and then think about moving in here again when your rental agreement is up. But can I just say one more thing?”

“Yes,” I say as I try to keep my emotions in check.

“Even though you think you hid it from everyone, I saw it.” He points forcefully at his

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