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  Sanford

  We took the long way back to Archer’s house. We both wanted time to ourselves, and also Zack needed time to think about things.

  Him being upset that I slept with his son made sense, I couldn’t even imagine the feelings he must have been having. But we were fated. It wasn’t a one-time thing, I wasn’t using his son as my personal pleasure slave. He was my mate. The pull was so strong, so undeniable, that we didn’t have a choice. And we didn’t want one.

  Being fated meant that Archer was my equal, my partner, my better half. Perfect for me in every way. I wasn’t going to let him slip away simply out of a courtesy to my friend.

  Zack sat on the front porch when we arrived back at the house.

  He stood when he saw us approach. “Well,” he said. “Can’t say that I like it, but I’ve calmed down enough to realize it’s fate.”

  I gripped Archer’s hand. “Fate aside, I care for your son very deeply, Zach. I love him. I only want to see him happy.”

  Archer leaned into me. “I love him, too, Dad. He’s… mine.”

  Zach snorted. “You know, your grandfather caught me and your mom at that lake when I was just a bit younger than you. Soon as I returned from college and met the pretty wolf from the new family that had joined the pack, I was a goner. Loved her from the very minute I set eyes on her. I should have seen that in you two last night. Your mother saw it. And she says I better get used to this, else we won’t be seeing our grandkids very often. There will be grandkids, right?”

  I grinned and Archer blushed a deep red. “Yes, there will be grandkids.”

  “Well, Sanford, we better get you properly introduced to the Alpha and Alpha Omega, being that you’re going to be pack now. We’ve got a mating ceremony to plan.”

  Seventeen

  Archer

  I never gave a lot of thought as to what my mating ceremony would look like. I didn’t really know if I’d ever be mated, but now that the day was here, I couldn’t be happier about it.

  Days after our first time together at the lake, Sanford had to leave the territory to gather his belongings and meet with the shifter council to alter his schedule.

  It was torture being away from him, but while he was gone I was able to arrange for the two of us to have our own place. Living with my parents would really cramp our style as a newly mated couple. There was a small cabin not too far from my parent’s house that was empty. It was only one room, and it needed some work, but it would be a great starter home for us.

  Currently, it was packed full because both Sanford and I had vast book collections. We’d spent the past month comparing book lists to see which ones we wanted to read of each other’s. Each night we sat together at the lake or in our home reading, then making love until we fell asleep in each other’s arms. It was heaven.

  I sucked in a breath as Sanford came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my middle. We stood in the small kitchenette of our cabin, getting ready to start our day. That night, during the full moon pack run, Sanford would be accepted into the pack as a new pack member and we’d have our mating ceremony.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, kissing my neck.

  “How amazing you are.”

  He chuckled. “Funny thing. I was thinking about how amazing you are.”

  He picked up his coffee cup and brought it to his lips. I coughed and turned away. The scent hit my nostrils and left my stomach churning.

  “You okay? Nervous about tonight?”

  I placed a hand over my stomach. “No, I just—the coffee. It turned my stomach.” I put a hand over my mouth to keep from vomiting. “I’m oka—” I couldn’t finish the sentence. I bent over the sink and emptied my stomach.

  Sanford handled me a towel and a glass of water. He put his coffee cup far away from me.

  “You okay?” He rubbed slow circles on my back. “I didn't think you’d be this nervous. I promise it will be fine. We didn’t go too over the top with planning, did we?”

  “No,” I said. “I’m fine. I’m not nervous. I don’t know what I am. Maybe I ate something bad?”

  Sanford lifted me into his arms and carried me to the bathroom.

  “Sanford, I said I was fine. I must be more nervous than I thought or something. I swear I’m fine.”

  “I don't’ think that’s it,” he said. “Lissy gave me this. Just in case.”

  “Just in case what?”

  He handed me a pregnancy test. “Let’s take it.”

  “It’s too—” It had been nearly four weeks since our first time together at the lake. And countless times since then. I snatched the test from his hand and quickly read the instructions. Once I was done peeing on it, a task way easier said than done, I laid it on the counter.

  “I hope it’s a girl,” he said.

  I snorted. “I hope it’s a porpoise.”

  He kissed my cheek. “Any child with you, is going to be the greatest blessing of my life. Tied with you of course.”

  We both looked down at the stick on the counter. Two lines appeared in the results window.

  “Positive.”

  “We’re going to be parents,” I said. I launched myself into his arms and we bumped into the wall of the small bathroom.

  He wrapped his arms around me. “I think that I’ve found my purpose in life. I thought I was content before, just roaming around, but this—you—this is what I’ve always wanted.”

  I laughed. “I’ve found my porpoise, too.”

  More From Jena Wade

  Greycoast Pack

  Finding His Pack

  Finding His Purpose

  Finding His Potential

  Is This Seat Taken?

  Colbie Dunbar & Harper B. Cole

  Copyright © 2020 by Harper B. Cole & Colbie Dunbar

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Eighteen

  Ian

  I raced out of the meeting which had gone much longer than expected, and not bothering with the elevator, took the stairs two at a time. My stomach rumbled as I flung my briefcase in the car and headed back to the office.

  I needed food, coffee, and a sweet chocolatey treat from Café Om to get me through the hours I’d be sitting at my desk trying to catch up on work. But as I got closer to the café, there was nowhere to park. Who are these people drinking coffee in the middle of the afternoon?

  Peeved I’d missed out on the best coffee in the city, I drove to my office building, parked, and was resigned to getting a sandwich from a vending machine in the lobby when I caught a whiff of corn beef hash from the family-run diner nearby. My mouth watered and I glanced at my phone. I’d do anything to be tucking into that, including spending an extra thirty minutes at my desk.

  Loosening my tie, I tore around the corner and barged through the door. What was with everyone today? The place was crowded. I hesitated, thinking of that dry sandwich with my name on it. But as I stood on tiptoes and peered over the waiters balancing trays of food, there was one person sitting in the booth at the far end. Maybe he’d refused to share or had body odor, but it was worth a try. I’d do anything for a decent meal.

  “Excuse me,” I wove around one of the staff and ducked under his tray.

  “Sorry,” I said when I bumped an elderly lady’s elbow.

  Almost there. I held my briefcase above my head and inched toward the booth. All I could see was the back of the occupant’s head and it was lowered, probably looking at his phone. “Is this seat taken?” I asked before he glanced up, his brows knitted in a frown. I slammed against the back wall as he studied me with a piercing scrutiny.

  His blue eyes reminded me of the sky on a summer’s day, and I struggled to get enough oxygen into my lungs as air whooshed out of me.

  “Sure.”<
br />
  His tone was matter-of-fact as if he were so immersed in what he was doing, he hardly registered the question. But the richness of his voice reminded me of syrup, dribbling from a wooden spoon, and I wanted to stick out my tongue and catch it.

  Breath caught in my throat as I plonked myself onto the bench and scooted my ass over the cushioned seat. “Thanks.”

  “Mmmm. No problem.”

  Macy, a waitress I knew well, caught my eye. “Be there in a minute,” she mouthed. I nodded, not bothering to check out the menu. I studied my companion’s plate. Apple pie. Good choice. The cook here made the best pie in the city.

  With one hand on his phone, the other picked up his fork, sliced the pie, and lifted the piece to his mouth. I followed its progress from plate to lips and was worried my mouth was gaping, so I snapped it shut.

  If it’d been anyone else sitting opposite, I would have used the spare time to read or check my messages, but I couldn’t not speak to the alpha with the dimple in his chin and the stunning sapphire-blue eyes. “Hi. I’m Ian.”

  His gaze rose from the phone to my face. “Julian.”

  I’d been hoping he’d start a conversation. This was going to be harder than I thought. I jerked my head at his food. “They make great pie here.”

  “Mmmm. That’s why I make a beeline for the diner when I’m in the area. Nothing better!”

  We shared the same taste in pies. Macy bustled up with her coffee pot and took my order. “I could say the same about the corned beef hash,” Julian said after Macy left. He’d put the phone on the table and was staring at me intently. I had his attention. Great!

  So, he was a semi-regular customer. Good to know. I’d never seen him here before, and based on what he said, he didn’t work nearby. Shame. “My office is around the corner so I pop in whenever I can.”

  “I guessed.”

  I cocked my head. “How?”

  He tapped the menu. “You didn’t bother to check it.”

  “Right.” That was a dead giveaway. I grinned and so did he. My stomach gurgled, and I patted it and made a face. Embarrassing! “Sorry. I’m starving. Meeting ran late and I haven’t eaten since last night.”

  “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You shouldn’t skip it.”

  I gulped. If he’d been cooking me breakfast, I’d never leave the house. And I’d eat every bite. And talking of biting, his teeth could graze over my skin and nibble my throat. A whimper escaped my lips as I pictured me pulling my shirt back and leaning over the table.

  “You okay, Ian?”

  He said my name.

  “You do need to eat. I swear a moment ago you were going to faint.”

  He wasn’t wrong. “I’m fine. Tired and hungry with a pile of work sitting on my desk.”

  “Terrible combination,” he told me.

  “Yeah.”

  His phone beeped. The alarm. “My nanny,” he said as he picked up the device.

  Whoa! Perhaps it was just as well we hadn’t exchanged numbers.

  “Because it tells me when and what I have to do.” His voice reminded me of tourists in a foreign country who think people will understand them if they speak more slowly even though they don’t share a language. “The phone,” he added.

  Oh. Oh! “Of course, modern technology. Can’t live without it.” I pretended I knew what he was saying all along. Macy brought my food, and I tucked into it to cover up my embarrassment.

  “Nice meeting you, Ian.”

  “Likewise,” I mumbled with a mouthful of hash.

  Julian stood and hesitated as if he were about to say something, but with a parting grin, he left. I peered out from the booth, and my eyes followed him as he paid and disappeared through the door. I could have raced after him, with my mouth stuffed with corn beef, or asked if I could add my name to his phone. Damn!

  Macy refilled my coffee and gave me a knowing look. “Uh huh,” she said as she removed Julian’s plate and cup.

  Nineteen

  Julian

  I had the day off, so what did I do? I sat in the same booth as I did a week earlier in what? The hopes that the hot guy would come back, sit in the same spot, and this time ask me for my number?

  Yeah, pretty much that.

  “Coffee?” Macy tapped her pen on her notebook. I’d been milking the whole trying to decide thing for too long and the place was starting to fill up. The only reason she hadn't asked me to move to the counter was because she was on to me. She hadn’t asked about him specifically, but instead asked if I wanted a second glass of water, and when I said I was eating alone, she sat an extra set of utensils on the table just in case...yeah, she was on to me.

  “Yeah, I’d love some coffee.” I flipped my mug over. “Do you want me to order now?”

  She looked around the diner and then back to me and gave a nod.

  “I guess I’ll do the number four, eggs poached, rye toast.” The corned beef hash.

  “Side of grape jelly?” She winked. No. I was not going to put jelly on my rye toast even if Ian had. Not gonna…

  “Yeah, sure.” She giggled and wrote it down.

  “Hope he shows, toots.” She tore off the ticket and walked behind the counter, putting it on the spinny thing. This place was one of the few left that hadn’t made everything high tech. It was a good part of its charm.

  I added some creamer to my coffee and gave it a quick stir, trying not to stare at the door. I mean, really...why would he come today of all days, and even if he did, there were empty tables so it wasn’t like he’d sit here anyway.

  I took a slow sip of my coffee, the creamer cutting the heat enough to enjoy some of the caffeinated goodness. It wasn’t Café Om good, but for a diner it was fan-freaking-tastic.

  I took out my phone, not wanting to be that guy—the one looking longingly at the door with the hopes of his one true love walking in.

  Not that I thought Ian was my one true love or that he was even my potential boyfriend, but I wasn’t opposed to the idea.

  Which was crazy, but so be it.

  I unlocked my phone and started to scroll through the news. Nothing good, of course, but it kept my mind occupied...occupied enough I didn’t notice when the sexy man who was the reason for my visit walked on up.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  I looked up, and a smile spread across my face. He was here. He was here and wanted to sit with me even with all the empty tables and seats. He chose me.

  “I hope so.” I set my phone down, giving him my undivided attention.

  “There’s a place setting, so I wasn’t sure.” He slid into the booth.

  “I put that there for you, sweet cheeks.” Macy snuck up behind him, sliding my order in front of me and an identical one in front of him. “With a side of grape jelly. I’ll be back with the coffee pot.”

  “Did you order this for me?” He already had his fork in his hand.

  “Can’t take credit for it, sadly, but I’m glad you're here to enjoy it.”

  “Macy is...Macy.” He started to jelly his bread. That was where I drew the line, even if I had asked for some in the first place.

  Macy took that as her cue to come in and make sure we had our drinks, napkins, and food cooked the way we wanted.

  “Be sure you two exchange numbers this time. I don’t need to be guessing orders like this. It's not like my Magic Eight Ball always works this well.” She shook her head, winked, then walked away.

  “She’s subtle.” I chuckled, cutting into my egg.

  “We should probably obey her, though? I mean, her Magic Eight Ball got my order right.” He unlocked then handed me his phone. “Maybe text yourself so I have your number?”

  I took it from him, unsure what to write. Why didn’t he have me just call him. Calling and hanging up was easy. But writing a lame text for our first message, not so much.

  This is me messaging me so Ian can message me later. I hit send before I could change my mind and handed it back as my phone dinged.


  And then dinged again.

  Later was all it said, and I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped me.

  “I’ll be here all day—more like the next forty five minutes, but still.” He took a bite of his toast.

  A little boy came running past us with a spaceship in his hand, shouting, “And now I will victor my people!” With his father close behind him apologizing.

  “Cute kid.” He was donned head to toe in gear from the new sci-fi movie I’d been wanting to see and mangling the tagline. Fair to say he was a fan.

  “I want to see that movie.” Ian set down his fork, “I heard the special effects are mind-blowing and the acting worthy of awards if cool films actually ever got nominated.”

  “I heard it even follows the book,” I gasped.

  “Then see it we must.” He smiled, copying a famous icon from the genre.

  “Like a date?”

  “That was my thought.” He smiled sweetly.

  “I’d like that.” I felt like a school boy being asked out on my first date, butterflies and all. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the movies.”

  “Same.”

  I had a great time as we ate our lunches and chatted. Unfortunately our lunch was cut shorter than I would’ve liked, both of us needing to go back to work. On my way out, I threw down a huge tip for Macy.

  She more than earned it.

  I had his number and a date thanks to her breaking the ice the way she did.

  I had a date. My stomach did a little flip. It was a good day. A very good day.

  Twenty

  Ian

  “Hi.” He’s here. Not that I expected him to ghost me, but I was reassured when he poked his head over my shoulder.