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Chapter 12

Mia

Tiny butterflies fluttered around in my belly each time I thought about seeing Noah. I kept busy by cleaning out Joan’s bedroom and the spare closet downstairs, but regardless of my efforts, those butterflies wouldn’t settle. I lasted until mid-afternoon before I gave up and headed to the bar and grill.

A drink while I waited for Noah to finish would ease my nerves.

Why was I so nervous? We’d already slept together, technically, we were doing this whole relationship thing in the wrong order anyway.

I pulled up short outside the entrance to Cole’s Bar.Relationship?

I didn’t come to Woodland Falls for a relationship. I came to sell Joan’s house so I could finally stand on my own two feet. A relationship was never part of that plan.

What if Noah wanted more?

Of course, he wanted more. He’d waited fifteen years for me to come back here.I’m his mate. What did that even mean?

Ugh. I couldn’t let all that overwhelm me. Tonight, I just wanted to spend time with Noah, get to know him more, now that I knew his secret.

After composing myself, I strode into the bar. My heart flipped around in its cage the moment I spotted Noah behind the bar, chatting to a woman around the same age. He casually dried a glass, fully engrossed in their conversation. I just hung out at the door staring at him.

A soft smile warmed my cheeks when I thought of the moment he shifted into a wolf. How magical and fascinating the shift was. Then all the things we did last night and how much my feelings for him had grown. For the first time in a long time, someone made me feel not just complete, but worthy.

As though he sensed me standing there, his gaze swung my way. Our eyes locked, and my heart soared. He winked, tipping his chin for me to come closer.

I made my way to the bar and sat on a stool two down from the other woman, shrugged out of my jacket and folded it over the back of the chair.

“Hey there,” he said, bracing his hands on the bar top leaning over waiting for a kiss.

I met him halfway and pressed my lips against him. Everything about him, about us, seemed so easy and natural. Were normal couples this comfortable with each other after just one night? Though, I guess, we’d known each other for longer than that. The whole situation was anything but normal.

Noah straightened, that dimple on his cheek deepened sending a little thrill through my middle.

“Hey,” I replied.

He motioned to the other woman. “This is Ivy, my brother’s wife.” He lowered his voice. “Liam’s mate.”

Oh, secret shifter code.

I turned to Ivy. She was stunning. Deep brown eyes, wavy hair, and a beautiful dusting of pink over her cheeks. “Nice to meet you.”

“Welcome to the Cole family, Mia.”

My pulse kicked a little. Welcoming me to the family was moving a bit fast, wasn’t it?

I made a mental note to ask Noah about what being a mate entailed. Was it like dating? Or more? He’d told me that wolves have one mate for life. If that were true, like I suspected, then I doubted he sought only a girlfriend.

Ivy patted the seat beside her. “Come closer so we can chat.” As she spoke, her cell pinged, and she picked it up off the bar to glance at the screen. “Liam’s on his way.” She placed the phone back down and looked at Noah. “So you can stop babysitting me.”

His laugh lit up his unnaturally blue eyes. “You think this is babysitting? You wanna pray you’re not having a girl.”

Ivy exhaled a loud exaggerated sigh. “It wouldn’t surprise me if you all took shifts sitting on the front porch with shotguns.”

Noah laughed again, louder this time. “Don’t worry, we’ve already set up a schedule.”

I moved seats and settled in next to Ivy. Her hand rested on a small rounded bump at her belly. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yeah.” She swiveled to face me. “Can you imagine if it’s a girl and the Cole brothers had their way? The poor thing won’t be able to date until she’s ninety.”