Page 35

“For you, I always have a moment.” I gesture with my hand to my lone chair in front of my desk. It’s not the best, but I clearly don’t exactly use the office much.

Her face lights with a warm smile as she makes her way to my chair. After she is settled and adjusted, she looks at me. “Seems you have a lot of work ahead of you, and I’m not talking about the pack life.” Her eyebrow raises with a knowing glint in her eye.

“Should I just pretend it’s normal that you already know what I’ve been thinking this morning and somehow know of the conversation I had with Chase?”

“Don’t sass me, boy. Do you want my help or not? I’m not the one who is floundering at claiming my mate.”

Sighing, I run my hand down my face. “I’m sorry, Gail. I didn’t do anything wrong this time. It doesn’t make up for all the other times, but Selene was just showing me pictures she took of the pack. I didn’t even think anything of it until I saw Aspen’s face.”

“You can’t fault Aspen for assuming it was like every other time. Especially since the first time it happened, you had invited her to be there, too.” She gives me a look of disappointment.

I slam my fist slams down on the desktop. “I know, alright? I’m trying to make it right, but it’s like nothing I’m doing is working!”

Gail reaches across my desktop to lay her hand across mine. “Be patient. You have years of pain to work through. Nothing you do is going to be a quick fix, but I may have an idea that would certainly be the grand gesture that you are looking for.”

We spend the next few hours going over her idea and planning out how to do it, without word getting around about what I’m doing. Gail even suggested that I give Aspen space while I am working on it.

We call in the carpenter to go over the plans that we have created. He promises to have the drawn up plans to me by the end of the week, after he has the measurements and a feel for the layout.

The sun is setting as our meeting wraps up. It was a productive day with a plan that will hopefully work.

Bill, our carpenter, claps a hand on my shoulder. “It’s going to be beautiful when it's completed. Thanks for trusting me with the project.”

A smile stretches across my face. “I can’t imagine anyone else working on it, man. Your work is always stunning. I’ve been jealous of that cabinet in Silas’s office for a while now.”

He blushes. “Thank you. I’ll shoot you a message when I have the plans done. You alright with me dropping by tomorrow to measure everything?”

“Yeah, it sounds good. See you then.”

He walks out of my office as Gail turns back to me in her chair. “This is going to work, Warrick. Have faith in yourself and fate.” She pulls herself up from the chair before she leans in closer to me. “Fate never gets it wrong. Some people just have to work a little harder at it than others.”

She cups my face with her hand as she lifts my chin slightly. “You are a wonderful man who has just made poor decisions along the way. You will get there one day.” She pats my cheek before walking out of my office.

Sighing, I drop my shoulders before my back slams into the chair. A little harder, she says. I feel as though I have a mountain the size of Everest to climb to earn Aspen’s heart. It’s nobody’s fault but my own, but the feat is still the same.

I gather my jacket and cell phone before flipping the light off in my office. Sliding the lock in place, I head back home.

Hours later, long past the time that I should have gone to bed, I’m standing inside the empty room that will hopefully show Aspen how committed I am to us. It’s plain now, but after Bill is done, the room will be magical.

The ice chinks against the side of the glass as I whirl around the bourbon. I think it’s going to take around three months for it to be completed. Right around when Silas and Nova are to be wed. Maybe, just maybe, I will be there with Aspen on my arm, too.

Chapter 17

Aspen

It’s been three months since the night that I walked into the diner to find Warrick with a girl beside him. I’ve thought a lot about it and, honestly, I think that it’s for the best that it happened. As much as I would like to finally claim my mate, I am glad to know that nothing has actually changed about him before I couldn’t take it back. I don’t know what I would have done if we had claimed each other and then I found him cheating again. My entire body shutters at the thought of it.

Chase glances over to me. “You alright?”

Nodding my head, I reply, “Yeah, just thinking of what would have happened if I found out about the cheating after we had claimed each other.”

His arm wraps around my shoulders, pushing the hiking backpack down my back. “Well, thankfully, you don’t have to worry about that.”

My feet kick rocks along the path as we ascend the climb up the mountain. Chase decided it was time for our first hike of the year. Since the spring sun is high in the sky and the blooms of the wild flowers are open, I couldn’t disagree, even if hiking is my least favorite activity. Air blows out of my nose in annoyance.

“Don’t even give me the pouty lip, Aspen. Being out in nature is great for the soul and mind.” Chase cuts a playful glare at me when my lip begins to push out in a pout.

He reaches over with his free hand and quickly runs his fingers down my side, tickling me into bouts of laughter. Jumping away from him, I put my hands on my hip and give it everything I have to look as angry as I can.