Page 14 of Wolfish Heart (Billionaires of Wolfe Mountain #1)

ZOE

O h no.

I’ve been trying so hard to play it cool and hold myself together. Then I get totally rattled and word-vomit all over Kaden. Even worse, his brothers heard me. I know they did.

I feel like a pile of shame here on the floor, with tears streaming down my cheeks.

I have an incredible man who clearly cares about me… Why am I so terrified?

I think seeing the guys together kind of pointed out how incredibly different our families are. I have no siblings. Not even any cousins my own age. Henry is old enough that he’s practically an uncle.

Meanwhile, Kaden has this close-knit circle of his family and friends in town, and assistants, and who knows who else.

Staring down at the floor, I try to breathe. I’ve never had a panic attack before. Or maybe this is an embarrassment attack. Are those a thing?

Kaden scoops me into his arms and carries me to the couch. He sits a polite distance away and discreetly nudges a box of tissues on the coffee table toward me. “Take as much time as you need, baby, but I’d really like to hear what’s on your mind.”

His hand lands gently on my knee. “If you need some time alone, I can leave for a while. Would that help?”

“No…I…no. Please, stay.”

I wipe my eyes, blow my nose, and get my breathing under control. “I’ve never had that kind of a meltdown before, I’m so sorry. Your brothers must think?—”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what they think.” His thumb strokes the side of my knee. “I always want you to tell me what’s going on in that lovely head of yours. Even if it comes out like kind of an explosion, we’ll sweep up the mess together, okay?”

He always knows just what to say. It makes me tear up again.

Kaden sits back, no longer touching me, but staying close. “Breathe all the way in…hold. Breathe all the way out…hold. Good. Keep doing that, nice and steady.”

The tears stop after just two breaths, but I keep going for a few extra moments.

“I’d like you to repeat everything that you said earlier, but slowly,” he says softly.

“If not today, then another time. But I want to know everything you’re thinking.

” He sighs. “I think maybe you’re even shyer and more introverted than I realized.

Which is fine. It just means I need to be more cautious. ”

Reaching out, I rest my hand on top of his. “I’m sorry that it came out as such a jumbled mess. It’s like… There are all these thoughts that are more impressions and feelings, not so much words.”

Kaden odds. “Okay. Use the wrong words, or just describe the feelings. Dump it all out in a mess, then we’ll untangle it.”

Clearing my throat, I smile. “You’d make an excellent therapist, did you know that?”

His eyebrow arches. “Well, I’ve had a lot of practice, helping four younger siblings get their heads on straight.” He grins widely. “And yes – I’ve stood in front of a boardroom filled with a dozen suits and made them all take a deep breath as well.”

I laugh for just a moment, then try to collect my scattered thoughts.

“I’m – scared,” I finally whisper. “I never really pictured what kind of relationship I’d end up in.

Then suddenly you seem to want me to move right into this gigantic house that’s made for ten people.

Everyone in town is acting like we’re already a couple.

And you guys get special treatment everywhere you go and don’t even…

I mean, yes, I guess you acknowledge it…

but it’s not a big deal to you. It’s a very big deal to me, though. ”

He flips his hands and takes mine. “Go on. Why is it a big deal?”

“Everyone in this town has been watching you forever. They know you. Or at least, they know the public version of you. What are they going to think if you end up with an outsider?”

Kaden blows out a breath. “Okay. I think I understand. I should have warned you a bit more about the staring and the gossip. I’m sorry about that. I’ll be more careful to let you know in advance what kind of situations we’re walking into, too.”

He stares into space for a moment. “Like warning you that whenever Mom meets you, she’s going to make a huge fuss over details.

She’ll want to know where you bought your earrings or if they were a gift, and what they mean to you.

I’ll make sure that we meet her for coffee at Corina’s or something – with a time limit of around an hour, so her third-degree line of questioning can’t go on too long. ”

“I’d appreciate that.”

He smiles patiently as I take another slow breath. “Of course…if I’m meeting your mother, then you really think…”

Kaden stares at me blankly for a moment. Then his mouth drops open. “Oh baby… yes . If you’re asking if I think this is a real relationship, yes.” He squeezes my hand. “You’re the one for me, Zoe.”

My breath sputters. “Really?”

“Ten thousand percent. If this house is too big or you don’t like it, we can get another one.

Or we could have something custom built, and while they’re working on it, we could go live in the south of France for a few months.

Or California. Or Iceland – though that’ll be a bit colder. Hey, we both work remotely, right?”

“See… It’s just wild to me that you have no stress. You can just take off and do whatever you want.”

Kaden shifts to pull us closer. “We were very fortunate, not having to get jobs right out of school. We were able to take our time and figure out what we wanted to do. But when we hit upon this idea…” His eyes roll.

“Those first two years. Damn . Coding and testing and all-night brainstorming. We worked our asses off. I’m still not saying that we deserve this incredible fortune or anything, though, which is why we give so much of it away. ”

“I love that part,” I say softly. “It’s like you’re the fairy godmothers of the town.”

“Really?” He slumps, making an exaggerated grumpy face. “Fairy godmother? That’s super unsexy.”

His arm slips around me, pulling us together as he nuzzles the side of my neck. “So, my sweet, gorgeous baby. Even though I’m apparently over the top, and my home and company are too much, do you want to make this official?”

“Official?”

“Like, will you be my girlfriend? May I clear you out some drawers and half a closet until you’re ready to move in? Introduce you to people on the street as my girl?”

I fix him with a look. “I mean, there was that huge hug in the middle of the road the first day we met.”

“That was wishful thinking. Now I need to hear you say it.”

The decision is already made. Kaden is so kind, so gentle. Thoughtful about every detail. Plus, he seems completely committed to caring for me. If he’s willing to take some things at my pace for a while, I can push myself to be a little more outgoing.

Lifting my palm, I cup the side of his face. “Yes. I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Wow. His smile. There’s so much emotion in his eyes, and they light up as I give him a quick kiss. Being physical with him feels natural, when I allow myself to stop feeling nervous.

Kaden leans back with a grin. “Great. First, we’re going to have to?—”

His phone screams with an urgent, metallic ringtone. He grabs it, then exhales a deep sigh as he reads the screen.

“Correction. First, I’m going to have to teach you what happens in an emergency, when one of our data points goes down.”