by Layla Silver
"You do?" I asked, my voice sounding like a stranger's.
Julian nodded, and I cleared my throat.
"Tell me then," I said.
He took a step closer. "I'm here to tell you how much I miss you and can't last a second more without seeing you," he replied, extending the flowers to me.
I took them, and he continued speaking before I could tell him what a bad idea this was. Or was it? I wasn't sure anymore.
"I'm here to tell you that you are amazing, and I can't last a second more without being with you. Well, maybe I can last a second, but I really don't want to."
I resisted the urge to smile at that, and he continued.
"I have hated every day that I haven't seen or talked to you this past month. I hated not knowing how you were or what you were thinking. I have done little else but miss you, think of you, try to call you and try to see you. But I'm done trying and failing. Now I'm going to love you, and I'm going to do it well. You just have to give me a chance, and I swear to you, April, you will not be disappointed. I know that there's a lot that happened between us, but when you think about it, it's nothing the two of us can't work out together."
My heart stopped again, and I looked into his eyes. I had heard only one thing, and even though I was sure his speech had been lovely, I only cared about that one thing right now.
"You love me?" I asked in barely a whisper.
He gave me a dimpled smile as he nodded. "I think so; otherwise, I'm going to kick myself hard tomorrow for all of this."
I laughed as I felt a flood of emotions run through me, and this time, none of them were bad. This man loved me, and I felt my own love for him threatening to burst out of me.
"It's too late now, you can't take it back," I said with a wide grin.
"And I'll never want to," Julian replied.
I squealed and jumped into his arms. I had to be dreaming, but I didn't care, I would enjoy it while it lasted. This dream felt too real though, and I could feel how warm Julian was underneath his shirt. He smelled amazing as well. A mixture of the outdoors and the scent that was just uniquely Julian.
I was so happy, and I squealed again as he hugged me closer to him. That felt real enough. I felt his heart beating almost in sync with mine, and I knew it would be one of my favorite sounds from now on. Julian carried me inside and kicked the door with his foot to close it.
When he finally put me down, I put my hands in his long hair and pulled him down for a kiss. He definitely needed a haircut, but I wasn't going to complain when it made it so easy to pull him in whatever direction I wanted for my kissing pleasure. Our kiss started out slow and patient as if we were getting to know each other all over again. His hand came to my waist, and he squeezed gently, making me moan and kiss him deeper before he pulled away.
"I missed you, April. So damn much," his voice came out hoarse with emotion, and I could relate. "Every day away from you felt like a lifetime. I didn't know how you were or how the baby was doing, and I was going out of my mind with worry."
"I'm sorry," was all that I could say, and I meant it.
"Promise me that will never happen again, please."
I smiled and replied. "Well, unless you have another baby surprise up your sleeve, I think we should be okay."
He feigned confusion and held me at arm's length. "Did you just say you want me to put a baby in you?"
I laughed. "That ship sailed way back, Mr. Rollett."
He drew me closer again and kissed my neck before whispering into my ear. "But I can have fun practicing."
"I can show you how it's done," I whispered back, tilting my head and giving him more space to do as he pleased with me.
He stopped, looked me in the eyes, and said, "I love you, April." Then he kissed me like he meant it.
It was like coming back home after a long time, it felt just right. I couldn't breathe, and I honestly didn’t want to. It was overwhelming and calming all at once, and the most intense kiss we had shared yet. I wanted to become a part of him somehow, I just didn't know how to accomplish that. So I kissed him back like I could inhale him, and he could inhale me back. His warm lips fit perfectly against mine, and he tasted of oranges and something else I couldn't quite make out. My hands trailed to his hard chest, and I played with his shirt, pushing some buttons open to reach his skin. Julian moaned and pulled away as soon as I made contact with his skin.
"You have to stop," he laughed, kissing my nose playfully and holding my wayward hand in his.
"Why?" I asked with a grin, leaning in for another kiss. "When it's so much fun?"
He indulged me, and as soon as he made the mistake of letting my hands go, I was at his shirt again. Julian smiled against my lips but didn't stop me this time. He didn't need to though, because my uncle did that for him.
"What are you doing?"
I felt my pulse in my throat as soon as I heard that voice, and Julian and I quickly moved apart, but it was too late. I looked up at my father who had just returned from his trip, and he looked so shocked and confused that I could only imagine what he thought was happening here.
"Dad," I started to say, but my uncle interrupted me before I could say anything else.
"You, quiet," he said, pointing at me, then pointing at Julian. "You, outside, now!"
"Uncle Jay," I tried again, but he had already grabbed Julian's shirt and was dragging him outside. "You have to listen!"
I followed them still trying to get my uncle's attention. I knew there was no reasoning with him now when he was like this, and I feared the worst. My uncle was the Alpha, which meant that he was stronger than Julian. If Jeremiah hit Julian, he would definitely hurt him.
"Uncle Jay, I can explain," I tried again, my plea falling on deaf ears.
I turned to my father who had yet to say anything, but he wouldn't be able to stop Jeremiah either, especially when he was already challenging Julian to a Wolf fight. I turned back to the two of them and saw my uncle shifting already. It was all happening so fast, and I couldn't do anything about it.
It was too late.
Chapter 21 – Julian
I looked at the large brown Wolf in front of me and felt a chill going down my spine. Amber eyes were fixed on my person, and I could guess exactly what was going through the man's mind.
"We really don't have to do this," I said, raising my hands in a peace gesture.
The Wolf advanced a little and snarled. I took a step back and kept my arms up.
"There's no reason to fight, I can explain everything. But you have to listen."
The eyes that were so intensely focused on me darkened, and I knew that I was probably done for. There were no discussions to be had now, no explanations to be given. But I had to give it one more try because all this was really unnecessary.
"You don't understand—" I started, but I was cut off by a loud and angry growl.
Jeremiah's Wolf was ready to attack, and there was no way I could explain myself out of this situation. He was angry and not willing to listen to anything; only my blood would make him calm down. I saw no other choice but to shift as well, knowing that I had to defend myself. I felt every bone in my body realigning itself as I embraced my Wolf form, knowing this would be a defining moment in my life. I had never been much of a fighter growing up, but I knew how to hold my own from the sparring sessions I'd had with my friends. Even though I knew I couldn't hurt April's uncle, I couldn't let him hurt me either. I had to make him see reason somehow and put an end to all of this. But things had already gotten out of control, and we had started on the wrong foot.
The Wolf in front of me was large and exuded power and strength in the manner all Alphas did. Fueled by the anger he had for me, it was a potent combination. If I made any wrong moves, he could easily sink his fangs into my neck and tear me apart, and then this would all be over. I had a stronger motivation not to lose, however, because I had a new family to take care of and the woman I loved was counting on me to put a stop to this in the least har
mful way possible.
Jeremiah snarled and bared his fangs, showing me exactly what I was working with. Any other day and I would have been terrified out of my mind to fight him, but I knew I had to calm myself if I wanted a chance to beat him. So I waited him out, giving him a chance to strike first and come to me so that I could follow his every movement. He was bigger and stronger than me, which meant I needed to be smarter if I had any hope of coming out of this in one piece.
I viewed him as I would any prey, concentrating on his scent and any weaknesses he might have. I saw the way he was standing; obviously his hind legs were strong, and he could move fast and jump high. But he was also a large Wolf, which meant that if he fell, he fell hard. He was also angry, which I could use to my advantage. Anger often made people rash and less cautious, which meant he would expose his weaknesses to me sooner rather than later. His scent also informed me that he was getting impatient and ready to strike; his anger had reached its maximum level.
Jeremiah leapt, and I underestimated his speed and moved out of the way too late, earning a bite in the shoulder as we both rolled on the ground. He pulled me off the ground then slammed me down again, showing me the true extent of his power. I whined in pain and pushed back with all my strength, forcing him to let go of me. I felt blood trickling down my side, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. When he came at me for the second time, I was ready for him, and I managed to land a blow to his head that slowed him down.
The large Wolf shook his head, no doubt feeling a bit dizzy from my hit, but lunged again. His claws sunk into my side as he pushed me down, and even though my fur prevented him from doing too much damage, I still felt the sting of my new wounds. I rolled on the ground, Jeremiah close behind me, until I got to my feet just in time to avoid his next blow.
We fought on the ground, each of us trying to gain dominance. My limbs were fast getting tired, and I had pulled a muscle somewhere in my body that made my entire form vibrate in pain. But I didn't let up on my defense; my only hope was trying to wear him down a little so that I could attack. Jeremiah snarled in anger after our cat and mouse chase got a little long, going straight for my neck. I had anticipated this move, knowing he would aim for my weakest point to make me submit. I turned just in time and leapt in his direction, pushing him down on his side and aiming for his neck. I clamped as hard as I could without hurting him too much, and his Wolf whimpered in pain. He tried to move, but I held him down with all my strength and added more force to his weak spot.
Jeremiah tried to struggle until he didn't have the strength to anymore, and I only let him go when I knew that I had truly subdued him. I shifted first, breathing heavily and checking my side where the blood had clotted now. The wound was starting to heal, but it still hurt, and I was exhausted. Jeremiah shifted as well and held the point between his shoulder and neck where I had bitten him. He wasn't hurt too badly, but he was still bleeding. At least one good outcome of our fight was that we were both too exhausted to continue and all he could do now was listen.
Kenneth helped both of us to clean up a little and gave us some clothes. When we were somewhat presentable, we all sat down. Jeremiah had been glaring at me all this while, so I decided to look at him straight in the eye as I began to explain.
"I know you are both confused and angry, and I understand that. Really, I do."
I took a deep breath before continuing.
"And I'm sorry about how everything happened and how you found out, but I'm not sorry about my feelings for April and the fact that she's pregnant with my child," I said, watching their shocked reactions.
"But she's a surrogate for..." Kenneth started to say, looking at his daughter as his voice trailed. Then he looked back at me. "You mean you're the father? But how?" He turned to his daughter again. "I thought you didn't know who the father was?"
"Did you put her up to this?" Jeremiah asked angrily, raising his voice.
I shook my head. "No, I decided to have a child via surrogacy, and by chance, April became my surrogate. I only discovered that she did recently, but I was already falling in love with her before that. The baby is a much welcome bonus, but I would still be here even if she wasn't pregnant. I want to be with her and raise our child together."
"Is that what you want, April?" Kenneth asked gently, and his daughter nodded.
I gave her a small smile, letting her know that I was on her side no matter what; it was the three of us against the world now. I wanted her family on board though, and it was my responsibility to explain everything to them.
Jeremiah snorted. "Of course she does, didn't you see what we walked in on?"
"I'm sorry you had to find out like that, I truly am. But I'm trying to do the right thing now," I reminded him.
"Is this why you were coming around all this time?" Jeremiah raised a challenging brow.
The man did not like me, and he wasn't going to hide it. Which was fine by me. I knew that it would take time for everyone to get used to this new development. I was still older than April, and he was probably just worried that I was taking advantage of her, despite April being an intelligent adult who could make her own decisions.
"I've been sincerely working on the new business project with Kenneth, and it just happened that I got to know April better during that time. I couldn't help but fall for her; you helped raise an exceptional young woman," I replied honestly.
He narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything, and I assumed I had satisfied him with my answers for now. He would be keeping a close eye on me from now on, I had no doubt about that. But I didn't care, all I wanted was to start a life with April and my child. I would work on building Kenneth's and Jeremiah's trust in me when it came to being the right man for April by making her as happy as I could.
"It's a lot to process all at once, I know. It was a bit of a curve ball for April and me too, but it's also honestly the best thing that could ever happen to me, and I hope you can come to accept the baby as your family too."
"Of course we will," Jeremiah said harshly. "It's April's child too, isn't it?"
I only nodded, and Kenneth sighed.
"Well, I guess there's nothing we can do about it now, is there? And it solves the problem of April carrying someone else's child," he said.
"I love your daughter, Kenneth. I really do. And I'll take good care of her."
Jeremiah looked like he wanted to say something, but not anything good, so I held my hand up. "I'm serious about her, and I know now that she's my mate."
I turned to look at April who was obviously still trying to digest my words. She only had eyes for me, and if her family hadn't been present, I would have kissed her. But they had already seen me doing that, and we didn't need a repeat of that fight. So I settled for just looking at her and hoping she could see everything I felt for her on my face. I knew now that I would never regret the decision to come here and ask her to be mine, even though her uncle had almost wiped the floor with me. It was all worth it, and this was right where I was supposed to be.
I had waited all my life for her, and now the wait was over. I didn't need to be alone anymore, and I didn't need to raise my child alone. April and the baby would be my legacy and everything that I had worked so hard in my life I could now truly enjoy with them. Because that's what a mate did for you, they made everything come together just right.
"April?" I said, making sure she knew that what I was saying was for her, and her alone.
"Yes?" she answered in almost a whisper.
"Will you be my mate?"
Chapter 22 – April
I badly wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming or imagining this. Had Julian just asked me to officially be his mate? I couldn't comprehend what was going on right now, but I found myself nodding my head immediately. Julian stood up and literally swept me off my feet as he laughed and kissed my cheek with a loud smack.
"So this is really happening?" my uncle said as he frowned.
I laughed with happiness and no
dded. "Yes, and I'm so happy, Uncle Jay."
He stood up and looked like he wanted to voice his disapproval. Instead, he sighed and shook his head. "I hope you know what you're doing, April."
I nodded, knowing he needed some time to process everything. My father walked him out, and I used the opportunity to grab Julian and pull him in for a quick kiss.
"You need a haircut," I said against his lips, "and this beard has got to go, too." I ran my hand over the beard, feeling how rough it was.
"I was hoping you'd like it," he laughed. "Do you know how much time I have saved by not shaving or trimming my hair?"
I rolled my eyes and replied, "And what have you done with all that time? Save the world?"
"I saved 'us,' didn't I? And I spent all that time thinking about you. Imagining all the ways I could have you in every room in my house, and there are many," he said and kissed my cheek.
"Well, in that case," I said, giggling.
"Maybe you two kids can wait until I'm gone at least?"
I turned to see my father grimace as he walked in. I almost laughed at him calling Julian a 'kid,' but things were already weird enough, and I didn't want to make it worse. I would just tease Julian about it later when we were alone.
"About that," Julian said, putting a respectable distance between us. "I never asked for your permission to officially date your daughter."
"If I recall correctly, you just asked her to be your mate. I'd say that's way past dating, wouldn't you? And the two of you are having a child together too." My father took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "You're a good man, Julian. And April is an adult. I won't lie and say this is easy for me to digest, but I won't stand in the way of your happiness."
"That's all I can ask for, Kenneth. Thank you. And I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make April happy."
My dad gave him a small smile, and I knew everything would be okay.
"Congratulations. You're going to be a grandfather," I grinned, then walked over to hug him as I whispered, "Thank you, dad."