Doggone Daddy
Page 19
“You must think about her a lot during these times,” Gavin commented, snapping me back into the present.
“Not a day goes by when I don’t think about her and our two beautiful babies.” I sighed. Coral was a loss I felt very intimately and specifically. I missed her in concrete ways, especially in the first few years after she passed. It was impossible not to. I could see the empty side of the bed beside me, and one coffee mug on the kitchen counter instead of two. I could hear the silence in my house without the warmth of her laugh to light it up.
Gavin swallowed, and I watched as fear flashed over his face. I gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his shoulder.
“Don’t waste your time worrying about losing your mate,” I told him. “Besides, you two are fated. Coral and I never were.”
Gavin’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Really,” I said as I nodded. “Chosen mates. They say fated love is the deepest, but I can’t imagine anything deeper than what I felt for her. I just can’t.”
I looked out at the crowd before us. Just like Jaxon had guessed, the Wolf Lodge was absolutely brimming with people. There were plenty of wolves I recognized, all from our pack, and some I didn’t, probably from some of the surrounding packs. No doubt Jaxon had asked Jason and Trevor if they could be invited to keep the packs mingling with social niceties. It was a good political move, making sure the local packs stood united, especially with the trouble we’d all recently had with the rogue dragons. What a fantastic turnout for Jason and Trevor. I wondered how Jason’s little five-year-old girl, Stacia, would be feeling today. She was quite a little firebrand herself, and I could imagine her leading Lori into all kinds of fun and games after the ceremony.
Suddenly, Jaxon turned back and looked through the crowd. I raised my arm and he smiled. “I’ll meet up with you later,” I said to Gavin. “Jaxon is calling. Give my best to Kyle, Brock and Raina”
“Will do. Thanks, Greer. Talk soon.” Gavin slapped my back as I headed toward my son.
“We’ve got to go and take care of a few things. You’re gonna stay in the thick of things, right? Like we agreed?” Jaxon asked.
“I don’t think I agreed to anything, but sure. I won’t isolate myself.”
“Promise?”
I shook my head at Bryce, pointing at Jaxon. “Tell your alpha to go fulfil his duties instead of fussing at me, will you? Apparently I didn’t raise him right, but maybe you’ve still got a chance.”
“Got it,” said Bryce, tugging Jaxon’s hand. “C’mon. Leave your poor father alone. Liam, Lori, this way, please!”
I watched them go, brimming with pride for my wonderful family. I was still thinking about how lucky they were while avoiding diving into the social aspect of the ceremony, when I caught a distinctive and unusual scent. It was a waft of cinnamon and clove, with a hint of something sharp like yuzu.
I turned, trying to guess which direction it was coming from. With so many new wolves milling around, it was difficult to pinpoint. For all I knew, it was all in my head. No doubt, all that talk of pheromones and finding love had probably poked some renegade hope in me. As much as I didn’t often admit it, for every part of me satisfied with the family I already had, there was also an equal part that believed I was missing out on the mate it was destined to find.
The battle between the two raged now. I was happy to be content, but I also wondered what would happen if I followed the scent. I couldn’t deny the spark of attraction I felt to this scent felt good. I’d been so focused on being a lead alpha, a father and a grandfather for so long my body had almost forgotten what it felt like to want.
Almost, but not quite.
I let my instincts take over as I waited for the ceremony to begin. I followed the cinnamon fragrance through the crowd, moving with my shoulders back and my jaw held high, the picture of a prowling, dominant alpha. It probably wouldn’t come to anything, but what if it did?
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Doggone Daddy
Timberwood Cove: Book 4
Liam Kingsley
© 2019
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are all fictitious for the reader’s pleasure. Any similarities to real people, places, events, living or dead are all coincidental.
This book contains sexually explicit content that is intended for ADULTS ONLY (+18).