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I sighed in relief. At least she wasn’t telling me to get the hell off her property.
After I grabbed the trays of food, I followed Liza into her small, yellow house.
“Have you eaten?” She toed off her shoes and tossed her keys onto a small table by the door. I was waiting for the anger, for the irritation and annoyance.
I shook my head. I hadn’t eaten all day.
“Come on.” She led me into her kitchen and pointed to a chair. “I’ll warm up some food.”
She moved gracefully from the cabinet to the oven, then over to the refrigerator. Every move was calculated for its efficiency, yet she did it all in a way that piqued my interest. I could’ve sat there and watched her forever without getting bored.
I wanted to know what was behind her walls. Who was the real Liza Mims, and why was there such a tight lid on all of her secrets? The questions only made me want to be closer to her, despite all the mystery surrounding her past.
“Here we go.” She placed a plate full of grilled chicken with a creamy sauce, asparagus spears flavored with garlic, and potatoes seasoned with onions and chives on the table, then handed me a fork. “Dig in.”
Liza sat across from me, and we ate in silence, though I found myself moaning because her food was so damn good.
Finally, Liza broke the silence. “Are you going to tell me what happened last night?”
I hesitated, unsure of whether I should share my family’s business or not. Anyone knowing my father was ill was dangerous. Liza was meant to be my mate, though, so it was probably best that she knew the truth. “Right before our date, my mother called to tell me something had happened to my dad. When I got home, he’d been put on bed rest from an awful fall.” I’d told her this much, so no reason not to go all in. “He’s not doing too well.”
Liza set her fork on the edge of her plate and blew out a breath. “I’m so sorry to hear about your dad. I understand how important family is.” She laid her hand over mine, sending a bolt of electricity zinging up my arm.
My shoulders relaxed. Against all odds, she’d forgiven me. “Thank you for understanding. My family needs me right now, and I have to be there for them.” I hoped that conveyed that I might not be as available as I’d planned. I didn’t want to say the words.
“It’s understandable.” Liza nodded. “Family is always first. There’s no reason you couldn’t have contacted me, though. A quick text would have sufficed.”
Damn. I should’ve known she wouldn’t let me off that easily.
Liza stared at her plate, poking at her leftover chicken. “One of my clients shared something profound with me today. He said that communication is an important factor when you’re building something new with someone. I get that something terrible happened to your father, but we won’t have anything if we can’t communicate from the start.”
I mulled over her words. “You’re right. There’s no excuse. I should’ve contacted you immediately. I’m sorry.”
The smile she gave me made my heart swell.
“I don’t want you to ever feel like you’re not a priority for me. I’ll do better at communicating with you from this point forward.” I was as sincere as I’d ever been. I’d never wanted anything to work out more in my life than I wanted things to work out with Liza.
She studied me for a moment, staring so deeply into my eyes that I assumed she could see my soul. Then she stood and cleared the table.
It was awkward sitting in her kitchen, watching as she cleaned up the dinner mess. “Can I help?”
She nodded and stepped to the side, allowing me to help wash off the dirty dishes.
As I handed her a clean plate, our hands touched, and we both paused. She could feel the sensation, too, I was sure of it.
A moment later, a slight smirk spread across her lips. “Thank you for coming over and explaining yourself.”
I smiled back. “You’re welcome. Since you’ve officially forgiven me, will you allow me to make up for our botched date?”
Liza dried the plate, then put it in the cabinet. “Yes, I’ll give you another chance.”
I couldn’t contain my excitement as a grin spread across my face. “I promise I won’t mess it up this time.”
We finished cleaning up the kitchen and chatted about Liza’s catering business and my family’s business. Somehow, I managed to keep my hands off her, even though her scent was driving me wild. My wolf stirred, continuing to remind me that she was our mate. That we were meant to fuck.
Crude bastard.
I’d already fucked up with Liza multiple times. I couldn’t afford to make a move too quickly and scare her off. We needed to take it slow and steady, but my cock had a mind of its own. On more than one occasion, I had to adjust myself while Liza was turned away from me.
