Page 51 of Broken By Her Mate
The silence between them seemed to stretch into eternity, and it became unbearable. Tolliver raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Laila. I’m not sure if the words are enough, but I’m here now.” His voice was steady with determination. “I swear to you, I’m not walking away again.”
She looked at him, torn between anger and vulnerability. She wanted to believe him so badly. She didn’t want to bring a child into the world while she and the father were at odds. She wanted the family to be happily ever after… but maybe that was nothing more than a fairytale that didn’t exist.
“What do you want from me, Tolliver? Forgiveness? Understanding? Okay, I understand, and I can forgive you, but you can’t just waltz back into my life and expect me to trust you after everything.”
“I don’t expect that,” he said. “All I’m asking for is chance. I want you to willingly spend time with me, not because I’m protecting you. I don’t want us to pretend to be in love in public because of a fake engagement to trick the enemy. I want to gain your love for real. I want to show you that I’ve changed, that I’d never be stupid enough to choose anything or anyone over you ever again.”
This time, he did touch her. He cupped her face, and she didn’t pull away because a tiny part of her wanted toimmediately give in and tell him she wanted to be with him in every sense again. However, that nagging fear still stood in the way. He gently brushed away her tears with his thumbs, and she nearly melted.
“Tolliver, I…” As she stared into his eyes, she wanted to tell him about the baby, which was magically hidden for now, thanks to his sister. But she couldn’t. If he found out about her pregnancy, he’d stick around out of a sense of duty, and she’d never know for sure if he stayed for her. She would continue to keep the baby a secret for a while longer to see if Tolliver was serious about having changed.
“I need more time,” she finished.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll give you all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere, Laila. I’ll earn your trust, no matter how long it takes.”
There was a sincerity in his eyes that almost made her cave. However, she stood her ground. No matter what he said, actions would speak louder over time.
“Can we go home?” she asked softly. “I mean, back to your place.” Their date had gone downhill, and all she wanted to do was lock herself in a room and regroup emotionally.
“Of course.” Tolliver dropped his hands from her face. “I’m sorry tonight wasn’t great.”
“It was. I had a good time. Really, I did. Dinner was nice, and you were very thoughtful. I’m just tired.”
He nodded. “All right, let’s go.”
“What about cleaning up?” she asked, glancing around the kitchen at the mess she’s made.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Five minutes later, they were out the door. Although he didn’t show it, she knew he was on high alert as they walked to the car. He had placed himself between her and the darkest part of the woods. She was reminded of the danger she was in. Their dinner date had felt so normal that, for a brief moment, she forgot that a shifter was hunting her, and no one was sure exactly why. The thought caused her mood to plummet further. When she got into the car, she sat motionless and stared straight ahead, wondering when her life would get back to normal.
It will never be normal again,her wolf whispered.
Her other half always kept her grounded and in the land of logic. The wolf was right, as always. Laila’s life would never go back to what it was. She was having her ex-boyfriend’s baby… talk about a permanent change.
Tolliver slid into the driver’s seat and eyed her with concern. “What is it? You look troubled.”
“It’s nothing.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“Don’t give me theskeptical eyebrow,Tolliver,” she huffed.
The tiniest smirk appeared on his face. “Okay, fine, no more skeptical eyebrow. I want you to know that even though we’re not where I want us to be yet, you can talk to me. You can tell me anything.”
She gave him a side glance. Should she bite the bullet and tell him about the baby? “Well, there is…”
His phone beeped, and she swallowed her confession. What was she thinking? She needed to wait a little longer before telling him. Tolliver let out a frustrated sigh as he reached for his phone. “We’re not done here. You’ll tell me later.”
Laila almost rolled her eyes at the order. No matter what, he’d always fall back into his bossy lord-of-the-manor attitude. It was just naturally him, and as much as she hated to admit it, she liked it… especially in bed. Her cheeks burned as if Tolliver could read her mind. What if she threw caution to the wind and slept with him again? Maybe he’d think she was crazy because she’d been adamant they should stop sleeping together.
Her wayward thoughts came to a screeching halt when she glanced at Tolliver and noticed his face was set in grim lines. Her heart dropped into her stomach. Something was wrong, and she was almost afraid to ask what.
“Tolliver, is everything okay?”
He put his phone down and started the car. “No. I have to get you out of here.” He reached over to buckle to her seatbelt. His movements were calm and practiced, but she sensed the tension radiating off him.
“What’s going on?”