“I don’t understand. How could you want me as a mate? After everything that happened? After the way you treated me?” she asked. She had to know. She needed to understand.
Jacob sighed and sat down on the bed next to her. He pulled her into his arms and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
“At first, I didn’t. When you first arrived, I didn’t know what to do with you. You were different, and it made me uncomfortable. It reminded me that I’m a monster, and that scared me. I took all of that out on you because I was angry and confused,” he admitted.
“Oh,” Autumn said, dropping her gaze again. Jacob tipped her head up.
“But then I realized that I couldn’t live without you. You had already gotten under my skin, and I found myself craving you. I found myself wanting to see you and spend time with you.
I found myself falling for you, and that’s when I knew that you were my mate. I was just too blind to see it,” he explained.
Autumn searched his face for a moment.
“You really think I’m your mate?” she asked.
Jacob nodded. “I know you are.”
“And you don’t hate me?” she checked. She still couldn’t quite believe it. She had thought that Jacob hated her for so long.
Jacob shook his head. “I could never hate you. I love you, Autumn, and I always will,” he promised.
Autumn felt tears fill her eyes again, and she sniffled.
“Oh,” she whispered.
Jacob wiped her tears away and kissed her softly. Autumn melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jacob growled playfully and deepened the kiss. Autumn moaned and then pulled away.
“I can’t,” she said. Jacob looked down at her, frowning in confusion.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I want to, but I can’t. Not yet,” she explained.
Jacob dropped another kiss on her lips and then pulled back.
“It’s okay. We can wait,” he told her. Autumn nodded and snuggled into his arms.
“How are you feeling?” Jacob asked as Autumn walked into the kitchen. It had been two days since he had brought her home with him, and he was still adjusting to having her around.
He watched as she made her way over to him. Her hips swayed, and her wolf was calm and happy.
“I’m feeling better. I’m not so tired anymore, and my wrist doesn’t hurt as much,” she told him as she sat down.
Jacob nodded and pushed a cup of coffee towards her.
“That’s good,” he replied, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. Autumn smiled up at him.
“Yeah,” she agreed.
“How’s the nausea?” he asked. Autumn had thrown up the day before and had spent the rest of the day in bed. Jacob had stayed with her, holding her and talking softly to her.
Autumn shrugged. “It’s still there,” she admitted.
Jacob frowned but didn’t say anything. He watched as she picked up her cup and took a sip. He wanted to ask her something, to talk to her, but he didn’t want to push her.
He wanted to get to know her, but he also wanted to give her the space she needed.
Autumn set her cup down and looked up at Jacob. “Are you okay?” she asked.
He looked down at her and then nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured her.
“You sure? You seem a little distracted,” she said. Jacob sighed and looked away. He knew what he wanted to say to her, but for some reason, he couldn’t find the words.
“It’s nothing,” he said, shaking his head.
Autumn frowned. “Jacob, talk to me. What’s wrong?” she pressed.
Jacob licked his lips and then looked down at her again.
“I want you to tell me about you. I want to get to know you,” he finally admitted. He felt his cheeks heat up and looked away again.
“Oh,” Autumn breathed. She looked down at the table. “Um… okay. What do you want to know?” she asked.
“Anything. Everything. I don’t care. I just want to know more about you,” Jacob told her.
Autumn nodded and licked her lips. She was nervous. She had never really told anyone about herself, and she wasn’t sure where to start.
“Okay, um… I don’t really know where to start,” she admitted. She laughed nervously and glanced up at Jacob.
He smiled at her. “How about we start at the beginning? Tell me about when you were a kid,” he suggested.
Autumn bit her lip, thinking.
“I don’t really remember much about when I was a kid. I was pretty young when I was taken away from my mom. I have a few memories, but they’re all fuzzy,” she told him.
“What was she like? Your mom?” he asked.
Autumn shrugged. “She was nice. She was always smiling, and she smelled like strawberries. I remember she used to sing to me, and she would make me cookies. She had this laugh. It was so light and free, like nothing could ever bring her down,” she said, a small smile on her face.
“She sounds nice,” Jacob said.
“She was. At least, I think she was. I don’t remember that much. But the memories I do have are good,” Autumn admitted.
“That’s good. I’m glad you have those memories,” Jacob told her. Autumn dropped her eyes to the table again.
“They’re all I have left of her,” she whispered.
Jacob reached out and took her hand in his.
“At least you have them,” he said.
Autumn nodded but didn’t say anything.