He’d never taken the time to feel how soft her silver fur was against his fingertips, and especially how different the texture was on her neck than on her paws. He ran his fingers up to the black tips of her ears and wondered if she could hear him.
“Let me tell you about the first time I fell in love with you. It was a hot summer at the lake, and you were seventeen. Wes and some of the guys were drinking beers in the tent, and I told them I had to take a leak. But I lied. I wanted to check on you. I walked toward the lake, and you were sitting alone, listening to the radio and singing. Damn, I had to stop for a minute just to soak it all in. It hit me right then and there, Lexi. Your silhouette against the moonlight and the way you faced the unknown—I saw a woman growing up before me. I caught a glimpse of a future I wanted, and it included you.”
The door closed behind him as Edward left.
He tucked his arm beneath his head and continued stroking her face. “That’s when I used to smoke. Yeah, yeah. I know. I thought it made me look cool. I can still remember you in those pink pajama bottoms with the strawberries and the way the clouds looked like puzzle pieces moving across the sky. Can you see it? I wanted to say something to you, but I felt like words would ruin the moment. I’d mess it up by saying something dumb, and I didn’t want you to leave. You curled your arms around your knees and rested your head, and all I thought about was putting my jacket over you even though it wasn’t cold. I was torn—still a young man trying to figure out what he wanted. I knew I couldn’t have a life with a human, but my wolf was singing for you—baying to the moon while I sat in silence.”
Austin smiled, and a tear rolled across his nose. “Something I never told you about that night was that you were sitting near a pile of ants. The damn things were crawling up the back of your shirt—big black ones. I was picking them off, hoping you wouldn’t notice or get stung. If your brother had walked up on us, he would have thought I was a creeper trying to feel up his little sister.” Austin quieted for a moment, his voice softening. “I was saving that story for our fiftieth anniversary. I knew you’d get a laugh out of it.”
Suddenly his heart constricted at the thought of a life without Lexi. Her empty spot at the table; the nail on the wall, absent of keys; her shoes by the door; hearing her laughter from across the house. Austin rose up on his elbow and stroked her soft, beautiful face. “I know you’re tired, but you need to come back to me. You need to fight through the darkness and wake up. It’s the hardest damn thing you’ll ever do, but you’re not alone. I’m in there, and you just have to follow my voice. Please, Ladybug. Just try.”
The small cry of an infant pulled his attention away, and for a fleeting moment, Austin wavered between two loves. He heard Lexi’s voice in his head saying, “Go to him.”
Austin sat up, face wet with tears, and approached the wooden rocking cradle that Ivy had given them. Before leaving the house a few days ago, he had moved it to the bedroom without Lexi knowing. A fur blanket lined the inside, providing a warm cocoon. Austin knelt down and lifted the tiny hood away from the baby’s face.
“I’ll be damned,” he said, tears glittering in his eyes. He’d thought love at first sight only happened once in a lifetime, but he was wrong.
Austin cradled the back of his son’s head and lifted him into his arms. Someone had swaddled him in a pink gown with a hood. Tiny butterflies on the cotton material made Austin smile.
Jesus, he looked just like Lexi. Until the little guy blinked a few times and looked up with crystal-blue eyes rimmed in black. Austin bowed his head and placed a reverent kiss on his son’s forehead, rising to his feet and drifting toward the bed.
“We have a handsome son.”
Austin sat down and placed the baby next to Lexi, counting all those tiny fingers and toes. Premature or not, this was a strong baby with pink cheeks, a pudgy mouth, and…
Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He might be hungry.
Austin hovered over Lexi with his lips resting beneath her left eye. “I can’t do this without you, Lexi. I can’t.”
The music began to wind down until the last note hung in the air.
What began as a few small chirps from the baby evolved into a wail. His son’s cries echoed the torment he felt within his own heart.
“Lexi, shift. Do you hear me? Shift!”
The door swung open, and Lynn barged into the room, her eyes filled with panic. Edward closed the door for privacy.
“My baby,” she gasped, nearing the opposite end of the bed. Lynn brushed her hands across Lexi’s back—so tender and doting. “Oh my sweet baby, Mommy’s here. I’ll take good care of you. Don’t you worry, everything’s going to be all right.”