Chapter 141 - Inseparable

Daphne

I was mildly alarmed by the report that a bear had been spotted along the northern walls. I mean, we were in the Canadian wilderness. Bears were a part of the landscape, along with white-tailed deer, coyotes, foxes and the occasional big, ugly moose. In all likelihood, it was just a natural bear.

It probably wasn’t Kodi. Probably.

Just in case, Louis had sent his best scouts to go over the area. It had been days, and so far his trackers had found nothing but a few prints and a pile of scat.

I shoved it out of my mind and focused on the task at hand: Date night with Nash.

I was equal parts excited and anxious about our scheduled evening. He wouldn’t tell me anything about what we were going to do, and the only hint he would give me was to “dress in something comfortable”. I was beginning to wonder if he really was going to take me tailgating in some redneck drinking hole. Not that I minded. As long as I was with him, I was content to do anything.

But it did leave me feeling a bit confused by what to wear. How casual was “comfortable?”. Was it blue-jeans casual? Long flowing skirt? Sundress and sandals? I slid the coat hangers across the bar in the closet and regretted that I had carried such a limited wardrobe to my new home. I pulled down a pair of black jeans and a midnight blue sleeveless blouse that really made the blue of my eyes stand out.

That was all good and fine, but when I pulled up the jeans, I suddenly found that the button wouldn’t close. It was a good two inches from actually fitting in the hole.

Yeah, I needed to do some shopping soon. I yanked down the long skirt, because that, at least, had an elastic waist, and it still matched the top. I sighed and turned sideways in the mirror to look at my belly. It still didn’t look like the cute little bump that women showed off on social media. It just looked like my waist had gotten thicker.

I pushed a pair of gold hoops through my ears, and was just tucking my phone into my purse when there was a knock at the door. My heart jumped, and my face broke into a smile as I danced to the door and pulled it open.

“Hi,” I said, a little breathlessly. He wasn’t exactly dressed up, but he still made my mouth go dry. He wore a button-down short sleeve shirt, with the first three buttons opened, revealing a tantalizing triangle of his tanned chest. For once, he wore a pair of slacks instead of his usual jeans or cargo pants. They appeared to be a size too big, and if not for the belt, they might have slid right off his lean hips. For a moment I wondered if he had borrowed the pants from Louis… but I dismissed the idea immediately. He and Louis were still circling each other like two unfamiliar dogs that had just met. They weren’t biting or growling, thankfully, but they were still in that wary, edgy phase. I didn’t think they had graduated to sharing clothes.

Still, he looked delicious, and for a moment I thought of canceling the date and dragging him back inside the room. He looked charmingly self-conscious as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and smiled awkwardly. “Hey. Are you ready?”

“I was born ready!” I adjusted the strap on my shoulder. “So where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

I made a face at him and turned to lock the door. When I turned around, I noticed Louis leaning against the door, watching the two of us. His face was a mask, the kind of pleasant, diplomatic mask he put on when he was dealing with visitors. It hurt a little bit, knowing we were leaving him behind.

It is a process, I reminded myself. Be patient.

“Have fun,” Louis said, with half a smile. But when Nash wasn’t looking, his smile stretched, and he winked, like we were sharing a secret. Like he knew exactly what I was up to with this date-scheme.

I slipped my hand inside of Nash’s, and he looked a little startled. I realized he probably wasn’t exactly the hand-holding type, but he didn’t pull away. He curled his fingers around mine and tugged me closer to his side. He said nothing, but I suppose that was the authentic Nash Turner too. The strong silent type. A man of few words.

When we exited the château, someone had pulled his black Jeep to the front. It was waiting at the bottom of the steps. He escorted me to the passenger side and held the door open for me while I climbed into the seat, then he shut the door and crossed in front of the hood to climb onto the passenger side. He gave me a rare smile, and pulled a pair of sunglasses down from the visor. “Buckle up, Daphne.”

I pulled the seat belt across my lap and clicked it into place. “Why, are we in for a bumpy ride?”

I couldn’t see his eyes behind the sunglasses, but I felt the wave of heat that seemed to roll off him. “Maybe.” He put the Jeep in gear and started driving, down the long driveway, through the first gate, past the town that surrounded the château, and then out the second gate. He flashed his pass at the security guard, and the two men nodded at each other before we drove on. I wasn’t yet familiar with the roads outside the Royal Pack lands, but I had a feeling we were driving toward the city.

“Before we get where we are going, I’ve got a present for you.”

I perked up. “A present?”

“Yep, here…” Somehow, without taking his eyes off the road, and while keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he leaned over and fished something out from under my seat. He presented me with a box wrapped in silver paper, with a small blue bow tied around it.

It was heavy, almost the size and shape of a very fat, very large book. I cast a curious glance back at Nash, but he was once again focused on the road, eyes straight ahead, those damn glasses hiding his expression.

“Should I open it now?”

“Yep.”

I carefully pulled apart the bow, and unwound the ribbon from the box. And then I peeled off the paper, taking care not to rip it. I used to tear into gifts like a paper shredder, but Bella had taught me to savor the process. When I peeled back the shiny paper, there was a plain, heavy box in my hands, not a book. I pulled open the top flap and stared in confusion.

Nestled in a shaped foam compartment was a handgun. Not just any handgun.

“You got me a gun?”

He grinned, and it was, perhaps, the happiest grin I’d ever seen on Nash’s face. “It’s a Glock 43 9mm,” he corrected.

“It’s purple.” I hesitated and ran a finger over the slide. “And… glittery.”

He shrugged one shoulder and focused back on the road. “I don’t know, I saw it, and I just thought it suited you.”

I didn’t know what to think. Some guys get you flowers and chocolates on a first date. A really extravagant guy might get you jewelry.

Nash Turner got me a sparkly purple pistol.