Pawliday Love

Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

BASTIAN

D ays pass and I work each day, wondering what in the world Chloe thinks.

When we left the other day, she looked hurt and so confused, but this isn’t how I meant for her to find out.

I just wanted to be close to her and now it looks like I’m some creep who disguised myself as a dog just to do so. What if she never speaks to me again?

What if I really messed up and I should have taken another approach?

Chris nudges me with his elbow, which reminds me I’m moving another house and need to get my head into the game.

“What is with you?” He asks, sounding flustered as he picks up the next box in the stack beside mine. “You have been off since I came to her house to get you.”

“It’s just that. I want her and I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s like I can smell her everywhere. My mind races and won’t stop thinking about her. I seriously could have stayed a dog and been with her forever like that.”

He shakes his head as he lifts the box higher. “You have lost your mind, but that sure sounds like a fated mate bond. Have you thought about going back and telling her?”

“Yes, and no. Yes, I’ve thought about going back,” I say as I lift a box off the top of the stack. “No, because I’m afraid she won’t speak to me.”

“Do you blame her? The dog she thought she was adopting turned out to be a man in disguise. It’s a little weird, man.”

I only laugh as we haul the boxes out of the living room to the truck. “Yes, but I just wanted to be close to her and it was the only way I knew how.”

“You could have just asked her on a date, you know, like a normal person,” he shouts over his shoulder. “We are still human, though we have animal sides.”

“I know that,” I say quickly before I look around outside.

This house is almost finished, but I dread moving it to the next. It’s like I have this unsettled feeling in my chest that won’t go away until I lay eyes on her, but I don’t know when I will see her or if she will ever let me see her again.

Everything feels so hopeless and I know I’ve ruined my chances.

Chris and I finish packing up the rest of the boxes from the living room and shut the door. The owner is coming by in a few minutes to lock everything up in the little box hanging on the lock. We don’t have to worry about anything else.

As he takes off down the road, I lean back and shut my eyes. It seems like it’s only a few minutes before we arrive at the new house. I open my eyes and look around, only to realize we aren’t far from Chloe’s house.

Chris shuts off the engine and turns to look at me with a furrowed brow. “You might as well go say hi to her while we are here.”

“Her cat hates me,” I whisper.

“So? That doesn’t mean she does. Go talk to her.”

I put my hand on the door handle, ready to exit the truck, but my breath catches in my throat. Her house is just up ahead and I can see it from here.

One look at her out in the yard tending to a growing bush near her fence is all it takes for everything to snap into place. I don’t know what took it so long, but I’m so glad it is finally here.

“She’s really mine,” I say in disbelief.

“What was that?” Chris asks as he opens the door, but doesn’t get out yet.

“The bond. I feel it. She’s mine and she will feel it too.”

Without thinking about it, I push the door open and hop down out of the truck. As I take off down the sidewalk at full speed, her head jerks up and she looks right at me.

Something comes over her and whatever she holds in her hand falls to the ground. I think it is a pair of pruning shears. Since she doesn’t scream or jump back, I assume they didn’t land on her feet.

Once I’m closer, I slow down and stop just on the other side of the fence. Her eyes are wide with curiosity.

“You came back?” She says, her voice sounding confused but happy.

“Yes, I have. Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” she says as she shakes her head. “I’m glad you have come back, even though I’m still a little mad at you for hiding that you are a shapeshifter. Sadly, I should have known, but my radar wasn’t working.”

I laugh and look down at my black boots. There are so many things I want to say, yet I can’t utter a single one. “Do you want to start again?”

“What?”

I look up, meeting her harsh gaze. It’s hard to look anywhere other than her blue eyes. They are so captivating. “You heard me. Do you want to start over? This time, I won’t be your pet.”

A smile slowly pulls at the corner of her lips. “I think I’d like that. Hopefully, this time, you and Nova won’t fight each other.”

I glance down and find the cat circling her ankles. Though she is a beautiful kitty and can be sweet, I know that other side of her as well. “We’ll work out our differences. Maybe I should shift into a cat and see what she thinks.”

The little kitty looks up at me with a stern expression, as if to say no. I only chuckle and look away because she actually scares me a little.

“Good, so how about you come in for lunch and we can get to know each other?”

I look down the sidewalk, back to Chris, but he is already taking boxes in with a cheeky smirk on his face. “Sounds great.”

I find myself heading to the gate that is swung open and joining her to walk to her house. Chris will probably get me later for this, but I don’t care. This is my chance and I am not wasting it.