Chapter 2 #2
Boon had already uncovered the platter of eggs and sausage, the bowl of smothered potatoes and onions, the plate of waffles, and was now taking the lids off the butter dish and nudging the bottle of warmed syrup closer to her side of the table. “Nope. It’s just us. They already ate.”
“This is a lot of food for just us,” Angelle said.
“It is. So, dig in! Let’s see how much we can make disappear,” Boon said, placing two waffles on his own plate and topping it with scrambled eggs and sausage before dousing the whole thing in warm maple syrup.
He took a big bite of a little of everything on his plate and chewed appreciatively. “The best bite!”
“Some of everything in it?” Angelle asked as she put eggs, sausage and potatoes on her own plate.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve heard of some people that eat all of one thing before moving to the next, and I get eating all your favorites first, but I like a little of all the tastes together.”
“For me, it depends. I could eat this entire bowl of smothered potatoes and onions, but I don’t really want eggs mixed in with it. I’ll eat a piece of sausage with the potatoes, and then maybe some egg with the sausage, but I do like to enjoy my favorites alone.”
Instead of an entire waffle, she cut one in half and put just that half on her plate. She spread a little butter on the still warm waffle and nearly drowned it in syrup, then salted her potatoes and eggs before starting to eat.
He smiled as she quickly ate the potatoes she’d served herself, then put more on her plate.
Angelle glanced up at him and stopped, her hand halfway to returning the serving spoon to the bowl of potatoes. “What?”
“Your dad said you eat like a bird, and only particular things. I figure if I’m offering you things that you enjoy, for example the potatoes you just admitted you love, you’ll eat plenty.”
“If you serve me things I enjoy?” she asked.
Boon nodded.
“Why would you be serving me all the time?”
His eyes focused on hers and for just a split second she felt like he was staring into her soul.
“Because you’re mine. You are my heart. It is my responsibility to see that you have all you need, and all you want.
I was worried about you not eating enough.
But now I see that won’t be a problem as long as I provide the things you love most.”
“Are you planning on living with Maverik and Valerie indefinitely, because I’m not planning on leaving home any time soon to have a need for you to take care of me.”
He sat back, chewing as he carefully considered his answer. “I’m hoping that by proving to you that I can provide for and protect you, you’ll realize the same thing that I have.”
“And that is?” Angelle asked.
“That my home is wherever you are. And your home will be wherever I am.”
“You’re very presumptuous,” she said with a slight smile.
Boon grinned at her. “You have no idea.”
She looked up at him a few times with a single brow raised — an expression she’d picked up over the years from her father — as she ate her second serving of potatoes, clearly weighing her earlier impression of him.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asked.
“I was thinking of taking a walk, maybe fishing for a while.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Alone.”
“Understood. I will watch over you from a safe distance.”
“This is my land, my people. I don’t need protection here.”
“If it soothes my soul to do so, why would you deny me the privilege? Does it offend you?” Boon asked.
“No. But I’m not sure how I feel about it. I’m not accustomed to people wanting to spend time with me. It’s not… comfortable.”
“You’ll never know I’m there.”
“If you’re there, I want to know where you are!”
“Then I’ll make sure that you see me.”
She sat quietly, eating her breakfast, boldly shooting weighing looks his way from time to time, and despite him practically demanding to be allowed into her life, he seemed content to simply sit across from her as he ate.
“I thought you said to take my time and weeks or months from now, whenever it felt comfortable to let you know. That I could take my time and decide for myself what I do and don’t want. ”
“I did. And I stand by that. But how will you ever know if you should choose me or not, if you don’t know me?
And you can’t get to know me if I’m not where you can get to know me?
So, this is me, giving you the opportunity to get to know me, while still being patient and giving you the time you need.
It will take as long as it takes. But we can’t move forward until we know each other, even if forward is goodbye.
At least this way, we’re on your land, in your safe space. ”
“True,” she said thoughtfully as she looked at him again, suspicion hiding behind her eyes.
They sat quietly for several minutes as they ate, until finally he set his fork down and waited for her to look up at him.
Angelle felt him waiting for her attention, and finally raised her eyes to his.
“Do you want me to go away? Would that be better?”
“No,” she said without hesitation.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted to be near you.”
“I’m uncomfortable around anyone other than my family. And sometimes, I’m uncomfortable around them.”
“I wish that I gave you a sense of peace. Your safe place.”
Angelle looked down at her food and nudged it around with her fork for several moments before she looked up at him again. “You do. And that’s part of the reason that this is so uncomfortable for me.”
“I don’t understand,” he said.
She sighed, seeming to draw her courage together before she confessed what had been running through her mind since she’d first laid eyes on him.
“Little pieces of time are one thing. Sharing a meal and light conversation. But extended periods of time, allowing you to take up space in my life… that scares me.”
“If I make you feel safe, why does that scare you?” Boon asked.
“Because the more time you spend with me, the more likely you’ll see that I’m not what you thought I was.
You’ll see what everyone else does, and you’ll walk away.
I’ll be left struggling to find a way to fill all the space you leave behind.
I don’t want to have to do that.” She’d looked away as she softly ended her explanation.
“Angelle, I already see you. I saw you the moment your eyes met mine. All it makes me feel is a desperate need to be a part of your life. I want to be part of you.”
“I don’t think you’re seeing me accurately. You think I’m worth pursuing, but I’m just me. I’m quiet, I’m solitary, I’m shy, I’m… simple.”
“You’re kind, you’re nurturing, you’re lovely, you’re smart, you’re empathetic, you are sincere, you’re gentle, you’re everything. There is nothing simple about you. Make no mistake about it… I see you.”
She watched him, felt the sincerity of his words, but was still afraid to put herself out there.
“You don’t have to choose me. This, us, is entirely in your hands.
But allow me the space to let you know me.
To let me see the little parts of you that you keep held close to yourself, the same way I want you to see the little parts of me that I keep held close.
If you decide at any point that you can’t take the chance for any reason, tell me.
I’ll go if you tell me to go away. But please, make sure it’s really what you want.
If I do walk away, I don’t think I’ll be able…
I’ve waited so long to find my mate, that if you don’t feel the same…
” he hesitated for a few seconds as he searched for the right words, finally giving up and changing the course of his statement.
“Please, just don’t say that you want me to go, unless you’re absolutely sure. ”
“I don’t want you to go. But I’m afraid,” she said.
“Here’s a secret — me, too,” he said, reaching across the table and laying his hand on hers.