Chapter 20
Twenty
Bailey
B its of light filter in the kitchen window as I finish the dishes. It’s been a few nights since I told Wolfie how I want to be a writer. It’s strange; it’s not as though confessing this to a wolf should have had any impact on me. But somehow, it has. It’s like a weight has been lifted since I said it out loud, and I actually sat down and wrote several hundred words of a short story today.
Funny thing is, it’s a short story about a woman who gets lost in the woods and is rescued by a werewolf.
It sounds too cliche to say it came to me in a dream, but it did. Last night, I dreamt I was running through the woods, alone and scared, when a wolf popped out from behind a tree. It shifted into a beautiful man. He looked familiar, but night had fallen, making it hard to make out his features. Still, I somehow knew he was there to protect me.
I’m about done drying the dishes when a sound outside startles me. I freeze, my heart racing in my chest. I never get visitors way out here. My place is hard to find unless you’re specifically looking for it, and that’s how I like it.
But that sound … that sound was someone stepping onto the deck, I’m sure of it .
I creep over to the kitchen window and look out, but the sun is setting, and it’s pretty dark outside. Then, a loud bang on my glass door makes me jump nearly out of my skin. I stand there, frozen, unsure whether I should answer. I’m not expecting anyone. Maybe someone got lost and ended up down this road and is looking for directions or to borrow a phone.
Another loud bang on the door, followed by a man’s voice. “Bee? Bee, I know you’re in there. Can you open the door, please?”
Fuck, it’s Zach. What the hell is he even doing here? I thought I made it abundantly clear at Cassie’s wedding that I wanted nothing to do with him. Wasn’t refusing to dance with him enough? Was my dancing with Knox not a clear indication that I’d moved on?
I peek out the kitchen window again, and Zach steps back from the door, our eyes locking.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Shit. Now he knows I’ve seen him. I can’t lie and say I was sleeping.
I throw the dish towel I was using over my shoulder and take a deep breath. I open the door, my stomach turning, when I realize the idiot is holding a massive bouquet of roses and a bottle of wine. “Hey,” he says, his too-white smile as fake as the rest of him. He wreaks of cologne, and all I want is to slam the door in his face and lock it.
“What do you want, Zach?” I ask flatly. “Why are you here?”
“Can we talk? You hardly said two words to me at Cass’s wedding.”
“We’ve got nothing to talk about,” I inform him. “You’re wasting your time here.”
His face wrinkles in frustration, but he quickly smooths it out again. “Can I at least come in and set these down? I drove all the way out here.” I’m about to protest when he adds, “And I could really use your bathroom.”
I sigh angrily. “Fine. You can use the bathroom, but you’ve got two minutes, and there’s nothing for us to talk about. ”
He nods and steps inside. I shut the patio door as he sets the roses and wine down on the kitchen counter. Then he heads to the bathroom.
I look around but don’t see Wolfie anywhere. Last I saw, he was curled up asleep on my bed. I’m sure he’ll wake up and come running if I scream. I don’t think it’ll come to that, but knowing he’s here comforts me.
Zach returns and sits on one of the barstools at the kitchen island. “So, we need to talk,” he says.
“Uh, no, we sure don’t. I just told you that, Zach. There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Please, Bee, we can?—”
“Stop calling me that!” I shout.
“I’m sorry.” He sighs. “Look, I know we didn’t end on a good note, but?—”
“Are you kidding? Is that what you call sleeping with your clients and coworkers? Not ending on a good note?”
“I slept with two people, Bee.”
“Does that matter?! You cheated on me, Zach. People don’t just kiss and make up after stuff like that!”
“Sure they do.” He stands up and crosses the room, stopping a couple of feet from where I stand near the door. “Come on, Bee,” he coos. “You know I love you, right? I want to make this work.”
“There’s nothing to make work, Zach! It’s over! We’re done! Finished! Buh-bye!”
He steps closer, features filling with rage. “You’re never going to do better than me, Bailey! I’m successful. I have drive. You work at a grocery store. You were lucky to have a man like me to lean on!”
“I never needed you!” I cry, tears welling up in my eyes. “And I don’t want you!”
“I’m not the kind of man who takes ‘no’ for an answer, Bailey, and I’m not leaving here until you agree to give us another chance! ”
Our shouting is interrupted by the sound of growling. We both look to my bedroom doorway, Wolfie’s massive stature filling most of the gap as he growls menacingly at Zach.
“Woah,” Zach whispers. “Is that a fucking wolf ?”
“Yeah, and he’s my wolf, so you better get out of here!” I tell him.
“Are you fucking insane , Bee? You can’t keep that thing as a pet! It’s a wild animal! It’ll eat your face off one night!”
“It’s going to eat your face off in a minute if you don’t get the fuck out of here,” I hiss. “Go.”
He glances between Wolfie and I before narrowing his eyes on me. “Fuck. That. You think I’m going to let your new pet scare me out of here? I said I wasn’t leaving until you gave me another chance, and I?—”
He doesn’t finish his sentence before a bright flash fills the room. My eyes take a few seconds to readjust, and when I look again, I see Wolfie’s vanished.
And in his place stands a tall, gorgeous man.
Knox .
“What … What the fuck?” Zach stammers. His eyes are wide with fear as he stumbles backward. He pushes past me and throws the patio door open, screaming into the night as he gets in his car and takes off.
My heart is hammering in my chest. I look back at Knox, but the room starts spinning. Everything goes hazy.
The last thing I remember is the warmth of his body as he pulls me into his arms.