Love Impossible: My Mate is Married?

chapter 6

Xander POV

Frankie's demeaner got more and more relaxed the further away from her house we got. I could tell that being in that house was causing more problems than good, but how do you say that to a widow who is fighting to keep her daughter in her life?

I kept watching her expressions as we neared my house, and her look of amazement upon seeing the pack house was beautiful. Her lips opened in an O shape, and her eyes were wide. I could get lost in those eyes if I weren't careful. While she was looking the kitchen over, I used my supernatural speed to pack my bags and come back before she realized I was gone.

Leading her to the garage, I heard her mutter, "Woah."

I turned to her and looked for her expression. Was this a good Woah or a bad one?

Her smile just radiated over her face, "You have quite a collection here," she said.

I turned to look at the 6 different vehicles in the garage. "Yeah, never know what kind of mood you could be in."

She chuckled as she watched me place our bags in the back of my Jeep, and I opened the passenger side door open for her. Her cute grin thanked me more than words could have as she slid into her seat.

I hurried to the drivers side, opened the garage door, and started the vehicle. My wolf was dancing in my head about having our mate next to us, going to the cabin owned by the pack. We would have a full week with just her uninterupted quality time. I was not allowing myself to get too hopeful on anything progressing from this little trip, but a guy could dream, right?

After a couple of hours, we were pulling off into the bluffs of northern Iowa. Her eyes were wide, taking in the scenery. I continued to drive in silence, my body buzzing at her nearness. I pulled off onto a gravel road and stopped at the dead end where our cabin lay. It was nothing fancy, a 2 bed 1 bath log house that somehow survived the tornado that leveled my packs home.

Killing the engine, I walked to her side of the vehicle and offered her my hand to assist her out. I was happy when she took my outstretched hand, even blushed a little at the contact. Grabbing our bags, I lead her into the house. Her gasp at the rustic interior caused me to look her direction.

"Oh Xander, it's so - perfect." She whispered.

I smiled and said, "Well, CupCake, I am going to let you pick the sleeping arrangements while I get the fire going. Bedrooms are down the hall, I dont care if you want separate rooms, same room, I sleep on the couch while you take both rooms." Her giggle stopped me.

"Oh Xander, I'd never force you on the couch. But yes I will organize our rooms. Is the bathroom this way also?"

"First door on the left," I responded while filling the fireplace with kindling to start the fire.

By the time I got the fire roaring, her scent got stronger as she drew near. I watched her stare into the fire for a moment while admiring her beauty. I felt myself get arroused and started thinking about cold thoughts to bring the arrousal down. The last thing I needed was her to think I brought her here just for a fast lay.

I stood and worked my way into the kitchen. I knew it was coming close to supper time, and I was actually rather hungry. I pulled some steaks out of the fridge and prepared them for the grill. "How do you like your steak?" I asked her.

"medium rare." She responded, still watching the fireplace. "Do you want any help with anything?"

"Na, I got things covered. You get comfortable, and I'll grab some wine for the two of us to sip on."

I went out to start the grill before coming back inside, I set up the small table to prepare for food once it was time to eat, added a couple bags of chips, some potato salad and a fruit bowl to the table before taking 2 wine glasses and filling them with some red wine.

I handed one to her and took a small sip of mine. She watched me curiously while sipping on her wine. "Mr. Xander White, If I didn't know any better, I would think you are trying to wine and dine me." She said with a wink.

I chuckled, thinking to myself that wouldn't be a bad idea. "I just know how to relax and remove one self from the struggles of life."

I placed the steaks on the grill and monitored them for a while before flipping them and checking the internal temperature. Once the steaks were a perfect medium rare, I pulled them off the grill and went back into the house.

Frankie had found the stereo, hooked her phone up to the bluetooth, and started some quiet music. "Now who is wining and dining who?" I teased. Her adorable blush came through again. I wanted to see how far that blush could go.

We ate in comfortable silence, and Frankie helped me clean up the kitchen. I grabbed a couple of beers and led her to the fire pit outside. I started the fire, and we sat on logs that have been carved out as chairs. They were quite comfortable without padding and were one of my favorite projects I had completed.

It was Frankie who broke the silence, "Thank you, Xander,"

"For what?" I asked.

"For being there for me. You stood beside me with the whole Josh ordeal, helping me keep my head with my daughter. If I didn't know any better, you were sent by fate to get me through this horrible time period."

Oh baby, if only you knew what fate had planned for you. "I am so glad I met you when I did," I responded. "You are one of a kind, Frankie. I think I was the winner in the friendship."

She hummed happily and continued to watch the stars. "I grew up on a farm. Sometimes, I forget how beautiful the sky is without living around so many lights. Even our small town dims them so much." she said absent mindedly.

"A farm? Like cows, horses, pigs?" I asked.

"Yeah, we had a little of everything, I suppose. It was my dad's gift to my mom, a way to spoil her since she loved animals. He would bring home any cuddly thing she asked for."

"That's really sweet of him. Do they still live on a farm?" She nodded

"Yeah, but I dont know how long they will. They are slowing down, and keeping up with Mom's zoo is a lot for them. I have been debating about sending Hannah there to re-learn the value of a hard day's work. She will still do anything for them."

"I wonder if it would be good for her to be with them for a while." I suggested.

Her sigh told me she had been thinking about that concept for some time. "I just dont want her to think I am giving up on her."

It was my turn to hum in response. "Maybe just tell her they needed some help this summer and asked if she was willing?" I mused.

Frankies eyes squinted at the fire as she thought about the suggestion. "That's not a bad idea," She responded. her grin filled her face then. "I needed another viewpoint to help me with this. Thank you."

"I would do anything for you, Love, you know that."

She tensed a little bit before slumping back in her seat again. I figured using the term "love" was probably a bit much at this time, so I racked my brain for a way to change the topic. Before I was able to say anything, she stood. "I think I am gonna head for bed. I was up and down last night, so I am sure I will sleep well tonight." I smiled gently at her, "Sure, I'll put out the fire before heading inside." Her hand settled on my shoulder before she walked inside.

Once the door shut, I heaved a huge sigh. While my intent was to help her relax, the wolf side of me was still humming over having her to ourselves for a full week.

I stared at the fire a while longer, contemplating if she would ever accept who we were. Humans being fated mates to wolves was rare. Typically, a human wolf relationship was a chosen relationship. Those humans usually knew about shifters prior to the mating; however. We had a handful of groupies. I doubted Frankie was one of them. This could be a very interesting week, for sure. I knew that however I decided to tell her, I needed to do it sooner rather than later.