Matteo stood in front of me again, looking equal parts proud and mortified, his hands flexing at his sides like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“I’ll bring them back safely this afternoon,” he promised, voice earnest. “Three days a week, just like you said. No more, no less.”
I nodded, keeping my expression carefully neutral even as my wolf whined at the sight of him trying so hard. “Drive carefully. And don’t let them talk you into too much sugar.”
He gave me that small, soft smile again — the one that made my stomach flutter against my will. “I won’t.”
As the SUV pulled away, five little faces pressed against the windows waving at me, I stood on the steps long after they disappeared down the driveway.
My heart felt strangely full.
And terrifyingly vulnerable.
This was only th
