Page 71 of Brazen

That was what I’d told myself all week. I pushed through, even though I could barely function. Even though everything felt empty and lonely without Sam.

The guy had barely been in my life for more than a week, but he’d changed everything.

He’d turned me inside out. Made me come alive again. Got me to open my heart.

Then broke it.

This time felt so much worse than with Ted. Ted’s breakup had hurt my pride. The idea I wasn’t worthy had deeply offended me. The fact that I was pregnant and suddenly single had been traumatic for me on top of it.

But I realized now I hadn’t actually been in love with Ted. He’d been exciting and sexy. Also, arrogant and self-centered.

Except he hadn’t been mine.

Not the way Sam had been. Ted never showed up for me the way Sam had. Ted never made me the focus of his world.

I finished checking my work on a rebuild of a Mustang GT and dropped the hood, then pulled off my latex gloves and threw them away.

“Look at me, Mommy!” JT was standing atop the tire pile, arms thrown in a victory “V”, hips waggling.

Gah.

This child would never stop scaring the crap out of me.

“How are you going to get down?” I forced patience into my voice.

“Like this!” He took a soaring leap to plant one foot on the hood of the Mustang, then pushed off it, to land with the other foot on the ground.

It was truly breathtaking and so, so dangerous. I was going to be gray by the time he went to middle school.

“No jumping on client’s cars.” I made a new rule.

He didn’t look all that contrite. “Okay. What’s for dinner? Can we get those green sandwiches, like Sam brought over?”

A tight band cinched around my chest, constricting my breath, squeezing my heart.

Had that only been a week ago that Sam had shown up with sandwiches to take us to see the foal?

Sam…

A wall of grief nearly bowled me over at the memory, and I set my hand on the workbench to brace myself.

Should I reach out?

As my shock over everything that happened at the picnic wore off, I started to wonder if I’d overreacted. Yes, the pack alpha had asked about JT, but maybe I should’ve at least talked things through with Sam before throwing it all away.

But he hadn’t called me either. That proved that he hadn’t been serious about being my mate, right? That he hadn’t shared things intentionally? That I wasn’t really going to be part of the pack?

Ugh. I had no idea. My thoughts were too tangled. Feelings too conflicted.

“Mommy?”

“Oh, the, um, pesto turkey sandwiches?” I thought quickly about my plans for dinner. “Sure, we could go pick those up.” Where had Sam said he got them? On Main?

Grief washed over me again.

Think, Clio. Apple-something deli.

Just then, right before closing, two cars pulled in–a minivan and an SUV.