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Obsidian
I was pacing back and forth across the shop floor, waiting for Anghus to call me back with how Pitt reacted to the news that I was his mate. My stomach was a riot of turmoil as I thought of the potential that Pitt didn’t want me. I knew it would be hard to face that rejection, but I would never force myself on someone. Especially someone who has already struggled with mental health problems.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I dived for it. “Anghus?” I answered without even looking at the screen.
My brother, Bacchus’s voice, barked out a laugh on the other end. “Should I be worried that you are so excited to hear from my mate, little brother?”
I sighed. “No. I am waiting for him to call me back with a response from Pitt.”
“Well, lucky then I’m calling you because Anghus got called into the AJE authority for some work, but he told me about his meeting with Pitt. Apparently, Pitt seemed to take the news alright but wanted to think about it over the next few days.”
“Okay, that’s fair,” I replied even though my panther basically howled inside me. He wanted to go and get his mate. But I knew we had to be patient. If nothing else, Mama and Papa had taught us the importance of restraint and patience. “Do you think that he will want me?”
“I don’t know, Sid. I’m sorry, I just don’t know. Anghus and Joachim explained everything to him. They told Pitt the reason you hadn’t come to find him yourself. He seemed happy but then said he needed to shift for a while and think about what he wanted to do. This is a big decision for him.”
I sighed. “I know.”
“It’s not even just about mating. It’s about upheaving his entire life and his plans. Anghus told him that you weren’t in a position to drop everything and travel with him like he’d planned and that you would never expect to pull him away from his family.”
“That’s all true. But I’m not sure I want to leave my family either.”
“Well, the plus side is that Pitt is from Melbourne, so you are only a few hours down the road if you decide to move. But don’t go making any plans yet. Wait until you find out what Pitt actually wants. You know how much people hate it when their decisions are made for them. Even with Pitt’s anxiety, I can’t imagine he would be thrilled if you just assumed what he wanted.”
“I understand. I don’t want to do that. I want him to be equal.”
“That’s the way. Now, how much work have you managed to get done today?”
I chuckled. “Not much. I’ve constantly been thinking about Pitt.”
“Thinking or worrying?”
“Worrying,” I admitted.
“I’d invite you to the main house for dinner, but I think that might be a temptation too hard for you at the moment. Why don’t you give Mama a call and go there for dinner?”
I sighed and nodded my head even though I knew that Bacchus wouldn’t be able to see it.
“Yeah, maybe. I’ve got a few things I need to do, so I’ll stick my head down and get working. I’m glad that Pitt didn’t run for the hills when the mateship was mentioned to him.”
“I guarantee he hasn’t run for the hills; you’ve still got his car for one. But Iver mentioned to me this morning that he hopes Pitt will stay. I think the cheeky kid knows more about it but isn’t willing to say anything.”
“Iver is growing up so fast. Hard to believe that he will be eleven soon.”
Bacchus sighed. “I know. It almost makes me want more.”
“Joachim and Anghus would be up for that?”
“I know Anghus would be, but I don’t know about Joachim. I have been hinting a little lately, but either Joachim hasn’t picked up on my hints or is ignoring them.”
I laughed. “Well, for the time being, you have plenty of nephews and nieces to dote on. Not to mention all the club members popping out babies, left, right and center.”
“I love on every one of them too.”
Bacchus was a real softy. It didn’t matter that he was a big burly cop. Underneath it all, he was a tender-hearted person who melted at the sight of babies and animals.