An Unexpected Mate

Chapter 17 - Road Bump

It was Tuesday and Lily was more nervous than ever. She had put the kids onto the bus and then didn't know what to do with herself. What could she expect? Braxton had told her to dress warm, so Lily had chosen to don a good pair of jeans, thick socks, her hiking boots, a fuzzy pullover sweater, and had her jacket ready. Sadly, she got cold fast so the idea of heading outside made her prepare probably a bit too much. It wasn't that late in the year, but she feared she looked like it was going to snow. Maybe she should try to look a bit "sexier". Of course, her ex had always told her she shouldn't even try anymore, why bother? Could she not be appealing anymore? Was she too old? Too tired?

No!

She would not think that way. Not anymore. As she tried to reestablish some confidence, remind herself of all the progress she had made in her own self confidence. Braxton had asked her out. That meant he wanted to take her somewhere...where that was she just needed to wait and see.

Sipping at her cup of coffee, Lily let out a sigh and sat down to wait.

Soon after, she finally heard the knock on her door. While she had been waiting for this specifically to happen, it still made her jump slightly. 

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Braxton was standing at the door. He was also in jeans and a sweater, no jacket though. Lily had to think that he looked a whole lot better than she did. She could see his muscles beneath the thin sweater he was wearing, while his jeans seemed to hug his thighs in a very delicious manner. Lily was immediately tuned into the man that was standing in front of her.

"Hey."

"Hello."

"How was your morning so far? Was it easy getting your kids out today? I don't have any of my own, but my cousin and his wife like to half joke about all the screaming it takes them to get their kids out in the morning. You have met him, Lucas."

Lily was a bit startled at first, but quickly caught up. She was glad that Braxton had rambled a bit to get things going. She laughed slightly. "Actually. It wasn't too bad. Some mornings are rough, but this one was relatively smooth."

"Did you tell them you had plans?"

Lily wasn't sure how to respond. She hadn't told her kids she was going on a date, but not to hide the fact...she just didn't know how to tell them. 

"Um. Well..." She stuttered a bit, but Braxton was nice enough to change the subject.

"Let's get going."

As they hopped into Braxton's truck, Lily's nerves took over again. She barely noticed as they drove north of town, heading slightly up into the mountains. Her mind wandered as the music played quietly in the background. There was some small talk, but Lily barely recognized it as she tried to keep her nerves and anxiety at bay.

As the truck slowed, Lily finally looked up. They had arrived at a lake in  mountain valley. It was gorgeous. Lily felt her breath catch as she opened the truck door. The valley was fairly narrow, a mix of aspens changing their colors to yellow mixed in with pines. Towards the tops of the mountains, she could also see a dusting of snow beneath some low laying clouds. The lake itself was clear. The surface was mirroring the surrounding hills, as well as the sun rising above.

Braxton was pulling a blanket out of the back of his truck. "I hadn't really thought through a plan for our first date when I asked you, but this place popped into my head after the fact. I like to come here and think, to relax and decompress if my work and life have become a bit too much. The beauty is just stunning, even having lived in the mountains all my life and bean here so many times I still feel the same awe I see on your face now."

"It is so beautiful. How did I not even know this was here?"

"Although it is on maps, they don't seem to do it justice. Those of us that have found the spot also don't tend to share it."

"You made an exception."

"Yes. Yes I did."

"Why?"

"I thought it would be a good way to get to know each other some more. Share some stories in a gorgeous spot that is made for relaxing and talking."

They sat on the old blanket and started sharing some life stories. Lily started out talking about her childhood for a bit before moving onto some stories about her kids. They were her pride and joy, something she loved to talk about. Braxton interjected some stories of his own childhood in his 'pack,' giving some side notes to her stories. His life was much more close knit. A large, strong community. It was something she wished her kids had, more of a village to help guide and raise them. Most of the time it was just her now.

As they continued to talk, Lily had not noticed her and Braxton's bodies moving closer together. As they became closer through more of an understanding of each others' lives, their bodies had also been drawn together. Lily felt Braxton move slightly, reaching up and brushing some of her hair that had been pulled from her ponytail by the wind. He tucked it behind her ear, grazing his hand along her neck in the process. 

Lily gasped slightly at the touch, feeling a chill run down her body from the slight contact. Her eyes raised to his, the pull of their bodies being drawn to each other. Lily could feel a connection beyond the physical, a thread tying them together becoming more taut. She thought it was Braxton making the first move and leaning in towards her, but Lily could feel her body moving as well. As they looked into each other's eyes, their lips met in a brief touch at first, but it quickly turned into a make out session that a pair of randy teenagers would have been proud of. 

Lily found herself laid down on the old blanket with Brax leaning over her. Their hands moved over each other's bodies, reaching for skin but never really encountering it through the layers. Too quickly, though, their time was up. Lily had to be back at campus to teach and Braxton had meetings in town. She had set an alarm just in case and the blaring noise from her phone startled them back to the present. The two pulled apart, both wanting to keep going but also knowing that their lives involved obligations. 

In a daze, Lily moved towards the truck as Braxton hastily picked up the blanket. Their time had been brief and both now found themselves in their own minds, thinking about what had just happened as they drove back into town.

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Lily barely made it to campus in time to teach and the lecture was one of the worst she had tried to give in a long time. Her mind was scattered and would not focus on the concepts of evolution she was trying to explain to her intro class. There had been questions that she could not grasp and slides she could not remember why they were even in the mix (and this was not a new class for her). 

What was this mate pull that Braxton had once talked about? During their date by the lake he had delved a bit into what a pack was, but not enough for her to truly understand. Was this mate pull what had ruined her marriage? Sure, Steve had cheated, but Lily had thought about straying when she had met Braxton. Steve had blamed her for letting their marriage fall apart, for not putting in the effort to keep him interested. Had she allowed this to happen? On date one she was already making out with Braxton when she couldn't feel turned on by Steve for months before their separation. Was it her fault? Had she doomed her marriage by being complacent and just assuming Steve would be happy with what she was? He had told her that she had let herself go.

As her mind continued to churn, guilt pulled her back down into self-esteem issues and self-doubt.

The text Braxton sent her later in the day weighed heavy on her and she couldn't bring herself to respond at all...