Undone

Chapter XVII

The next three days' passed far too slowly for Jeremy's liking. Thankfully he had something to keep him occupied until he could collect Kate for her first Christmas at Stonehaven. He'd finally completed work on a small project he'd been dabbling on in recent weeks but hadn't thought he'd ever show anyone. He still wasn't sure he wanted to, but was toying with the idea of giving it to Kate as a Christmas present. He felt oddly nervous about it, which was absurd. Kate wasn't overly fancy and he knew she'd appreciate anything he gave her, but perhaps because he wanted to please her, Jeremy felt somewhat anxious about her reaction.

Naturally he hadn't told her about it despite the fact that they talked frequently, often at length before bedtime when Kate had settled in for the night. He knew she was tired a lot and regularly went home during her breaks to take short naps. He wished she was closer to him so that he could monitor how she was doing, knowing that she downplayed the effects of her pregnancy because she didn't want to worry him.

It was something that weighed heavily on Jeremy's mind. He wanted her closer and hated that she spent her nights alone. He wanted to be there to share every milestone of her pregnancy and that was hard to achieve when they lived so far apart. Then there was the matter of her safety. While he was sure Roman was no longer in the country, he couldn't be sure that he wasn't still a threat. The best way to safeguard Kate was to have her at his side and the only way to do that was if they lived together. He knew leaving Stonehaven permanently wasn't an option and unfortunately, neither was asking her to move in with him.

If circumstances had been different, he'd ask her to marry him. Not just because she was going to be the mother of his children, but because he loved her and the idea of keeping her on the fringe of his life did not appeal to him. But werewolves didn't get to marry. Clay and Elena would be unique, the first wolf couple able to participate in the human ritual. But for him it wouldn't be possible, not if she wanted to avoid an all-out war to take control of his pack and his territory. The thought of a battle didn't really intimidate Jeremy as much as the thought of the possible consequences. His pack would place their lives on the line for him, but he didn't want that. Never mind what would happen to Kate once their children were born. He couldn't risk any of their lives.

Driving her car into town, Jeremy parked it at her place before setting out on the short walk to the hospital. It was cold out, but he was dressed with sufficient warmth not to mind too much. When the Medical Center came into view, he recognised Kate exiting through the revolving front door, both hands filled with bags as she trudged through the snow towards his Land Rover parked out front.

Just the sight of her filled him with indescribable joy. They hadn't known one another for very long, but the thought of losing her again, of having to live a life without her was completely inconceivable. Without even trying Kate had burrowed her way into his heart, his life, his every thought and prayer. All his plans going forward was to protect her and their unborn children and hopefully to secure a future in which they didn't need to hide from anyone.

"Need some help?" he asked, coming up behind her.

Kate whirled around, beaming. "Jeremy! You're early!" She launched herself at him and he hugged her close, savouring in the feel of her against him, inhaling her sweet scent deep into his lungs before succumbing to the temptation to kiss her.

"Now that's what I call a welcome," he murmured, when they eventually drew apart.

Her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink, her eyes sparkling behind the rims of her spectacles. "I've missed you," she said.

He'd missed her too. "I'm here to get you. Ready?"

She nodded. "I just need to get my purse."

"What's all that?" Jeremy asked curiously, glancing at the bags she'd placed in the back of the car.