Everleigh
She couldn't wait for Roman to get back. He had only been gone for two weeks but she had missed him.
She tried not to stare at her phone but it was impossible.
So much for casual. She was never going to take a mate, but she might consider having a boyfriend. She tried to picture the look on her brother’s face when she introduced Roman to the family. He would lose his freaking mind.
He was supposed to be back on Sunday evening. Finally, at 6:00 p.m., her phone chimed.
It was Roman asking if he could come over.
Of course, he could. She kept herself from typing that she would love to see him. There was no reason to be over eager.
He showed up right on time. "How was your trip?" she asked, throwing her arms around him.
Her brother had also been on the reunion trip. He was the same age as Roman, and he’d attended Blackwood Academy when he was eighteen. She had a sneaking suspicion that Roman might know her brother. But she was not going to bring it up.
He didn't return her hug, at least not the way he would have before. His arms barely closed around her.
The foreboding settled in. Something was wrong. She fought against the panic.
He took her hand and led her over to the sofa. He sat down and tugged her down next to him. He held both of her hands in his. "Everleigh. You've been great. But I think it's time for us to end our relationship."
Oh, wow. This was worse than she'd been expecting. He was breaking up with her. Of course, they never really declared themselves together, but they had been dating and not seeing anyone else, at least as far as she knew.
"What, why? What happened?"
"Nothing happened," he said.
"When you left for this trip, everything was fine."
"We've always said we weren't serious. Did you not mean that? Because I did."
She could feel her heart breaking in half.
"I did mean it. But I don't understand why we have to call things off. Isn't it good for you? I thought we were having a good time."
"We were having a time, but now it's over. I'm going to look back on this fondly."
Fondly? Her stomach twisted and plummeted. "Did you meet someone else while you were there?"
"Of course not. It was a guys’ trip, a reunion for my classmates. They're my brothers."
"Are you sure you thought this through?" Surely something had happened. He'd met someone new, or an old flame had called him and he wanted to pick back up where they’d left off. There was no other reason. Everleigh was putting no demands on his time; she was making no statements about their relationship.
She wasn't going to beg him. She wasn't that pathetic. But devastation was too weak of a word to explain how she felt.
She could not stay in Anchorage with him close by. Her time there was over.
* * *
She hadto find somewhere that was far away. One glance at the map gave her the answer she wanted. Juneau. The state’s capital, and a city that was really hard to get to. Travel to Juneau was a nightmare, which was exactly what she wanted.
She went about the business of packing up her life. She’d only just gotten to know Jessica at the real estate agency, and now it was ending.
She’d come to love her little apartment, and now it would go to someone else. She couldn't bear to think about it.
She didn’t waste any time. She was settled into Juneau just a few weeks after Roman dumped her. She got a new cell phone number too, not that she thought he’d call. She found a new job at a small real estate agency and did her best to pick up her life.
Now that he was gone, she could finally fully accept that he was her mate. The bitterness of his absence left a hole in her heart that didn’t close. And then she threw up.
She got sick at work and vomited in the trash can.
A coworker came up behind her. "Oh, honey. I remember that feeling."
What feeling? What was she talking about? The coworker was named Mary. She bent down and patted Everleigh on the back. "I’ll get you some juice and crackers." She stood up. "How many weeks along are you?"
What the hell? Is she asking what I think she’s asking?
Could Everleigh be pregnant? Could she be carrying Roman’s child?