Chapter Twenty-Four Andy

When the bell over the door dinged again, I forced my way out to the main dining area to take my customer's orders. Even if I had tear-stained cheeks, red eyes, and my voice was hoarse, that didn't mean I could ignore them. Bills and livelihoods didn't care if I was having the worst day of my life. So it was work as usual.

The lunch rush started and despite Josh's baking that morning, the case was getting emptier and emptier. It wouldn't be long before I'd have to turn people away for the day. But at least that would give me a reason to close up early. Needless to say, I could use the break. Hell, maybe I'd even take a week or more off and shut down the shop altogether. I had a bit of money saved up, anyway. Hopefully my baristas would understand.

However, no sooner had I started to clean up and prepare to shut down the shop early, than I heard raised voices from the customers still in the dining room. A few of them stood up, pressing their faces against the window as they excitedly pointed outside. I saw something dark, but I couldn't make out what it was.

"Is it a bear?" one older customer asked, looking to her husband.

"No," he replied. "It's not the right shape."

"Looks like a wolf," another shouted.

"This far south?"

"What's it doing?"

A shout rose up. "It's coming through the glass!"

Instead of the sound of cracking and shattering of glass like I expected, I watched as a large dark-furred wolf stepped up to the front door and put its paws on the door handle. The door swung open easily and it stepped inside. However, the moment it saw me, it ran across the room, leaped over the counter, and tackled me to the ground.

Screams erupted in the shop as several people rushed over to save me. However, all they saw was a massive wolf licking my face like an excited puppy. The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew it was Josh. My heart skipped a beat and I could feel the excitement pulsing through my system. I was so happy he was there even if I didn't understand why. Even so, I had to push him off me so I could get back to my feet and stop my customers from calling the cops.

"It's alright," I cried, pushing the wolf aside. "He's not gonna hurt anyone." I finally got back to my feet. "I… uh… I'm watching my sister's dog. He must've gotten out." I grabbed Josh by the scruff of the neck and dragged him toward the kitchen. "I'm just gonna go put him back upstairs."

Several bewildered stares followed me until the kitchen door swung shut, cutting us off from everyone else. I tightened my grip on Josh and hauled him across the kitchen.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I growled. "Did you have to do that right in front of all my customers?"

The wolf whined, but I didn't really care. My sudden excitement at seeing him again was fading. It was replaced with anger. He'd kept secrets and walked out on me.

"I thought I'd never see you again, you asshole," I snapped, letting go of him at last.

He parked his butt on the floor, his ears lying flat on his head in shame.

"Why the hell didn't you say anything about your dad being in town? Did you just plan to spring it on me at the last minute and think I'd be okay with it?"

The wolf shook his head.

"What then?" I cried. "Why didn't you fucking tell me that you had a chance to get your entire life back?!" There were tears in my eyes now. "I told you I loved you and you acted like you were gonna skip town the moment things looked up! Is that what you're going to do, anyway? You just wanted to come back and apologize before you told me to go fuck myself one final time? Just so you can go home with a clear conscience?"

I wanted to punch him. I really did. The fury had built to the point where I needed to get it out. But hitting a dog felt wrong, even if I knew it was him. Instead, I took a few steps back, trying to take a deep breath to clear my head. Getting angry wasn't going to fix anything.

I wished it would.

"Just go away," I said at last, all the anger escaping from my body with a sigh. "Go home and don't come back. I don't want to see you anymore. I can't trust you not to keep secrets from me."

Turning my back on him, I headed for the door to the dining room. I had customers to calm down and a shop to run. The sooner Josh was out of my life, the sooner things could get back to normal.

"Do you really mean that?" I heard a shaky voice behind me ask.

I glanced back to see a completely naked and sweating Josh standing in the middle of my bakery kitchen, his ears and fur melting away with his shift. His hands and feet were dirty from running across town and he looked more like a kicked dog than ever even though he was human now.

"I… I was going to tell you," he said. "I really was. Today, in fact. I never expected Dad to show up at the shop before I was ready. I wanted you to come home with me."

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to uproot my entire life, sell off everything I've worked so hard for, and move across the state so you can go to culinary school and be some huge success while I sit at home and fucking knit?"

He shook his head. "That's why I hadn't talked to you about it yet. I was still trying to figure it out. I knew asking you to go with me wasn't fair. And… I wasn't ready to tell my dad about you yet. I… I was scared."

I wanted to be mad. I really did. In fact, I wanted to scream and shout until I was blue in the face. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. The things he said made sense. I'd been the exact same way when I was in his position.

"The more I thought about it," he continued. "The more I realized asking you to come home with me wasn't fair. Not only because you shouldn't have to give up your entire life for me… but because that's not my home anymore." He looked up at me, tears filling those deep brown eyes of his. "My home is with you."

"You don't want all that back? You could have everything back the way it used to be again."

He shook his head. "The life I imagined for myself back home disappeared years ago. It just took my father kicking me out of the house to figure that out. When Mom died, everything changed and I felt like an outsider. But coming here to Shifter Grove, the place I should feel most of our my element, is where I've found my home again. I found Sam and Ace and Matt. And most of all I found my mate. The wolf I love more than anything else in the entire world."

Now it was my turn to start crying.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do," he replied. "With all my heart."

I couldn't help the sudden urge to rush across the bakery and sweep him up into my arms. I hugged him so tightly I thought his bones would crack and he did the same right back. We stood there for I don't know how long, holding one another like it had been years since we'd seen one another.

"I love you, Andy," Josh said softly in my ear as he kissed my neck. "More than anything."

"I love you too, babe," I replied. I returned the kiss, sniffling a little at the same time. It had been a long time since I'd had so many emotions back to back. "We need to stop doing this all the time," I chuckled as I wiped my face. "I'm gonna get dehydrated."

"You and me both," he laughed. "I'm still sweating…"

"It's okay. I like how you smell right now. A lot."

Josh lifted an eyebrow in my direction. "You're such a slut all the time. I love it."

"Good, because that's not gonna change anytime soon." I pulled my apron off and threw it over his neck to cover him up at least a little bit. "Just in case someone walks in. I don't need you giving them a free show. All my customers probably think I'm being eaten by a wolf right now."

"Sam and my Dad probably think I was raptured in the elevator," he chuckled. "I left all my clothes in there."

I couldn't help a cringe. "Does he know?"

Josh nodded. "Yeah. Both he and Sam told me to get my ass over here and apologize to you before I lost the only good thing in my life."

"Oh… well… maybe your dad isn't so bad after all."

"He's got a lot to make up for, but I'm willing to listen if he is."

"That's fair and good of you to do." I gave him another kiss. "Also, I got your gift," I said, pointing over to the box with the onion-like bulbs in it. "Kinda cheesy, don't you think?"

He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in tightly. "You like it. Don't pretend."

"I do," I admitted, allowing him to hold me close. "And I'm excited to grow them. I can't believe you remembered I said that at the market."

"Believe it or not," he scoffed. "I listen to everything you say."

"Oh, well in that case, I have a few more things I'd like around the apartment if you want to get a pen and paper."

"Whatever you want, babe," he smiled. "You're the one paying me, anyway."

"Who said you were getting your job back?"

He stepped away, pulling his apron to the side so his cock was hanging out. "You really gonna say no to this?"

I couldn't help biting my lower lip. "Alright," I sighed. "I guess you can stay."

"Good." He let the apron go and crossed his arms over his chest. "But uh… can I borrow some clothes? It's kinda cold."

"Yeah, I could tell."

His jaw fell open in disbelief. I just grabbed him and drug him toward the back stairs.

"Come on you adorable idiot. You're such a hassle."

And I wouldn't have it any other way.