Chapter 13 - Killian

Although Leah had been upset with me, we managed to put our disagreement aside rather quickly. She clearly didn’t want to hear about my feelings for her, so I decided I wouldn’t bring it up until the time felt right. I would never give up on winning her, but I couldn’t risk pushing her away.

Over the past week, we had been cordial with each other, if a little strained at times. With each passing day that we worked together, we got along a little better. Our daily life fell into a nice rhythm, and any animosity remaining between us dwindled. Leah truly was an asset to my life—both personally and professionally. I had been working toward being a better version of myself for a while now, especially after being inspired by Jasper turning his life around. But with Leah by my side, I had even more reason to improve myself.

Tonight was already looking to be even busier than on Leah’s first night of work. Saturday crowds were always the toughest, but my team was working together well. Leah and Jillian were the only waitresses tonight, and I was impressed that my mate was holding her own with so many orders.

“Heads up, boss,” Jillian said to me. “We just had a group come in. Looks like a bachelor party.”

“I hate those,” I grumbled. “They already wasted?”

Jillian nodded toward a table in the back. It was clear that the men had pre-gamed before coming in. They were still within the limits of being able to be served, but it wouldn’t take much to put a few of those guys over the limit.

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” I assured her.

“Thanks,” she replied. “I’ll give Leah a heads up, too. They’re sitting in her section.”

My eyes flashed as I realized an unforeseen complication of having my mate work at the bar with me. I needed to treat her like I would any other employee, but the thought of her being in close proximity to men who had been drinking too much caused anxiety and anger to course through me.

Memories of how I had treated women when I was intoxicated came to my mind. It hadn’t been good, and I knew there were plenty of men in the world with even less restraint than me.

“Let her know I’m here if she needs backup,” I called as Jillian walked away.

You should switch her sections, my wolf growled. I don’t like this at all.

Calm down, Rocky, I reminded him.

How can I? She could be in danger.

Not while I’m here, I assured him.

That much I knew to be true. Nothing would prevent me from ripping any man apart who tried to harm or even intimidate my mate.

While serving drinks and responding to other patrons, I kept one eye on Leah, hypervigilant about the men who were becoming rowdier by the minute. Leah seemed to take Jillian’s warning in stride. She continued offering excellent service to all the customers while remaining professional and kind.

About an hour later, I saw her laugh at a joke someone at the bachelor party table said, and I felt jealousy burn like a hot knife through my stomach. A moment later, she brought their empty glasses back to the bar, and I decided to take a moment to check in.

“How’s your night going?” I asked, doing my best to keep all traces of concern out of my voice.

“Great!” she said enthusiastically. “It’s really lively in here.”

I nodded as she cashed out a table and brought them their change. Before she could return to the bar, one of the men from the bachelor party left his seat. I watched as he made his way to where Leah was standing and drunkenly tried to pass her a piece of paper.

Is he really giving her his phone number?

Just as I was about to launch myself over the bar and mark her as my territory, I saw that she’d put her hand out to stop him from giving it to her. Her face transformed from one of sweetness into a harder expression of warning.

It was impossible to hear their conversation over the music and chatter of the guests, but the gist of what she was trying to say was unmistakable. Leah shook her head, declined the paper, and jerked her head toward me at the bar.

The man looked at me with wide eyes as he turned a deep shade of red, then scurried back to his friends at their table. Within a few minutes, they placed a pile of cash on the table and made a swift exit.

“What was that all about?” I asked Leah as she brought the cash up to the register.

“He wanted me to call him when I got off work,” she replied.

“And I take it you said no?”

“I told him it was in his best interest to check if the person he was hitting on was wearing a wedding ring before trying to pick them up,” she said with a shrug. “Then I said my husband was watching him. He gave you one look and decided he made a bad choice.”

I chuckled at her summary of events. It was true. The guy had looked like he was going to throw up when he saw me behind the bar.

With the table of drunken men gone, the atmosphere in the bar got calmer and quieter. After an hour, I’d sent Jillian home and had the cooks close the kitchen. By the time the last customer left, only Leah and I remained to close down the bar.

I would have assumed that she would be animated and happy now that the workday was done, but as we set about cleaning the tables, she looked crestfallen.

“You seem off,” I said.

“I’m just thinking,” Leah replied.

“Can you tell me what you’re thinking about?” I asked. “I’d like to help, if I can.”

I saw tears welling up in Leah’s eyes, and my heart sank. There was nothing on earth I hated more than to see her upset.

“About… us,” she said with a shrug.

I turned her to face me, rubbing her arms encouragingly so she would continue sharing.

“You never came back for me,” she said, her voice choking up.

The accusation stung all the more because it was true.

“I’m so sorry,” I said quietly. “I messed up. After I left, I thought you’d never want to see me again, that you’d hate me for the rest of your life. I thought I didn’t deserve you and that there was nothing I could do to make it better. I just tried to forget. Unsuccessfully.”

“You said you still care about me, but that doesn’t match up with how you acted while we were apart,” she said.

“I tried to fill my emptiness with things that didn’t work,” I admitted. “I drank too much, and fooled around with people I shouldn’t have. But I never had feelings for any of them. I hated what I had become, and I did whatever I could to forget.” I sighed. “I was stupid, but I’ve changed. I hope you can see that I’m not that man anymore.”

“I think I believe you,” she said. “And I need to admit something as well.”

My heart sank, thinking that she was going to tell me she had been in love with someone else after I left her in Sparkle Hollow. Whatever it was, I needed to hear her out. I nodded, letting her know I was ready to listen.

“I lied to you, that night we kissed. I’ve never dated anyone or done any of the things I said I did. It was stupid, but I thought if you knew how inexperienced I was, you’d think I was pathetic.” She grimaced.

I placed my hand on her cheek, tilting her face up until she was looking into my eyes. “I could never think that about you,” I said quietly.

“I’ve only ever wanted you,” she whispered.

Hearing her say those words out loud broke my self-control. I had sworn to myself that I wouldn’t push Leah’s boundaries any more than I already had, but it was time for me to admit how hopelessly I wanted her to be with me.

“Leah, I want all of you,” I said. “What happened between us the other night was just a taste of how great it can be between us. I don’t want to pressure you, but I have to ask—are you ready for more?”

Leah smiled at my fumbling request and shocked me with her answer.

“Yes.”

It was the only word I needed to hear.