“But—”
“But nothing. I didn’t raise a coward. Get going,” she said, her voice as stern as it had been when she’d been a teenager.
Sighing, Maple stood, then bent over and gave her another hug. “You know, one of these days, I’m not going to let you boss me around anymore.”
“I know. Until then, get. And send Niko in for me, would you?”
Maple didn’t question. She left the waiting room, and sure enough, Niko stood there, waiting. “Grandma says she’s ready to go. Don’t let her talk you into doing anything other than bringing her to the Regency. She can sweet talk herself into all kinds of trouble.”
She didn’t wait for his reply. If she was going face Jaxon tonight, she had to do it now. Otherwise, she’d lose her nerve.
***
Jaxon’s heart skipped a beat when Maple finally exited the hospital and stood beneath the streetlight. With her shoulders drooping and the ever-present smile that usually graced her gorgeous face gone, she looked so tired. He wanted nothing more than to go to her and carry her away.
When he’d spoken to Mrs. Hudson, she’d assured him that Maple would come to him, but the defeated look ate at that certainty. She peered at the café, finding him easily in the spot he chose right by the window, before taking a deep breath and glancing away. It would serve him right if she marched in there, demanded her keys, and left him for good.
After another moment, she squared her shoulders and crossed the street. She didn’t stop until she was standing next to his table. “I’m told we need to talk,” she said, her voice more than a little strained.
“I’d like it if we could,” he admitted, standing to pull out a chair for her. There was so much he needed to say, but he’d let her take the lead. “Can I get you a coffee? Something to eat?”
Maple looked down at the chair he’d readied for her. Her hand came up to her neck, and she kneaded the muscle there, a small grimace crossing her features, but she made no move to sit. What she needed was a hot bath and a comfortable bed, but here she was, having to deal with all this on top of the shit day she’d had.
“How far am I from home?” she finally asked.
“A little over a half hour.” If possible, she deflated a little more.
Her sad gaze met his head-on for the first time since she’d arrived. “You should have told me.”
He didn’t have to ask what she was talking about, and she was right. There was no denying it. “I know. I’m sorry.” If he could turn back time, he would, but he couldn’t. All he could do now was deal with the aftermath as well as possible.
“I’m so tired,” she admitted after another deep breath. “Can we get out of here?”
He threw some money on the table and was escorting her out the door moments later. Whatever she wanted, he’d do, as long as she didn’t shut him out. “Your car is in the hospital parking lot, but I’d be happy to drive you wherever you want to go.” Even if she refused, he’d follow her wherever she ended up going and make sure she got there safe.
“Thanks. I don’t think I can drive. How far is your place?” she asked a little timidly, as though uncertain of how he’d react to her request.
“Come on,” he told her as he led her to his truck a few parking spaces away. “I’m not far, and I promise, I’ll let you rest. You look dead on your feet. How is your uncle doing?”
He helped her into his vehicle, then with the seatbelt when her fingers fumbled with the latch. By the time he climbed in behind the steering wheel, her eyes were closed and she’d leaned up against the headrest.
“Were you planning on telling me at all?” she asked without opening her eyes, the hurt in her voice cutting him to the core.
“I was. I swear I was. I didn’t know how to tell you without freaking you out. I thought if I did that, you’d head back to New York, and I’d never see you again.”
Maple yawned, then winced at the movement of her jaw.
“Did you take anything for that? Did anyone bring ice to put on it?” he asked. When she’d pushed him out of the emergency room and told him to go home, he’d asked one of the nurses to take care of her. Maple had been adamant about her uncle being the only one who’d needed care, and he suspected she likely refused again after he’d gone.
“It’s fine. My jaw hurts a little, but it’s okay.”
Jaxon swallowed his growl. She was a grown woman with a mind of her own, but that didn’t mean he had to like it that she was still hurting after all those hours. “I’ll get you something when we get home,” he told her.
She turned to look at him in the dim light of the truck. “Grandma told me something odd and said if I had questions, that I should ask you.”
He glanced over at her before pulling his gaze back onto the road. “Okay.”
“She said that you’ve known I was the one for you for a long time. What did she mean by that?”
He gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. She was going straight to the heart of the matter. “I knew twenty years ago that you were my fated mate, Maple. My wolf recognized you as the other half of its soul back when we were kids. I’ve been looking for you, and waiting for you, ever since.”
“Since we were kids? It’s why we left here and went to the city, isn’t it?”
“I never got those answers myself, but I imagine it is. You were way too young,
