Mary Elizabeth held her hands up protectively in front of herself. “Whoa, back the horse up. No one said anything about love."
Shannon and Kiesha both looked at her like she was stupid. “What do you think we've been talking about? The mate bond is synonymous with love. It's love in its highest form. He may not have said the words to you but you can't tell me he hasn't been showing you how he feels about you. Based on my experience with Alex, I have no doubt that it's love, and not sex that's motivating everything that Hugh does for you."
Mary Elizabeth thought over everything Hugh had done. The way he fed her and took care of her. The way he was concerned about her safety and did what was best for her, even when it meant denying himself something he really wanted. She'd been in denial. The man was in love with her. His love showed through every word he said and every action he took.
Suddenly she was overwhelmed. This was just one truth too many for her mind to handle. She needed to get out of her. Shoulders hunched protectively, she told Kiesha, “I've got to go. I need to think. My mind's about to burst. I know this is short notice but I need to take off a few days. Go somewhere where I can get my head together. I need space. I'm suffocating.” She turned to walk out of the door, breathing like someone having an asthma attack.
Kiesha grabbed her by the shoulders. “Wait! Don't leave. At least, not yet. I agree that you need time to think and you won't be able to do that here with Hugh, but you can't just run off willy-nilly. You need a plan. Where will you go?"
"Go? I don't know. Just away. I need to get away from here."
"I understand. Listen to me. I have an idea. You can get the space you need and take care of business at the same time. This is something I was going to have you to do anyway, so you might as well do it now. Go around to all the neighboring towns and check out their thrift stores. Find out what's selling and what's not. We need an idea of what the people around here like so we don't stock the store with a bunch of useless merchandise. I'll give you the business credit card and you can charge your gas, lodging and meals on me. This way you can kill two birds with one stone. Get a jump on business while taking time to get your head together, okay?"
Mary Elizabeth didn't hesitate. She took the lifeline Kiesha offered her with both hands. “Deal. I'll leave as soon as you give me the card. I won't even go home to pack. I'll buy what I need while I'm out. I can't face Hugh right now."
"I understand. Do what you have to do. I'll go get the card. You wouldn't have been able to do much here anyway. Now that the computers have arrived, there isn't much we can do with them until Shayla comes to set up the systems. This is the perfect time for you to be away.” She turned to go and get the card.
While she was gone, Shannon said to Mary Elizabeth, “I can't say I know how you feel but I've heard about true mates all of my life. One thing I know, no matter how things start, they always end up being the most dedicated, committed and loving relationships anyone has ever seen. It's what all shifters pray for, that they might find their One—the only one they can truly be happy with. You take this time you need to think about things but know this, now that Hugh has found you, he'll never let you go. He can't. You hold his heart in your hands. Be careful what you do with it."
Mary Elizabeth nodded, indicating that she understood. Kiesha returned and handed her the card. “Be careful and stay safe. What do you want me to tell Hugh when he comes looking for you?"
"Just tell him that I needed time to think, and not to call my cell phone. I'll have it off unless I need to make a call."
"Okay, I'll do that. You make sure you check in every day with me or I'll tell him how to track you down."
Mary Elizabeth shuddered, knowing Kiesha meant what she said. He'd do it, too, and drag her back to Refuge, kicking and screaming. “I will. I'll call and tell you where I am and what I've found.” She gave Kiesha a hug and turned and walked out of the store.
Watching her drive off, Kiesha asked Shannon, “What do you think?"
"I think Hugh is going to have a shit fit when he finds out she's gone. I wouldn't want to be around when that happens. Although, it's no less than he deserves for not being honest with her."
Kiesha agreed. “That's exactly how I feel about it."
They shared a look that women have shared throughout the ages. One of sisterhood and camaraderie, steeped in the knowledge that sometimes women had to stand together just to be able to hold their own against the men in their lives.
Hugh was feeling great, as great as only a night of mind-blowing sex with the woman he loved could leave him feeling. The mate bond was working. Each time they joined as one, the cords binding their souls together became stronger. Soon, his mate would be totally his. Right now, she was actively resisting the idea that they might be more to each other than just a temporary amusement. Somewhere in his mate's past she'd learned to be leery of love; probably the fault of her messed up childhood and her screwed up mother and sister. She didn't have a high opinion of love, something that her brief relationship with Charles had reinforced.
If it hadn't been for her getting sick that night, she would never have let him close enough for a relationship to develop. She'd spent the last couple of years keeping men at arm's length. She knew exactly what to do to keep men away. This last week had been a delicate dance of pushing inside her boundaries yet giving her space to be free. Although he was living with her, he allowed her to believe that he was simply a nightly visitor.
Unnoticed by her, they'd already fallen into a routine. Each morning they ate breakfast together before she left for work. After work, she had time to herself to unwind and enjoy her privacy. He'd noticed that his mate was a very private person and needed plenty of personal space. His working evenings allowed her the time she needed alone to recharge her batteries.
When she was ready for company, she came down to the diner and sought him out. He gave her the excuse she needed by providing food for her to eat. In reality, she came down because she wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her, and not for the free meal. He knew it was the truth because any woman that loved to cook as much as Mary Elizabeth did would never have turned over all the cooking to him. That she had was simply her mind's way of giving her a valid reason to do what her heart wanted to do. She wasn't ready to admit to herself that she loved him.
She definitely wasn't ready to hear that he loved her. In her mind, love had to be earned. She didn't consider herself worthy of being loved. It's a lesson she learned from her parents when she'd had to earn her place in their affections. She wasn't taught that she was lovable just as she was. The message she drilled into her since early childhood was that the beautiful people were given love, everyone else had to earn theirs. She didn't see her own beauty. Not only was she beautiful on the outside, more importantly, she was beautiful on the inside. Her inner beauty radiated out of her like sunshine, visible for all to see.
There was so much he needed to tell her that she wasn't ready to hear. She still had no idea that he was a shifter. She had no inkling that they were mated, which in his world was more binding than marriage and more permanent than death. She thought she was involved in an affair, something that could be ended at any moment.
Somehow he was going to have to find a way to force her to face her feelings. She needed to know that what they had was forever, but he had to get the timing just right. If he confronted her before she was ready, she'd run. He'd rather face her temper than have her run from him in a panic.