I never really believed all the mumbo jumbo that went with pregnancy cravings. Who really craves chocolate covered pickles in the dead of night, anyway? All through his term with Charlotte, Chance had devoured anything junky, from sour gummy worms to fast food burgers with extra fries.

I was beginning to regret teasing him about it, because absolutely nothing I nibbled on was sating this deep-seated craving for ice cream. Not just any ice cream, either, but Mr. Frostee. I groaned at the thought. I squirmed in the armchair until I was sitting upside down with my head hanging off the seat and my legs thrown over the back of the chair.

Mr. Frostee was a family-owned ice cream shop in Greymercy and their banana frozen yogurt was to die for. Even their cones were made in-store and they were amazing, with a hint of vanilla and almond extract and so perfectly crunchy. “Ugh…” Why did it have to sound so good?

“Soren?” Hunter drew up short when he saw me, a strange little half-smile playing across his face. “What are you doing? You’re gonna give yourself a migraine. All the blood’s gonna rush to your head if you keep sitting like that.” He leaned down to study my probably red face.

“I’m dying,” I told him as seriously as I could.

He laughed. “I’m calling bullshit on that. You are not dying.”

“The baby wants ice cream.”

“Still not a means of death,” he pointed out. “Want me to run to the store and pick up some?”

“No,” I moaned. “You can’t buy it at the store.”

“What kind of ice cream are you wanting that’s not at the store.”

I blinked up at him, feeling a little dizzy from sitting upside down. Then I gave him my most pathetic puppy-dog expression. “Mr. Frostee. Can we go to the lake? It might be the only thing that could save me…”

Hunter deadpanned, then snorted out a laugh. “You’re something else.” He shook his head and crossed both arms over his chest before leveling me a dubious look. “Mr. Frostee, huh?”

“Yes.” I whined and planted both hands on my stomach. “We could get cones and walk on the beach. It could be a date?”

“It’s chilly out. It’s been raining. The sand is gonna be all wet and sticky and then you’ll catch a cold and I don’t think I’m exactly the nursemaid type.” He wrinkled his nose in distaste, like the idea of me sneezing on him was totally less than attractive.

“Please?” I batted my eyelashes at him. “We don’t have to stay very long.” Just long enough for me to inhale my banana ice cream. Then we could come home and take a long nap. It felt like a lazy day, anyhow, with Hunter off. It wasn’t like I couldn’t entertain myself while he was at work, but having him home all day felt almost indulgent.

Hunter huffed, but it wasn’t a no. “Alright. Haven’t had a Mr. Frostee in years anyhow. Might as well make a date of it, but please, for the love of god, sit up before you pass out. Your face is turning purple.”

I laughed and squirmed, rather ungracefully, to an upright position. “It is not.” Though I had to admit, I was dizzy for a few minutes. I blinked a couple of times to steady the spinning of the room. Hunter chortled and ruffled my hair—something that he’d been doing more often as the week went on. From anyone else, it might’ve been demeaning, but from Hunter, it felt like a fond gesture. It made my heart happy.

The beach was practically empty when we pulled into the lot, but Hunter was right; it was drizzly and gray and cold for early July, when we’d spent the last week and a half sweltering in the AC. Together, Hunter and I walked towards the shop with its brightly colored signage. Their mascot—Mr. Frostee—was a giant yellow ice cream cone with a crazed expression in his beady black eyes. A little creepy, and yet… It was familiar.

It was home.

I knew what I wanted before I ever got up to the window—a large banana-walnut frozen yogurt in their famous dipped waffle cone. Hunter browsed the menu for a little bit longer before deciding on a maple sundae with hot fudge. When the cashier handed me my ice cream, I did a happy dance. That first lick was pure sweetness and I actually moaned.

Hunted laughed. “Hit the spot?”

“So good,” I breathed before taking another quick swipe. It was perfect. Just perfect. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.” I nudged him with my elbow before taking off towards the beach. The sand was dark with rain, squishing wetly beneath my sandals. I sank down with each step until, tired of fighting with my shoes, I kicked them off and splashed barefoot through the chilly water.

“You’re gonna catch a cold,” Hunter warned.

“Nah, not that cold. Besides, we’re shifters. We’re hardy.” I grinned at him, then took another bite of my ice cream. “C’mon, Mr. Paranoid, kick off your shoes and join me. It feels so nice.” It really did. Out here, with the lake lapping at the shoreline and the lone gull crying overhead, it felt peaceful. Idyllic.

It felt real.

More than that, it felt exactly like it might six years from now—me and Hunter on the beach with our kid, flying a brightly colored kite on an equally windy day while the family dog dug holes in the sand. That could be mine. Happiness fluttered inside my chest. Finishing my ice cream, I grabbed Hunter’s hand and took off running down the beach, tugging him along behind me.

“Soren!” he cried out, but it was on a gale of laughter. I loved hearing him laugh.

My sprint was cut short when Hunter threw both arms around me and swung me off my feet. I squealed and slapped at his shoulder, crowing like a mad man. He dragged us down to the sand, with me straddling his lap. I buried my fingers in his graying brown hair and brought my lips to his. I kissed him, our chests pressed together so tightly that I could feel the racing of his pulse against my skin.

His lips were soft and tasted of fudge. I groaned and rose up on my knees, tugging his head back with each brush of our mouths together. His tongue flicked along my lower lip and I parted them on an exhale. His hand cupped the back of my neck to draw me closer, his eyes half-closed in a blissful expression.

“Hunter,” I breathed, my throat knotting up, because this moment was so much sweeter than I could’ve ever imagined. I wanted to bottle it up and keep it forever. I wanted to keep him. His mossy eyes met mine and softened, and when he kissed me again, I knew that I was utterly screwed.

Hook, line and sinker, I was falling for this man.

If I could just convince Hunter that I was the right man for him, my life would be damn near perfect.