The gorilla helplessly looked at the counter. There was a hot steaming pizza sitting there, but all he could do was look at it longingly. He had shifted too early. He had been a human when he answered the door to get the pizza, but he was so sad that as soon as the pizza man had left, he had shifted back.

Today was a hard day for Wy. It had only been twenty-four hours since he and Dottie had broken up, and in that time, he had been a human for maybe twenty minutes.

He hadn’t slept much, either. He had been so sad that all he could do was sit in the dark as his gorilla most of the time. He was lucky that he didn’t have work that day, because he would have had to call in. He was in no shape to be a functioning human right now.

The weather report said they would be getting eight inches of snow that night. Dottie’s parents were still out of town, and he wanted nothing more than to go over and see her. But that wasn’t going to happen. She was done with him.

He knew it was the same as it always was. After she had figured out what he was really like, she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. He should have seen that coming. It was all for the best, really. He should be happy—it had all gone down exactly as he’d expected, and he knew for sure now. But he wasn’t. He was so sad. Much sadder than he’d expected to feel.

He hadn’t even known her for that long. He hadn’t ever felt this sad over losing a woman who wasn’t his mate. And she wasn’t. She had told him he wasn’t her mate.

There was a knock at the door, but he didn’t bother going to get it. He knew it wasn’t Dottie, and there wasn’t anyone else he wanted to see. The knocking went on for a few more minutes, and then the door unlocked.

“I know you’re in here, Wyatt.” Blair came in huffing and puffing. Her hand was over her stomach. “I can’t believe you just let a pregnant woman sit on your doorstep. In the cold, no less. You have a lot of nerve, man.”

“I didn’t ask you to come.” Wyatt had shifted back to human and had slipped into the bathroom with the door closed. He knew from experience that if he didn’t talk to Blair, there was no way she would leave him alone. It was easier just to talk and get it over with. Then he could go back to moping in peace.

“Come out of the bathroom. I want to talk to you face to face. I can’t believe you think I didn’t see you slip in there. And put on some pants!”

“No. I don’t want to talk. Just go home.”

“I’m going to stand out here and wait for you. The longer you stay in, the worse it’s going to be. Do you really want me to be driving back home once the snow really starts up? Is that what you want? To make me, as pregnant as I am, stand out here for hours and then have to drive home in the snow?”

Wyatt stewed by himself for a minute. He debated whether he should wait or go out. If he waited, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t just leave. He would have to wait until she gave birth before she would leave him alone. Knowing her, she would insist on giving birth in his living room. She was very stubborn.

On the other hand, he really didn’t want to face anyone right now.

There was an easy solution. He opened the bathroom door and shifted.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake.” She threw her hands up and crossed her arms. She leaned on the kitchen counter and got comfortable. “I guess I’ll talk at you, then. I can’t believe you’re making this mistake, Wyatt.”

The gorilla could say nothing, but Wyatt was annoyed. This wasn’t his choice. This was fate. He couldn’t fight the cosmos. The universe had made him this way, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Women didn’t like him. He wasn’t that likable of a guy. He couldn’t believe Blair was rubbing it in.

“You finally met a nice girl, and you pushed her away. I don’t know what happened, but you need to fix it.”

Wy was so annoyed. He shifted right away. He didn’t care if she saw him naked. “I didn’t do anything. It was all her.”

Blair leaned forward. “It was all her? What did she do?”

“She dumped me. She got sick of me, and she dumped me.”

“What was the reason?” Blair was taken aback.

“The usual. No good reason. Just that she didn’t like me anymore.”

“Are you sure there was no reason?”

“I did everything right. I was myself, and I thought I was treating her well. Then, she dropped me like a bad habit.”

“I’m sure you did the best you could, but maybe you two aren’t meant to be together.”

“We aren’t. How did you even know we were broken up?”

“The rumor mill. Jennifer tried to call Dottie, and she wouldn’t pick up. When she texted her to see if anything was wrong, Dottie spilled and said she didn’t want to talk. Jen went to work out at the gym and told Abe. Then it got back to me after Abe told Lizzy.”

Wy shook his head. “I’m glad everyone knows, now. At least I won’t have to have this conversation again.”

“How are you doing?”

“Bad. I didn’t think I would be this upset.”

“Why wouldn’t you be?” Blair said glumly. “I’m upset, and I wasn’t even dating this girl. Are you sure it’s over?”

“I’m sure.” Wy went to his room and got some pants and put them on. “Blair, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“And you have to be honest with me.”

“Of course.”

“Why didn’t you want to live with me?”

“I had my own place.”

“But you would have saved so much money.”

“But I liked living alone.” She studied him. “Wyatt, it wasn’t anything personal. I liked living alone, and even though I was happy to move in with Nate, I wanted to enjoy having my own space until then.”

“No one wants to live with me,” he said quietly. “What’s wrong with me? You can tell me. It won’t hurt my feelings. I’m already sad. I can’t feel any worse.”

Blair came over and hugged him tight. “There is nothing wrong with you, Wy.”

“Then why does everyone leave me?”

She pulled back. “The only people who leave you are idiots. I’m not going anywhere. Nate isn’t going anywhere. We may live away from you, but you’ll always be our best friend. A lot of people love you. Just because one girl hurt you doesn’t mean you’re unlovable.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. It feels that way.”

“Do you love her, Wy?”

He thought for a moment. “I do. I really do. How do I make myself stop?”

“I don’t think you should. What about your animal? Does he love her?”

“Yes. Wow. It hurts to say that.” Wy cleared his throat as tears blurred his vision. “I love her, and I still think she’s my mate. Even if she doesn’t think so.”

“Then, go after her!”

“I can’t. She doesn’t love me.”

“Did you ask her?”

“We talked. She says that I’m not her mate. Her feelings have changed, and she doesn’t like me anymore.”

“Okay. But what if she just got scared? What if she likes you so much that she got afraid? Maybe she only said all that because her feelings were too much for her.”

He shook his head. “That wasn’t it. Maybe you like me, Blair, but other people don’t.”

“Stop saying that!” she yelled. “People do like you. A lot of people. Maybe your parents ran out on you, but they were idiots. You’re a great guy, Wy. I’m not lying to you. I am not lying to try to make you feel good about yourself. I’m telling the truth.”

Wy looked at her. He wanted to believe her, but it didn’t make much sense. People were always getting sick of him and leaving. That was what happened. It didn’t matter if she liked him. She wasn’t everyone.

“What about Jen?” Blair asked. “Do you think Jen is the kind of woman who likes everyone?”

“No.” Jen had even said so herself.

“But she likes you. She’s your friend. And what about Kira and Lizzy?”

“They like me, I guess,” he admitted.

“And Macy? And Jill?”

“Jill is only a kid.” Wy laughed. “She likes anyone who’s nice to her.”

“She does not. She doesn’t like Cade that much, or Nate.”

“Yeah. Actually, yeah, you’re right. She doesn’t like them as much as she likes me.”

“Okay. So, hear me out. What if Dottie got scared, and then you ran off because you think you’re unlikable? What if, instead of running off and leaving it be, you went and tried to talk to her again? Tell her how you really feel, and ask her to reconsider.”

Wy snorted. “That would be a miracle. You didn’t see her face when she told me she didn’t want to see me anymore. She was serious.”

“Seriously scared, maybe. I saw how she looks at you. Even at the bar, when she left in a hurry, there was a connection. She loves you too, Wyatt. I can feel it. LK Brides doesn’t make many mistakes, and this isn’t one of them. They got it right.”

“I don’t know. The last time I went to see her, it didn’t go well. I don’t think I should just show up again.”

“What do you have to lose?”

“My dignity?”

Blair laughed. “But you have a mate to gain. I think this is worth taking a chance on.”

Wy considered that. “Maybe. I’ll try tomorrow. If she wants to talk to me, I’ll tell her everything. If she brushes me off again, that’s it. I’m done for good.”

Blair nodded. “Deal. I think she loves you. If I’m wrong, I’ll let you name my baby.”

Wy laughed. “Deal.”

“You know I’m not wrong often, Wy.” She punched him on the arm playfully. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

He was going to need it. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he had to try one last time to convince Dottie. If Blair believed in him, maybe he wasn’t a lost cause just yet. He didn’t quite believe that he was likeable, but maybe he wasn’t as bad as he had thought.

Blair was right. He did have some friends who were women.

And this wasn’t anyone he was just going to win over. It was his mate.