Bailey had never been one to believe in love at first sight, but as she looked across the table at Gavin, she had to wonder if that’s what this was. Was she in love with him? Could she have fallen head over heels? Like lock, stock, and barrel for a complete stranger in less than twenty-four hours?

Daisy motioned from across the room for Bailey to join her.

“Where are you going?” Gavin stood as soon as Bailey pushed her chair back from the table.

Bailey sighed. “Gavin, if this is going to work at all, you’ve got to realize I’m a big girl, and I’ve been on my own for a long time. I’m not used to being treated like a child. Questioned about every move I make.”

Gavin glanced to the ground. A frown covered his handsome face.

“Are you pouting?” Bailey asked in astonishment.

“No. After seeing your injuries tonight, I’m worried. Okay? It scared the fuck out of me.”

“I get it. I really do, but you have to realize that I’m perfectly safe here.” Bailey motioned to her surroundings. “In the Alpha’s home.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Gavin sat back down and continued his conversation with Calder.

Bailey could feel her mate’s eyes practically burning a hole into her back as she walked away. He could stew about it all he wanted. As far as she was concerned, he needed to realize that if she didn’t have her independence, there would be no them as a mated pair, couple, whatever.

“Can I talk to you for a minute? Away from all the testosterone?” Daisy asked.

“Absolutely!” It was the best idea Bailey had heard this evening.

Daisy led Bailey into Calder’s office and closed the door. “Sorry if I caused more problems, but it looked like you were drowning in thought out there.”

“I was. This whole mating thing, finding out your mate is a stubborn ass, and then nearly dying. It’s a lot to deal with in a short amount of time.”

“I get it. Trust me. Believe it or not, I was just a human when I met Calder. It wasn’t until after we were mated that I shifted into a wolf. I’m still trying to get used to the shifter world and the majik that surrounds it. But one thing I have found is that the males,” Daisy stopped to laugh, “oh, my God, they are all fucking barbarians.”

Bailey sniffed the air. “You were really human? I can’t smell any human on you at all. I’ve never dated a shifter in my life. It’s why I live in the city. My dad pulled the Captain Caveman card on my mom all the time when I was growing up and it drove me nuts. I moved away from all of that shit when I turned eighteen. Would you believe, before I’d met Gavin, I never even considered dating a shifter for that very reason? I’ve only dated human men because I didn’t want to deal with all the alpha male bullshit.”

“Yep. One hundred percent human. I’m still getting used to the fact that I can shift into an animal. My wolf seems to be pretty cool and all, but yeah, it definitely takes some getting used to. I don’t know much about Gavin, but Calder seems to. I did talk to him a little bit earlier and he has complete confidence in him. That’s a good thing. I don’t know if you know it or not, but Calder has this freaking thing going on where he can see into a person’s soul. When I asked him about Gavin, he reassured me that Gavin is one of the good guys and he has nothing but love to offer for his true mate.”

Bailey ran her fingers through her hair before bunching it up on top of her head in a messy bun. She pulled a hair tie from her wrist and secured the messy updo to her head. “Gavin mentioned something about Calder being able to see into people. I didn’t understand what he meant by it at the time. Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“How did you know that Calder was the one for you? I mean, you were human then, right? So did you believe in love at first sight? I guess what I’m asking is how did you tamp down the fear and dive into all of this?”

Bailey was genuinely curious to hear Daisy’s answer. She had feelings for Gavin, but was it just lust? Was it her bear?

She really didn’t know how to separate what was what in the grand scheme of things.

Could she give up everything to live with a man she barely knew?

Mate or not?

“I was headed to the coffee shop one day when I literally ran into Gerri. I felt so bad for having knocked her on her ass. She talked me into joining her for coffee. The next thing I knew, she was trying to set me up with a shifter. I thought she was nuts. Until I met Calder. Something inside of me told me to give it a chance, and I did. I don’t know if it was my gut, my conscience, my heart, or what the fuck it was in all honesty, but something told me he was the one.”

“Yeah, I have that going on right now, too. That voice that keeps telling me to see what it would be like to be with Gavin.”

“I get it. I really do, but let me ask you this. Are you happy with your life? Like really happy? Or do you feel as if there’s something missing, like you’re always searching for something you feel like you’ll never find? I thought I was happy with my crazy job, and my fast-paced city life, but then I came here and saw what I could have if I had the courage to trust someone other than myself.”

Daisy’s words were like a punch in the gut. All of the questions her friend had just asked her were the same ones she’d already asked herself.

“You don’t have to answer. I can see you’ve already been thinking about all of that and more. The only thing I’m going to ask is that you consider all of your options before making your decision. You’re free to go home at any time. We’ve arranged for a rental car for you if you’d like to go back to the city. I think Gavin might follow you if you did, but whatever.”

“Thanks.”

“You can hang out in here and mull things over for a bit if you’d like. Sometimes a little quiet time is best when it comes to these situations.”

“Calder won’t mind?” Bailey asked.

“Not at all. Take your time. Just remember there’s no rush. It’s not like you have to make any hard and fast decisions right this minute.”

Daisy had closed the door behind her, leaving Bailey in peaceful silence. Something she’d longed for all evening. She had a lot to think about and even more to do, depending on which way her decision swung.

“There has to be a pen and paper around here somewhere,” Bailey said as she glanced around the office.

She found a legal pad and pen in the center of Calder’s desk. Taking a seat at his chair, she drew a line down the middle of the top sheet of paper, making two perfectly uneven columns. At the top of the first column Bailey wrote: Pros. In the second column she wrote: Cons.

She went to work listing all the pros and cons of what it would be like to give up everything in her life to live with her mate.

The items in the Cons column came easier than the Pros. She listed things like giving up her job, her friends, then listed controlling, domineering, and asshole, but only because she was still pissed at him. Then there was the thought of her puppy. The last item she’d placed into the Cons column: Buddy. She couldn’t just up and leave him in doggy daycare, never to show up again. What kind of person would that make her?

The Pros column seemed to drag for Bailey. The only things she found to put on it were, having a true mate, not being alone, community.

Bailey sat back in the chair and sighed. She knew what she had to do.