He’d said them again early that morning when he dropped her off at the shelter. She’d looked no more convinced then than she had the first time. But she’d looked like she wanted to believe him.
Marcus slid an arm around Roni’s waist. “Yeah, but does Makenna know about your parents? If she did a background check on your family when looking for guardians for Zac—”
“She knows,” Ryan confirmed.
“Then she’ll probably find it difficult to believe that you’d consider staying with someone who wasn’t your true mate,” said Marcus.
Ryan inwardly stilled. He hadn’t thought of that.
Frowning, Taryn shook her head. “No, she knows Ryan cares for her.” She raised a brow at Ryan. “You have told her that, right?”
When Ryan didn’t respond, the females all sighed, shaking their heads at him.
“A big problem is that you and Makenna haven’t really had quality time as a couple,” said Shaya. “Both of you have been putting most of your energy into Zac, the shelter, and fighting off Remy. Everything’s been intense and stressful, which doesn’t exactly go hand in hand with a budding relationship.”
“You need to take her on a date,” said Hope.
Shaya’s eyes widened. “Ooh, yeah! You should take her out to dinner.”
“Or for a boat ride,” suggested Lydia.
“Or ice skating,” said Jaime.
“Or on a picnic.” Grace pointed at him, stern. “Make sure you take her flowers.”
“And maybe write her a poem,” said Shaya.
Taryn blinked at the redhead. “Oh, I’m sorry, is it 1953?”
Shaya ignored that. “You could even take her star gazing. Nick did that with me once.”
“Willingly?” asked Ryan.
She swatted his arm. “We’re trying to help you.”
Marcus stepped between the females. “Your suggestions are good ones, ladies, but they’re not exactly Ryan-type activities.”
“I actually already had something in mind,” said Ryan.
Lydia’s brows flew up. “You did?”
“Really?” asked Taryn.
They didn’t have to sound so astonished. He grunted.
Grace waved a hand, impatient. “Well, what is it?”
“Makenna said she’d always wanted to go to an outdoor movie festival,” said Ryan. “There aren’t any local ones so I thought I could set something up here on our territory. We have a projector and a white screen and speakers. I could do a campfire and toast marshmallows and . . .” And why were they now smiling dreamily at him?
Jaime put a hand on her chest. “I think Makenna would really love that.”
“I think I would really love that,” said Taryn.
Grace’s manner turned abruptly businesslike. “Leave the planning of this to us, Ryan. We can set this up. Bring her here at seven. Everything will be ready by then. I don’t think that girl’s had much fun in her life. If she wants an outdoor movie festival, she’ll get one.”
“Wait,” began Marcus, “it won’t exactly be a date if they have our entire pack hanging around.”
“If they went to an actual movie festival they would be surrounded by people,” Lydia pointed out. “The same would apply if they went out to dinner or bowling or something.”
“Making this a pack event will be a good thing for Makenna,” said Grace. “She’s never quite relaxed here. Like she doesn’t feel she belongs.”
Ryan had noticed that. It was understandable, since she had grown up without a pack.
“She needs to feel like one of us,” Grace went on, “which is exactly what she’ll be when she and Ryan finally mate.” She patted Ryan’s cheek. “It will happen, sweetie. You just need to find out what’s blocking that bond and smash it into teensy-weensy pieces.”
Easier said than done, but Ryan would accept nothing less.
When Makenna left the shelter later that day, she found Ryan waiting for her, leaning against his Chevy. Having spent much of her day with a malnourished and frightened pup that had been brought to the shelter the previous night, she felt sad and weary. All of that seemed to leave her at the sight of Ryan whose mere presence seemed to send feel-good endorphins through her body.
Similarly, her wolf lost her tension and did a very languid stretch. He was like hot chocolate, a steaming bath, a happy movie, and a pillar of strength all rolled into one. “Hey, White Fang.”
The bright smile she gave him went straight to his groin. “I told you to drop that.” Splaying a hand on her lower back, Ryan pulled her close and kissed her. Her sparkling taste never failed to make him groan. He inhaled deeply, taking the scent of his mate inside him. It was tinted with coffee, feline, and . . . “Colton.” It was a growl.