Scorch: M/M Gay Shifter Mpreg Romance (Dragon's Destiny: Fated Mates Book 2) by Wolf Specter, Angel Knots Page A

especially hate it if the reason you missed out was because of me.”
    I sighed. It would be so easy to agree with her—I wanted to—but Sarah didn’t understand. “Did you know my mother was married three times?” I asked her.
    She shook her head.
    “Not to my father,” I continued. “He left when I was two, and I don’t even remember him. After that though—before I met you and Luke at school—she was married to this guy Brian. I think I was five or six when they got together. He cheated on her, and they divorced when I was nine. Her second husband was Greg. He wasn’t faithful, either, and that only lasted a year.”
    “I remember the guy she was with when we were in high school,” Sarah said. “Jack?”
    I nodded. “I don’t even think they ever got divorced. When she got pregnant, he just left. He wasn’t interested in having another mouth to feed.” I frowned, my stomach clenching at the memory. None of those men had stuck by my mother when she needed them. None of them had honored the vows they’d made to her. They had shown me exactly what I never wanted to be.
    “You’ve got to know that it’s different with us, right, Dev?” Sarah asked. “You’re not like your mother’s husbands. If you hook up with Maks while we’re still married… or even if it gets serious down the road and you want to divorce me to be with him—or with some other man in the future—it’s still not the same.”
    Some other man? “I want Maks . I don’t want anyone else,” I said forcefully, the very thought so wrong. “And, as for the rest, I do know it’s different. I just… didn’t want to let you down.”
    She hugged me. “You’ve never let me down, Dev. Don’t miss out on this. When he comes back, I want you to promise me that you’ll stop worrying about me and go after your own happiness. You deserve it.”
    I knew that our situation wasn’t the same as what I’d seen growing up, but I was still afraid to let myself believe that I could really have what I wanted and not turn into the kind of person who always indulged themselves at the expense of others. Who always took the easy way, regardless of who it might hurt.
    “Dev, stop it.” Sarah smacked my arm, laughing. “You’re overthinking. Promise me.”
    She was right. It wasn’t the same. I could say yes to Maks without letting her down.
    I nodded, which made her smile… but even though I’d agreed, I was having trouble returning her smile. I was afraid that my decision was too little, too late. Sarah had said “when” Maks came back, but every day that passed without hearing from him made it more and more likely that his coming back was an “if,” not a “when.”

11

~ Maksim ~
    T y had given me the name of the company that Luke had worked for, and I’d been so eager to do something that would free up my mate that I’d left for Alaska as soon as I’d dropped Devin off on Saturday. I hadn’t told him what I was planning on doing. There wasn’t really any way to explain it until he understood what I was, and what I could do. I was hoping it wouldn’t take long, and thought I might even be back before any explanation was required.
    Still, after flying all night I hadn’t been able to resist calling him, mostly just to hear his voice. It hadn’t taken me long to get used to seeing him every day, and even though I knew it was ridiculous to miss him after less than twenty-four hours, I did.
    I’d called too early and had woken him up. I’d let him know that I was going to be gone for a couple of days, then caught myself trying to think of things to say that would keep him on the phone. Devin hadn’t seemed to mind, but I’d finally made myself end the call by reminding myself that I had things to do—and that I’d get to be with him all the sooner if I hurried up and got them done.
    When I shifted and launched back into the air, I realized that at some point in the night I’d passed out of Dane’s territory and into