I went straight to bed when we got home. I didn't want to talk to my mom or eat. I was so mad that my stomach was in knots. I lay in my bed and cried. The girl who had been my best friend for ten years had abandoned me. For once in our lives, she was jealous of me. The girl who was perfect in nearly every way had a serious jealous streak, and she couldn't handle it. Connor came in a short time after I did and stripped down to his boxer briefs. He crawled into bed, and held me while I cried.

"Are you sure you want to move in with me? Especially if it means losing your friend."

"If she can't be happy for me and is going to insult me, I don't need her in my life. I want to be with you. I want to spend as much time with you as possible. I love you."

"As long as it's what you want."

"It is," I finally had the chance to reassure him for once.

I drifted off to a restless sleep. Nightmares involving wolves, Anna and, death invaded my subconscious. I couldn't differentiate between the enemies. The wolf wanted my throat, but she wanted my heart. I felt so trapped. And in each different dream I had that night, Connor was my savior. He always showed up at the right time, and swept me away to safety. He was always bandaging my wounds. Maybe that's why I needed him. Maybe he was supposed to bandage me both emotionally and possibly physically.

I woke with a start in the early hours of the morning. Connor lay snoring softly under the mound of blankets I kept on my bed. The chill in my room reminded me that I hadn't turned on my heater the night before. One bad thing about really old houses was that there was no central heating. Space heaters, the fire place, and radiators kept us warm. I hit the button on the heater to warm up the room for when Connor woke up, and I headed down to start some coffee. I felt horrible. I didn't want to lose Anna as a friend, but it was painfully clear just how she saw me, and what she thought of me. The girl couldn't even be happy that I was finally happy. It sucked her parents were suffocating her, but that was her problem to deal with. She had to put her foot down with them and finally be an adult. I was.

"You okay, honey?" I turned and saw mom with her fleece blanket wrapped around her frail body standing in the doorway.

"No."

"What happened?" she sat at the table and took the mug I handed her.

"Anna and I aren't friends anymore."

"What? Why?"

"Her true colors finally came out. She doesn't think I'm good enough for Connor and thinks he should be with her."

"Ah."

I just nodded my head.

"What do you think."

"I think he's too good to be true, but he loves me. And I love him."

Mom smiled and stared into her mug, "That's how it happened with your father."

"How what happened?"

"Falling in love with him. It was so fast. We had met and within a few weeks, I moved in here with him."

"You did?"

"I did. And within two years we were married. I was twenty when we tied the knot. Another year later you were here, and he was gone."

"I'm sorry, mom."

"Don't be. You did nothing wrong. I understand now why he left, and it just hurts now knowing he's somewhere, dead. I'll never be able to bury my husband, and you never got to know your father."

"Connor wants me to move in with him," I whispered.

"I know," she said.

"You do?"

"He asked my permission last night."

"He did?"

"He did."

"What did you say?" I asked.

"You're an adult now. It's your decision. Just make sure it's the right one."

I smiled at her, "I love you, mom."

"I love you to, sweetie."

"If I do move in with him..."

"Don't worry about me. I figure it's about time I start leaving this house. Maybe I'll even plant some flowers this spring."

"Really?"

"Why not? Maybe I'll throw a big party for shits and giggles," she smiled.

"Date?"

"I'll work up to that. One small step at a time, honey."

"I'm proud of you, mom."

"I'm the one who should be sorry."

"No, I can't even imagine how hard it was. All these years never knowing...don't apologize."

She stood and hugged me, then with her mug retreated to the office, "I'm not reading today. I'm looking for some new clothes. I think it's time to retire the sweats and ratty ponytail."

I sat at the table. Despite what happened with Anna, I felt relieved and happy. Mom was coming back.

"Why do you always wake up so early?" Connor complained coming into the kitchen.

His hair was messy and made him look like a wild man. He had on a pair of sweats and a long sleeved tee shirt that stretched over his muscles. I was beginning to wonder if he purposely bought his shirts one size too small. He was also one of the only people who could make just waking up look sexy.

"Nice hair."

"Mm."

"I couldn't sleep. Bad dreams."

"Ah. You okay?"

"Yeah, I just had a nice chat with my mother."

"You did?"

"Yeah, she's coming around finally. And you asked for her permission for me to move in with you?"

He chuckled a bit, "She told you that did she?"

"Yeah."

"I just wanted to clear it with her first. She is your mom."

"Thanks," I said.

"For what?"

"Talking to her."

He sat beside me with his coffee, and we drank in silence. When it came time, I headed to the shower to get ready for another day of interning. If this was what becoming an adult was like, I was going to take my time.