Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 382

Abby

Karl walks briskly up to me and grabs me by my shoulders, his eyes searching my face.

“What happened?” he asks as he eyes me nervously. “Are you okay?”

“I just, uh… I almost passed out,” I admit. “I guess I turned around too fast and got pretty lightheaded.”

Karl looks at me for a few long moments. Worry flickers through his eyes, and then he turns and opens the car door for me. “Come on. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“The hospital?” I stop just as I’m about to get in the car and shake my head. “Karl, I feel fine. Really.”

There’s a bit of a silence. Karl blinks at me, clearly not believing me. “You’re pregnant, Abby,” he finally says. As he does so, he steps forward and places his hand over my belly. I didn’t realize it until now, but I’ve been instinctively holding my belly this whole time as well, even though I’m not showing yet.

“I know.” I offer him a weak smile, trying to assure him that I’m alright. For now, at least. “I just haven’t been sleeping well, that’s all.”

Karl looks at me for a few moments longer before he sighs and nods, running a hand through his hair. “Alright,” he finally says. “But if it happens again—”

“If it happens again, I promise I won’t put up a fight when you try to take me to the doctor.”

“That’s my girl.” Karl grins and dips his head down to kiss me. His lips are soft and sweet, and taste faintly of coffee. I lean into him for a moment, gathering fistfuls of his shirt in my hands as we kiss.

When we finally pull apart, our lips making a soft smacking sound, I look up at him and can’t help but notice the dark circles under his own eyes. He hasn’t been sleeping well, either.

When we climb into the car and he begins to drive, he reaches over and places a hand on my thigh. I turn on the radio, flipping to a good classic rock station. The car is quiet for a while as Karl drives, but the silence doesn’t last forever.

“So,” he says, “not sleeping, huh?”

I nod slowly and somewhat stiffly. “It’s been… on my mind,” I admit softly. “The move, I mean.”

“The move.” Karl inhales deeply as though he’s absorbing the words. When I glance over at the hand that’s on the steering wheel, I can tell that he’s gripping it tightly judging from the way his knuckles turn white.

“I know you’ve been thinking about it too,” I say. “And Karl, maybe we should make a decision before it’s too late. Before the baby comes, at least. And preferably before the wedding.”

Karl listens intently, but says nothing. I can see the way his jaw is tightening, a telltale sign that he’s on edge.

“Listen, Abby,” he says softly, “I know we need to make a decision.”

“And?” I ask. “What do you think we should do?”

“Can I be honest with you?” he asks.

I nod. “Always.”

Karl takes in a deep breath, his grip twisting a bit around the steering wheel. “At first, I felt like I couldn’t leave my pack behind; that I needed to stay, keep being their Alpha. But… I don’t think Ethan needs the help.”

As he speaks, I look over at him with surprise written across my face. “I didn’t realize we were in the same boat,” I admit with a slight laugh.

He raises his eyebrow at me, shooting me a quick glance. “What do you mean?”

I let out a soft sigh. “The restaurant feels like it’s running just fine without me,” I say. “They don’t seem to need me as much anymore.”

Karl nods slowly, his fingers gently digging into the soft skin of my thigh for a moment as he thinks. “Yeah,” he finally says. “I guess we are in the same boat.”

“Do you think…” I pause, biting my lip. “Do you think that it would be wrong for us to have a fresh start, given this experience we’re having?”

Karl is silent for several moments. Outside, the city streets pass slowly by. The traffic is thick today, and even though my apartment isn’t really all that far, we’ll be sitting in the car for a while. The traffic is definitely one thing I won’t miss about the city, that’s for sure.

“Look,” I add, “I know it’s a big leap, but I think I want to—”

Suddenly, before I can finish, Karl veers off of the main road and turns down a side street. At first, I think he’s just taking a shortcut; but then, after a series of turns, he merges onto the highway without a word.

My eyes widen, my hands curling around the car seat as he speeds onto the highway. “Karl, what are you doing?” I ask.

“Just taking you somewhere,” he says as he drives down the highway. “I’ve been meaning to do it, but I didn’t know when the right time would be.”

“The right time?”

Karl nods. A slight smile seems to tug at the corners of his lips as he skillfully drives us toward wherever we’re going—we’re headed in the direction of his pack, and that’s all I know.

As we drive, the trees and bushes on the side of the road whip past. The music playing on the radio is almost drowned out by the sound of the car engine, but there’s oddly something almost comforting about it.

It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, thanks to our… history together, this drive would have been awkward and uncomfortable.

“For what it’s worth,” he says as he drives, “I don’t think it would be wrong to want a fresh start. And I know that no one but ourselves would blame us, or hold it against us.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, not entirely sure what to say. Karl is right; we are our own worst critics.

“And at the same time,” he continues, “I think a part of both of us needs a fresh start after everything that’s happened. A new chapter, you know?”

“So what are you saying?” I blurt out, my voice nearly lost beneath the sound of the engine. “Are you saying you want to move after all? Leave everything behind and start over?”

Karl simply grins. Without answering, he suddenly pulls off of the highway and down a side road. I furrow my brow in confusion as he drives, but I say nothing; wherever we’re going, it’s clear that he has some sort of reason for taking me here.

And that’s when I see it.

The tall wooden sign with its neon letters comes into view first. Next comes the cozy log cabin facade, followed by the winding hedge maze and the carefully landscaped lawn. The flowers are just beginning to bud on the bushes, and there’s a soft golden glow emanating from inside.

I feel my heart skip upon seeing this place—this place that holds so many memories. This place that, in my frenzy of restaurant business and sabotage and fated love and engagement rings and family planning, I almost forgot about.

But how could I ever really forget?

“Remember this place?” Karl asks as he pulls into the parking lot.