Cael (Were Zoo Book 11)

She smoothed her trembling fingers down the front of her short skirt and tugged on the hem. “I’m nervous.”
“I’m sure he is too.”
There was a knock at the door, and Novi smiled at her mom and then hurried to the door. After a quick peek through the peep hole to ensure it was him, she opened the door and her breath caught in her chest.
He was just so damn sexy.
Tall and broad, and stacked with muscles. And those eyes! Gray...no wait, they were brown. Like the elephant’s eyes.
In that moment, she put two and two together and realized that he was like her and her father, not just a man but more.
Instead of being freaked out by that news, she was bolstered by it. It meant Cael would understand what she was feeling. And maybe he could even guess what her father was and help her understand what she was dealing with.
Cael held out a bouquet of colorful daisies and said, “You look amazing, Novi.”
“Hi Cael,” she said, thanking him for the flowers. He kissed her cheek, and she turned to the side and said, “Come in and meet my mom.”
He stepped inside, and she shut the door. “Mom, this is Cael Donnelley. This is my mom, Lori Jones.”
Her mom stood as Cael crossed the small family room to greet her. After they shook hands, she said, “Have a seat, Cael. It’s nice to meet you.”
Cael sat on the couch opposite her mom, and Novi took the flowers and hurried into the kitchen to find a vase. She dusted one off from under the sink and filled it with water, listening as her mom and Cael exchanged pleasantries. She wondered if her mom would come right out and ask him, but she didn’t let on that she and Novi’s conversation that morning had been so serious.
“What made you want to be a vet?” her mom asked as Novi came back into the room with the flowers.
“I love animals. I always wanted to work with them. When I came to work at the safari park when I was eighteen, they put me to work in the paddocks cleaning and feeding the animals, and it just seemed natural to go to college to learn how to really take care of them.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a nice setup there. Do you live near the park?”
“I do, actually. There’s an apartment complex at the back of the park for staff.”
Her mom nodded. “I should let you two get on your way. I’ve got plans to curl up with a good book.”
“It was nice to meet you, Lori,” Cael said as he stood and offered his hand to Novi. She took it and stood with him. “Night, Mom. I’ll be quiet when I come in.”
“Have fun,” her mom said.
When Novi looked back at her mom as they headed to the door, she smiled and nodded her approval which made Novi grin.
When they were outside, Cael blew out a breath.
Novi chuckled. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Just wait until you have to meet my parents. They’re in Indiana, though, so you have a reprieve before that happens. Maybe we can video chat soon though, I know they’d like to meet you.”
“They would?”
Cael opened the passenger door of a large, white SUV, and she sat down. “Of course, sweetheart,” he said, smiling down at her. “You’re important to me. Why wouldn’t they want to meet you?”
Novi smiled, feeling warm all the way through to the center of her being. He shut the door and came around to the other side, sliding behind the wheel. “You still want to be surprised, right?”
“Yep.”
“Good. I won’t make you close your eyes or anything, but I hope you like what I chose.”
“I’m sure I will.”
“I like your faith in me.”
While he drove, she told him about the customer who’d come in and bought a dozen t-shirts to turn into yarn so she could make crafts, and the mother of three who was looking for shoes for her kids. He told her about tending to the giraffes and rhinos, and how Tank followed him around his paddock and made grumbly noises at him.
“What do you think he wanted?”
“I don’t know, it’s hard to say. Maybe more carrots.”
“How did he come to the park?”
“Hunters came across his herd up north when he was young. He took a bullet to the leg and ran off. He was found by the side of the road by a man who had connections to an animal rescue in upstate New York. They didn’t have room for him, but it’s well known in the zoo community that we’ll take certain animals in to care for them, so Alistair and I went to get him. He’s been with us ever since.”
“Aw, he lost his family though.”
“He did, but I know he thinks of us as family, as well as the animals in his paddock. He’s really protective of Kelley’s wife, Rhapsody. They just had a baby, and Tank recognized that she was pregnant and was really sweet with her.”
“Kelley’s one of your co-workers?”
“Yep.”
He pulled to a stop in front of a Japanese steak house and turned off the engine. She let out a gasp. “I love these places. I haven’t been to one since my mom’s birthday last year. The guy tossed a shrimp at her and she freaked out and ducked, and it went flying onto another table.”
He laughed. “I’m glad you’re happy. I wanted something special for our first date.”
He got out and came around to her side, opening her door and helping her out. He shut the door and looked down at her, curling his arm around her back and drawing her close.
“Novi.”
“Yeah?”
“Did I tell you how beautiful you