I want to ride out my heat, decorate the cabin with Christmas decorations, and read by the fire. I want to make hot cocoa and not worry about fitting into some tiny bathing suit while my cousins wonder why I’ve gained so much weight over the past few years.
Just then, my phone beeps, indicating I have another call coming through. I spot Nora’s name and sigh in relief. Oh, thank freaking goodness. “Naku! Mom, I have to go. That’s Nora. I’ll see you after the holidays. Have fun in Hawaii.” I giggle. “With your dentist!”
“Hoy!”
I tap the button to answer Nora’s call.
“Oh my gosh! It’s about fucking time!”
Nora doesn’t say anything, and my eyes snap to the caller ID. Oh, crap, please let it be Nora on the other end. I would die if my tiny Filipino mother heard me cuss. Yes, yes. I know. I’m thirty years old. But my mother is old school and probably wouldn’t be afraid to wash my mouth out with soap if she ever heard me cuss. It’s better to keep those words away from her.
“Gotcha!” Nora says. “You totally thought it was your mother on the other end, didn’t you?”
“I hate you,” I murmur. She knows Mom would wash my mouth out with soap, too.
“You love me. Now tell me, how did she take it?”
“Not well. Why didn’t you call earlier?” I whine. “I had to explain myself like thirteen times. She just kept repeating things like, ‘What about Christmas?’ and ‘You really won’t be with family?’ over and over again.”
Nora laughs. “I’m surprised you got away with it.”
“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure I did. I kind of just ended the call when I saw your name on the caller ID. Oh! And get this. She invited her dentist this time!”
“Her dentist? Oh, ew. Can you really date someone who has seen the inside of your mother’s mouth before even kissing you?”
I scrunch my face. “Uhh… yeah. That’s totally weird.”
“No, thank you,” we say simultaneously before bursting into laughter.
“Anyway, tell me you’re close to the lodge. Is it pretty up there?”
The thick snow-dusted trees of the forest surrounding the highway fill me with hope. Even though Nora can’t see me, I nod. This is the right choice. I know it is. Something was telling me to book a cabin at this lodge. When I saw the ad online, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And I always trust my gut. “It’s gorgeous. According to my GPS, I’m about twenty minutes away.”
Nora and I chat for the rest of the drive. I tell her about how I finally got the guts to quit my job. I’m going full time with my online toy store. Roses and Thorn Designs took a while to hit the ground running, but I feel like I can say that I’ve finally made it. My designs and brand can now officially support me comfortably. Something I never had with any of my previous jobs. My thoughts briefly stray to Thorne, just like they always do when I’m grateful for my success.
Would he be proud of me if he knew? Did he ever think about me after that night? Damn, after all these years, why do I still think about him like this? Sure, naming my whole toy brand dedicated to him and that night was probably not helpful, but I really owe the alpha everything. If it weren’t for him or that night, I can’t be entirely sure I would have found the courage to start up my own shop.
“Hey, baby.” Dominic’s sultry voice can be heard in the background. A little pang of jealousy washes over me. Ever since Nora found her mate, she hasn’t been as free as she used to be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for her. And get this, Dominic is Nora’s fated mate. As in soulmate. Meant to be together forever, made for you kind of thing. But damn, as much as I get on my mother for setting me up with all these random alphas, I still want that.
I want to find my fated.
If I didn’t believe in such a thing before, I do now. I’ve seen their bond, the way they speak to each other without saying anything out loud.
Nora giggles across the line, clearly distracted. “Hayden, love. I have to go.”
I clear my throat just as I pull up to Winter Wonderland Wilderness Lodge. “Of course. Tell Dominic I said hi.”
Beep. Oh. She hung up. I glance at my screen and try to ignore the little twinge of hurt. Parking my car, I head into the cabin marked ‘Office’ and pick up my key from a sweet omega named Branson. Even though he is a little chatty, I cut things short, promising to stop by and pick his brain about the local restaurants and shops in the nearby towns.
It’s started snowing by the time I park in front of my cabin. Thirty minutes later, and I finally have all my supplies inside.Not only did I buy enough food to last me a month, but I brought a few of my designs and supplies. I’m still at that point where creating and working for my brand still makes me happy. Hopefully, I’ll get a creative bug while here.
Once I close the cabin door behind me for the final time, the snow is coming down hard. But despite all that, I’m overheated and sweating. I already miss the way the snowflakes kissed my hot skin. Yup, my heat is definitely starting. Half tempted to stay outside, I decide it’s probably best not to get hypothermia. Instead, I peel off my wet clothes and toss them on the floor near the electric fireplace. Not close enough to burn, of course, but just enough that hopefully they will dry quickly.
The cabin is beautiful, better than the photos I saw online. But I can’t help but feel a little depressed. Maybe it’s my heat, or the abrupt end to my call with Nora. Or hell, maybe it’s my stray thoughts of the gorgeous alpha I’ll never see again. But either way, I’m exhausted. And lonely. So fucking lonely. I peer over at the comfy bed, then back at all the things I still need to unpack.
“Bed it is!” I say out loud. At least I put all the groceries away. I yawn as I crawl under the soft covers. And as I snuggle into bed and drift off to sleep, I try to push away all my thoughts of fated mates and loneliness.
Chapter seven
