Maia laughed. “We did good, Riley. Getting him here so they’d have to be around each other and figure out what they meant to one another.”
“We did good?! How about I did good? You thought I was rushing it.”
“No, I just didn’t know if we should interfere. I’m glad we did. I’m glad you did.”
“Me, too,” Riley said, lying back down.
Maia kissed him, then got up and started out of the room.
“Where are you going? Aren’t you coming back to bed?”
“Not anymore. I’m too worked up to sleep. I’m going to make some tea. Maybe I’ll make some tea cookies to go with it.”
“That’s those little sugar cookie ones without the sugar on them, and a little citrus, too?” he asked.
“That’s them. It’s lemon zest. And there’s sugar in them you just don’t sprinkle it on top, too. They’re quick to make.”
He nodded. “That’s what I said, sugar cookies without sugar on them. I’m getting up, too. I love those things.”
~~~
Richie unlocked the door and let himself into the restaurant. He locked the door behind himself, and turned toward the kitchen curiously. Somebody was whistling. He walked through the dining room, toward the kitchen with its lights shining brightly through the darkness of the dining room. He stepped through the double door and into the kitchen, stopping just inside and stood there grinning.
Remi, singing and whistling intermittently, turned to look at him and flashed him a smile.
“Look at you all happy and shit,” Richie said. “If I’d known you shifting and getting some flight time would have made that much difference, I’d have found a way for you to do it sooner.”
Remi chuckled.
“What’s so funny? And why are you so happy this early? It’s even too early for me to be happy.”
“It was a great flight. And even better I shared it with my mate.”
“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that we were standing on the rise watching your Dragon dip and weave through the storm. It was fucking amazing. As much as I love my Panther, I kinda wished I had a Dragon, but only for a few minutes.”
Remi just chuckled again as he kept cooking, flipping the food that would be combined to make their breakfast wraps and sandwiches.
Richie moved past him to grab his apron off the rack, but only made it a couple of steps before he hesitated and backed up. He turned his head toward Remi and sniffed, his nostrils flaring as he scented Remi.
“You mated her!” Richie exclaimed, slapping Remi on the back and squeezing his shoulders.
“And she mated me,” Remi said.
“That’s fucking awesome! Congratulations, Remi!”
“Thank you,” Remi said, grinning at Richie and shaking his hand.
“I gotta tell you, I was worried between the two of you, one of you would screw it up. I didn’t know who it would be, but I was afraid it was coming.”
“Honestly? Me, too. But once we stopped holding silent grudges against each other, it just kind of fell into place, and it was all her idea that made it right.”
“Really? What was her idea?”
“She said that it was overwhelming to think about all that was expected of us, and the steps that would get us there and she found it easier to just go on instinct instead of a schedule with deadlines and expectations. So, that’s what we did. We got out of our own way.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. Welcome to the Pride, officially — officially,” Richie said.
Remi laughed. “Thank you.”
