Page 33 of Eddie

“Well, I was going to get a room at the motel.”

Eddie snorted. “If you think I’m letting you stay at a motel when my house is close by, you’re wrong. Now that I have you, I’m not letting you out of my sight or my life. You’re stuck with me.”

Matthias’s smile was shy but beautiful. “I think I’m going to like being stuck with you.”

“I certainly hope so, because you don’t have a choice. Fate decided that you were going to be stuck with me.”

“Fate has incredibly good taste.”

Eddie couldn’t not kiss Matthias after those words. He didn’t have to hold back, luckily. He didn’t care that they were standing in the parking lot and that his friends were probably watching them from the diner’s window—actually, he was glad because it meant he didn’t have to tell them he was leaving. He had his mate. Things were going to work out, one way or another.

EDDIE’S HOUSE WAS SMALL, cozy in a way that Matthias’s had never been. When they stepped inside, Matthias took in the worn couch, the bookshelf crammed with books and knick-knacks, the framed photos on the wall, most of Eddie with friends, Eddie at job sites, with people who looked like him and who clearly loved him.

“Sorry about the mess,” Eddie said, taking off his boots by the door. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

Matthias glanced around. There was a mug on the coffee table and a jacket thrown over the back of a chair. It wasn’t messy. It was lived-in, and that made it more real.

“It’s perfect,” Matthias said, and he meant it. He could see himself living here if Eddie wanted that.

Eddie looked at him with something soft in his expression, then moved out of the living room. “You want something to drink? Water? Beer?”

“Water’s fine.”

Matthias followed him, watching as Eddie pulled two glasses from a cupboard and filled them at the sink. His hands were steady, but Matthias could see the tension in his shoulders and in the way he was holding himself, like he wasn’t sure what came next.

Matthias wasn’t sure either.

They’d talked at the diner and had cleared things up. They knew what came next. Matthias would move, possibly into this house, although that was one of the things they still needed to clarify. They would.

If Matthias didn’t screw this up.

Eddie handed him a glass, their fingers brushing, and that spark that had been there since the coffee shop when Matthias had caught Eddie’s scent and his whole world had changed flared between them.

“So,” Eddie said, leaning against the counter. “We should probably talk some more.”

“Yeah.” Matthias took a sip of water, buying himself time. “We should.”

Eddie’s gaze was steady. He was waiting for Matthias to take the next step.

Matthias put down his glass. “I meant what I said at the diner. I’m staying in Green Hill. I’m not going back except to grab my things.”

“And your family?”

“They’ll figure it out. They’ll have to.” The words felt strange. Matthias had spent his whole life being the one who figured things out for them. “Jenna’s on my side.” As much as Jenna could be, anyway. “She’ll make sure they know I’m serious.”

Eddie nodded slowly. “And if they don’t respect that?”

“Then they don’t.” Matthias gritted his teeth. “I’m done putting them first and dropping everything every time they call. I want something for myself.” Finally.

“Me,” Eddie said quietly.

“You.” Matthias took a step closer. “If you’ll have me.” He seemed to, but Matthias needed to be sure.

Eddie’s expression softened, and he reached out, placing his hand on Matthias’s chest. Matthias’s heart raced under Eddie’s palm, and he wondered if Eddie could feel it.

“I want this,” Eddie said. “I want you. But I need to know you’re sure. Because if you’re going to change your mind and leave again—”

“I won’t.” Matthias covered Eddie’s hand with his. “I’m not leaving unless you tell me to.” And he hoped Eddie wouldn’t. He needed this man more than he’d ever needed anyone else in his life.