Page 66 of Unmasking Her Shadow

I chuckle and kiss her cheek. “It will make tonight that much sweeter,” I tell her, grabbing her helmet and carefully shoving it over her head. “Come home to me, Officer Hayes.”

She squeezes my waist and rests her helmet against my forehead. “I’ll always come home to you, little wolf.”

Before she pulls out of my driveway, she taps her helmet, makes a heart with her hands, and then points to me. I do the same and blow her a kiss, to which she catches it and shoves it in her pocket. I stare after her until she’s out of sight before walking back inside. She just left and I already cannot wait to be with her again. This is what I’ve been searching for in a partner and why nobody else managed to snag my heart. It wasn’t theirs to take. I want all of her, the good and the bad. To weather every storm together until all that’s left are clear skies.

She’s…mine and I am all fucking hers.

Nerves make my heart race and stomach swish. It’s time to tell my parents. They will love Kioni and accept us, but dropping a bombshell on your parents, regardless of how old you are or what it’s about, is always scary. Nyx jumps into bed as I sit down to lie next to me, putting her head in my lap. I call my mom, telling her to put it on speaker so my dad can hear too.

The conversation goes like this…

Me: “Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!

Them: “Hi sweetie, is everything okay?”

Me: “It’s great, actually. That’s why I wanted to call you. I’m dating someone and I’m really happy. In love, type happy. And I wanted to tell you.”

Mom: “Keep going. We know there’s more to the story.”

Me: “Well…it’s a woman.” I hold my breath, my heart is galloping in my chest, and I’m a little nauseous.

Them: Laughing…

Dad: “It’s about time, honey.”

Mom: “When do we get to meet her?”

Me: Confusion forces the air I was holding to release in a quick exhale. “What do you mean?”

Dad: “Whenever we would see you with a past boyfriend you would react to them the same way one would a mangy dog…gross but kind of cute and you feel sorry for it so you compromise by letting it sleep on the floor instead of stinking up your bed so it had a safe place to sleep.”

Me: “Dad!” I shriek.

Mom: Laughing again. “It’s true, honey. We were wondering if you would end up with a woman or if you would just continue being happy alone.”

Me: “You guys should have told me. It would have saved me a lot of trouble.”

But I may not have found Kioni, and that would be the worst, so I guess everything happens for a reason. I tell them all about her, minus the fun stuff. They love her already and asked me to bring her to visit soon.

Nyx licks my cheek when I flop back onto my bed, smiling as if I’d just won the lottery or something. Well, I guess I did. Only the lottery it not money or material things. It’s the love of my life and the best family I could have ever asked for. I wrap my arms around Nyx and squeal into her thick fur.

“Everything is falling into place, baby girl.”

I bask in the happiness for a while longer before finally getting up to get ready for the day and out of my robe. There’s no point in doing your hair and makeup all pretty to do yoga. A ponytail and workout clothes make for the quickest mornings and leave even more time to do other things. I enjoy mornings that aren’t rushed and I can get housework and laundry done before I have to leave.

“I’ll be back to pick you up after work,” I tell Nyx, giving her a smooch on the snout after bringing her inside from using the bathroom.

There’s no need to pack her a bag anymore. Kioni bought her an enormous bed and everything else she’d need to remain at her house. The memory makes me smile again as I walk to my car. I laughed so hard when I saw how huge Nyx’s bed was. She said it was to convince my fur baby to stop getting into bed with us in the middle of the night to steal me away. It’s not all the time, but when she does, it’s between us, forcing us apart.

It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust after I take my sunglasses off and walk inside the studio. The sun is beautiful today, making me wish I was outside by the water under our shade trees with Kioni and Ryker. I hope that whenever Ryker gets a girlfriend, we can all get along and continue being a family.

“Sam, I’m so sorry, but I have to rush out of here. The babysitter called and said Kayden got sick, so I need to go pick him up,” Tille, the Zumba instructor, blurts out as she’s speed walking out the door.

“I hope he feels better,” I yell after her. She looks back, giving me an apologetic smile. I put my phone, sunglasses, and water bottle in the back and grab the large broom. Not everyone is polite and wears indoor-only shoes when they come in here, so I’m sure there’s dirt scattered all over the floor from where they were dancing. Before my clients pile in, I mop some sections where someone with muddy shoes was dancing, and then turn on soft music and dim the lights a little.

My first class of the day will be the most fun. It’s for my advanced clients, so that means I get to show off my skills with people who can follow along. I’ll end the day with a relaxing beginner class, then go home and create beautiful chaos with my girlfriend. It’s a perfectly balanced lifestyle now. Calm and quiet at work, crazy and wild at home. Now it’s not full-tilt naked and rope-bound every night, but the fun outside of that is what makes it the best. The laughter we share is just as satisfying as the orgasms.

My muscles are tired by the time my third class is over. A massage by Kioni and a hot bath with bubbles sounds amazing. Although her massages usually end with her face between my thighs and me screaming her name. She prefers I let her take care of me now, rather than anyone at the spa touching me. It’s fine by me. I rather enjoy happy endings. There’s no need to lock up behind me. Jade is inside preparing for her single evening class.