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“It does. Food cooked over the fire is always the best. It’s been so long since I’ve been up here. I forgot about how much I love everything here. The quiet, the campfires, the ease of cooking a meal. This really is my happy place.” Allie glanced around at the view.
“It’s stunning here. How often do you make it up this way?”
“I used to come up here every month just to get away and shift. To spend time in the wild, but …” Allie sighed, not really wanting to discuss why she had stopped coming up.
“I get it. Life gets busy. There are always more important things to take care of.”
“Yeah,” she answered evasively. “Let’s dig in before the food gets cold.”
SEVEN
MARC
“I’m so glad the rain blew past us.” Allie reclined in her chair and stared at the stars.
“Me too. It’s a beautiful night. It’s amazing to see so many stars. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many. At least, not in the city.” Marc had never seen anything like it.
Growing up in the city, he was lucky to see a handful now and then. The nighttime sky where he lived was nothing like this. Thousands of tiny diamonds shone brightly in the sky. The small crescent moon served as the perfect backdrop for the twinkling stars.
“I know. It’s one of the many reasons I love it here. I would love nothing more than to build a house in the middle of nowhere. I think I’d sit out on the porch every night just to look at the stars.”
“That sounds like heaven.”
“It’s my dream. Honestly,” she said. The smile on her face reached from ear to ear.
“So, you want a big house in the middle of nowhere and lots of kids to fill that house?” he asked.
“That sounds about right. Is it too much to ask for?”
“Not at all. It sounds perfect.” So perfect, in fact, that Marc started to reconsider his entire life. He thought he’d known what he wanted. The fast-paced city life. The job filled with adrenaline and danger.
Kicking back in front of a fire with his mate, staring up at the stars … this was exactly what he wanted.
“A penny for your thoughts.” Allie laced her fingers around his.
“You’re beautiful,” he said as he pulled his eyes away from the stars to glance at her.
“That can’t be what you were thinking about.” She laughed.
Gods, her laugh was beautiful … like music to his ears. It calmed his racing heart and soul at the same time.
Mine!his beast shouted in his head for the millionth time.
He ignored his creature. He would not force himself on his mate because of some damn instinct riding him hard.
“I was thinking about how different it is out here versus in the city. How tranquil and soothing it is. I didn’t think that by finding my mate, I’d find this level of peace. It’s more than I ever expected.” Marc had always been a busy person by nature. The tranquility that he felt now that he was with Allie was something altogether new.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I didn’t expect to find my mate on this trip. I guess Gerri really came through for both of us.”
“It seems too good to be true. Like all this is happening too easily. Life is rarely this easy for me.” Though he’d had a loving and happy family as a child, his life had always been tough.
He was the odd boy out at school, towering above all the boys his age. Being dirt poor hadn’t helped the situation either. While everyone in his class had the best of the best when it came to clothes and shoes, Marc often dressed in hand-me-downs from his older brothers. It never bothered him, but he’d been teased mercilessly for it. His parents had worked hard for everything they’d owned, and he was proud of what he’d had.
“I feel likewise, but at the same time, I think it feels right. We feel right. You can’t tell me it doesn’t. Besides, we have the fates to thank for bringing us together. Right? Who could fault us for just letting things between us fall into place as the universe intended?”
“Gerri Wilder and the fates.” Marc laughed.
“Of course, we can’t forget about Gerri. Can I tell you something?” Allie’s voice wavered like she was unsure whether she should even bring it up or not.
