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He knew she was talking about them taking over the community and being the leaders.
"I know. I think we can handle it." And he meant it.
"Our world is going to change." She looked up at him. "Are you sure you're ready for it?"
He smiled at her, giving her a squeeze. "Opal, you are it. And I'm not going anywhere. Now, we should get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."
She curled closer, holding onto him. He looked outside, taking in the view. He smiled. His world had been upended, and he didn't wish for anything else.
TWENTY-TWO
OPAL
She stared at the house, taking it all in. She couldn't help but smile at everything they had managed to accomplish within a year. She was proud.
Benton said something behind her to someone, but she couldn't hear him. Her mind was too focused on the house and just how much she loved it.
"Opal," Benton spoke louder, causing her to look away. He was bent over, holding a bag of dirt, his shirt dripping with sweat from the heat wave they were having. She eyed him up like candy.
"Where did you want the gardener to put the last of the rose bushes? Was it the east side?" He nodded toward the gardener.
She took in the front lawn and the large driveway that led toward the back of the house where their two-stall garage sat. The gardener stood by his truck. The rose bushes flowed over, making her smile. They were just adding the finishing touches to everything before their big day really began.
It took them a month to plan out what they wanted when they first started thinking about building a home. It was a long month of picking out paint colors and the types of wood flooring they wanted. And after a month, the house project started.
During that first month, they both began their new responsibilities and duties as leaders. It took a while for them to get their bearings, and mistakes were made in many different forms. Which led her to decide she needed to use her time better.
She had given up her position at work but stuck around to hire a new person. She didn't want the business to spiral just because she was leaving. They hired a young shifter, Jamie. She was perky and open to the tasks at hand. She was going to fit perfectly with everyone.
She visited every once in a while and offered advice when they called. As much as she missed everyone, she loved her new work.
They had decided not to take on one project but three all at once. They hated the alpha house and ended up tearing it down after selling everything they could from it. They made enough to fund two of the projects.
"When is the bus supposed to arrive today?" Benton asked, wiping at his forehead. She watched as he moved, and her tiger wanted him badly.
She bit her tongue, reminding herself they had stuff to get done. And fooling around wasn't on that list.
She looked toward the new senior living building they were prepping for a grand opening. Housing was one of the projects they were able to fund from the profits they made. It was a large building that would be able to house over fifty seniors.
They had a large community garden and a swimming pool that was built for additional activities. They had already discussed expanding but were going to wait a few years.
The senior housing was the biggest project they had invested in. It took them months to plan, and when they got the project started, they had a handful of setbacks.
There were plenty of nights she questioned if she was doing things right. Had she bitten off more than they could chew? Was this good enough for the people?
Things eventually fell into place, and the project continued to move forward smoothly.
While that was going on, she had a project that was just hers. With the extra money, they decided to revamp the empty house that they had been living in. She turned it into an extra safe space for new mothers and expecting moms that needed an extra hand.
They called the mothers’ building New Horizons, and the senior housing was called Horizon Senior Living.
She had done a lot of the work on the inside of New Horizons, saving them a lot of money to use on the senior living housing. Benton worked on their home when he was free from the senior housing construction.
She glanced at all three buildings, which weren't far from each other. They built Horizon Senior Living on the land of the old alpha house and expanded onto the land next to it. They erected their home to the side, which happened to be just half a mile from the abandoned house they were living in.
They decided to put the seniors next to the new alpha house as a way of showing they were still important and that they were respected by the alpha.
"Opal," Benton spoke up next to her. He gave her a concerned look. "You're zoning out again."
