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I was shocked at the total for the groceries. So much so that I didn’t realize Nicholas was paying until it was over with. I decided to shelve that discussion for a different time. I wasn’t letting anything put a damper on this night.
We drove back to my house. The conversation flowed easily. He told me about his pack, and others. Even one called Greycoast that he considered putting in a formal request to join. I had a feeling now that we were back together, we would have that conversation soon enough.
He expertly backed the car into the driveway so that it was easier to empty the trunk of the groceries. Thankfully the driveway was empty and the sidewalk shoveled, else getting inside would be an adventure in broken ankles and bruised hips.
“I’ll bring them in, you put them away?” he suggested.
I nodded.
It was a shuffle to get all the stuff put away. I had to set aside some things that would have to chill in the garage because they simply would not fit. Thankfully my parents had a walk=in pantry. I grabbed all the stuff that needed to go in there and set to work.
“Nicholas.” My mother’s voice filtered through the half-closed door.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Looks like you two bought out the store.”
“We may have gone overboard, but we want to put together a nice breakfast for the family. Plus we had a lot of fun.”
They were quiet for a moment and I wished I could see them. I had a feeling they were in the middle of an epic stare down. I had a lot of faith in Nicholas, but my mom could be scary when she needed to be. It was a hard choice between facing down her or his wolf cousins…
“You better not leave him again, young man.”
“I won’t. I’m here to stay. With him. Wherever he is, that’s where I’ll be. I won’t hurt him.”
“See that you don’t. Or I will find where you’ve been hiding all these years. I don’t want to see Christopher go through that again. I can’t. He can’t.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Now let’s get the rest of these groceries inside.”
Once they were gone I came out of my hiding spot. The three of us worked on putting everything away. My mom didn’t seem surprised when I told her we were staying at the hotel that night.
“Be sure to be back in time for all the events.” That was her way of giving her approval. She trusted Nicholas when he said he wouldn’t hurt me. I didn’t need her approval, but knowing I had it meant a lot. She had been my rock when Nicholas had left. She held me together and helped me move on.
I gave her a long hug before we headed out. “Thanks, Mom.” I kissed her cheek and then joined my mate outside.
“To the hotel?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
Chapter Nine
Nicholas
“Iwasthinkingtherewas something we could do along the way,” I said. It had been a massively long day. So much had happened in a short amount of time, and I had a feeling my mate would crash the minute his head hit the pillow, but my wolf was unsettled. Based on the bouncing of Christopher’s knee, I had a feeling he sensed it.
We were taking his car because his had better snow tires and the forecast wasn’t ideal. If we were being wise, we’d have postponed our night together to avoid issues getting back in the morning.
“What is that?” Christopher asked.
“Maybe we can go someplace and you can meet my wolf… you know, without the danger?”
Christopher’s eyes grew wide and at first I thought it was from fear, then a rumble of excitement came through the bond that we had. Our mating was incomplete, but our connection was already strong. Once we solidified our bond, it would be even stronger.
“Yeah. I’d like that. I’d like that a lot. I didn’t really—it all happened so fast.”
“It did, and I’m glad I was there.” I didn’t tell him, but the thought of him accidentally being marked by anyone else was horrifying. I wasn’t sure that was how it would work, not when we were fated, but even the slightest possibility was too much for me. “My wolf is excited to meet you again.”
