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She shoots me a withering glare, and I sink into myself a bit. This isn’t the time for jokes.
Taking a slow breath, she tries again. “When we were talking about my parents and the fact that they loved each other without being fated mates. Do you remember what I said?”
“You said that soulmates aren’t found. They’re made,” I reply, remembering how those words massaged away a tension I didn’t even know I was carrying at the time.
“I still think that way,” she says and presses a kiss to my knuckles. It makes my chest flutter.
“All relationships need work. I know I made my parents out to be perfect that night, but they fought just like everyone else. What made them so great was that even when they fought, they were still on the same team. They chose to love one another and to keep loving each other, even when it was hard.”
“I’m not sure if I know how to do that,” I reply. “I didn’t exactly have the best role models.”
Mira smiles, her hazel eyes twinkling with amusement. “Do you expect me to be perfect all the time?”
I shake my head. “Of course not.”
“Then why should I expect the same from you?” She lets go of my hands and I mourn the loss until I realize that she’s shifting to sit next to me on the couch. She leans her head against my shoulder, and I almost sag with relief that she no longer feels the need to keep her distance.
“Can I ask you something?” she says.
“Go ahead.” I wrap my arm around her, holding her close.
“If we weren’t fated mates, do you think you’d still want to be with me?”
I blink. “What do you mean?”
She sits up slightly to meet my eyes. “I mean, let’s forget destiny or biology or whatever it is that makes us fated mates for a second. If we had just met and managed to get around the initial awkwardness of me misjudging you, would you like me?”
Initially, it’s difficult to separate the part of me that demands to be with her from my conscious mind. I try to think back to all the women that I’ve dated. Because the idea of intimacy scared the shit out of me, I never let them get close.
Not until Mira. Kind, brave Mira who knows her mind and will call you out on your shit in the most compassionate way possible.
I love her.
I’ve loved her for a very long time.
And that fact is both terrifying and exhilarating. Fated mate or not, I would have fallen for her, not because of destiny but because of who she is.
I press my lips to hers in a chaste kiss. “I love you,” I finally say. “And I’d love you even if we weren’t fated mates. I’m sorry that it took me so long to admit it. You were right when you said that I was scared of us becoming my parents, but you’re not my mom and I’m not my dad.”
“We aren’t,” she agrees. “And I don’t know about you, but I have no intention of becoming them.”
I kiss her again and continue. “I know I’ll have to work on my hang ups. It’s not fair to either of us for me to get spooked and run away at the first sign of intimacy. I’m choosing you not just because of destiny but because I want you more than anyone else in this galaxy.”
Mira picks up her head and grins. Her smile is bright enough to light up the whole room. “I love you too, Renxel. Fate may have thrown us together, but I will choose to love you every day for the rest of our lives.”
I surge forward, kissing her deeply as I pull her in close. Being with her, loving her, being loved by her… It just feels right. Like all my life, I’ve had a missing puzzle piece in my soul, and she’s slotted herself perfectly into it, completing me.
21
MIRA
Hearing him confess his love for me fills me with joy. Renxel is my mate and he wants me! I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him, happy that he's here with me. I'm happy that he opened up to me and told me about his past and that he felt comfortable enough to confide in me.
"I love you, Mira," he whispers against my mouth.
I smile against his. "I love you, Renxel. Forever."
He picks me up, his mouth trailing hot kisses down my throat.
