Chapter 13
Kip
I had never been happier to be on solid ground—or at least somewhat solid ground.
I was inside Braxton’s truck now, after finally getting off the plane.
Thankfully, he had been smart enough to drive himself to the airport, whereas I had gotten a ride there.
At least this way, we only had one vehicle, and it wasn’t a rental or someone else driving us.
With the way I felt right now, the last thing I wanted was company.
We had been able to move our flights up to an earlier day, so that way, we were getting home a day earlier. It wasn’t much in the grand scheme of things, but I was happy to be headed toward the comfort of my own den and my own bed.
Then again, I supposed I wouldn’t actually be in my own bed now, would I?
“Am I going to stay with you?” I asked.
“I sure hope so,” Braxton said. “Unless you want to go back home to your parents, which is fine—wherever you’re comfortable. I can’t imagine that I’ll want to leave you alone in your condition, though. I hope you don’t mind company.”
I scoffed. “My condition? I’m fine.”
At that moment, he turned onto the highway, and my stomach lurched. I reached for the sick bag I had pilfered from the airplane. I didn’t actually throw up, but it was close.
Unfortunately, I had thrown up on the flight.
A lot. Like constantly. Pretty sure everyone on that plane hated me.
Brax had rubbed my back and gotten me water and warm washcloths throughout all of it.
He kept my forehead clean from the sweat that beaded here.
Someone had handed me a travel-size bottle of mouthwash mid-flight, so I at least had that.
“Yes, clearly you are in peak condition, my love.”
I grinned. “I do like when you call me that.”
“Well, then I will continue, my love, until the end of time. But also, you are under the weather and need rest.”
“It’s just in mornings,” I said. “I’m fine after.
” At least I had been the day before. I guess that technically didn’t make for a pattern, but whatever.
“What is the likelihood that we can sneak into town without anyone noticing? You can get me into the house—your house, not my parents’ house—and I can just lie down for twenty-four hours.
That sounds heavenly. How big is your bed? ”
He seemed to ponder for a moment. “I would say the odds are good. I don’t think that anyone will question me arriving home, and no one’s expecting you until tomorrow.”
“They’ll see me,” I said.
“Not if you crawl into the back and lie down. Might not be comfortable, but if you want your privacy and want everyone to leave us alone. And my bed is big. It’s a California King.
I bought it two years ago when I discovered my mate was over six feet tall.
I also got one of those big sectional sofas.
I had to add on to the back of the house to make the living room bigger so it would fit. ”
Despite my stomach tying itself in knots, I smiled. “You did that for me?”
“Of course.”
Goddess bless, I hit the mate jackpot. As soon as I was feeling better, I would show him just how much I appreciated it. After I slept for a few days.
We were about a mile from the town limits. There wasn’t a car around us, so I felt relatively safe at the idea of unbuckling and crawling into the back.
“You can pull into your garage, and I’ll get out there.”
“Absolutely, my love. Whatever you need.”
I had never been in Braxton’s house. I knew where it was, of course, but I’d never been inside. Somehow, I could picture it though, me cozied up in his bed. Our bed.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
I unbuckled and crawled into the back, lying down flat on the seat. There was an extra sweatshirt and a jacket, as well as a pair of boots back here. But other than that, he kept his vehicle clean.
“Remind me never to let you inside my car,” I said.
Braxton laughed. “Baby, I’ve seen the inside of your car. We rode together to the end of the den property, remember? A year ago?”
“Oh yeah. You were so talkative.” He’d spent the whole drive yapping incessantly about his house and the bathroom he was renovating. He asked me my opinion on tile colors and shower styles.
“Hey, did you end up going with the black-and-white tiles I suggested or the blue?”
“You remember that?”
“Now I do.”
“Yes, I went with the black-and-white tile. Although, I really think the blue would have looked nice too.”
“It’s your bathroom, Brax. You should have gone with what you wanted.”
“It’s our bathroom, mate. And I wanted you to have a say. I was trying to find out anything I could about you.”
This man. I really was spoiled. “You talked about yourself a lot and your house.”
“Yes, I was hoping that you would learn a little bit about me and recognize me as your mate.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
He looked back at me, reaching an arm back and patting my leg. “Nothing to be sorry for, my love. We have made the best of it. All is well that ends well.”
“We could have had more time.”
“We’re still young,” he said.
“I’m young. You’re ancient.”
He laughed. “All right, we’re pulling into town. Don’t make me look like a weirdo, talking to myself.”
It was odd being in the back, not able to look out the windows, even though I knew the drive by heart. Since he lived just a few houses down from me, we were taking the same route that I would take to get home. Every twist and turn irritated my stomach.
Then finally, he was pulling into his garage. It went dark when he put the door down after we parked. I was happy to be out of the car. I was ready to walk into his house when he swept me into his arms and carried me bridal style.
“This is tradition, right? Carry you over the threshold?” he said.
“I’m pretty sure that refers to human brides and is specifically for the threshold of your bedroom.”
“I think it’s the front door threshold. We’ll have to look it up. Either way, let me carry you inside.”
“I’ve been traveling. I should shower.”
“We could shower together.”
He sat me down in the living room, and I took in the sight of his home.
The west wall had a built-in bookshelf in the corners, with the center holding a large TV mounted on the wall. The bay window faced the south, guaranteeing us a lot of natural light throughout the year. The plush carpet was warm beneath my feet.
“Is the floor heated?” I asked.
“Yeah, I put that in when I added on to this room. I remember you said you hated that your bedroom was hardwood cause your feet were always cold in the winter.”
I blinked at him. “You heard me complain about cold feet one time, so you added heated floors to your house?”
“Just in this room. I couldn’t do the rest of the house. Maybe someday.”
I wrapped my arms around his middle. “Brax, I’m pretty sure I owe you a blow job every day for the rest of your life. You are… something else.”
He kissed my neck. “Anything for you, mate.”
His phone buzzed, and I stepped out of his embrace. “For God’s sakes, I’ve been home for two seconds. What do these people want? Hello,” he answered, “Yes, I just pulled in. No, I’m not— Do I really need to? Dammit, Westley, I really just want to relax.”
He hung up.
“What did my brother want?”
“Well… he may or may not know that I went after you. So when he saw my truck drive by, he had a few questions.”
“What? I thought you said you didn’t talk to my family about me being your mate.”
“I didn’t until I saw you leave. Then I sort of blurted it out to Westley and Jules. I had to find out where you were going. I had to talk to someone. It was him.”
A yawn overtook me then, and I couldn’t really bring myself to worry about what my brother was going to do with that information. If he hadn’t told my parents yet, there was a good chance he was waiting to hear from me.
“C’mon, mate. Let’s get you into bed. You’re exhausted.”
I was not going to argue with that.