Chapter Eighteen
Briar
I’d spent most of the day getting the month’s schedule up online. Making sure all the bases were covered was a full-time job in itself.
Worth every second.
The studio was booming and this week, I had someone coming in who would teach some of the late-night classes for me. From the next county over. He taught yoga online, and his videos did well. Still, he craved some in-person interaction with his students.
I could concentrate on the classes I loved the most.
And tonight, I had a date with my mate. I’d been feeling a little off in the mornings. We’d chalked it up to needing more sleep, and Foster’s answer to that was spending the night at his own place.
It made my bear anxious. Our bond was not new anymore but still blooming.
Foster had made some big strides and came to early morning breath sessions regularly, but sometimes he struggled with the pressures. Pressures he put on himself.
I showered quickly and got dressed. We were going to a new Hawaiian food truck that had opened up over the weekend. They set up tables outside and everyone was raving about the unique creations. I was particularly looking forward to the loco moco plate.
“I’m here, Briar.” I was still in my bedroom when I heard the front door open. Foster now had a key. Sometimes he showed up with coffee or late-night snacks. One busy week in particular, he bought me groceries and put them all away while I was at the studio.
The more relaxed he became, the more love oozed out of him. He was free to love me. Free to be himself.
It was beautiful to see him bloom.
“I’m almost ready. Today was a day. How was yours?” I called out but didn’t have to wait for the answer long.
Foster walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. He turned to kiss my neck. “I found a social media manager. Someone to take over regular posting. I’ll still oversee it, but it will give me more time to handle other things.”
“And to have some time to yourself,” I replied.
“You have the new teacher coming this week too. He’s still on board? Jonathan?”
“Yes.” I turned in his arms and kissed his chest. “More free time for me as well. What shall we do with all of this freedom?”
The alpha leaned forward and kissed my forehead. He inhaled deeply, and I knew he could scent my desire. Hell, I could smell how much I wanted him. “Not until after dinner, sweet omega. I know how much you’ve been wanting to go to this new place. Come on before, I change my mind.”
“Fine. Fine.”
We decided to walk, since both of us could use the fresh air. I wrapped my sweater around me tighter while leaning into Foster’s warmth. There was a full moon. It was the perfect night.
Everyone recognized us. We spent a good amount of time greeting others before ordering. Everything smelled incredible. Grilled meats. Fruit. Salty soy sauce.
Foster ordered the loco moco plates for both of us, but we soon found out that one split between us would’ve been enough. It was so much food for a reasonable price. We also wanted to save room for the fresh malasadas being fried right outside the truck.
We talked shop for a while and I loved how we balanced each other out. Foster had looked over some of my spreadsheets and numbers and said how well the studio was doing. I wasn’t the best businessperson, but I knew how to work the budget and keep myself in the green.
Foster had ideas about maybe renting a new studio, a bigger one. Or building one.
For now, he respected that I was happy where I was, even though things got crowded sometimes.
But I’d also gotten some requests from local schools about teaching some of my classes to the kids, young and older.
Being around kids all the time made me think about having my own, and I decided to broach the subject.
“Foster, can we talk about something?” I asked in between the meal and dessert.
“Of course.”
I let myself pause for a moment. This was a big deal.
“Do you…in the future…I mean, have you thought about kids?” Before he could answer, I went on.
My anxiousness often had me overexplaining and making my case clear.
“It’s just that being around those kids so much lately.
It made me think I might want to have some of my own someday and… ”
Foster leaned back in his chair. “I never thought about it before you. There was never a reason to. I knew I wanted to be with my fated before considering a family, but now…yes. Now. Later. Whenever you want. It’s your choice.”
I laughed with relief. “That’s good. That makes me very happy.”
“Should we start making one tonight?” he whispered in my ear.
I turned to make sure he was serious. “We could. But I want dessert first, alpha.”
He got up. “As you wish, my love.”