Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Oakley
Auburn was acting strange lately. I knew he was not Mason, but I had to admit, some of the lingering betrayal feelings had crept in over the last week. So, when I got a text near the end of my shift asking if he could pick me up so we could talk, I panicked.
Tim had been watching me closely, but even closer was Daisy’s eye. She made sure I ate enough. Made me take four breaks instead of one, especially as my belly grew bigger. That also required a larger size in my work shirt.
Sometimes being pregnant was quite overwhelming, and that was an understatement.
I left the nursery and got into Auburn’s car. On Fridays, Auburn hired a manager and some local teens to run the ice cream shop, but we didn’t stray far from the shop even for a date or a night out.
“Hey, my love,” he said, leaning in for a kiss. He was dressed in his ice-cream attire, a polo with his emblem across his chest.
“Hi. What’s going on?” I asked. No time to waste. I had to put my seat belt on under my stomach. That bothered me. I wished someone would invent something a bit more comfortable for preggers like me.
“I have a big surprise for you. Something I’ve been planning for weeks.”
Instantly, my body relaxed. How silly of me to doubt Auburn. He had nothing to make me think twice about his intentions. Old wounds took a long time to close up.
“I thought something was going on.”
“It was. Something huge. I hope you two are ready.”
He put his hand over my belly and then took mine in his. We drove from the nursery through the town and, when we got close to the house we’d toured a few months ago, my heart stopped.
“Where are we going?” I asked with a shaky voice.
“Right here.” He parked in front of the house and got out. I knew better than to try and get out. Even after we were mated and I was pregnant, Auburn insisted on opening my door for me. I thought the gentleman part of him would fizzle but it hadn’t. “Come on, mate.”
“Why are we here?” Apparently, I was full of questions.
“Because I’m making one more dream come true. This time, it’s for both of us.”
I gasped and slapped my hands over my mouth after standing. Auburn held up a set of keys and some paperwork. “You didn’t. Mate, you didn’t.”
He smiled. The biggest one I’d ever seen. “I did.” He grabbed my hand, but my legs and knees weren’t currently working right. “What is it? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?”
I nodded, already crying. “You bought us a house?”
“We bought a house but yeah, I did it. It’s in both our names.” When I didn’t respond, his shoulders slumped. “Please tell me you didn’t change your mind about this place.”
Shaking my head, I laughed. “Not for an instant, but I thought it was out of reach.”
“The ice cream shop is doing well and, even after the down payment, we have a lot in savings. Don’t you want to see it again? Now that it’s ours.”
First things first. I rose on tiptoe and gave him the most grateful kiss I knew how to. He grabbed my waist and pulled me tight. “Thank you, mate. I can’t believe you did this.”
“Believe it. You’ve got to pick out all the furniture though. I’m no good at those things, but I did pick out one piece. If you hate it, tell me. No hard feelings.”
“I doubt there will be any hard feelings, Auburn. You bought us a house. A whole house.”
He chuckled and led me inside. Somehow, the house was more beautiful now that it was our home. There was no furniture, but the sunset poured in through the bare windows and gave the place a glow that only nature could create.
“What did you buy?” I asked, not seeing anything.
“Upstairs. It’s only one thing. Don’t get too excited.”
Was he kidding? Look how our lives had changed, and he expected me not to get too excited? Auburn didn’t let me climb the stairs. He carried me up them as if I weighed nothing. Bear shifter genetics were fantastic.
“Here we are. It doesn’t have to be this room but it gets the best sun and…”
“It’s gorgeous. You picked this out?”
Auburn nodded and shrugged. He was unsure if I liked it or not. I knew my mate.
“I love it. The room. The house. The crib. I was looking at this exact one the other day.”
He snorted. “Yeah, I kind of cheated. It was on the browser history and I saw you’d looked at it a few times. But we can always exchange or return…”
“Hey.” I got in front of him and cupped his face with my hands. “It’s perfect. Absolutely. I’m so thankful you did all this. I love you, Auburn. We love you.”
My mate rubbed circles on my belly. “We?”
“Yes. He loves his papa more than anything, just like I do. I couldn’t ask for a more loving mate, Auburn. I feel like I should give you something in return.”
“What?” he said a little forcefully. “You have given me everything, Oakley. A home in you and your heart. You’re carrying our cub. You helped me when I was alone. You are the most important dream come true. You deserve all of this and more.”
We stayed in the house for a few hours and even had dinner delivered there. Auburn and I got giddy eating on the floor again, reminiscing about when we used to eat picnic-style on the floor of the ice cream shop.
This life with my mate was what dreams were made of.