Chapter 13 #2
I couldn’t help but steal another quick kiss, and then I closed the driver’s door.
Duncan pulled on his seat belt and then started the SUV.
He wasn’t wrong. It was expensive. But a lot of vehicles were, and this one would be more capable in the winter if we ever had a rare storm.
We didn’t get a lot of snow, but there was always the chance that everything would align perfectly and we’d have a significant storm.
I left Duncan to get sorted in the SUV and walked across the parking lot to my truck. After I climbed in, I pulled out my phone and quickly checked the messages.
Silver: You won’t believe this. Flint found his mate! He’s not sure he’s too happy, but she came into the office today and our brother looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
I snorted.
Me: That’s awesome. Hopefully he doesn’t mess up too much. Can’t talk now though. Duncan and I finally made it to the dealership. He picked the color.
I hit Send and then started the truck. I quickly put on my seat belt, and after checking behind me, I backed out of my spot.
I slowly pulled up behind Duncan and then just passed him.
When he backed out from the spot, I pulled forward more and then around the parking area.
Getting out of the lot would take a bit more time because I didn’t want to pull out unless Duncan had a chance to pull out right behind me.
We made it out and onto the street without much issue, and then we were on our way back to the house.
It wasn’t that we were terribly far from the house, but we did have to leave Whispering Pines to get to the dealership.
I was learning new things about my mate all the time, and I was surprised that he hadn’t really ventured far from Whispering Pines.
But then I thought about what all he’d done in the last six years, and it made sense to some extent.
He’d just survived. Which made me sad that my wonderful mate hadn’t had any fun in his life yet.
“How are you doing back there?” I glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled. It wasn’t difficult to keep track of Duncan’s SUV. The blue was quite bright.
“I’m probably going to white-knuckle drive the entire trip home. This thing is gorgeous and huge compared to my station wagon. What are we going to do with it anyway? We can’t leave it on the street.”
“No, we can’t. I thought we could sell it, and then you could put that money in your account.
” I knew from talking to Silver that it had been a positive thing for Charlie to not lose everything that he’d had when they first mated.
That was why they rented out his bungalow instead of selling it.
If Duncan was able to sell his car and put that money in his account, hopefully, he would feel a little more relaxed about things. Maybe.
“I can get probably five hundred for it.”
“You get what you get. But it’ll be yours, and you can do with it what you wish.
The Sequoia is yours. It will always be available for you to drive, so you won’t have to worry about not having a vehicle.
” And I wouldn’t have to worry about him not having a reliable one.
“Are you really that nervous driving it home? Would you feel more comfortable driving my truck?”
“What? No. The thought of driving your truck terrifies me, actually. I’m good back here.”
I peeked at him again in the rearview mirror, and he seemed like he was doing okay.
We would maybe need to take the SUV out and about in the neighborhood.
Perhaps driving it around in a familiar area would help him become more comfortable driving it.
It was quite a bit bigger than his car, but that didn’t take much.
Every turn as we drove from the dealership toward the house, I double-checked and made certain Duncan was right there behind me.
“Finally,” he said through our bond once we turned onto the main road that went past the neighborhood. I chuckled at that.
“See somewhere familiar?”
“Yes. I realize that the dealership wasn’t too far from home, but I’ve never been there before, and it was stressful. Why is traffic so much more hectic there?”
“Probably because it’s more central to businesses.
We’re in the suburbs. It’s just traffic of people coming and going to where we just left.
” I signaled that I was turning as I approached the road that went into the neighborhood.
At least Duncan seemed to have mastered the maze that it was.
Five minutes after turning off the main road, we were pulling into the driveway.
I parked, and Duncan pulled in beside me.
His SUV would fit in the garage, and we’d eventually park it in there, but for now, I wasn’t going to push that.
Just the fact that he drove it home was enough for now.
I was out of the truck and opening the door for Duncan before he could even get his seat belt off.
“Hi, adorable,” I said as I leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss. We were home now, and I knew Duncan would be more comfortable with it here. “How was the drive?”
“Stressful.”
I moved back enough to frown at him. “I’m sorry, sweetie. You don’t have to drive it if it makes you that uncomfortable.”
Duncan sighed. “That’s not really it. I was terrified someone was going to hit me, and then you’d be mad because it’s brand-new.” He glanced over at his phone. “And Charlie was texting like crazy.” He reached for the phone and swiped up.
“That’s probably my fault,” I said.
“How does Charlie know about the new SUV?”
“I sent a pic to Silver before we left the dealership.” I reached in and unbuckled Duncan’s seat belt. “He messaged me to let me know that Flint met his mate today at work. She came in for something as a client.”
“What? Really?”
I nodded. “Yes. Come on.” I held out my hand and helped him out of the vehicle. “Eventually, we’ll have you parking in the garage. That way, when it rains, you don’t get wet getting in and out of it.” We might not get snow in the winter, but we did get rain. Quite a bit of it, in fact.
“You want me to park in the garage?”
“Eventually, yes,” I said.
Duncan looked nervous. I understood. Parking something inside a garage always brought new worries. Mainly…don’t hit anything on the way in or out.
“So what’s up with Flint? Did he sweep her off of her feet?”
I chuckled at that. “I don’t think so. I didn’t have time to talk to Silver.
From the sounds of it though, Flint wasn’t exactly thrilled with it.
” I pushed the button on the wall to close the garage door, and we entered the house.
I took the opportunity to get a good look at his behind.
I liked those jeans. They fit him perfectly, and they hugged his ass in all the right places.
“Really?” Duncan asked as he looked at me over his shoulder. I didn’t even try to hide the fact that I was staring at his ass.
“What? You have a fantastic ass.”
Duncan rolled his eyes at me. I wasn’t going to deny it. I was quite fond of all of him. His dimples got me every time I saw them though, and I’d come to the conclusion they were why I found him so adorable.
“So what do you think Flint is going to do about his mate?” Duncan placed his phone, wallet, and keys on the counter, where I had a habit of leaving them.
“I’m not sure. Silver didn’t say much, just that Flint met her when she came into the office.”
“I’m going to meet everyone this weekend, right? Including your parents?”
I pulled Duncan into my arms. “If you want. We can put them off for a bit longer if that would make you feel more comfortable.”
Duncan wrapped his arms around me and sighed as he placed his head against my chest. “I’m good to meet them.
I already know Silver and Charlie, and I’d like to meet the rest of your family.
” He held on to me for a moment. “Thank you for the SUV. You didn’t have to spend nearly that much on one, but I will admit that it’s insanely nice.
” Duncan looked up at me and grinned. “Consider me thoroughly spoiled.”
I smiled down at him. “Sweetie, I’ve just started spoiling you. Just you wait.” I leaned down and kissed his forehead before I wrapped my arms tightly around him. “You’re welcome all the same. But you needed a new car.”
“Yeah, I did. But maybe let’s hold off on anything else that expensive for a bit, okay?”
I chuckled. “I can do that,” I told him. He didn’t request that I not spoil him, just that I didn’t do it with something that expensive. Understood.