Chapter 50
JASE
While waiting for the coffee to brew, I check out the notifications on my phone, including the string of new comments in the family group chat, which is full of congratulatory messages from Mom, Tay, and Gwen, and I have to smile at the two thumbs up from my dad in a row.
It’s a running joke that he reads the messages but rarely comments, instead using a thumbs up to show he’s in agreement or giving an acknowledgement for whatever is being discussed.
My sisters joked in their comments about how happy he must be for me to bestow the double thumbs.
After that, there’s a new conversation between Mom, Tay, and Gwen from earlier this morning about the schedule for Sherry’s care with an update indicating she’s doing well, that Mitch wants to give her another day of forced shifts to ensure she’s fighting fit in a way that’ll mean the best chance for that baby to grow and thrive.
After that, the current plan is to force a shift every other day until it’s decided she no longer requires sedation.
Suddenly, my mate bursts into the room, dressed in one of my button-down shirts.
I’m thrown for a half a beat because she’s not wearing her glasses and also not squinting to see me like she always does without them.
She’s worn those eyeglasses since she was small, but mating removed the need for them. Mating me granted her a wolf and perfect vision and I feel pretty damn good about those two things.
Though, I might miss the glasses, the way she wiggles her nose to adjust them, not to mention the cute way she squints to look at me on the rare occasion she has them off for a minute.
“I was bringing breakfast upstairs,” I advise.
“You were taking too long,” she says with a shake of her head.
And I’m about to suggest she throw away all her clothes and just wear my shirts from now on when she slaps the counter and demands, “Forget coffee cake. I want some bloody, raw meat. Fast!”
I guess I’m not fast enough because she yanks the fridge open and surveys the ingredients.
“I’m gonna eat some and see if it makes me shift,” she declares.
I step up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, using my chin to brush her hair aside so I can put my mouth to my mark on her.
Bailey shivers and melts into me which soothes the beast within like nothing I’ve ever experienced. Fuck, this feels good.
“Why is there no raw meat in here?” she asks, annoyed.
“Have some cake and coffee and we’ll thaw something,” I suggest, kissing her mate mark and backing up.
“Drats. That’ll take forever,” she complains, opening the freezer door. “Unless I use the defrost on your microwave. Hm…”
“You haven’t even had coffee yet. My mate doesn’t usually face the day without her caffeine.”
“Your mate wants something meaty!”
“I got somethin’ meaty for ya,” I drawl.
Humor lights up her face. “But I want meaty and bloody. And no way do I want you to be bloody because I can’t help but sink my teeth into you.”
“Then, let’s thaw something.”
She wrinkles her nose. “Turns out that technically it’s myoglobin, that comes out of meat, which is different from blood.”
“If that’s the case, it’d be meat, not blood you’re after, Baileypedia.”
“I feel like maybe it’s the sight of what looks like blood,” she declares, moving things around in the freezer. “Maybe that with the smell of the meat.”
“You want me to shift and go hunt you something?”
She looks at me like I’m out of my mind. “What? Some poor little fluffy woodland creature? No way!”
She says this now, but there will be times when her wolf craves the hunt. I don’t bother enlightening her. No reason to upset her.
The coffee maker beeps, so Bailey abandons the fridge and moves to the counter, getting on her tiptoes to reach up for two mugs.
While I’m admiring the view she adds, “I was about to suggest we go to the butcher shop in town for some fresh steaks, but–”
“Hold that thought. I’ll send someone to buy them.” I grab my phone to fire a text off to my council group chat to ask if someone can ask a beta to run to town for us.
“Anything else you want?” I ask while she’s making the coffees. “We aren’t leaving the house today.”
“I want to eat meat and try to shift. So, if I can manage that, I want to run afterwards. With you. And that’s leaving the house…”
“Okay, baby. You want any more groceries added to the list?”
She’s stirring the coffees now, pushing one toward me. “Nope. I think I’ve got all I need right here.” She sips from her mug, holding eye contact.
I set my phone on the counter beside my mug. “Come here.”
She puts her cup down and walks the two steps to me.
I snatch her and lift her up to sit her on the counter, holding her hips while burying my face in her chest.
“You washed me away,” I note, rounding her body with my arms and pulling her closer. I tsk.
“I told you… sticky.”
“You still smell of me. But not enough.”
She runs her fingers through my hair and puts her cheek on top of my head and says, “I love this.”
I love the happiness in her voice.
“I love us,” she adds, and she says it in a way I know she really means it.
I press a kiss between her breasts and lift her from the counter, devouring her mouth and swallowing a sweet whimper while she’s got all four limbs wrapped around me.
“How badly do you want coffee and breakfast?” I ask.
“Less than I want to try shifting but… sorry… a little more than I want to be sticky again.”
I throw my head back and laugh. Her expression is one of joy. As it should be. I slap her backside and put her on a chair at the dining table.
“Sit there. I’ll bring your coffee and cake.”
And then I’ll be marking her again.
I grab and deliver those, grab my coffee and my phone and sit beside her. She tears a piece of the cake off and holds it out for me. I lean forward and have a bite.
We hold eye contact for a minute and she says, “This togetherness with you? It is exactly what I’ve always wanted.” She leans forward and presses her lips to mine.
I never knew I wanted this, but now that I’ve got it, I can’t imagine anything better. I also can’t imagine anybody but Bailey being the one to share it with.
I’m about to tell her this when my phone sounds off with a reply from Linc, who says he’s in town, so he’ll pick up some steaks for us.
The council group chat is also full of congratulatory messages from the other guys.
The doorbell chimes and I watch my mate’s neck stretch and her little nostrils flare as she tries to assess who it is.
Oh. I know who it is.
Bailey squeals and runs for the door.
I follow and see her throw the door open and dash out to the porch.
“Yo!” she shouts. “Get that sexy ass back here!”
I step out and see a bakery box and two extra-large take-out coffees from the coffee shop in town.
Cicely obviously planned to play a game of ding dong ditch, leaving treats behind, and she’s now running toward the porch with Bailey running toward her.
Bailey nearly wipes out leaving the bottom step, which makes me hiss, but Cicely catches her and now both girls are laughing with their arms wrapped around one another, jumping up and down on the driveway.
Jared Stone grins from the driver’s seat of Cicely’s car.
He lifts his fingers from the steering wheel in a wave.
I jerk my chin up, a twin grin on my own face.
These two are giggling and shaking one another with their arms around one another and it’s as if they’ve forgotten the two of us are even here.
Cicely is saying she didn’t want to disturb us, just wanted to bring coffee and Bailey’s favorite muffins after catching my scent on the breeze. They promise to catch up properly in a few days and then Cicely is heading back to her car, waving at me.
She calls out, “Congrats, Creed. You got yourself the best girl around.”
“Thanks, Sis. Congrats to you guys, too. Real glad things are good with you two.”
“Things aren’t just good. They’re great,” Cicely beams.
“I’m so happy for you!” Bailey sings out.
“I’m so happy for you!” Cicely sings back.
They both giggle happily while waving to one another and I find myself grinning at Jared who’s grinning back.
My face is stretched not just because of how cute my mate is acting, but also because I’ve never seen Cicely act cute like this before.
I’ve also never seen Jared Stone do more than crack half a smile and here he is grinning from ear to ear.
Crazy what finding your soulmate will do for you.
“Wait!” Bailey shouts and runs back toward the car.
And I feel my spine snap straight as she’s further away from me, out on the street wearing nothing but my shirt, but she gets to the passenger side and excitedly declares, “Guess what? I have a wolf!”
Cicely’s jaw drops.
“She showed up last night!” Bailey tells her.
“Holy shit!” Cicely jumps out of the car and now the two of them are hugging and bouncing again.
And my hackles go up because the bouncing means my mate is dangerously close to showing her assets in my shirt.
“She’s just a tiny puppy, showed up right after Jase claimed me, and I don’t have any control over her yet but I’m gonna try to shift again today.”
“That’s so fucking awesome!” Cicely exclaims and fuck me… Cicely Oakes, or now Cicely Stone I suppose… is crying.
I’ve seen this girl cry only once before today, the day Tyson showed up for the first time after being taken, the day we found out he wasn’t dead.
They stop bouncing and hug one another for a long minute.
Bailey’s eyes hit mine and she’s crying too. But she looks so fucking happy it makes me wish I could frame this moment and preserve it forever.
They hug one more time, promising to talk soon before Cicely gets back into the car.
I lift the bakery box and the coffee tray as my barefoot, smiling mate (who is about to get sticky whether she wants to or not) passes me to walk into our house.
“Good news and bad news,” I advise.
She looks over her shoulder questioningly.