Chapter Seventeen
Remi
My poor omega. Once he got back to his life, he found out only days later that his whole life was crumbling around him.
We texted all day and talked every night, but I missed him every second.
It was strange to have your soul mate for a weekend and then they were gone, like I was missing an appendage. Something was hollow inside me.
Bowen lost his job only three days after getting home.
And with his job, his cabin. Cabins were reserved for rangers to live in and if you weren’t a ranger, then it was rented to people visiting.
His heart was broken but he also saw the bright side.
He was free to come live with me, and he knew the invitation was open. It always had been.
I arrived at the airport an hour before his plane landed. My brother and sister and her mate all decided to join me. They were all excited to meet our new family member. I thought maybe it was too much to bombard him at the airport, but they told me if I didn’t bring them, they would come anyway.
“Are you excited?” Noel asked, linking her arm with mine.
“I am. It’s been weeks but it feels like years.”
We looked up at the board to see that Bowen’s plane was arriving twenty minutes early. My stomach tightened into a ball of nerves.
I was nervous about this transition. I loved him and wanted him to live with me forever, but we had to learn each other’s peeves and habits.
As long as we were kind and loving, we could get through anything, I thought.
“There he is,” I said, seeing him in the line. My panther roared. Our mate was back. Here.
And soon, he would be in our home, right where we wanted him to be all along.
I would never take this for granted.
When Bowen saw me, he stopped in his tracks. My stomach dropped. Had he changed his mind? Had something happened?
Then he took off at a run and I did the same. By the time we reached each other, tears flowed from our eyes.
“I’m here, alpha,” he whispered as he threw his arms around my neck. I held him tight as others moved around us, some of them awing at our expression of love.
“Thank goodness. I missed you so damned much.”
I introduced him to my family, and he and Noel hit it off right away. Once we got back to the nursery, I gave him a small tour, but really I wanted to show him our cabin. It was important to me that he feel completely at home. It was his space now too.
The staff loved Bowen. I knew they would. How could they not?
“Where are we off to now?” he asked, getting into the car.
“To our cabin,” I answered, threading my fingers through his. “What did you think about the nursery?”
“It’s great. It’s rare to find a place where the employees are truly happy. You’ve done so well for yourself.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to me that you are happy here.” I looked over at him as I turned into my driveway. “Mostly I’m happy that I have you all to myself now.”
He chuckled. “I can’t believe I’m here.” Leaning forward with wide eyes, he gasped. “Remi, this is your house?”
“Nope.” I overpronounced the P. “It’s our house now. Come on. Let’s go in.”
We left his bags in the car and walked inside.
I had plants everywhere but opted to let them run wild instead of making beds and keeping them in pots.
Seeing them grow unbridled made it feel more natural.
I could have a completely landscaped lawn, but for my personal home, I preferred it more… feral.
We walked into the house and he looked around. My panther stirred, wondering what he thought of our home. If our mate didn’t like it, I would build something else. I wasn’t married to this place, especially if our mate didn’t want to live here.
“It’s beautiful, alpha,” he turned to face me.
“Are you sure? You can change whatever you like. I don’t…” I scratched the back of my head, more vulnerable than I remembered being in a long time.
“I might change a few things over time, but it’s really lovely.”
I let out a long sigh of relief. “I was afraid you wouldn’t like it.”
“And then what would happen?”
“We would build something else. Something you liked. I don’t care where we live as long as you are there with me.”
He came over and melted into my arms. “I feel the same way, Remi. Wherever you are is home. When I went back to my place after the inn, well, none of it felt like home anymore.”
His stomach growled, making us both laugh. “Time to feed my mate,” I said.
In anticipation of having him here, I’d put a beef roast in the Crock-Pot, along with vegetables. While I cooked, Bowen took his shoes off and relaxed on the couch, but I felt his eyes on me.
“See something you like?” I asked, putting the biscuits in the oven.
“Very much. After we eat, I’d love the full tour. Bedroom included. Oh, that reminds me. I should go get my bags.”
I turned around and leaned on the counter. “Won’t be much need for clothes tonight, omega.”
While we ate, he expressed concern over living here with me and not having an income. It didn’t bother me in the least, but I knew my omega was independent and wanted to contribute financially to the household. I respected him for that.
“You’ll find something. You’re smart and responsible. You have experience. Like I said, there are tons of parks around here.”
“You’re more confident than me.” He leaned back, patting his tummy. Good. My mate was full.