Chapter Seven
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TEX STOOD IN THE BACKYARD, watching the space where the greenhouse would go.
The contractor had promised to start next week, and Tex was already imagining how Nymon’s face would light up when he saw it.
His mate deserved a space to work with plants, and the apartment Tex had lived in before hadn’t cut it.
Not that Nymon had complained. He never had in the three months since they’d left Starhaven.
Through the kitchen window, Tex could see Nymon moving around inside, preparing snacks for their guests.
Nymon still moved carefully through the house sometimes, like he was afraid of breaking something.
Hopefully, he’d get used to it soon, and it would feel like home to him.
It wasn’t just the house, though. Last week, he’d stood in the grocery store for ten minutes just staring at the produce section.
Tex hadn’t seen much of Starhaven, but he imagined that with the town being so isolated, they didn’t have the abundance offered in grocery stores here.
But Nymon was adapting, slowly but surely. More importantly, he seemed happy.
“The greenhouse is going to be amazing,” Orlando said, appearing at Tex’s elbow.
He’d become a frequent visitor, often bringing Liam with him.
Liam had been a precious help when it came to planning the greenhouse, and Nymon loved talking about plants with him for hours.
“Liam’s already planning what plants to recommend.
He’s been researching steduna demon magic for weeks. ”
“Nymon will appreciate that.” Tex smiled, thinking of how his mate’s eyes had lit up the first time Liam had started asking him detailed questions about magical plant cultivation and how he could replicate it as a human.
“Are Ridge and the others inside?” Orlando asked.
“Yeah. Ridge has been here since this morning, helping me move some furniture.” Tex didn’t mention that Ridge had been distracted the entire time, constantly looking around as if he expected someone to suddenly appear. He hadn’t said anything, but Tex suspected he knew who Ridge was looking for.
They headed back inside, where the living room was finally full of furniture.
They’d had to buy it because Tex’s apartment had been much smaller than the house he and Nymon had bought.
Ridge was sprawled on the couch next to Jethro, a bear shifter whose massive frame made the furniture look child-sized.
Milton was setting up what looked like a complicated board game on the coffee table.
Both of them had trained with Tex and Orlando to become assassins, and they were close.
“No, no, you’re doing it wrong,” Milton was saying, rearranging pieces. “The resource cards go here, not there.”
“It’s a board game, not surgery,” Jethro grumbled, but he moved the cards anyway.
Liam was in the kitchen with Nymon when Tex walked in, the two of them deep in conversation about soil pH levels and magical energy transfer.
Tex had no idea what any of it meant, but he felt warmth bloom in his chest watching his mate engage so easily with his friend.
Nymon had been nervous about meeting Tex’s people, even after already meeting Ridge, Orlando, and Seymour.
He’d been worried they’d see him as an outsider.
Instead, they’d welcomed him like he’d always been part of their group.
“When’s Kael getting here?” Orlando asked, grabbing a beer from the fridge.
“Should be any minute,” Tex answered. “He texted that he was on his way.”
Kael had settled into life outside Starhaven with surprising enthusiasm, considering how scared he’d been to leave Starhaven.
Once he’d gotten over his initial terror of everything that he’d never experienced before, he’d thrown himself into doing just that.
He’d settled into Tex’s old apartment once Tex and Nymon had moved out, and it was close enough to Nymon for him to be comfortable with but far enough that he wasn’t always underfoot.
The council had readily agreed to help him support himself until he could do so on his own.
Tex suspected they wanted information on demons from him and Nymon, but so far, they hadn’t asked.
Not that Kael was worried about that. He’d started exploring the world, and every week brought a new obsession.
This week, apparently, it was pizza.
Kael had discovered how good pizza was three days ago and had been texting Nymon nonstop about it. When Tex had suggested ordering some for tonight’s gathering, Kael had practically vibrated with excitement through the phone.
Tex noticed Ridge’s head snap toward the door a second before the knock came through the open space between the kitchen and the living room. Ridge tensed, trying and failing to look casual as Jethro went to open the door.
Kael stepped into the living room just as Tex and Orlando did the same, his face flushed with excitement.
His hair was all over the place, and his eyes were bright.
“You guys, I just saw the most amazing thing on the way over. There was this street performer doing magic tricks—not real magic, obviously, but these illusions with cards and—” He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze landing on Ridge.
Ridge had sat up straighter, every line of his body focused on Kael with an intensity that would’ve been unsettling if Tex hadn’t suspected what was going on between the two.
He didn’t have confirmation, and he wasn’t going to ask Ridge, but there was only one logical explanation for how focused Ridge always was when Kael was close.
Kael’s mouth snapped shut. His cheeks flushed a darker pink. “Hi, Ridge,” he said, his voice quieter.
“Kael.” Ridge’s voice was rough. “You made it.”
“Yeah. I...yeah.” Kael seemed to remember he was still standing in the doorway and moved further into the room, but his eyes kept darting back to Ridge. “Is that pizza I smell?”
“In the kitchen,” Nymon answered, emerging from the kitchen. “We were waiting for you to eat.” He caught Tex’s eye, and they smiled at each other. Tex’s heart settled in his chest.
“I ordered five different kinds,” Tex said, enjoying the smile that brought to Kael’s face.
“Five?” Kael’s eyes widened. “That seems like a lot.”
“Trust me, with this group, we’ll be lucky if there’s any left over,” Jethro said dryly. “Milton can eat his weight in pepperoni.”
“That’s not true,” Milton protested. “I can eat at least twice my weight in pepperoni. It’s the best pizza.”
Everyone laughed, and Kael relaxed slightly. He moved toward the kitchen, but he had to pass by the couch where Ridge sat. As he did, Ridge’s hand twitched like he wanted to reach out. He didn’t, but Kael noticed, and the flush on his cheeks deepened.
Tex felt Nymon’s amusement through their bond and had to suppress a smile.
Those two were going to drive each other and everyone around them crazy before they finally figured things out.
Tex wasn’t sure why Ridge wasn’t doing more or talking to anyone about it, but he was sure his friend had his reasons, and he wasn’t going to push.
This was none of his business, and he wouldn’t intervene as long as no one got hurt.
“So,” Orlando said loudly, clearly trying to give Kael a moment to gather himself in the kitchen. “What’s this game Milton’s setting up?”
“It’s a strategy game,” Milton explained eagerly. “You build settlements, collect resources, trade with other players, things like that.”
“Sounds complicated,” Jethro muttered.
“It’s not that bad once you get the hang of it,” Liam assured him, returning from the kitchen with Kael in tow and the pizzas. “Although Orlando tends to have a creative interpretation of the rules.”
“I prefer to think of it as innovative gameplay,” Orlando said with a grin.
They set up the pizzas, plates, drinks, and napkins around the board game on the coffee table. No one talked while everyone was busy choosing pizza and eating. Kael was holding a plate with three different pizza slices, his eyes wide as he examined them. “Which one should I try first?”
“The margherita,” Ridge said immediately. “Start simple, work your way up to the meat lovers.”
Everyone turned to look at him, and Ridge shifted under the attention. Kael smiled at him. “Okay,” he said. “Margherita first.”
He sat down on the floor near the coffee table, leaving the couch spot next to Ridge open. Ridge stared at that empty space like it was mocking him.
After a long moment, he moved down to the floor too, positioning himself next to Kael. “You want me to explain the toppings?”
“Yes, please,” Kael said, and launched into questions about cheese varieties, and tomato sauce, and whether all pizza places were the same or if there were differences.
Ridge answered each question with patience that Tex had rarely seen from him. His entire focus was on Kael, and it was like the rest of the room and the other people in it had stopped existing.
Nymon settled next to Tex on the other couch, fitting perfectly under his arm. Through their bond, Tex felt his mate’s contentment, his happiness at having Kael here, safe, and experiencing new things.
“They’re going to be fine,” Tex murmured, knowing Nymon worried about his friend.
“I know.” Nymon leaned into him. “Ridge is good for him. Patient. And Kael’s braver than he thinks he is.”
“Takes after his best friend that way.”
Nymon huffed a soft laugh. “I wasn’t brave. I was terrified.”
“You left everything you knew to take a chance on me.” Tex pressed a kiss to his temple. “That’s the definition of brave.”
“I did leave for you, and that made it easier.”
Orlando cleared his throat loudly. “Are you two going to be gross and romantic all night, or are we playing this game?”
“We can do both,” Tex said, not moving from his comfortable position with his mate tucked against his side. “Besides, it’s not like you and Liam are any less gross.”
Tex looked down at his mate. Nymon had chosen to trust him. He’d chosen to leave everything behind and to build a new life with him. He didn’t care if they were gross. In fact, he hoped they’d continue being grossly in love for the rest of their lives.
The evening settled into comfortable chaos that made Tex feel warm.
Liam and Nymon fell into another conversation about plant propagation techniques.
Milton accused Jethro of cheating. Orlando laughed so hard he nearly fell off the couch.
Kael exclaimed over every bite of pizza he ate, and Ridge watched him with adoring eyes.
This was home, Tex realized. Not the house, although he loved what he and Nymon were building here. Home was having his mate by his side, their friends gathered around, and the comfort of people who cared about each other.
Through the window, he could see the space where the greenhouse would go.
In a few months, Nymon would have a proper place to grow the plants he loved.
Maybe eventually they’d figure out a way for him to visit Starhaven again, to check on what he’d left behind and retrieve more of his things. But even if they didn’t, they had this.
They had each other, and really, what more did they need?