Chapter Sixteen
Rafe
When I bought this place, I thought it would be way too big for me. And it was, but it was a good deal, brokered for me by the company and recommended as an appropriate type of home for one of their junior executives. The unspoken part was it would be perfect for a full exec. Which I hoped, now that I had mates to host all the social stuff, would be my new job.
The things that were said in the elevator that day rang in my head. We would be entertaining here, inviting business associates, clients…politicians we were schmoozing. I hoped my mates would be okay with that.
“Moving day!” Pierce bounced into the room, grinning from ear to ear. “Not that I’ve been home much lately.”
“This is your home,” I reminded him. “It’s just a matter of getting your stuff out of the place you hardly ever go anymore and here where it belongs.”
We’d spent more and more of our time at the loft, easing into a routine that worked for all of us. Quill was bartending at Animals and enjoying it. Pierce spent his days job hunting even though I told him he should step back and consider maybe pausing the search and taking some classes or getting a certification for something he might like. I made enough for all of us, Quill did very well with tips, but our omega was a proud male who didn’t like the idea of others having to pay his way. Nothing would change his mind.
“Anyway, I have a meeting at the office and then I’ll leave at noon for the big move. I wanted the whole day, but Jonah insisted I come in. Don’t do all the heavy lifting without me.”
I kissed my mates goodbye and hustled out to work, beyond annoyed that I couldn’t get one day off to move my mates. Sometimes, it wasn’t worth the money. I’d been interviewed by various partners so many times I wanted to tell them to promote me or don’t, but stop the nonsense. No longer was work the only satisfaction in my life.
In a particularly irritating episode of déjà vu, the elevator doors were about to close when Jonah stepped inside. Just the two of us in the car, like that day when he’d told me I needed a mate in order to be promoted. Leading to me trying to contract one. Leading to everything good in my life now.
“Good morning, Rafe.” He straightened his jacket, facing front. “Thank you for taking the time to come in this morning.”
“I did—do have something important to take care of, but you asked, so I’m here.” I fixed my gaze on the steel doors as well.
“The partners want to meet with you as a group this morning concerning the promotion. You and Stew are the final two, and they are speaking with him as well.”
“I see. Thank you.” I truly was tired of it all. “Either way, I am glad to be associated with the firm and will continue to do my best every day.”
He hit the stop button. Déjà vu squared. He faced me. “Did you consider what I suggested the last time we met in similar circumstances?”
“I did, of course.”
“And?”
“And I attempted a contract mating to satisfy that requirement.”
A smile broke out on his face and he clapped me on the back. “A contract mating. That sounds familiar, and it can work out just fine. It’s not a love match, of course, but two compatible people can find a way to live in harmony.”
“Jonah. I said I attempted one. It did not work out.”
His face fell. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“And while I’ve decided that my personal life, as long as it’s law abiding and I am not doing anything to embarrass the company with bad behavior, is my business. I try to be an asset here, and my promotion should be based on that.”
There was nothing more to say, and I was confident that I would not get the promotion, so I went into the meeting cheerful and relaxed. I answered their questions, none of which were new, and returned to my office to await their decision. At lunchtime, when I hadn’t heard anything, I finished up what I’d been working on and stood up. I was putting my jacket on when a rap came on the door and Jonah stuck his head in. “Busy?”
“Just getting ready to leave. Any news?”
He pushed the door open and stepped in, closing it behind him. “I don’t know how you did it. They were adamant about a ‘stable home life,’ meaning a marriage or similar situation. But they chose you based on your qualifications. I wish I’d had your courage and not made a decision that well, that made other choices later on impossible.”
Had he met someone since his marriage? Someone perfect for him? Instead of the person who he had an arrangement with? I didn’t ask, but I sensed this was the case.
“I don’t know that I had any courage. I told you I tried to do as you suggested. It just didn’t work out.”
“So, you can have your cake and eat it too. Be a partner and a single man about town.”
I pulled out my phone and hid a smile. “I never said I was single.”
“You said it didn’t work out. You’ve told me that twice.”
“Right.” I swiped the phone and handed it to him. “These are my mates. The one I attempted to contract and the one I met that same night. Because I tried to do as you asked, I somehow found true love.” A term he’d understand better than fated mates. “Do you think having them will make the partners retract their offer? I’ve never lied. I just told them I preferred my private life to stay that way.”
“Your mates are handsome, and the way they are looking at you in this picture…you really did find true love.” He passed me back the phone, his eyes so full of pain my breath caught. “I’m very happy for you, and congratulations on your promotion.”
An hour later, I was helping to fill boxes and carry things from Quill’s place to the U-Haul we’d rented. My mates were joking with one another and teasing me about being a big shot, and I had that feeling of everything being right with the world that I didn’t think I’d ever experienced before I met them.
And when we went to bed that night, it wouldn’t be in my home or one of theirs—where we had spent a night or two here or there—but ours. Our home. It sounded as good as it felt.