Dane
The smell of charcoal hit me the second I stepped out of my truck. For a moment, I just sat there with my hands on the steering wheel.
The last time we'd had a family cookout like this, I'd stood behind a grill listening to my parents discuss my nonexistent love life.
I'd watched my brothers with their mates and tried not to feel like the odd wolf out. It was funny how much could change in a few weeks. Seth reached over and squeezed my knee.
"You okay?" Seth asked.
I looked at him. Gosh, but he looked good.
Seth, who stole my fries first at a hotel room, then many times after. The man who always smelled faintly of vanilla and coffee.
Seth, who somehow managed to occupy half my thoughts without even trying.
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "Just thinking."
“You have a tendency to overthink things,” Seth pointed out.
“True, and I apologise for that,” I told him.
He laughed. That laugh still did things to me. We got out of the truck together and headed toward the backyard. The noise reached us before we even rounded the house.
There were loud voices and laughter. Pampi was barking like she'd personally been offended by something.
It was the familiar chaos of my family, and for the first time in a very long time, I wasn't dreading it. Seth was beside me after all, and this time we weren’t a fake couple.
That made all the difference.
"Look who finally showed up," Mark called.
Zack waved from a lawn chair. Chris had Pampi tucked under one arm while unsuccessfully trying to stop her from stealing food. Jaime was laughing at something Mason had said.
Near the grill, Carter and Devon were arguing about the best way to grill burgers.
The whole scene felt familiar and comforting. It was home, and this time I wasn't standing on the outside looking in, secretly envious of my brothers and their mates.
Seth bumped his shoulder lightly against mine.
"Your family somehow got louder,” Seth remarked.
"They've been practicing."
"I believe it."
We joined everyone. Almost immediately Seth was absorbed into the conversation. Mom appeared out of nowhere to greet us.
"Oh good, you're here."
Her attention immediately shifted to Seth.
"How's the café doing?"
"Busy," Seth said.
"You still making those blueberry danishes?" Mom asked hopefully.
I nearly laughed, because I wasn’t surprised she remembered anything Seth’s cafe put out.
Seth smiled. "We are."
"Good. Those are dangerous,” mom said.
"They're one of our best sellers."
"See?" Mom pointed at me. "I knew I wasn't the problem."
"You absolutely are the problem," I said.
She ignored me completely. Seth grinned. A little later Levi cornered him near the drinks table.
"So when's that peach pastry coming back?" Levi asked.
Seth blinked. "The seasonal one?"
"Yes,” Levi said with a nod.
"You remember that?" Seth couldn’t help but ask.
Levi looked offended. "Of course I remember it."
Seth laughed. "I'll let the baker know she has a fan club."
Nearby, Devon leaned against the fence.
"You realize," he told Seth, "if you keep feeding this family pastries, you're stuck with us forever."
Seth looked over. "That sounds suspiciously like a threat."
"It is."
"Good to know,” Seth answered.
Everyone laughed. I watched the exchange quietly.
Nobody treated Seth like a guest anymore, or someone temporary. It was natural and effortless, the way my family accepted people once they decided they cared about them.
I glanced toward Seth. He'd noticed too. I could tell.
The slight softness in his expression gave him away, and his shoulders seemed more relaxed now. It was as if he'd finally stopped waiting for someone to tell him he didn't belong here.
My chest felt warm. For the first time in years, I wasn't looking at what everyone else had.
I no longer compared myself to Carter and Devon, Mark and Zack, Chris and Jaime, or Levi and Mason. I wasn't wondering when my turn would come.
Every time I looked around today, my eyes kept finding Seth, and every time they did, I felt ridiculously lucky.
A while later I found myself standing near the edge of the yard with a drink in hand. Mom joined me. I braced myself automatically from years of conditioning.
She followed my gaze toward Seth, who was currently being interrogated by Zack and Mason about pastries.
Then she smiled. It wasn’t her plotting or matchmaking smile. She genuinely seemed glad for me, and that took me slightly back.
"You look happy,” she remarked.
I blinked. Was that was it? There were no prodding questions, or concerned looks. I looked back toward Seth, toward the life unfolding in front of me, and realized she was right.
"I am," I admitted.
Mom squeezed my arm. For a second I saw the relief there.
I like to think it wasn’t because I'd found a mate, or that I’d finally caught up to my brothers, but because she could see I was genuinely happy. That mattered more.
Eventually the afternoon softened into evening, the sun dipped lower, and the conversation slowed. People settled into chairs, and grabbed drinks.
At one point Seth stood beside me watching everyone laugh, and share stories. Was he observing the easy way my family moved around one another?
He was quiet enough that I noticed.
“Is something the matter?” I asked.
He hesitated.
Then said softly, "You all fit together so easily. That’s all.”
I followed his gaze and saw Carter laughing at something Devon said. Chris was chasing Pampi. My parents were teasing Mark. Years and years of shared history.
"I guess we do,” I said.
Seth nodded. Something uncertain flickered briefly across his face. Old insecurity perhaps, one I'd seen before. I turned toward him.
"You're part of it now,” I informed him.
His eyes lifted to mine. For a second he looked genuinely surprised. Then something softened, vulnerability maybe. The sight made my chest ache.
Before he could say anything, Chris shouted from across the yard. "Dane!"
I looked over, a little bit miffed Chris interrupted our little moment.
"What?" I demanded.
“Dad wants help moving the lawn chairs. Bring your mate, too,” Chris said.
Without thinking, I glanced at Seth and noticed his cheeks were slightly pink. He didn’t miss the word Chris had used, or the matter-of-fact way he said it.
The silence lasted exactly half a second.
Then Chris said, “Well? What are you guys waiting for?”
He walked away, and I looked at Seth again. His eyes were still wide, but I grinned and he grinned back. We followed Chris, and helped dad move the lawn chairs.
For the rest of the evening, I didn’t miss the tender glances Seth shared with me. As sunset painted the sky gold and orange, people started drifting home.
Eventually Seth and I slipped away from the group, far enough to reach the tree line. The sounds of laughter followed us. It was softer now, comforting.
We stood together beneath the fading light. For a while neither of us spoke, then Seth sighed.
"I used to think I would never be happy after Darryl."
The words hit harder than I expected. I felt my stomach drop, but reminded myself to be patient. Seth had more to say. He looked out toward the trees, expression contemplative.
"I thought maybe I was moving on because that's what people do,” Seth said.
I stayed silent, waiting. Then he smiled slightly.
"Turns out I was just waiting for the right person,” Seth said.
Everything inside me stopped for one perfect second, then restarted all at once. My inner wolf preened inside me.
"Seth..." I ventured.
He looked at me. There was no uncertainty or hesitation there anymore, merely warm and open affection For a second, I simply stared at him.
The setting sun painted everything gold around us. Fireflies drifted lazily between the trees. Behind us, I could still hear the distant sounds of my family laughing around the cookout.
But none of it seemed important, not compared to the man standing in front of me.
A man who owned a coffee shop I walked into one ordinary afternoon, and who somehow changed my entire life.
My chest felt too full and tight. There were a hundred things I wanted to say and yet felt that none of them would come out right. Seth smiled patiently, like he already knew.
My wolf went quiet inside me, simply content and certain. I reached up and brushed a loose curl away from Seth's forehead. His gaze never left mine.
"Hi," he murmured. “Where did your mind go?”
The smile that escaped me felt helpless. "Hi. Uh, well.”
Seth laughed quietly. The sound wrapped around my heart and squeezed. That did it, and I stepped closer. I settled one hand at his waist, and cupped his cheek with the other.
Then I kissed him, because there wasn't really anything else to do. Seth kissed me back immediately, slow and certain, as if he wanted to assure me that he wasn't going anywhere.
The kiss wasn't desperate like some of the others we'd shared before. It wasn't fueled by confusion or uncertainty or borrowed time, but something steadier.
Something that felt suspiciously like coming home.
Seth's fingers curled into the front of my shirt as he moved closer, and I wrapped my arm around him instinctively, pulling him against me.
He fit there perfectly, I realized with startling clarity.
When we finally pulled apart, neither of us moved very far. Seth rested his forehead against mine, smiling that small smile I was beginning to suspect could ruin me.
"You know," he said softly, "for someone who usually has a lot of things to say, you're surprisingly quiet."
I huffed out a laugh. "I'm having a moment."
"A moment?" Seth asked.
"A pretty significant one."
His smile widened. "Good. Me too.”
I kissed him once more, unable to help myself.
This time Seth laughed against my mouth, and the sound followed us all the way back toward my cabin. As we walked, I understood something.
My brothers hadn't moved on without me. I hadn't missed my chance, I chose my place, and my place was with Seth.
The cabin looked different when arrived. After weeks of repair, it finally looked finished. Complete. The porch light glowed warmly against the gathering darkness.