Chapter 3 #2
“I want this to be special. I’ll drive fast. But not too fast,” he added quickly.
She laughed and shook her head. “Okay, if that’s what you want. But we don’t have to.”
“I think it will be worth it. We’ll swing by your place and you can pack an overnight bag.”
She got in the car, on the one hand disappointed that they would have to wait a bit longer, but on the other hand, absurdly pleased that he was making an effort to make the occasion extra special.
She’d asked him for the slow road, and he was giving her just that, but making her want him more and more.
The trip back to her house was quick and she suggested he wait in the car while she grabbed her things.
Now that she was committed to waiting, she liked the idea, wanted to see what he had planned out for them.
But was worried that if he came into the house with her, she’d get impatient and jump him.
He agreed, looked like he was going to pull her into a kiss, then thought better of it.
Giggling, she got out of the car and practically ran for the door.
It only took five minutes to use the bathroom to freshen up, throw her toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hairbrush and makeup bag into a tote.
She added a change of clothes and the sexy underwear set she’d bought online a couple of years ago and only worn once.
It had been her fourth date with a guy, and they’d ended up arguing and breaking up before the evening ended, so he hadn’t even seen the lingerie.
He pointedly glanced at his watch when she threw the bag in the backseat and got into the car, but she knew he was teasing. “Well, it took me a while to pick between all my lingerie and find just the right thing.”
His hand went to his heart and his head flopped back on the rest. “I totally asked for that.”
“You did. Now drive, James!” She pointed forward. Which was silly, because forward was her house. But he got the idea and reversed out of her drive.
“Alright, so we have drive time, tell me about you.”
“I grew up in New York. You met my parents, good people.”
“I had a nice chat with them. Your mom is cute and your dad is funny.”
He looked over at her, blinked slowly.
She laughed. “No, really.”
“Right. Sure. So, anyway, I started out at a recruiting firm, then started my own agency.”
“So, helping people find good jobs?”
“Yes, mostly executive level. And the other way around, helping companies find the right person for the job.”
“Did you like it?”
“I did, for a long time. It was stressful, going out on my own, but I enjoyed the fast pace, and I really liked helping companies, and individuals, find the right fit. But I started to burn out. The money was good, but I couldn’t keep up the pace forever.
When I found myself sort of encouraging people into a position just to get the assignment filled, I realized I’d hit my limit.
I could have backed off, found a partner, hired a manager, something, but I decided I wanted a clean break. So I sold the company.”
“And you moved to Idaho.”
“Right. About three years ago, I took a bit of a vacation, traveled to several cities, met up with several packs, and decided Zach and Mountain View were a good fit. And they have been, I’ve enjoyed my time there.
As for work, they needed a bartender to work a certain shift at the bar, and I needed something to do while I decided what I wanted to do, if that makes sense. ”
“Perfectly. Especially if you had enough money from selling your company that you didn’t need to make major plans right away. The freedom to be patient.”
“Exactly. Although some—my parents—might argue three years is too long. I just haven’t felt the need to launch into anything more substantial yet.”
She had the sudden realization that he’d picked Mountain View as his home not too long ago, and may have no desire to move. He had come to New Mexico to help his parents, after all, not because he was interested in joining a new pack.
“You’re happy in Idaho, then?” she asked.
She must not have succeeded in keeping the nerves out of her voice, because he reached over and took her hand.
“Happy, yes. Tied down, no. Unwilling to move on, no.”
The boulder that had sprung up from nowhere to reside in her belly suddenly dissolved.
And with it, so did the certainty that she had to be part of this new pack.
While she was enjoying the novelty of helping a pack grow from scratch, it wasn’t more important than the happiness of her mate.
If he was her mate, that was. It was a relief, knowing that she would happily move if that was what was important to him, and he seemed willing to do the same.
“Well, we can figure that out later, the possibilities are endless,” she said.
He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“Okay, then. You moved to Idaho three years ago, and you’ve been sort of treading water. Haven’t decided on what the next phase of your life is going to bring you.”
“I guess maybe I was waiting for now.” He looked at her, and the sheer hope in his expression mirrored her own.
She was nearly one hundred percent positive that he was her mate.
Soon they would know for sure—and she would never be alone again.
She would have a partner, and she could hardly wait.
She was still slightly nervous, though she couldn’t really even say why. She needed to distract herself.
“Do you think your parents might really open a restaurant?” she asked.
“I think it would be great for them. They’re ready to retire, but mostly because they’ve been doing the same things forever, not because they’re too old to work.
If they go forward, I’ll encourage them to get a good manager so that it’s not all on them.
It can be a hell of a lot of work, but they have the money to do it right and not exhaust themselves with it. ”
“The pack would certainly support the business, but new restaurants are a hard go in big cities, I’m not sure how successful they would be in such a small town.”
“There are a lot of things to consider, and maybe they’ll think of something totally different they might want to do, now that I’ve nudged them outside the box a bit.
They’ve always been very good with their finances, so that’s something they don’t have to worry about as long as they don’t go crazy.
Everything else is just icing on the cake, as far as I’m concerned. ”
“That’s great. I have no idea how my parents’ finances are, isn’t that terrible?”
“Not everyone is comfortable talking about it, which is sad, I think.” He glanced over at her. “We can talk about it.”
“Absolutely. But…after, okay? It sounds like you’re in good shape, and I’m in good shape, so let’s just be sure this is what we know it is, then we can get down to the details of money and location and jobs and stuff.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, shoot, I forgot to pack my paddle.”
“Don’t worry, I packed mine.”
She tried not to laugh, to tease him more, but couldn’t quite manage it. Giving up, she leaned back. “Are we there yet?”
“Five more minutes.”
Smiling, she enjoyed the easy silence as they ate up the miles. When she saw a sign advertising private resort cabins, she guessed that was their destination, but didn’t ask. After another fifteen minutes, he followed the signs and exited the highway.
Before long they were passing cabins with little wood signs that said Acacia, Bergamot, Crag Lily, Dragonhead and Everlasting Pea.
“We’ve got the end unit,” he explained, turning at a sign that read “Fairy Bells”.
“I’m kind of curious where they would have gone with the G. I think they need another cabin,” she said.
He snorted and pulled to a stop. The cabin wasn’t big, was made with real logs, and sported colorful flowers under the window.
She got out of the car and grabbed her bag as he did the same.
He waited for her at the front of the car and held out his hand.
She took it with a smile, no longer nervous, just excited.
Well, okay, maybe a tiny bit nervous. What if this was just strong attraction and wishful thinking and they would both be horribly disappointed at the end of it?
Giving her a tiny yank, he met her eyes as she moved toward him. “It’s going to be good. Actually, I’m pretty sure it will be amazing.”
She pulled in a deep breath. “I know. I do. I’m just a little nervous that it’s all too easy.”
“We’ve waited a long time for this,” he reminded her.
“You’re right. Let’s stop waiting. I want to start the rest of my life. Here. Now.”
“That’s my girl.” He pulled her in for a kiss.
She melted into him, her face tipped up to meet his lips.
Apparently he was tired of bending over to meet her, because he picked her up, slipping his arms under her butt to support her.
She squeaked, wrapped her legs around his hips, but didn’t let go of the kiss.
He turned and walked to the cabin and she finally pulled free with a laugh. “You need to watch where we’re going!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
On the porch, he looked around, then moved a ceramic frog so that he could pick up the key that was underneath. He managed to open the door without dropping her or his bag, and she managed to hang on without bumping him with her bag. Too much.
When they were inside, he let her slide down and they turned to take a look.
The cabin was rustic, probably decorated in the late eighties, but it was clean, charming, and had a fireplace and tiny kitchen.
Large windows took up most of the far wall, and they walked over to see a spectacular view of the Gila National Forest. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she snuggled in.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you for doing this.”