Chapter Fourteen
Cypress
What had I done? As I sat with one of Zephyr’s mochas and one big slice of her dark-chocolate banana bread with the cream cheese river running through it, everything came crashing down on me.
I looked up at Zephyr, flitting around behind the counter.
Her cheeks were red from being in the kitchen.
Her hair was up in one of those buns that she claimed was for hygiene’s sake while she baked.
To me, it was pure sin. I took great delight in taking it down almost every night.
Watching her blonde hair fall down in shiny waves was one of the greatest joys of my life.
Zephyr, my fated mate, was the greatest joy of my life.
And now there was a possibility I’d put all of that in danger by not only telling her about the possible reverse harem but sitting with her while we explored it.
It was all tender, this place we’d entered into together.
We were happy before this, still were. But most humans thought that happiness was one person married to another for the rest of their lives.
But, to a shifter, sometimes that wasn’t the case.
It felt good and freeing to tell her about my life and that part of it in particular, but no way in hell did I think it would open this can of worms that had me sitting at a table waiting for my long-lost best friend to arrive.
My mate was nervous. I could feel it through the bond. But she was also excited. I tried not to take offense at that, especially since I was the one who brought all this up.
Most families in our pack were led by reverse harems. Two or more mates to make sure the female in their life had everything covered, everything she needed and not just monetarily.
More protection for her. More chances to have a baby, though we were waiting for that with her new business and how busy we were.
I pulled at my light sweater, already overheated. I knew better than to wear it. My shifter blood ran hot anyway, but now I burned with anxiety.
None of the messages said anything about him knowing me, but I knew him. His pictures told me part of the story of where my best friend ended up and offered a peek into his life. The profile said he was a chef.
A chef. Not a surprise, since I remembered him loving to get in the kitchen when we were kids. My best friend had turned out to be something amazing. He already was. Gosh, I couldn’t wait to…
My wolf perked up. It was him. Birch. He was still walking, looking around while peering down at his phone. Same hair, different style and lighter in some spots. He walked differently. He had a tan. He looked like himself but grown up and standing taller than ever.
I craned my neck, looking for Zephyr to tell her, but she was in the back, and I heard the scraping of pans against the oven. She was busy baking up a storm, as usual.
I stood and looked back, but a bus pulled up to the corner and stopped, blocking my view. My heart pounded. And my wolf stood up inside me, howling.
This was my best friend and, even though I didn’t think it would work out with Zephyr and us and being a trio, I still had my friend back in my life. Hopefully.
Zephyr tried to understand the life I’d grown up in. She really did. But following through might be too hard for her. But there was one person in the world I wouldn’t mind sharing my fated mate with, him. Only him.
I took another step toward the window. So close, my nose almost touched the glass. I held my breath until the bus passed.
Once it did, my heart stopped. Across the busy street with horns honking and one guy yelling something about getting out of the crosswalk, I saw him standing there. Definitely my best friend.
Our eyes met, and I watched the micromotions of his face as it dawned on him.
Confusion. Knowing. Then realization and once that hit, a huge smile took over his face. He had the best smile. I remembered it well.
I bolted out the door, hitting the table and knocking over my hot mocha in the process. I would clean it up later.
Outside, I waited for him to cross the street. It took fucking forever. He smoothed the front of his shirt and wiped his palms on his thighs and…almost got hit by a car.
Then he was in front of me.
“Birch,” I called out, knowing that my whisper would reach his shifter ears.
“Cypress? Is that you? I-I knew there was something familiar. My wolf…Goddess, it’s you!”
I didn’t waste a moment. I closed the distance and flung my arms around my friend. He froze for a moment but then with a chuckle, hugged me tight, murmuring how he couldn’t believe this was happening.
People had to shuffle around us on the sidewalk. I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. “What a way to find my best friend.”
He laughed. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”
The nervousness from before left my body with a rush. My wolf lay contentedly inside me.
We had to introduce him to Zephyr and while I’d worried about that before, it was all gone now.
There was no one else in this world I would even consider mating with my woman, and that one person was here. But it was, in the end, her call.