I woke up in the morning alone—not alone entirely, but without Gabriel. I felt alone, even though the house was bustling with activity. It was silly to feel that way simply because my mate wasn’t by my side when I opened my eyes, and I knew that, but I just couldn’t help it.

I glanced over the back of the couch to see Kenneth and Scotty, who was slender and soft with blond hair, doing something in the kitchen. As I got up and stretched, they both turned to me and smiled.

“Hey there, sleepyhead,” Kenneth said with a smile. “Decided to join the rest of the living?”

“Ugh, what time is it?” I asked, stretching both arms above my head. My neck cracked and I let out a groan of that feeling that’s somewhere between extreme relief and horrible pain.

“Ten thirty,” Scotty told me. “Not too bad. I’ve slept in later than that when Terry woke up with Fletcher for me.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Kenneth laughed, rustling the hair of his little boy, Fletcher, who was sitting on a small stool at his feet. “When this little one isn’t running me ragged, I’ll sleep until noon if Preston’s quiet enough!”

Schuyler, Kenneth’s son, was super cute and looked like he was somewhere around the age of two. If he was a terror, he wasn’t letting on, as he was just sitting peacefully at his father’s feet.

“And where’s your little guy?” I asked Scotty.

“His dad took him somewhere for a little while,” he replied. “I think to go look at the tomato plants, maybe?”

“How old is he?” I asked.

“He’s thirteen months,” Scotty replied proudly. “Just crossed the one-year milestone.”

“This place is just so…so perfect,” I told them, gazing out the windows at the picturesque expanse of the farm.

“A lot of hard work went into it,” Kenneth replied. “It wasn’t easy.”

“Things haven’t been easy for us either,” I muttered as I thought about Killoran and what had happened.

God, I still have to deal with the bar! I thought as I started to feel overwhelmed.

“Have you seen Gabriel?” I asked them.

“He’s with Preston, I think,” Kenneth replied. “Doing big-man stuff.”

“Doing alpha stuff,” Scotty chuckled as he filled what looked like a painter’s bucket with water. “I’m going to be going to my studio over in the barn to do some painting. If you are bored and need something to do, feel free to come over and join me.”

“Oh, thank you!” I replied. “I think I’m just going to grab a quick shower and then I might just do that.”

“Do you like pecans?” Kenneth asked as I started to head toward the bathroom.

“Hmmm, I don’t know really,” I replied. “Never really had them.”

“What!?” Kenneth gasped, his eyes almost bugging out of his head. “How can you not have had pecans? You’ve been living a deprived life!”

“Oh, gosh,” I laughed. “That good?”

“I’m making a pecan pie for tonight,” he told me. “You will have to try some.”

“Need any help?” I asked. “I do love to cook, but I don’t have a ton of experience baking.”

“It’s not that hard,” Kenneth replied. “But an extra hand is always welcome.”

“Great! Well, just let me take my shower and brush my teeth so I don’t breathe morning breath all over you, and I’ll come give you a hand.”

Kenneth smiled as I made my way down the hall to the bathroom. It was surprisingly clean for so many people living in one home. I felt lost in a warm embrace as I washed myself in the shower, thinking of all the possibilities laid out in front of me. I was surrounded by caring people, on a practical paradise in the Texan land I hadn’t even known existed. When I thought back to Bottoms Up, I scowled.

I don’t want to go back there. Not anymore…

But still, it was probably wise to hang onto the place, at least for a while. I could always sell it if things here on the farm worked out. Hopefully Ron would be able to handle running the place in my absence. It wasn’t like we were flooded with customers anyway.

Switching off the water, I dried off, hopped back into my jeans and headed back to the living room to get a new shirt. Kenneth spied me as I entered and grinned.

“Woo-wee!” he teased. “I can see why Gabriel snatched you up!”

I smiled, slightly embarrassed, as I slid into a new shirt and walked over to him where he was shelling a bunch of nuts which must have been pecans.

“He’s my fated mate,” I told him quietly. Kenneth just smiled back.

“Preston is mine,” he told me. “I guess you could say everyone here has been lucky enough to find their destiny. It’s what really makes this place special. It’s like a glue that holds us all together, you know?”

“It seems wonderful,” I told him. “I really hope everything works out…”

“You guys seem great!” he replied. “And Preston’s really taken a liking to your mate. I think they’re working on getting the wood together for the addition today.”

“Well, he’s big and strong, so that makes sense,” I said with a smile. “Do you need my help?”

“I’m just going to keep cracking these nuts,” he laughed. “Why don’t you go say hi to Scotty? I’m sure I can use your help later!”

“Great!” I said, turning and heading out the front door into the warm morning sun. The whole place just smelled incredible. I still had no idea what all the crops were, but I was eager to learn. It was new life everywhere, and that excited me. I felt myself instinctively put a hand on my belly as I walked towards the barn.

New life, I thought with a smile. Yeah, I like that.