Chapter 9
Jenni grabbed the bath towels from the cabinet under the sink in Devlin’s apartment and stuffed them into a trash bag. Her mate was in the bedroom, packing his clothes and she’d volunteered to handle the bathroom. They’d left early Monday morning for Rhode Island. She’d never been that far north, and enjoyed the scenery and getting to know him and his family better.
He’d dropped her off at his apartment and then gone to his office to quit his job. She’d worried that he would grow to resent her after having to give up something he’d been looking forward to, but he said he’d rather have her and find a new job, than be without her for even a minute. When he’d returned two hours later, he’d been quiet for a while, eventually explaining that his bosses had been disappointed that he was quitting so abruptly and not even giving them notice so they could find a replacement. They’d offered him a salary increase and some other perks, but he’d politely refused. He was worried about finding a decent job without his company’s recommendation, but she promised that it would all work out.
“How can you be sure?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Because I feel like now that we’re together, the rest will come with time.”
“You’re very optimistic.”
“You make it sound like a bad thing.”
“It’s not, sweetheart, but I just want to be able to take care of you. Having a good job is the foundation of that. I think you don’t understand because you didn’t have to interview for your job – you live in the zoo, and you work there. But for me, I have to go into employers and try to explain why I walked away from a great job without notice.”
He’d kissed her and headed into the bedroom to pack, and she’d been left feeling like she was the source of some serious issues. She didn’t want their mating to be effected by his job issues, but her lioness absolutely didn’t care about anything that would take him from her. All the shifters in the park worked there, and the mates did, too. Devlin was a big guy, but he wasn’t interested in being a security guard, and he couldn’t fix cars to work with the gorillas, cook with the bears, take care of animals with the elephants, or run the tours with the wolves.
Justus, Trina, and Lexy had come along to help pack, and had overheard their conversation.
“It’s part of being a human guy,” Trina said. “His self-worth as a mate is wrapped up in his ability to provide for you.”
Justus said, “But the park provides everything.”
“It’s not the same,” Lexy said. “And he worked hard to get where he was with his career.”
Trina smiled gently. “I’m sure it will work out. He probably feels guilty for quitting without notice, and of course he’s lying to our parents about some things and that’s difficult, too. I have trouble with it myself.”
Jenni hated the lies, too, but the safety of the park residents demanded a total blackout of information to anyone who was not a shifter or a mate.
Devlin appeared from the bedroom, dropped two packing boxes, and pulled her gently away from the group. “Hey,” he said, cupping her face. “I don’t regret a damn thing, okay? I’m concerned about my ability to take care of you, but that’s on me and not you. I don’t want you to feel guilty about anything. We’re together and that’s the most important thing to me.”
She smiled up at him, her heart tugging at the determined tone of his voice. “Okay.”
“Let’s get packed up so we can have dinner with my parents and then go home.”
“I wish we could stay here tonight,” she said. “I’d like to be in your world for a little while.”
“There isn’t anything in this world for me anymore but my family. Your world is mine now, and I’m ready to go home.”
They returned to their packing, and she finished up the bathroom and then pushed a box out into the hall, dragging the bag of towels behind her.
“Bathroom’s done,” she said.
He straightened and haphazardly folded the sheets that he’d just stripped from the bed. “Good. When we’re ready to tell my parents about the move, I’ll ask them to sell whatever furniture we leave behind.”
For now, he wasn’t telling his parents that he’d quit his job and was moving to New Jersey, and he wasn’t canceling the lease for his apartment. Once he found a job, then he’d give notice for the apartment and tell his parents. All they knew at the moment was that he and Jenni were dating, which, according to Trina, was the first human step before marriage. Humans would think it odd for a man to just quit his job and move after knowing a woman only a few days. For shifters, though, it made perfect sense. Once a shifter found his or her mate, the need to be with them overwhelmed everything else.
“I want to take my recliner,” he said. “It’s really comfy.”
“I know just the place for it. And it matches my couch, too.”
“Kitchen’s done,” Lexy said, coming into the bedroom. “I’m freaking starving. My folks are coming to your parents’ house for dinner, and we need to leave in about ten minutes. How are things coming?”
“Great,” Devlin said. “I’m just about done in here.”
They hurried to finish packing up his things, and carried them out to the trailer that they’d pulled behind one of the park’s SUVs. They left the trailer in the apartment parking lot and drove to Devlin and Trina’s parents’ home.
Lexy chuckled. “Win just texted and said he wishes everyone luck meeting our crazy family.”
Win had needed to work and hadn’t been able to take a day off to join them for the trip. Jenni had met Trina and Devlin’s parents at the shop, but things were different now that they were together.
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” Trina asked.
“What?” Devlin asked.
“That just a couple weeks ago we were all unmated and wondering what the future would hold for us. Now, we’re all mated and living at the zoo, and shifters – which seemed like an impossibility – are real.”
Devlin glanced at Jenni and took her hand. “If I never said it before, Lex, I’m thankful for your flat tire, because it kicked off the chain of events that brought me and my Jenni together.”
“You’re welcome,” Lexy said with a laugh. “I am glad that my bad luck led to something amazing for all of us.”
When they arrived at the house, Devlin introduced her to his parents as his girlfriend. He’d already told them on the phone that he and Jenni were dating, but this was the first time she was meeting them in what she felt was an official capacity. She wanted his parents to like her and think she was a good mate for him to have, even though her lioness didn’t particularly care if they liked her or not.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Betty, Devlin’s mom said, giving Jenni a hug. “I knew I saw sparks between you two.”
“It would have been hard to miss those sparks,” Rick, Devlin’s dad, said as he kissed her cheek. “How was the drive?”
“Good,” Jenni said. “I’m glad to be here, thanks for inviting me.”
Rick shut the front door and said, “You’re welcome.”
Betty ushered them into the living room where Jenni was introduced to Lexy’s parents. They all sat and talked for a while before dinner. Devlin’s parents asked Jenni about working in the shop with Lexy and Trina. They didn’t ask about her family, but she had a feeling they were being polite, since she knew that Devlin had told them about her mom leaving when she was younger and her dad being absent her whole life. She didn’t want them to feel sorry for her, because she’d had a great life in the park with Caesar and the pride. What she’d been missing as a kid had been given back to her in spades.
Over a dinner of grilled tilapia topped with thinly sliced mango and sautéed carrots, Jenni heard how Betty and Rick met, laughed at the funny stories of Devlin’s childhood, and had a slice of amazing apple pie that Lexy had brought. By the time the evening was over, she hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to his parents because she liked them so much. It was easy to see why Devlin and Trina were such amazing people – because their parents were, too.
“Thank you for everything, I had a great time,” Jenni said as she hugged Betty.
“I’m so glad. Come back to visit anytime.”
“And thanks for the taffy,” Rick said. “I’m going to hoard it and eat it all myself.”
“No, you won’t,” Betty warned.
“You’ll see,” Rick said with a wink. “I’ll hide it.”
Lexy told Jenni that bringing gifts to parents at the first meeting was a good idea, so she’d brought a bag of different flavors of taffy.
“I’ll bring two bags next time,” Jenni said.
“I’ll find two hiding spots, then,” Rick said.
“Watch me hide your favorite coffee mug,” Betty said.
“Oh, ouch. Fine, I’ll share.”
Jenni smiled at their bantering and said goodbye, walking out with Devlin.
He put his arm around Jenni. “They like you, but I knew they would.”
She grinned. “I like them, too.”
After Lexy, Trina, and Justus joined them, they headed back to Devlin’s apartment and hooked up the trailer. As they started the journey back to the park, Jenni leaned on Devlin’s shoulder and yawned.
He kissed the top of her head. “It’s been a good day.”
“Long, but good.”
“I’m ready to go home now, though.”
“Me, too.”
* * *
Wednesday morning, Devlin walked Jenni to the sweets shop. They’d unpacked his things the day before, and when she’d gotten dressed for work, she’d loved to see his clothes hanging next to hers in the closet. They’d only been together for a little while, but she already couldn’t imagine her life without him. Which was how things were supposed to be with soulmates.
“Hey!” Caesar called to them as they passed by the security office. “Come in here for a minute.”
They turned and headed for the office, and found Caesar and the other alphas standing at the counter in the main room.
“Good morning,” Jenni said, and then introduced Devlin to the alphas. “Devlin, this is Joss the wolf alpha, Alastair, the elephant alpha, Marcus, the bear alpha, and Atticus, the gorilla alpha. This is my soulmate, Devlin Potter.”
Devlin shook the alphas’ hands and said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“We’ve been discussing a few things since you two mated,” Caesar said. “We understand that you’re a finance professional.”
“I am. I was up for the controller position at the accounting firm I worked at, and I just recently graduated with my Masters in Finance.”
“We’d like to offer you a job at the park,” Caesar said.
Jenni’s brows rose and her heart sped up with excitement.
Joss said, “We’d like to ask you to join our finance department. Several of my wolves handle things, but we outsource a good deal to a local accounting firm. It would be nice to be able to bring that in-house, especially with someone of your expertise.”
“That would be great,” Devlin said.
“We’ve got calls in to several contractors to get bids for the apartment complex that we’re going to build for future mates,” Atticus said. “But in the meanwhile, we’d like you to find a house or apartment to rent in one of the nearby communities. The park will pay the rent for as long as you need it.”
Jenni asked, “Why can’t he say he lives in the barn apartments? There are three of them.”
Devlin shook his head. “What if my parents came to visit and they wanted to see mine and Trina’s apartment? Only one apartment is finished.”
“Oh,” she said. “Good point. But the same could go for Lexy and Trina.”
“Fortunately,” Atticus said, “both sets of parents haven’t wanted to see the apartments together, but it was a worry. For now, we’re going to finish one of the other barn apartments to alleviate that situation, and then eventually there will be a complex that will have a separate entrance instead of being inside the park.”
“Cool,” Jenni said.
Caesar smiled at her. “After you take Jenni to the shop, come back here and Joss will take you to the finance office so you can meet the wolves. You can take a day or two and think about the job, and then let us know.”
Devlin shook the hands of all the alphas again and thanked them for the opportunity. He held the door open for Jenni and then followed her out of the building. She hugged him tightly with a laugh as the door shut.
He laughed and lifted her off the ground. “That’s freaking amazing.”
“It sure is,” she said, kissing him.
“Did you know they were going to do that?” he asked as he set her on the ground and held her hand while they walked toward the shop.
“No. It was in the back of my mind that, so far, they’ve found jobs for the mates in the park, but in both those instances, the mates created those new jobs. Adriana and Celeste have the nail salon in the market, and Lexy and Trina have the sweets shop. I don’t know anything about the finance stuff, so I didn’t know if there was room for another person or if I should even ask.”
“Well, I was pretty determined to find something on my own,” he said. “But this is more than I could have hoped for. Now I don’t have to leave the park to go to work, and we can have lunch together.”
She stopped and he turned to face her.
“I was afraid you’d resent me for all that you had to give up in order to be with me.”
“Never, sweetheart. Before I met you, my career was the most important thing to me. I was confused by my feelings for you at first, and yes, I was reluctant to walk away from my job, but that’s because I didn’t understand your needs. Now, I know that the place I was always meant to be was here at Amazing Adventures. I not only get you, but I also get a job without having to interview for months and then explain why I want to take off Mondays and Tuesdays.”
He wiggled his brows at her and she laughed.
“You make me and my lioness so happy. I want only the best for you, and I want you to be as happy as you make me.”
“I’m happier now than I’ve ever been because of you. What I thought of as being happy before, I now see wasn’t anything close to real happiness. You’re gorgeous and sweet, and most importantly, you’re mine.”
He made a soft growling sound in his throat, the human equivalent of a happy lion, and he brushed his lips against hers. She deepened the kiss immediately, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him close. Passion flared between them, and if it hadn’t been for the tinkling of the bell over the sweets shop door as one of her co-workers opened it, she would have happily forgotten about work entirely.
“Just making sure that you didn’t get lost,” Trina said.
Devlin groaned in annoyance. “Uncool, Trin.”
“That’s what sisters are for.”
Jenni smiled up at Devlin. “Come back for lunch?”
“You bet,” he said.
“Have fun with the wolves,” she said, giving his hand a little squeeze. “Oh, I almost forgot.”
“What, sweetheart?”
“You’re sexy as hell, you make me feel like the most important female in the world, and you’re mine, too.”
He grinned. “See you soon, soulmate.”
She didn’t want to part, but she couldn’t help but enjoy the view as he walked away, his sexy butt covered in tight denim that made her want to pounce on him. Her cat purred in happiness.
“Let’s get to work so we can get to lunch,” Jenni said as she walked into the shop.
“Lunch is my favorite time of the workday,” Lexy said.
“My favorite is when we’re done working,” Trina said.
“I think going home with Devlin will be my favorite thing about the day,” Jenni said. “And waking up with him, too.”
“There’s nothing better than being in your soulmate’s arms,” Lexy said.
Jenni agreed wholeheartedly.