Later that night after dinner, Liam and I headed to our new house. It was weird saying goodnight to my dad and leaving the house instead of going to my bedroom upstairs. I walked hand-in-hand with Liam and with every step closer to our house, my nerves kicked up another notch.
I hadn’t been inside the house since Augie began moving out. I had found them outside before dinner and was worried the house was going to be a disaster. I was also nervous about the fact it was going to be the first time Liam and I were alone, truly alone, with nobody sleeping down the hallway from us. My body swirled with excitement, but my head was making me second guess everything.
I tried to distract myself by paying closer attention to the house as we approached. It had wood siding painted green with rock accents and tan trim. I thought about the inside with all of its light colors making everything seem open. There were three bedrooms, two living areas, and two bathrooms. A small willow tree swayed in the front yard, helping to calm my nerves. I remembered planting it as a kid with Cord and Augie.
As we walked into the house, I tried to see it with new eyes, but it was hard. I really should have thought about this a little more. Maybe having our own house, one I wasn’t so familiar with, would have been better. My earlier concerns were coming back full-force.
“Come see the bedroom first,” Liam suggested, but I was hesitant. I’d been in that bedroom many times. I’d even slept in there too many times to count. Cue full-on freak out mode any moment now.
Liam tugged on my hand and I finally followed him toward the room. We headed down the hallway, passing the first bedroom, which was crammed with Augie’s stuff he’d still have to move. The next room was filled with some of his parents’ things that had never been dealt with. They hadn’t taken everything with them when they moved. They had promised to come back for it, but never did. Augie had always been the one to visit them, but not so much in the last year.
Finally, we arrived at the master bedroom. The door was shut, and Liam had a grin on his face that was confusing the shit out of me. He was either expecting to get lucky right that very minute, or he’d been up to something. I couldn’t decide which option I preferred.
“You’re making me edgy,” I said.
“Oh, I’ll be making you a lot of things, but I can guarantee edgy isn’t one of them. Go on in.”
My skin felt like it was on fire and my hands were jittery. I wasn’t used to feeling all over the place like this. I didn’t like it. Love was doing crazy things to me.
I cracked open the door and the smell of fresh paint assaulted my senses. I pushed the door all the way open and stepped inside the room. My hands covered half of my face as shock consumed me.
The room had been transformed into something beyond my imagination. The walls had been painted teal with white trim and ceiling. My bed was centered on the far wall and had been draped with white tulle from post to post. Cascading lights hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow about the room. Everything was so different from how Augie had the room previously. It was even different from how my room in the pack house was.
“How? When?” I stuttered as I walked about the room, touching the new bedding and heading toward the bathroom.
“I could tell something more than going through your things was bothering you. I talked to Augie and we decided you deserved something new. Well, at least updated. While you were out with your dad, we got some of the guys together and made it happen. The windows will need to stay open for the night to keep the paint smell to a minimum, but everything is dry and ready to go.”
I simply nodded in reply. I was speechless, and that didn’t happen very often to me. I flicked on the light in the bathroom and the small room had also been transformed. Instead of teal like the bedroom, the room was soft yellow, which fit perfectly with the beach accents of my old bathroom.
“Thank you. I’m not sure if you’re just that good, or maybe I’m that easy to read, but I needed this. Even as we were walking into the house, I was wishing we had waited for our own home, but this is perfect. You’ve shown me we can make this our own and create new memories.”
Damn it, I was getting all weepy again. I straightened my shoulders, reining in my emotions. I would not cry right now.
He stalked closer to me, wrapping me up in his arms. “You’re welcome. Make sure to thank Augie, Caleb, Aiden, and Sam, too. They all helped.”
Liam lifted me up and carried me to the bed, making me forget all about my almost breakdown a moment ago.
The sun was just setting, and with the windows open, everything was perfect. For the first time in a long while, I was able to forget my worries and think of nothing other than Liam and how happy he had made me these past couple weeks. I had kept him at arm’s length, unable to trust that we would be able to make anything work, but now I knew we had a real shot. I wanted to be his in every way possible.
His eyes caressed my body with their heated stare and, after he had his fill, he began to undress me. Slowly torturing me, but I let him have his moment. He deserved it after what he had done for me today. Once all the layers had been removed from between us, he settled on top of me, kissing up my neck and to my face before he stared into my eyes.
“I love you, Taya, and I’m going to make you mine tonight. There will be no going back after this. I’m all-in, so if you’re unsure about any of it, if it’s too much, you need to say so now.”
I dug my nails into his back and pressed tighter against him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I pressed my lips to his. “I love you, too.”
His lips crashed down on mine as he pushed into me, slowly and fervently. Passion unlike anything I had ever felt erupted within me and I couldn’t hold it in for long. Within minutes, tremors wracked my body as it reacted to his in ways I’d never felt before. Tears of joy trailed down my face as I made love to my mate for the first time, but definitely not the last of that night.
Very little sleep happened throughout the late or maybe early hours, but when I woke in the morning, I was more energized than I’d been in a long time. I rolled over to stare at Liam while he still slept. His shaggy blond hair hung loosely over his forehead. I brushed it to the side and watched the smile creep up his face.
“Good morning, Mate,” he murmured, pulling me closer to him.
“Good morning to you, too.”
His eyes cracked open. “Want some breakfast?”
“We’ll probably have to head to the pack house. I doubt Augie left any food here unless you went shopping for that too yesterday.”
“Let’s go find out.”
I rolled out of bed to find my robe. It had been shoved in one of my dresser drawers yesterday and then carried over here. I just had to remember which drawer. After four attempts, I finally located it, then wrapped it around me. Liam sat up in bed, smile firmly in place.
“You getting out of bed or did I tire you out last night?” I teased.
“I was just enjoying the view. Do you have a problem with that?”
I shook my head. “As long as I’m the only view you’re enjoying, I certainly do not.”
He leapt from the bed, lifted me up, and kissed me thoroughly before pulling back. “I promise, no other will ever interest me the way you do. You’re stuck with me for life.”
“I think I can handle that.” I smiled up at him.
We made our way to the kitchen. Augie had eggs, ham, and a few other things, so we whipped together some omelets and ate at the counter since the living and dining area were a mess from the partial move. Hopefully, we’d have it all worked out within the week. I now wanted to paint the interior of the house and maybe even the exterior, to officially make it ours. I saw a lot of home remodel videos in my future as I thought of other ways to make it home for the both of us.
***
More than a week had passed with little to no news. I was becoming increasingly impatient. The most important thing I had wanted to happen, had yet to come to fruition and I was going crazy. Jaye had her location locked down tight and I was losing faith that Zarai would find a way to break through before Declan decided to attack us first or disappear forever.
We also continued to poke around the pack to see if we could come up with any ideas on who might have told Declan’s crew where Augie would be. Nothing had yet to raise any red flags, making Augie think it might have just been a coincidence. Regardless, we were going to be more careful with what information we gave out and to whom, until everything was settled.
Zarai and the other witches finished with the rest of the humans we had saved. They were hanging around long enough to find Jaye and then they’d be out of here, hidden away for however long they thought was necessary. Hopefully, one day shifters and witches could work together again, but until then, I understood their reasons for staying concealed.
Liam and I had spent our spare time working on the house to keep us distracted. Nearly every wall had been repainted and every piece of furniture replaced or updated to make it our own. I was finally feeling like an adult in my own house instead of a kid still living under her father’s watch. It was freeing in ways I hadn’t expected.
I had made time to catch up with Jamie over lunch one day last week. She’d laughed at my awkward invitation, calling me out on how hard it seemed to be for me to make new friends, but she assured me that she was happy to take charge on that part of our friendship.
Later that night, we would be putting the final touches on the house. I hadn’t let anyone come over since we really started working on it. Finally, it was time to have our family over for dinner and I was getting anxious. I’d cooked ribs and let Liam handle everything else. My dad taught me from a young age how to cook any type of meat and I refused to let Liam touch the main course this time.
“Caleb called and said they’re on their way over,” Liam said as he leaned against the counter. “You ready?”
I glanced around our house and smiled. “I am. I’m glad we’re making a big deal out of this in the midst of all the mayhem. After all that’s happened, we deserve some happiness.”
I was getting sappy, but I didn’t care. I was tired of shit being poured down on us. Tonight would be full of laughter and fun with family.
There was a knock on the door and we walked toward it together. I let Liam open it and I hugged Augie before he even made it past the door frame.
“Someone’s in a good mood,” he teased.
“I’m taking full advantage of the celebrations. Deal with it,” I replied as I let him walk in, then proceeded to give my dad the same treatment. Ever since my nightmare on the way back from Colorado and having Augie get attacked, I’d become a little more attached to those I loved.
So far, it was just the two of them who had arrived. Liam left the door open as we waited for the others to show before we gave any tours of the house. Augie complained about how big our new TV was and the bar in the corner, wishing he had thought to do some of the upgrades we had.
“No takebacks. The house is ours.” I glared at him.
“After all the labor we’ve put in the last ten days, you’d have to pry the keys from our dead hands,” Liam agreed.
Augie held up his hands in mock surrender. “It’s all yours. I’ll steal it back one day when Taya becomes alpha, though. Keep it in good condition in the meantime for me, huh?”
I picked up a pillow from the couch behind me and chucked it at his face. It was my go-to move when he was annoying me. “Not cool, Augie.”
Before he could respond, Caleb, Jamie, and Aiden walked in. I had been so relieved when Augie said we were allowed to talk to the others about the potential risk of a traitor. Augie had handled the testing of Liam’s brothers and Jamie, since we were too close to the situation. I would have been majorly disappointed if Jamie had turned out to be a traitor. I liked her and hadn’t wanted to beat the shit out of her for being a dumbass.
Caleb let out a low whistle. “Nice place, Firecracker. I’m a little disappointed there’s no red wall, but the yellow works, I guess.”
He came in for a hug first. “I’ll see about some red paintings just for you.”
I hugged Jamie next. Aiden was last, looking uncomfortable as usual. He wasn’t a hugger, so I thoroughly enjoyed each one I gave to him. “Thanks for coming,” I whispered in his ear when I wrapped my arms around him. His grunt and one-armed stiff hug were the usual response.
I could tell Aiden was getting restless with nothing productive to do and his brothers being busy with their mates. I almost felt bad for him, but I was a selfish mate and didn’t think twice about keeping Liam to myself for the time being. They’d had twenty years together. It was my time.
“One of these days, that broody exterior is going to crack, and I can’t wait to be around to see it,” I added.
“Good luck with that,” Caleb snickered. “We’ve been trying to break him for years.”
My timer for the ribs went off, and I broke away from the group to take care of the meat. Once I had them out to rest, Liam and I gave everyone a tour of the house. Augie continued to grumble. My dad smiled proudly at all we had done, and Caleb looked ready to bolt with Jamie already. Aiden continued to look bored until he was finally able to sit at the table with more food than he knew what to do with.
We’d bought the biggest table we could find when Liam and I went out looking for one. I wanted a special place where we could have family dinners without everyone from the pack interrupting. Pack was family, but sometimes it was nice to make it a smaller occasion with those closest to us. Tonight was one of those times.
After everyone had their fill, we made our way to the living room. I sat snuggled between my dad and Liam, happy as I could be, until Caleb made an announcement.
“Dad called, and we need to go home. Aiden and I bought us a few days, but nothing has been happening here and he needs our help there.”
I was not ready for this conversation. Liam still hadn’t spoken with his dad about his decision to stay here with me. My dad had been encouraging him to do so, but there hadn’t been time to make a trip back east to do it in person as Liam had wanted.
I felt him stiffen next to me, so I rubbed my hand up and down his arm in an attempt to calm him. “When are we supposed to be heading back?” Liam asked, voice rough.
“Tomorrow. We wanted to wait until after you had the house finished to tell you,” Aiden said. “Don’t worry about it. Dad is going to be fine.”
My dad reached his arm across the back of the couch and grasped Liam’s shoulder. “I agree with your brother, son. Elijah is a good man and alpha. I imagine he’s just as good at being a father. Just explain to him the situation and I know he’ll see reason.”
Liam nodded, but it was more robotic than willingly. “Yeah, sure. Everything will be fine.”
So much for having a fun-filled night with no stress. I guessed it was better than finding out an hour before we were supposed to leave tomorrow. “Dad, you don’t care if I go with them, right? We won’t be more than a couple days, I’m sure.”
“I think it’s a good idea. We can check in with Zarai tomorrow and let her know. Might be good for them to take some time off from searching anyway. They’ve been working day and night it seems.”
I nodded, taking Liam’s hand in mine. “Enough with the adulting conversation,” I said. “Let’s just enjoy tonight and worry about it tomorrow.”
“Taya’s right,” Caleb said as he stood. “Who wants another beer?”
Everyone’s hands went up in the air except mine. My dad had let Cord and I try beer when we were sixteen, but I had never been able to acquire the taste for it. The smell was awful, and our wolf metabolisms burned through the alcohol so fast that we rarely even got drunk, so I didn’t see the point.
I listened to Caleb and Jamie make plans and was inwardly jealous of how easy their relationship seemed to be. I was happy with Liam, but we still had a few more obstacles to get through before we could be as settled as they seemed to be.
Liam’s dad had it in his power to refuse his request of stepping down and not allowing him to transfer to our pack. I didn’t think he was the type of person to do so from what I had learned, but I also had only been around him a short time. Liam’s nervousness with the whole thing was not helping, either.
He seemed to have calmed down some and began to loosen up as the evening continued to go on. When the clock edged past midnight and everyone decided to leave, I was exhausted. Mentally more so than physically. After turning off all the lights, we headed for the bedroom.
Liam was silent as we got undressed and slipped into bed. I rolled over to lay my head on his shoulder, but he was back to being as tense as he had been when Caleb announced the news to go back to the Catskills.
“Talk to me,” I said softly. “You put on the appearance of not caring earlier, but I know going back is bothering you. Are you really worried your dad will deny your request?”
“No. Actually, it isn’t my dad I’m worried about at all. It’s my mom.”
I scrunched my face and glanced up at him. “Your mom? Why?”
“She’s going to kick my ass for not telling her about you sooner, but I knew if I told her over the phone, she’d tell my dad, and like I said before, this is a conversation we need to have face-to-face.”
I couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled. He was afraid of his mother. Oh, I couldn’t wait to meet her.
“Keep it up. Just wait until you meet her. You’ll understand. She raised the three of us with an iron fist. My dad had little to do in that department. He might wear the pants in the house, but she picks them out.”
“Thank you for that. This whole night I thought you were nervous about things not working out, but I am so ready to meet your mother. We’re going to have the best time, I know it.”
Liam groaned and I laughed some more. If she was anything like he just described and didn’t want to kill me for taking her son away, I had a feeling we were going to get along just fine.
I kissed him goodnight with promises that everything would be just fine before I rolled over to fall asleep. I was worried about leaving the pack when we didn’t know Declan’s whereabouts, but I wouldn’t let the bastard rule my life with fear. We would find him eventually and we would end him.