Alone in the clinic’s shower, Nick stood under the spray of water with no intention of getting out any time soon.

Since waking up, he hadn’t had a moment’s privacy except for the times Ruth could no longer hold it in and had to rush to the bathroom. The rest of the time she’d answered his questions while looking at him with a pair of anxious eyes.

Putting on what he’d hoped was an agreeable expression, Nick had done his best to hide how pissed off he was, mainly because he wasn’t sure why he was so angry.

It wasn’t as if Ruth had done something harmful to him. He was a fucking immortal thanks to her, or rather thanks to Brundar. It still creeped him out to think the guy had bitten him while he’d been passed out from being drugged, not drunk.

Ruth had organized one hell of a setup to induce his transition without his knowledge. But he shouldn’t be mad at her. She had no choice.

He got that.

Turned out that he was immune to thralling, so they couldn’t tell him shit before attempting to induce his transition. If Brundar’s bite hadn’t worked, and Nick hadn’t transitioned, they couldn’t erase the experience from his brain like they did with other humans. Apparently, he was an anomaly.

Figures, and in more ways than that.

Nick had always been different. No wonder that when he’d fallen in love, it was for the rarest woman possible. An immortal.

Ruth was fifty-six.

That had been the biggest shocker, that and Sylvia being her daughter and not her sister.

Slowly, he was getting used to the idea that his girlfriend was older than his mother, his adoptive one and probably his biological as well. How could he have been so clueless?

There had been a few clues here and there, but mostly Ruth acted the age she looked.

He’d accredited her maturity to the difficult life she’d had, but then she’d never really talked about it. He should’ve wondered about how Ruth could afford the house she was living in. He knew that before Jackson had given her the job at the café, she’d never worked for a living, and welfare didn’t pay enough to cover rent or mortgage payments.

Bottom line, if he knew next to nothing about the woman he’d fallen in love with, and the little he knew was a big fat lie, who the hell had he fallen in love with?

Had he been so desperate for love that he’d convinced himself Ruth was the one? Could he have turned any woman willing to accept him as her boyfriend into the one?

“Nick? Are you okay in there?” Ruth opened the door.

“I’m fine.”

“Eva brought you a change of clothes. I’m putting them on the counter.”

“Thanks.”

Crap, now he would have to face Eva too. Another big fat liar. It didn’t help reminding himself that they had no choice. They should’ve known he could be trusted.

Their lack of faith in him stung. Big time.

When he was done getting dressed, Nick opened the door to his patient room expecting to see Eva, but there was no one there other than Ruth. His boss probably didn’t stick around because she felt guilty for lying to him throughout the years. As she should.

“Are you ready to go?” Ruth asked.

“Sure.” He cast one last glance at the equipment, regretting not having a chance to check it out.

She lifted a white paper bag. “I have the pain medication Julian prescribed for you. Do you need it now?”

His throat hurt and his gums throbbed, but it was tolerable, and he didn’t want to feel groggy. “I’ll take some before hitting the sack. Are you taking me to Eva’s or to your place?”

His car was parked in Ruth’s garage. He needed to get it.

“Actually, I’m taking you to Sylvia’s. Julian wants you to stay in the village for at least two days so he can keep an eye on you. Sylvia invited us to stay with her and Roni. Eva and Bhathian are there too, and so are Sharon and Robert and Tessa and Jackson. Everyone wants to congratulate you.”

“A party. I’m touched.”

He’d meant to sound sarcastic, but Ruth hadn’t caught it. “I’m glad you’re feeling okay to see people. Some of the transitioning Dormants came out the other side too weak to deal with anyone.” She threaded her arm through his. “But my guy is made from tougher stuff.”

That made him feel a little better.

He should remember that Ruth loved him. She hadn’t been faking it. He believed her when she claimed she’d fallen for him because of who he was and not what he was. His new enhanced senses picked up on many more cues than his old human ones. Maybe now he wouldn’t be as clueless.

God, he’d been such a putz.

“It’s pretty out here,” he said as they walked outside the clinic.

Ruth had told him about the village, and how all the clan members were supposed to eventually move in there. He hadn’t expected it to look so park-like. Everything was green, with tall trees that had to have been planted already grown. The village wasn’t old enough for trees to mature.

The village. Suddenly he was reminded of Callie’s comment from the other dinner. “When Callie said she wanted to open a restaurant in the village, she meant here, not in Woodland Hills.”

Ruth smiled. “Yep. Jackson is going to leave managing the café in town entirely to me and take over the one here. That’s the other location he was talking about.”

So many things that had seemed off in one way or another were suddenly becoming clear. It was as if a fog was lifting and he was seeing the world in a completely different way.

“I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way…” he hummed the rest of the tune as they walked down the walkway.

Ruth put her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad your mood is improving.” She pointed at a one-story house with rose bushes in the front yard. “That’s Sylvia and Roni’s house.”

“Did you plant the roses?”

“Yes.”

The door opened, and Sylvia came out. “Hey, Nick, congratulations. Roni got the barbecue going. Are you hungry for steaks?”

They climbed the three steps to the front porch. “Nick is not supposed to eat solids for the next day or two.”

Waving them inside, Sylvia snorted. “As you remember, Roni didn’t follow the doctor's orders.”

“I also remember that he barfed after that.”

As he entered, a roomful of people started clapping. People he’d known for a while, some of them for years, and yet didn’t.

Eva heaved herself off the couch with some help from Bhathian. “Come here, Nick, and give me a hug. I’ve been waiting so long for this.”

He embraced her gently, careful of her big belly.

“Now we can finally move into the village and have this baby in a safe place.” Bhathian clapped him on the back. “Eva refused to move until you found your bashert and transitioned. She wasn’t willing to leave you behind.”

“Really? You were waiting for me?” He was touched beyond words. And to think he’d been so angry at her.

“Of course. How could I move when you couldn’t join me?” She palmed his cheeks, kissed one and then the other. “You’re like a son to me.”

Eva’s words had melted the last of his anger, leaving Nick emotionally and mentally depleted. “I don’t have the words to tell you how much this means to me. I’m really touched.”

Eva grinned. “I’m just glad to see you come out okay on the other side. I’ve been so worried.” She smoothed her hand over her belly.

Bhathian wrapped his massive arm around Nick’s middle. “You need to sit down, kid. You look pale.” He led him to the couch and sat next to him. “Everything good?”

“I guess. What’s a bashert?”

“It means a soul mate,” Sharon said, then leaned to give him a crushing hug. “Ruth is your bashert, and you are hers.”