Solo carefully placed the last of Beatrix’s belongings on the sidewalk near the recreational vehicle Kate’s agent had rented for their journey.

He paused for a moment, stretching, trying to think of any reason to stall.

He had moved all of his own and his brothers’ things down, and then all of Kate’s and now Bea’s.

The only thing left to do was to load Cecily’s things.

But Solo couldn’t risk moving them.

“Is that everything?” Beatrix asked. She had been loading bottles of water and cans of soda into a cooler next to the vehicle while Solo ran up and down.

“It is nearly everything,” he told her politely.

“What’s left?” she asked.

“Just Cecily’s things,” he told her, trying not to wince. There was no way he could explain his hesitation to her, and he hoped she wouldn’t ask.

“Oh,” Bea said, sounding surprised.

Solo could hardly blame her. Bea had recently been mated to his brother Buck. And Kate and Kirk were together as well.

It was hard not to imagine that everyone was looking at him and Cecily and wondering when they would bond. They were the only ones left.

For his part, Solo wanted very badly to take Cecily as his mate.

But his intended was a puzzle. She was kind and lighthearted, and yet she slipped through his fingers each time he tried to connect with her more deeply.

Solo would not rush their mating, not until he understood her through and through. And he refused to use his gift to aid their connection. It seemed like a betrayal of sorts, and that was no way to begin a relationship. Everything with Cecily must be just right, which meant Solo had to be patient and let things happen in their own time rather than use his power to provide a shortcut to a connection.

This decision made him feel content in his good manners.

But it made helping her move her things… complicated.

“Hey can you help me with this?” Cecily asked breathlessly.

He turned to see that she had come out of the lobby behind him, her arms full of even more belongings.

Spilling out of her bags were notebooks, a phone cord, and her laptop case.

He couldn’t safely touch any of it.

Solo opened his mouth and closed it again.

“Here you go,” Buck said from behind him, jogging up to take the bags from Cecily’s hands.

Solo thanked his lucky stars.

At least his brothers understood his situation.

Kirk caught up to them, a tray of coffee in one hand, a box of doughnuts in the other. He winked at Solo and seemed to be laughing at him.

Sure, it was easy for Kirk to laugh. He had his smiling mate warm in his bed every night. His troubles were few and he had someone to share them with.

Patience, Solo, he told himself. Everything in its own time.

“I think this is everything,” Kate said, coming out of the lobby with an enormous stack of Beatrix’s things.

Solo nearly did a double take, then he remembered that she had likely received his brother’s gift when they mated. Kirk could manipulate gravity - making light things heavy or heavy things light.

Now it appeared that Kate could do it too. She looked enormously pleased with herself, though Cecily stared at her in abject wonder. If Kate had shared Kirk’s gift, she hadn’t told her friends about it.

Solo wondered if Cecily might share his gift when their time came to be mated.

The idea brought him no joy. His gift could just as well be called a curse. He had no wish to burden her with it.

“Are we ready?” Kate asked, sounding excited.

“Yeah,” Cecily said. “I’ll take the first shift driving, if you want.”

“Sounds good,” Kate said, tossing Cecily the keys. “Solo will sit shotgun and keep you company.”

“Are there many predators?” Solo asked. He had not expected they would be traveling through dangerous territory, but he was prepared to defend their group if the need arose.

Cecily began laughing almost immediately.

Kate looked back and forth between Cecily and Solo.

“Shotgun,” Cecily gasped between giggles. “You told him to sit shotgun.”

“Is the shotgun seat not the position for the party member whose job is to prevent attacks by animals and outlaws?” Solo asked.

Cecily began giggling again.

Solo was not in the least embarrassed. If his failure to understand amused her, he was at her service. He loved the carefree sound of his mate’s laughter.

“I guess that is the reason for the term, but we normally just mean the front passenger seat these days when we say it,” Cecily explained. “We don’t expect to bump into any outlaws.”

“Excellent,” Solo said. “But if we do, I will be prepared to protect you no matter which seat I am sitting in.”

“Thank you,” Cecily said sincerely.

“It is my pleasure,” Solo told her slowly, enjoying the way her cheeks tinted pink before she turned away.

Kate and Bea were still giggling behind his back.

He turned and winked at them.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Cecily said.

He could tell by the triumphant note of her voice that she was looking forward to their journey.

And if she had fun, so would he. Her joy already brought him joy, and they were not yet mated.

Solo slipped into the shotgun seat, armed with only the hope in his heart.