“Where are we?” I asked as he pulled into an unfamiliar drive several miles outside of town. The house in front of us was cute in a way that reminded me a bit of my childhood home. Wrap-around porch. Big bay window. And a tire swing in the back that made me think of the hours we’d spent as kids with East trying to push me so high I thought I might catch the wind and fly away.
Nostalgia clogged my throat as East squeezed my hand.
“Come see.”
He got out and came around, helping me out of the truck. I climbed the steps to the porch and eyed the cute wooden swing hanging off to the side.
“Great swing,” I said.
East went to the front door and bent to peel away the mat. Grabbing a key, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, glancing around. But the yard was empty, and we were far enough back from the road to be out of sight. “You can’t just walk in.”
“Sure I can.” He took my elbow, guiding me through the door. “A man has a right to enter his own home.”
“His own. . .” I blinked. “You live here?”
I stepped in and looked around, noting the simple furnishings. Brand new and handmade, from the looks of it. The branding matched a local woodworking shop in town. I wandered closer and saw that the blue couch with deep, cozy cushions still had the tag on it. Everything was brand new.
“What are we doing here?” I asked, turning back to East.
“Depends. What do you think of it?”
“It’s beautiful. The house is lovely, and the furniture’s cozy.”
“Reminds me a bit of your old house,” he said, eyes twinkling again.
“Me too,” I admitted, softening when I realized he’d bought something just reminiscent enough of good times without all the grief that would cling to the actual house my parents had lived in.
“But what are we doing here?” I repeated, uncertainty curling in my stomach, mixing with a hope I didn’t want to admit to. “Did you sign a short-term rental contract or something?”
“I bought it.”
“Bought it?” I repeated, dumbfounded.
“I had a little bit left in savings to cover a down payment. And I just took a new job with the Midnight Falls ski patrol, so I’ve got the mortgage payments covered.”
“Oh.” Emotions churned through me. “Why?”
He stepped closer. “Why what?”
“Why all of it? Why buy this place? Why take a job with the ski patrol?”
“My mom’s been through a lot. I don’t want to burden her by moving in.” He paused, closing the distance between us until he was staring down at me from only inches away. “Besides. I thought you and I needed some privacy.”
“East.” My words stalled as a new thought occurred. “We’re still on pack land.”
“I guess it’s a good thing we both decided to join the pack then.”
“Oh.” My legs wobbled as his words registered.
“I’ve knocked you off balance, haven’t I?”
“Literally,” I agreed.
He laughed.
“Here, I’ve got you.” East reached out and scooped me up.
Ignoring my protests, he carried me past the couch and up the stairs into the bedroom. A large mattress draped in quilts took up the entire back half of the room. On each side, windows overlooked a backyard that sprawled until it hit the tree line.
East didn’t stop until we reached the bed, and he lowered me onto it.
“What are you—”
“Come live with me, Cat.” His eyes were steadier than I’d seen since he’d come back into my life. Not a shred of uncertainty shone in his expression, and for some reason, that made it hard to breathe.
“I can’t just move in with you. This is so fast. And . . . you live in Breckenridge. You have a life there.”
“I already broke my lease there. My furniture’s being shipped.” He lifted a hand and smoothed back my hair. His touch was so gentle now. So certain.
My heart fluttered.
“Why would you do that?” I asked. “Your leg’s healed.”
“It’s not about the leg. It never was.”
“I saw your scans, East. It was definitely about the leg.” Why was I arguing this? Wasn’t it exactly what I wanted?
“I mean the healing. It wasn’t about the injury itself. It was about getting me back here. To you. My pain healed the moment I decided to admit I was in love with you.”
My brows lifted. “I thought it had something to do with me choosing to become a wolf for you.”
He grinned. “So you did do this so you could sleep with me.”
My lips twitched. “It’s definitely a perk.”
He leaned in, his mouth brushing mine as he said, “Let’s sleep together forever.”
My breathing turned shallow. The small kernel of hope inside me bloomed into something larger than I could shove away. “This is fast.”
“It doesn’t feel fast to me.” His lips twitched. “In fact, after ten years in the making, I feel kind of thickheaded. Like it’s taken me way too long to get my shit together.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing. “Well, I won’t argue there.”
His gaze flicked to my mouth, but he didn’t kiss me.
“Is this because of the mate bond?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Your wolf is compelling you?”
“You make it sound like I don’t have a choice in how I feel about you.”
“Do you?”
He sat up a bit. “Do you have feelings for me, Cat?”
My heart skipped a beat. “Yes.”
“Are they the same feelings you had before you became a wolf?”
My body hummed. “Yes.”
“Do you trust me?”
My chest ached as I realized that had been what I’d been holding back before. Like a dam bursting, I opened my heart and let it in.
