“For you, silly. This is your mating gift. Made with love. Hopefully, it will help you two or you and the other one stay warm in bed and give me some grandbabies while I still have my mind.”
“I’m scared of you and those needles. Want some tea?”
“I’ve got my tea. And you shouldn’t be scared of me with these needles. Once upon a time, our ancestors carried swords.”
I stopped in my tracks, all thoughts of coffee, tea, and breathing long forgotten.
“What?” I whirled on her, confused and shocked.
“Don’t look at me like that. Don’t tell me you didn’t know we come from strong women.”
I sat on the couch, jostling both her and her project. “I knew we came from strong women. I mean, I knew you were strong.”
She put down the knitting needles and yarn and blew out a breath. “I wish your mother were here to tell you more. She left us too young.”
My mother and father had died just a few years ago, but it must’ve seemed young to Gigi.
“So, why didn’t you tell me? I mean, swords? How badass.”
She laughed, and the sound warmed my heart. “It is badass. Go make that cup of tea, and we can talk a little about it, but you’re not ready for the whole thing.”
“Okay.” I didn’t care about getting the whole story at once. I just hungered for a piece of it, not even knowing what she was talking about. I rushed into the kitchen and half-ass made a cup of tea, not bothering to stir the milk into the cup properly before returning, this time careful not to plop.
“Our ancestors were warriors—proud and strong females who protected our packs and our mates from harm.”
Somehow, the information seemed like it was being revealed from inside me instead of being new. Like it had been waiting, dormant inside my chest, to be uncovered.
“We did?”
She nodded and tapped her fingernail on my teacup, urging me to drink the fragrant chamomile brew. “We sure did. A long line of them.” She leaned forward to whisper, “And there were dragons, too.”
I gasped, but before I could absorb this, Tris came in carrying a duffel bag along with a cardboard box filled with personal items. “Hey, am I interrupting something?”
“Not at all, hot stuff. Get in here. Did you decide to move in? It’s about damned time.”
Tris’ face flamed. “Um, we hadn’t really talked about it, but I needed some stuff since I was here all the time.” He had hinted about renting out his house, but since he owned it, and I was renting from Wendi, we hadn’t really reached a solution.
For some reason, that fired Gigi up. She huffed out a breath and stuffed her yarn into her bag with a little more gusto than necessary. “What’s to talk about? You’re mates. You’ve clearly mated. What’s the damn deal, mister?”
A snort came out of me, and, while Gigi didn’t look my way, she reached out sideways and slapped my hand.
Tris was the target of her wrath today.
Poor guy.
“Well, sometimes she just wants to be alone, and I respect her wishes.” Tris puffed out his chest, as if proud of his retort.
Gigi was quiet for three-point-three seconds, a personal record. “Well, if she wants some alone time, you can go outside and rake. That’s what my men used to do. Our yard was spotless and leaf-free all the damn time, even in the fall. You find yourself an outside hobby, but no more of this living somewhere else. You’re mates, and let me tell you, life passes you by. One day you’re together, and the next you’re alone and missing the other two people who made you whole.
My heart broke as her tirade went from tearing Tris a new asshole to missing her mates. She was so resilient and brave. It wasn’t often she showed this side of her heart, and it absolutely tore me to pieces.
“Gigi,” I whispered and scooted next to her. She threw her arms around me, letting out a sob, shredding my heart again.
“You come on over, too.” “She stopped sobbing long enough to issue the command. “This is a family group hug, and you’re family now.”
He dropped what he was holding and rushed toward us and, in the most awkward way ever, knelt on the floor and wrapped us both into his strong embrace.
I melted into him, heart and body.
Being kind to my grandmother—the ticket to my soul.
“Damn, boy, even your armpits smell good.” That broke the bubble of sweetness. We both pulled back and laughed. “I mean, what is it? Lavender?”
He blushed and nodded. “It’s cedar and lavender deodorant. Something like that.”
“Nothing like a male who smells good. Why don’t you go get the rest of your stuff and forget this living across the street bullshit.”
Tris’ eyes met mine, and we had some unspoken conversation. She wasn’t wrong. We had been playing house long enough. He was my mate. He and I belonged together. But we had some issues with where to live even.
But we did want to be together as much as possible.
“I’ll go get some more of my stuff, then.” He broke away from us, but not before kissing my forehead. “See you in just a few minutes.”
Gig and I watched him leave, and she giggled as he shut the door. “Take note, Christie. Sometimes, you have to tell these males what they need.”
Chapter Eight
Despite Gigi’s encouragement, which I privately thought of as nagging, we hadn’t yet reached a decision about who would live where. Tris owned his home, so if we were going to live together, it seemed as if it would be the better location. However, his home was a little smaller than mine, and
