by Karen Lynch
I rubbed her leg. “You’ve been a great friend to her, and I can see a difference in her since we got home. It’s going to take a while after all she’s been through, but she’s strong.”
“She is.”
I didn’t like the sadness that had crept into her voice, and I had just the thing to cheer her up. I’d planned to give it to her tonight, but now was as good a time as any.
“Wait here.” I lifted her legs and stood.
“What are you up to?” she called when I went into the bedroom.
I opened the top drawer of my dresser and retrieved the brown manila envelope I’d placed there yesterday evening. Thinking of her reaction when she saw what was inside, I smiled as I returned to the living room.
“You’re looking very pleased with yourself,” she said when I joined her on the couch again. Her eyes went to the envelope, and she gave me a questioning look. “What’s that?”
I handed it to her. “Open it.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she took the envelope and opened it. I watched her face closely when she reached inside and pulled out several sheets of paper.
She stared at the first one for a long moment before her mouth fell open and her gaze flew to mine.
“Is this…?” Her voice cracked as her eyes began to shimmer with tears.
“…the deed to your building in New Hastings,” I finished for her. “Nate and I talked, and he was thinking about selling. So I –”
She launched herself at me, straddling my lap to kiss me until both of us needed to come up for air.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” she sang, hugging me tightly. “I can’t believe you bought me a whole building.”
I nuzzled her throat. “I’d buy you a whole block if you asked me to.”
“I don’t want a whole block.” She lifted her head to look at me. “Why didn’t you guys tell me?”
I lifted a corner of my mouth. “And miss out on that reaction? Not a chance.”
She looked down at the papers that were now slightly crumpled in her hand. “When can we go visit? It should be safe there now, right?”
“How about this weekend?”
Her head whipped up. “Are you serious?”
I nodded, and she squealed. This time she tossed the papers on the couch before she took my face in her hands and kissed me senseless.
“Thank you,” she whispered against my lips.
“No thanks necessary.” I gave her a lazy smile and settled my hands on her hips. “Just kiss me like that every day for the rest of our lives.”
“Deal.”
She laid her head on my shoulder, and I rubbed my hand up and down her back.
“My mother called again this morning. She’s dying to meet you. I’m not sure if she’ll be able to wait until this summer.”
“I know I said I wanted to wait to talk to her in person, but we can call her today if you think that’ll make her happy.”
I smiled, thinking about my mother’s reaction when my mate called her.
“Yeah, that will make her very happy. And maybe she’ll stop calling me at 5:00 a.m.”
Sara chuckled. “Well, she has waited a long time for her son to find a mate.”
“So have I.” I lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I waited almost two hundred years for you. I just didn’t know what I was waiting for until I found you.”
She gave me a teary smile. “I bet you never expected it to be this crazy. Was it worth it?”
“Every. Single. Second.” I punctuated each word with a kiss.
She toyed with the hair at the back of my head, sending a shiver through me. I could live a hundred lifetimes and never tire of her touch.
“When I look back at everything that’s happened, it feels unreal sometimes,” she said. “It’s been an adventure, hasn’t it?”
I kissed her mouth and her throat, and her breath hitched when my lips found the swell of her breast. I lifted my head to smile at her. A familiar fire burned in her eyes, and an answering one blazed inside of me.
“No, moy malen’kiy voin. Our adventure is just beginning.”
~ The End ~
Author Note
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