“You can stay in my room,” Emmett said, and Caspien’s lips tugged up.
“You can stay,” I said to him, “I would like you to,” I wasn’t sure how to explain this situation to Emmett, but we would all be living together soon enough.
Emmett was drawing what he wanted his room to look like while Caspien helped me put the leftovers away.
He started studying my mug collection, “Fine, some of these can come,” He smiled, holding up one that said, ‘Someone who loves me went to Myrtle Beach, and all I got was this lousy mug’.
“It’s going to look so good next to your espresso machine,” I thought of his tiny white cups that all matched perfectly, and he frowned.
“These are going in the cabinet, compromise remember?”
“Fine,” I took the mug setting it on the counter, “I’ll set this aside to pack it.”
He pulled me close to him and kissed my hair, “I can’t wait until I never have to leave you again,” I settled into his embrace.
“You want that right?” He pulled back, looking into my eyes, “I can move here, or we can get our own place.” I shook my head, but my stomach did a flip. I knew he was serious and that he would move to this tiny apartment on the opposite side of town just if it made me happier. “You have a pack that wouldn’t make sense.”
“I know something is bugging you, but I have to remind you, you can’t take this back,” He ran a finger over my mark, and I shivered.
“This is the only home I have had to myself,” I stepped away from his touch, “The only place I have had just Emmett and I. I feel like I just got it, and now we’re leaving so soon,” I looked around at the kitchen with the white paint and exposed bricks.
I shrugged, “I wanted to try to do it alone,”
“And you did,” He put his hand under my chin and gently tilted it, so I was facing him.
“I did,” I snorted, “For a few weeks at least. Don’t get me wrong, I am so happy to have found you, and I want to move in more than anything. Me feeling a bit sad to leave this place and leave another life I was planning behind doesn’t detract from that.” His eyes softened.
“It’s just different emotions right now, I wish I had a bit more time, I guess, to see what I could have done on my own.”
He nodded and removed his hand from my chin, “I understand, at least to the extent that I think I can. I don’t want you to give up anything for me.”
“I’m not,” I shook my head placing my hand on his chest and looking up at him, “I’m only gaining with you. Your friends, your parents, everyone has been incredible. I just won’t ever know now if I could have really done it.”
He put a hand on the back of my head and pulled me to his chest, “You know you could have, I know you could have.”
I nodded into him, I did know it, but I couldn’t help that feeling of sadness leaving this place behind the only place Emmett and I had just the two of us. But I knew what we were gaining, the fact that it didn’t have just be the two of us ever again, we were becoming a family.
My buzzer rang, and I jumped; why did it have to be so loud? I pressed the button to unlock it, hoping that my parents knew what to do.
“They’re here!” I called to Emmett, and he bounded out of his room, almost tripping in just his socks, “Did you clean your room?” I asked. “Yes, Mama.”
There was a knock on the door, and I rushed to open it. My parents smiling faces filled the door frame and I was overcome with happiness.
My mom knelt down and scooped Emmett into her arms, looking him over. My dad pulled us all into a hug.
“It’s been too long,” My mom said, “You’ve grown so much.”
“Goddess, we missed you,” My dad said his hands on my shoulders, “Willa,” His eyes were wide.
“What?” I asked, looking behind me, half expecting to see someone breaking into the window. “You’re marked,” He whispered, his eyebrows furrowed.
“She’s what?” My mom pushed my dad out of the way and looked at my neck, “Goddess, she is.”
“Did you think I would lie about that?”
“No, but, I didn’t know.”
“I wasn’t planning on it, it just happened,” I shrugged. My mom looked toward Emmett, “Mom, I met him right after you guys left. He just marked me. I’m taking things slow; I took things slow.”
“So when do we get to meet this mystery mate?” My mom eyed me with a smile, “Hopefully not another Alpha,” She joked.
“Could you imagine?” My dad laughed and walked into the apartment.
I took a deep breath, following them in.
“Place looks nice, the windows though. I’ll see what I can do about them while we’re here.”
“We actually might be moving soon,” I added the might to make it seem less certain, even though we all knew that now that I wore his mark there was nothing uncertain about this.
“Where to?” My dad asked nonchalantly.
Emmett wiggled out of his arms and ran to his room.
There was a sharp knock at the door, Caspien.
“That’s him now,” I said.
“Or the grim reaper,” My dad muttered under his breath.
“Vincent, why are you so apprehensive about her mate? You’re acting like a human father.” She nudged him.
“It’s just; I don’t want to see you get hurt again.” He looked away from me, “You don’t know what it was like, how bad it was.”
“Dad, I think I know,”
“I know, no one else was going through it the same but, but “He signed, “You were a shell of a person, there were days you didn’t talk, and we were worried you would never come back from that.”
My mom frowned and looked at me with sympathy. I really didn’t like this conversation or remembering.
“It took you ages to even start to pull away from that for us to recognize you underneath that.” My dad swallowed and wiped at his eyes. A flicker of sadness arose, I knew it was bad for them, I knew they sacrificed, but I didn’t realize I was that bad. I didn’t truly understand how terrified they must have been.
“I’m sorry,” My voice broke.
“No, honey, no.” My dad stepped forward, wrapping his hands around my arms, “Don’t be. I just am worried, that’s all. I know you know yourself, and you are only thinking about what is best for Emmett.” He shook his head. My mom came up and patted his shoulder. “Maybe we should meet the guy before we pass judgment.” She whispered, looking at the door.
Oh, right yeah.
I wiped my eye and smiled at my dad.
“Alright then,” I walked to the door and took a quick breath before opening it.
“I thought you changed your mind.” Caspien was leaning against the doorway in a light gray suit, with a bouquet of pink and white flowers in his hands.
“Sorry, we just were talking and,” I shrugged, “Come in,”
I held the door open for him, and he walked past me, putting on a smile for my parents. I shut the door and followed him in. My dad tensed, and my mom’s mouth hung open. “Um, is, this is,” My mom pointed him.
“Caspien!” Emmett came out with an armful of toys, some of them falling behind him.
“Why don’t you just let your grandparents come in and see your toys?” Emmett ignored me, “Sure, fine, no, this makes way more sense.” I muttered.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.