“They like helping. And my mom likes seeing the furniture go to a good home. She hates parting with stuff. Particularly pieces of furniture that have sentimental value.”
“I’ll take good care of it all,” Elise assured him.
“I know you will.” He slipped his hand into hers. “Come on, Karros is going to follow us back to the house. He’s managed to cram a couple of lamps and some other smaller items into his car.”
She closed her fingers around his and held on to him. Like a couple of teenagers, they ran toward the truck and got inside. Laughter bubbled up inside of her along with a sense of freedom as if she were the master of her own destiny.
Although, she wasn’t. The man sitting next to her who called her mate had been chosen for her by some mystical power. Fate.
“This is all too good to be true.” Elise watched through the window as they drove through the new town that was her home.
“No, it’s not. It is true,” Caleb assured her.
“I guess I’m just not that good at believing that things just fall into place. I’ve been struggling for so long to get to where I want to be that it’s hard to believe it’s true.” She clasped her hands together in her lap. “I keep thinking something is going to come along and upset this perfect life that’s unfolding before me.”
“Why not just accept each day, each moment, for what it is?” Caleb asked. “You don’t have to worry about tomorrow. Enjoy this moment with the smell of the ocean and the sound of the gulls, and the rattle of your furniture in the back of the truck. That’s what’s real, what’s tangible.”
“I’ve never lived in the moment. I’ve always worried about the future. Whether it was looking for the perfect man or trying to find the next stepping stone in my career.” She tapped the side of her head. “I live in here. Not out there.” She waved her hand at the view.
“Well, for now, for today, live in the now.” He grinned at her.
“Okay.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I can smell the ocean.” She stuck her tongue out. “I can taste the salt on my tongue.”
“Go on.”
“I feel the warmth of the sun on my face.” She cupped her cheek in her palm. “And I can sense you beside me.”
“Right where I’ll always be.”
“Are you thinking about the future instead of living in the now?” she accused.
“You got me.” Caleb steered the truck onto the trail that led to the house. Her house, her home.
At least until she and Caleb figured out what they were going to do. Milo’s words came back to her. She would marry Caleb. She was ready to accept that.
Live in the now, she reminded herself as her head filled with a hundred and one questions that needed answering. Her future was fluid, she couldn’t know the answers to those questions now. Not yet, so she let them go.
“Wilf should be here anytime now.” Caleb backed the truck up to the house and switched off the engine.
“It would be presumptuous to unload the furniture before we sign the lease, wouldn’t it?” She itched to pull down the tailgate of the truck and carry the furniture into the house.
“It would.” He nodded as Karros parked his car next to the truck.
“Now I’m nervous he isn’t going to come, and we won’t be able to move in.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. “Or what if he’s had a better offer and has decided to lease the house to someone else? He was worried about us being fae.”
She clamped her mouth shut and looked at him sheepishly, but he just grinned, opened the truck door, and got out. Elise inhaled deeply and then climbed out of the truck. A light breeze ruffled her hair, it carried a sweet scent of pine resin and her eyes were drawn to the mountains in the distance.
“Here he is.” Caleb turned around and watched as a new car drove toward the house. The guy behind the wheel was in his late sixties, with a warm smile and eyes that assessed people on the spot.
It seemed they’d passed his test since he got out of the car and stretched before he leaned down and grabbed a briefcase from the front seat. “Hi there.”
“Wilf, this is Elise and Karros.”
He held out his hand. “It’s good to meet you.” He glanced at Caleb. “I