“Always.” Valerie looked up at her son. “But I suspect it would only be for a short time. Your mate will soon realize that the two of you belong under the same roof.”
“I hope so.” Caleb backed away from the table. “Thanks for the food. Are you okay if I run?”
“You go.” Valerie waved him away. “Help your mate get settled. If you need us, you know where we are. I want Elise to know we are here for her as a family.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Flora offered.
“No, you have your own things to sort out. I can do this alone.” He smiled at her. “But thanks for the offer, it means a lot to know you’re there if I need you.”
“It’s no trouble at all, I owe you a lot. And I want Elise to be happy. She deserves it.” Flora gave a half-smile. “It might also make Karros realize that there was nothing I could do to stop the way I feel about Aiden.”
“If he sees how the mating bond works for me and Elise, he’ll understand it more.” Caleb inclined his head. “At least I know Karros won’t be trying to drive a wedge between us. If he let you go, he must have some understanding of the mating bond.”
“He does, but this is different. It’s one thing to set me free to be with Aiden. But Elise is his sister. Karros knows how his parents will react to the news. He might not be so willing to support your relationship with Elise.” Flora’s knowledge of Elise’s family would come in useful if Caleb had to try to win them over.
“And I thought the hard part was finding your mate,” Rift said.
“Me and you both,” Caleb agreed. He rubbed his hands together and backed away from them. “Okay, challenge accepted, I am going to make some phone calls and see if I can find a really great place for them to live.”
“And we’re going to find Logan and ask if we can move into his cabin until we’ve had some time to plan our future.” Aiden gazed adoringly at his mate and Caleb experienced a pang of jealousy. He couldn’t wait until he had such a deep loving relationship with his mate.
Don’t forget they have been through a lot together and have learned to trust each other. The past few days have been tough on them, but it’s drawn them together and made their relationship stronger. His bear’s wise words helped as Caleb left the restaurant and crossed the hotel reception area.
Jeremy was typing on the keyboard of the hotel computer, but aside from that, the reception area was empty.
“Are you busy, Jeremy?” Caleb went to the desk, aware he didn’t have a lot of time to spare if he didn’t want to be late for his meeting with his mate.
“Always.” Jeremy raised his eyes from the screen to study Caleb for a moment. “What do you need?”
“Do you know of any apartments or houses that might be available to rent?”
“Ah, you’re homeless since your brother has found his mate.” His eyes narrowed. “Is this your roundabout way of asking if I need a roommate?”
“No!” Caleb answered quickly. “I have a few contacts of my own, but I figured I’d ask you since you meet so many people coming through the hotel reception. I wondered if you’d heard of anything.”
“Oh.” Jeremy looked relieved. “Sorry.”
“I’ll let you get back to work.” Caleb tapped the desk and turned around, heading for the door.
“Wait, there might be something. I had a couple in earlier who have come to view a new development along the coast. It’s a little outside of town, which might suit your mate.” Jeremy paused. “That was your mate in here this morning?”
“Yes. It was.”
“Fae. She was here with her brother, they were asking for Aiden. I saw you with the whole startled I’ve just met my mate look in your eyes.” He snorted. “Shifters.”
“Shifters indeed.” Caleb leveled his gaze at Jeremy. “Do you have any more details?”
“Oh, yes.” He tapped the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the computer screen. “Here.” He printed off a sheet of paper and handed it to Caleb. “A couple of the apartments are already leased. There are still two more vacant. It’s a quiet development, which might also suit your mate.”
“Thanks, Jeremy. I owe you one.” Caleb folded the piece of paper and hurried toward the door.