he brought you back as soon as he could. I mean, he could’ve lied and said it wasn’t safe for you to come home until next week to have more time with you. Instead he’s here, and he even brought an army to help you.”
“Maybe you’re right.” It felt nice to think my dad wanted to help me. That he cared.
“Of course I am,” he replied with a cocky grin, tugging me forward again.
I snorted, falling into step easily with him.
“What about a pack run tonight?” I asked, my fingers trailing along another leafy branch as we walked by it. I could feel my wolf aching to get out again. “It might be a good way to formalize the packs uniting.”
“That’s a really good idea,” he replied as we broke through the trees. “I’ll tell Rhodes and Dante to alert the pack. Anyone who wants to come should. You could invite your dad.”
I smiled slowly. “I think I will.” I paused and frowned. “Unless Mom would rather not.”
“Your call, babe,” he told me, kissing me again.
I glanced up at his house, all dark wood and gray stone. “I love this house, but it still feels kind of surreal to be staying here.”
“Living here,” he corrected. “You live here.”
I tried to smile. “It feels like your parents’ house.”
He gave me an odd look. “How would you feel about us getting our own house?”
“We talked about staying in the cabin,” I answered. “We were going to live there after the Summit. We could do that when your dad comes home.”
“We could,” he hedged. “But Katy mentioned something to me the other day when we were looking around the new neighborhood. We could build our own house. A new Alpha house.”
I felt my eyes growing wider. “A new house?”
“Think about it. You said it yourself, second generation mates tend to have more kids. We’re going to need space, babe.”
I blushed, looking down. “But what about this house?”
“I’m not waiting twenty years for my dad to step down as Alpha for us to have kids,” he replied with a laugh. “Is that what you want?”
“No. But what about college?”
“We can still do that,” he allowed. “But we’ll need our own place eventually. This space is big enough to build a house that accommodates us. Katy also had the idea that we could build a separate space for the council and offices. Next door, but not actually in the house like it is here.”
I chewed on my lip, thinking. It sounded great.
“It would also make sense since Rhodes is my beta for him and Larkin to live next door, too.”
My gaze snapped to his, and I could see him start to laugh. He knew that would grab my attention. The idea of having two of my best friends so close was a definite appeal.
“But won’t that cost a fortune?” I grimaced. “Last time I checked, I had a couple hundred dollars in my savings account from working with Mom at the cafe.”
“It’s an Alpha house,” he told me, shaking his head with an indulgent smile. “The pack will pay for it. It won’t just be our house, Skye. It’s setting up future generations in Blackwater.”
“I kind of love it,” I said after a second.
He grinned. “And I kind of love you.”
“Kind of?” I arched a brow.
“Completely. Utterly. Hopelessly.” His smile turned teasing as he kissed me again.
The front door banged open and shoes thudded down the steps.
I broke the kiss a second before I was nearly tackled by Dax and then Sam.
Laughing, I hugged them back.
“We missed you,” Sam said, his blue eyes bright.
“And Remy’s an ass without you around,” Dax added, letting me go. “All mopey and angry and—ow!” He rubbed the back of his head where Remy had slapped him.
“I missed you guys, too,” I replied, smiling at them. “Thanks for the welcome.”
The twins exchanged a look.
“What?” Remy demanded.
“It’s not just a welcome,” Sam replied, wincing a bit. “It’s also a heads up.”
“Your mom is inside,” Dax said, turning to me. “She wants to talk to you.”
“Both of you,” Sam added.
“Me and Remy?” I frowned.
“No,” Sam answered. “You and your dad. He’s here, too.”
38
Skye
“When did they get here?” I asked, hurrying up the front stairs with Remy at my heels. Dax and Sam followed us, but stopped at the top stair.
“Your mom got here about five minutes ago,” Sam said. “Your dad just went inside before you got here.”