Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,96

nodded. “Ezra needs more troubleshooters, and they want me. The magic circle wants you, and all the ex-military guys want Arch to stick around,” he added with a grin.

“So, you’d be able to keep working with your uncle if he stays?” she asked.

“Looks that way. But what about your family? I thought you guys were tight-knit.”

“We are, and sometimes, it drives me crazy,” she admitted. “Kiki went out on her own, and ever since, I’ve wondered what there was out there for me. I think my mother knew.” Helen rolled her eyes and then smiled. “Of course, my mother knew. She was the one who sent me to Virginia Beach and told me to stop and buy fireworks on the way. She saw all of this.” Helen shook her head. “I bet she even knows that I really want to stay.”

“You do?” Jim asked, surprised.

“If you do,” she backtracked a bit. “Not because I don’t love my family. I do love them, fiercely. But I also need to find my own way, with you. We need to stand on our own for a while, until we know who we are as a couple. I think we can do that here. If you want to stay, of course.”

“Arch was right. There’s really no room for what we do in the Pack my brother is trying to build. We can’t stop being who and what we are, so it’s about time we found a place that welcomes our kind and our skills. This is that kind of place, so yes, if you want to stay, so do I,” he told her, feeling a weight of worry lifting off his shoulders as she smiled.

Helen felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and reached for it. She just shook her head when she read the text message that had just come in.

“It’s from my mother,” she told Jim, then turned to address the rest of those gathered. “My mother wants you to know, Alpha, that she’s already spoken to the rest of the family, and they’ve decided that I’m to be your liaison to the Llewellyn archive. They’ve already decided to call me the Llewellyn Liaison.” Helen shook her head, grinning at the alliteration.

“I know my mate will be thrilled to hear this,” John said, grinning as he stood. “It’s settled, then. Welcome to Grizzly Cove.”

*

Jim and Helen spent the morning looking at places to live. There were a few apartments in town still available, though they were building as fast as they could to create more accommodations for the mer who wanted places on land. Still, there were a few places Jim and Helen could rent, and they decided on one of the units on the top floor of Gus’s building that had a nice view of the cove.

There were actually two units available in the building, and Arch decided to rent the one that faced Main Street. Jim wasn’t sure, but it seemed like Arch was more than a little interested in the new gallery going in directly across the street from his windows. Jim caught a few glances of a very pretty older woman directing the work of setting up the place and looked speculatively at his uncle. Arch may have been a bachelor all his life, but there was always hope.

They moved in after lunch, and the first thing Helen did, even before unpacking her suitcases, was to hang the little painting Laura had given them. It held a place of honor in their new apartment, in the living room where they could see it all the time.

Jim came up behind her as she stood, admiring the canvas. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, snugging her back against his chest. She put her arms over his and settled into his embrace as if she’d been born to fit there.

“Are you happy?” he asked, hoping she felt as good about the decision to live here as he did.

Jim had called his brother just before lunch and explained that he wasn’t coming back to Iowa right away. Probably not for a good long time. It had been emotional for them both, but Brock had understood. They’d both seen this day coming for a while now, and although it was heart-wrenching, it was also good.

This change meant that Jim had found his mate, which was something to rejoice over. It also meant that Brock would be able to guide his Pack in the direction he wanted it to go without any