Page 139 of Power Shift

“I’m open, then. Completely open.”

44

JASPER

“This is a nesting store?It’s the size of an airport,” Briar mumbles, eyes wide as we stand in the parking lot.

Cozy Hollow is the biggest nesting supply warehouse in the entirety of western Canada, so while the overflowing parking lot makes sense, it was still frustrating when it came to finding somewhere to park. I didn’t want to make Briar walk too far, so I circled the entire thing for ten minutes before finding a spot close to the front.

I’ve never been here before, but I know Ronan has with his sister. It would have been helpful having him here with us today, but he got called to come in for an extra practice with the defensemen. Dash volunteered to take his spot.

“It’s better than an airport. You don’t get sick from breathing in the air here or clipped in the heel with giant carry-on suitcases,” Dash says.

Briar giggles. “Just tripped with metal carts instead.”

“I’ll take it. Let’s go, love. We have quite the list.” I offer my hand, and she takes it easily.

I peek at Dash and see him hesitating to do the same. Briar doesn’t let him. She slips her arm through his and looks up at him with a sparkling grin.

“I just don’t want you to get lost,” she tells him.

The laugh that escapes him pierces through my chest. It’s his old laugh. The one he had back before the pack started to grow strained and uncomfortable.

“We can always get back in the SUV and go to a pet shop first so you can pick out a collar and leash for me.”

A car pulls into the space beside Dash, but he doesn’t notice. The full weight of his attention is on Briar.

“Would you prefer blue or pink?” she purrs.

“It doesn’t matter as long as it comes with one of those cute little tags with my name on it.”

“I can make that happen. I’ll even add a little chocolate peanut butter cup on it.”

He makes a low noise in his throat and plants a fat kiss on her cheek. “Perfect.”

A couple of minutes later, we walk through the automatic doors, and Briar runs to grab a cart. The black skater skirt she’s wearing flares out at her thighs with every rushed step, and I blow out a long breath, still unable to keep from staring at her every moment of every day like it’s the first time.

“She’s incredible, Jas,” Dash murmurs, doing the same thing I am.

“I’ve been telling you that for weeks.”

“If she wasn’t my scent match, do you think I would still be this interested?”

Briar pushes the cart in our direction, grinning the entire way. Her flip-flops snap loudly against the floor, but she pays it no mind.

“I think she could convince just about anyone to love her, Dash. Scent match or not, she’s important to you. You’reinterested in her, so make that your focus. Don’t spend too much time second-guessing yourself.”

“I’m falling for her regardless of what she turns out to be.”

I think I might already be in love with her, and that . . . that should scare me more than it does.

“Do either of you have any experience with decorating a nest?” she asks, eagerly spinning the cart back around.

Dash and I walk beside her, one of us on either side of the cart, and follow her wherever she leads, content with spending all day like this. We don’t have practice until tomorrow, and I can’t think of a better way to spend my free time than with her.

“I don’t. Jas is the one who set up the nest the way it is right now. There’s a stack ofNesting Digestmagazines hidden in the office that you could find if you searched hard enough,” Dash says.

She offers me a soft look before turning the cart to the right. “Well, what’s already in the nest is perfect. If I measured, I think the bed would be as big as the bedroom in my apartment. The colours are great, and is the blanket heated, or was I just really hot?”

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