Page 36 of Ronen
Of course, Matty would want to know that.
Setting my lips into a tight, thin line, I looked past his shoulder to the blue sky outside, up at the ceiling, over to the side wall.
“Stop stalling,” Matty growled, “you know Dad probably already knows. Which means Papa knows, and Uncle Becks and Uncle Wyatt. Probably Uncle Brendan and Ryan. Charlie. Grandma Mary and Nana.”
Holding up a hand, I ordered, “Stop. Just stop.” My head was starting to pound. From lack of sleep, or just this day. “You’re giving me a headache.”
“I don’t think I’m the one giving you a headache. Spill. You know I’m going to find out.”
Sighing loudly, I grumbled, “Mason Caldwell.”
Matty stared at me, then put his hand to his ear. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I didn’t quite catch it.”
Giving him a look that clearly said he was an asshole, because all he had to do was use his wolf hearing and he would know, I repeated loudly, “Mason fucking Caldwell.”
“Odd middle name, but people are weird,” Matty smirked at me, enjoying himself immensely at my expense. “MasonCaldwell. The sheriff Mason Caldwell? Stealer and destroyer of books? That Mason Caldwell?”
“Stop saying his name! He’s probably like Beetlejuice. You say his name three times and he appears. No one needs that.”
Matty’s lips quirked, his shoulders shaking. Waving my fingers at him, I said, “Get it out of your system, so we can move on, please and thank you.”
My brother’s laughter went on for a good five minutes, while I waited patiently for him to finish.
Wiping his eyes, he finally wheezed, “What do you want to know? Is there something specific?”
“Can fated mates really take this out clause thing?” I asked. “Is that a thing, or just something that is part of the stories?”
“Honestly?”
“Please.”
“I’ve interviewed about fifty people who opted for the out clause,” he told me, leaning his elbows on his desk. “All from different backgrounds, shifter species, and countries. For various reasons, they all decided being with their fated mate wasn’t a path they wanted to pursue.”
“So it is possible?”
Matty frowned. “I didn’t say that.”
Now it was my turn to frown.
“In every single case, all those fated mates ended up together. Some were apart for years–like Uncle Finn and Wade–some only a few months. But all of them ended up together.”
“Pfft,” I blew out a breath, slumping in my chair, feeling defeated.
“But, they all said the same thing.”
“What’s that?”
“That Fate wasn’t wrong, and that they truly were meant to be together. Most people described their mates as being the perfect person for them, even when they hadn’t realized it. They are all happy, extremely happy.”
“Are you saying I should just ride off into the sunset with Mason?”
“I’m saying maybe take the time to get to know the man, Ro,” Matty told me softly. “He might just be what you’ve been searching for.”
Frowning at him, I plucked at my shirt sleeve, realizing it was still rolled up, showing off my ink. “I haven’t been searching for anything. I’m perfectly happy. I actually like taking off at a moment’s notice to do whatever I want, by myself. Without having to ask someone permission, or tell them where I’m going and what I’m doing.”
“Okay,” Matty held out his hands in defeat. “I’m not going to argue with you.”
“I’m not arguing,” I argued. “What else should I know about this fated mates bullshit.”
