Page 56 of Roommate Wanted
“Is this where you’re going to bury me when I disappear?” I muttered, only half joking.
“Aye, right,” he scoffed. “An wit am ah goin’tae do without yae?”
“Oh, look at yae. Aren't you gorgeous? Isn't she gorgeous, Finn?” a woman said, gripping me into a bear hug while I stared helplessly at Lyall.
He grinned and shrugged his shoulders.
“Aye, she is. But yer gonna huv tae let the wee lassie breathe,” a man said.
The man I recognised. He was Lyall’s double. Only with shorter hair, and it was a salt-and-pepper colour.
“Lovely to meet you, Mr and Mrs Macdugall,” I said as his mother released me.
“Och. It’s Finn and Rhonda.”
Rhonda patted my cheek like I was a baby and not a grown woman she’d just bear-hugged. Her green eyes twinkled, though, and I saw the same mischief in them that lived in Lyall.
No wonder he turned out unhinged.
“She’s even prettier than yae described,” she said, turning to Lyall and smacking his chest affectionately.“Ye undersold her, ya wee sod.”
“He didn’t undersell me,” I muttered under my breath, and Finn let out a bark of laughter.
“She’s got a bite tae her. Good.” He slapped Lyall on the back.“That’ll keep this yin in check.”
Lyall just rolled his eyes and grabbed our bags like a man used to being outnumbered.
“Come in, hen,” Rhonda said, looping her arm through mine like we were old friends.“We spruced the hoose up fur ye. Yer room’s ready. And don’t worry—we put extra cushions on the seats.”
My mouth fell open.
His dad started to whistle and walk away while Lyall coughed into his hand, grinning like the devil himself.
I was never going to live this down.
It didn't help that Rhonda began to tell me that we would be fucking like bunnies until we adjusted to the bond. Those weren't her exact words, but I got the gist of it.
???
They didn't stay for dinner, but Rhonda and Finn had cooked plenty of food for us. Their warmth and kindness weren't a front. I’d spent time studying them, and they were the most loved-up older couple I’d ever met.
They looked as if they were in their forties, which couldn’t be right. Not with a son Lyall’s age. But there was something…timeless about them. Finn had laughter lines, sure, and Rhonda’s hair was streaked with silver, but neither of them moved like people who creaked when they stood up. They were vibrant—alive.
Was it the mating bond?
Or maybe it was love.
The way Finn’s hand always found Rhonda’s hip. The way she leaned into his chest like it was her favourite place in the world.They were never far apart. Never distracted. It was like watching wolves in the wild—bonded, seamless, constant.
I caught myself watching them with a strange ache in my chest.
Was this how all mated couples were like? Would Lyall—
“Ye’r thinkin’too loud,” Lyall murmured beside me, brushing my hand with his thumb.“Ah can feel it.”
I gave him a sidelong glance.“Just wondering if your parents are immortal or if they drink unicorn blood for breakfast.”
He grinned.“Neither. Just mated. Properly. It changes a lot, ye’ll see.”
