Page 63 of His Temporary Alpha Mate
“I meant with us. We’re still friends, right? I can be better.”
“Of course,” I said honestly. “We just needed to clear the air. I mean it, Roan. Carve something out for yourself before you end up a wreck. Lean on Asher more. Trust your dad. Don’t baby Hiroshi. He’s a grown ass man, he’s a healer and has seen worse shit than you can imagine.”
Getting up, I went to his side and hugged him for a long moment, then went upstairs to my room.
Outside my door, Hiroshi was waiting for me, empty boxes at his feet. He hugged me. “Thank you.”
“You’re not mad?”
“No. It needed to be said. I love Roan, but he hasn’t been a good friend. None of us have. I’m so happy for you and Dalton! Come and visit all the time, okay?”
“I will. Maybe soon we can have playdates with our kids.”
Dalton had been called away, so he left me to make our bed and settle in Priscilla and Spice.I felt a warm glow in my gut when I thought about his easy trust with his most treasured possessions: his pets.
He did leave me a note:
Larken,
Thank you for everything you did to make this a home for Spice and Priscilla. You made me cry! Chase laughed.
Back soon
Dalton x
Once everything was as tidy as it was going to get and both animals were napping in their new beds, I set about organizing a surprise for my man.
“What’s all this?” he asked as he stepped inside the house.
I’d trailed a colorful mix of rose petals on the floor to the spare room we had set aside for his home office.
Inside, the room was dark, thanks to the late winter hour and thick blackout drapes. I’d hung fairy lights along the walls and found a pile of cushions and blankets.
A wall was being used as a projector screen, a cheesy rom-com waiting for us.
“I thought we could have a home movie date. Oh, the popcorn!” I rushed to the kitchen to grab the popcorn from the pantry. The freshly popped on the stove kind was better, but I hadn’t wanted to stress Spice out withthe popping. There were too many new things for him. He was showing signs of needing a quiet night.
When I returned, Dalton was sitting in the nest in just his underwear. A blanket was slung around his shoulders.
“What?” he grinned. “My clothes were much too restrictive to sit in like this.”
“And pajamas were out because?”
“I didn’t pack any? Besides, I thought you might want to make this date a little more R rated later,” he teased with a wink. I was so grateful he was doing okay, despite the disappointment.
“Later? I’m tempted now. You’re hot stuff, Dimples.”
“Hmm, you’re pretty hot yourself. Now strip and join me. We can pretend to watch this movie and make out.”
“Whatever you want.” I threw my t-shirt into the hallway and closed the door. No pet interruptions, thanks.
“I think I’m going to like living with you properly.”
“Me too.”
Contract
Dalton
