Page 67 of Wonder
Rosita winked at me, then she cleared her throat. “Let the young man go, Esperanza. I’m sure he’d rather have his mate in his arms.”
Tia did release him, but Simon kissed her on both cheeks before stepping away.
“Everyone, sit. Who would like some hot chocolate?” Soledad got up to bustle around the kitchen. When Simon sat down next to me, I took his hand in mine.
Tia turned to him. “Young Nicky here told us you like to knit. We’re more partial to crochet, but I’d love to see what you’re working on sometime.”
His eyebrows went up, and all I got was confusion through the bond. He glanced at me, then shrugged. “I—sure? It’s just a blanket. I spend a lot of time in my minivan, so I need the warmth.”
I squeezed his hand. “Youusedto spend a lot of time in your minivan. And, by the way, I hope you don’t mind, but I moved all of your storage bins from your minivan into the house.”
His eyes went wide to match his eyebrows. “You did?”
“Yeah.” I held up my free hand. “I didn’t look at anything, but it seemed wrong not having your stuff inside.” I smiled, feeling all warm and fuzzy at having my mate’s belongings close. More of that nesting instinct, probably, but now I was reveling in it. “I only put a couple of bins of your clothes in our bedroom closet for now, and I put the rest in the guest bedroom. I figure when you’re feeling up to it, you can use your super strength to haul it all upstairs. I already moved a bunch of my clothes from the closet to make room for yours.”
He stared at me for a few more seconds, and his eyes filled with tears. He let go of my hand and leaned over to throw both arms around me. “I haven’t had a place to hang my clothes since I lived with Davi, and that was only for a few months.”
Oh, fuck. I hadn’t anticipated this. I pulled him closer, making his chair legs scrape across the floor. Through the bond I was getting a mishmash of love, gratefulness, disbelief, and awe. “You have a home now. You’re home.” I rubbed his back as he tried to stifle his sobs.
Tia got up, came around the table, and hugged Simon with one arm, then kissed him on his head. “You have family and friends too. You’re not alone.”
Across from us, Cal appeared decidedly uncomfortable, as if he’d rather have been anywhere but here in the middle of all this emotion. Jackson’s face was slightly scrunched up, and they kept glancing between Simon and Nicky. Nicky’s lips were pressed together, and his eyes were shiny.
Oh. Oh, shit.
Simon must’ve felt my realization, because he sat back and wiped his eyes. “Sorry.”
I smiled at him and brushed his hair out of his face. “You’re entitled.” I looked over at Jackson and Nicky. “The home thing? That goes for you two as well. I want you to stay as long as you like.”
“Yes.” Simon nodded emphatically as he sniffled.
“Really? You just got mated. Don’t you want privacy?” Nicky’s face turned pink.
I chuckled. “Maybe don’t open our bedroom door without knocking first, but no. We don’t need to be all alone in the house or anything.”
Simon rubbed his chest. “Actually, I miss being with people. I would prefer it if you would stay. Both of you.”
Jackson nodded, and Nicky grinned. “Okay.”
“Great.” I waved a hand at the living room. “You’re welcome to continue sleeping in here, but we can get a TV for the guest bedroom. And once you’re able to go up the stairs by yourself, Nicky, you should check out the attic and see if you’d prefer to live up there.”
He looked thoughtful. “Thank you, I will.”
Tia went over and gave Nicky a hug as well. Jackson got a kiss on the top of their head, and she gave Cal a pat on the shoulder. “We’re heading home. Do you want us to bring you more food tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “I think we’re good. But feel free to stop by if you like.” Simon gave me wide eyes, and I backpedaled. “Um, in the afternoon would be better, though.”
Cal faked a cough to cover his laugh. After I came back from walking Tia, Rosita, and Soledad to the door, he said, “Now that Jackson is okay, I’ll be heading home in the morning.”
“Thanks for coming, Cal. Really. Not to mention the vision that saved our lives.”
He fidgeted under the praise. “I told you, I was just doing what I could to help.”
“Well, it meant everything to all of us.” Simon, Nicky, and Jackson all nodded and threw in their agreement.
We stayed up about an hour more, keeping Jackson company while they downed most of a pizza. They insisted Nicky eat one slice, and I made a mental note to make sure he was getting enough food. He could walk to the kitchen now, but could he stay steady on his feet long enough to make a sandwich?
For that matter, did Nicky knowhowto make a sandwich?
