Page 20 of Fire in Cabin 27
“You know,” I turned sideways to face him, “something inside me did too. Not the mate part, exactly. It wasn’t until you explained it that I got it, but my first reaction when faced with anything more than a one-night stand has always been to run.But you knew how to handle me, how to tame this shrew,” we both laughed though I wasn’t far off.
“My shrew. Not gonna lie, that snarky side does just as much for me as this sweet one. You’re so different one on one than you are in public.”
“That’s because I don’t have to constantly be switched on. It’s exhausting.”
“No more switches and just for the record, in my opinion, I won the mate lottery.”
Someone finally believed I was worth keeping.
#Win
Maybe now I would too.
Having always been the one to fight to get my way, even amongst my so-called friends, it was odd to feel as I did now. Going along with whatever Kyson suggested about the move and building a house. Hell, I was looking forward to being part of a real family, and if I could find my place amongst it, that would be even better.
Trust.
Yes, trust. Another new emotion I’ve adopted since Kyson found me.
“All right, my love, we’ve got another long day ahead of us, so we should probably hit the sack.”
“Are we driving straight through?”
“As much as I’d like to, I don’t think we’ll make it in a day. Seattle traffic is the worst and I’m roughly two hours north of it. We’ll likely stop just outside of Vancouver for the night if I can find a safe space for us to park. But let’s table that conversation for lunchtime tomorrow and see how we feel.”
“Sounds like a plan.” My body instantly relaxed as we slid beneath the flannel sheets, all nice and cozy curled up together.
Kyson’s contented sigh matched how I felt. “What amenities and rooms would you like the new house to have?”
“Definitely a shower for two,” our dragon moaned. “At least three bedrooms, and one big ass closet. Ooohhh, and a big bathtub.”
“That’s a given,” he chuckled. “I’d like a wood shop attached to the house. That way when I’m working I’m close enough if you need me. Especially come winter.”
“I love that you always think of me. For the kitchen, I don’t even know where to start, except for the fact that I should probably learn how to cook, given it sounds like we won’t be anywhere near a town to order delivery from.” Guess when it came to eating I’d been spoiled there too. Time to pull up my lace panties and be a grown-up.
“Closest town is about an hour by truck, fifteen minutes by dragon, but we can only fly in the dead of night or land in the nearby forest which is still kinda risky. I can teach you, but the best teacher is honestly my mother. She raised six of us and we never went hungry.”
“What if she doesn’t like me? What if I’m too much for her?” Having voiced my fears aloud made them far too real.
“Sweetheart, the snarkier you are with me the more she’ll love you. Trust me. She always said she hoped I met someone who could deal with my bad attitude and put me in my place. Now I’ve got that and more.”
“I like her already.”
“I talked to my parents on the way here. Then my siblings blew my phone up. Needless to say, they’re all excited to meet you, but I made them promise to wait until I brought you out to the compound. We don’t need them barreling into the tiny house and swarming you. At least up there you have space to run if it gets to be too much,” he laughed.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, I’m excited.”
“You say that now but just wait.” A yawn escaped. “Time to sleep. Goodnight, Juni. I love you.”
“Love you too, Ky.” The nickname just slipped out, but since he didn’t correct me, I decided to permanently adopt it.
“Next town we hit, let’s grab a quick breakfast, then onward!” My far too cheerful mate announced, sans coffee. How did he manage that? I’m shit without my morning cuppa.
“Must. Have. Coffee,” I protested. “Pronto!”
“Understood, Princess. Let’s head out.”
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before we found a coffee shop. Fully caffeinated and with a chocolate croissant in hand, I was a happy Juni and ready to belt out the tunes along with my girls.
