Page 38 of The Wolf King's Demand

“Is that what I think it is?” he asked.

Her grin widened. “Yep. The old treehouse we used to hang out in all the time. Want the grand tour?”

And before he could answer, she was tugging him to the treehouse. When they got to the base of the tree, she let go of his hand and scaled the rope ladder. Not wanting to be outdone, Tyler was quick on her heels.

When he reached the porch of the treehouse, he realized it was much bigger than he thought it was. It was a rather impressive structure, with its weight nicely distributed along the branches. There was also a bridge connecting the treehouse to a smaller treehouse on another tree.

“This is impressive,” he murmured.

Addison scoffed. “You haven’t even seen the inside of it yet. Come on.”

And with that, she went through the curtain and into the treehouse. Tyler grinned and followed right behind her.

The inside really was magnificent, with fairy lights everywhere and bookshelves with big chairs next to them. There was a bed in one corner that looked small but comfortable. There was even a television surrounded by plush cushions. All things considered, it was a rather fancy treehouse.

“My sisters and I loved playing in here,” Addison said, her eyes shining. “We saw a movie that had a treehouse in it one time and begged our dad to make us one.”

Tyler looked at her in surprise. “Your dad did all this?”

“Well, mostly. He had some help, but a lot of it he made himself.”

Tyler felt his respect rise for Addison’s father. The fact that he took time to make his daughters something so intricate with his own two hands was impressive. It said a lot about the kind of man he was.

Addison sighed wistfully. “I have so many good memories here. Our favorite game to play was pirates. This would always be the main part of the ship, and that smaller treehouse was our crow’s nest.”

Her eyes shone as if reliving the memory. “Usually Madison or I pretended to be the captain since we’re older, then the other one would be the first mate. Taryn was our navigator and drew maps for us to follow so we could find treasure. Lexi always liked being the lookout and screaming at us to pretend enemy pirates were boarding our ship.”

“Sometimes we’d still play even if it was raining,” she continued, meeting his gaze with a smile. “Though most of the time, our favorite thing to do in the rain was to curl up with a book or a movie. Sometimes Mom and Dad would come up here on those rainy days with hot chocolate, and we’d all hang out.”

Tyler was suddenly hit with a pang of remorse. Their childhoods had been wildly different. His parents would have frowned upon him having days like that and playing silly games.

They had wanted to raise a king, not a son. He wasn’t even really sure he could say he had a childhood. It was always about training, both in his wolf or human form, to be better … to be perfect. And he was never perfect.

He’d always blamed himself for not meeting their expectations until they died. Then, he began to see just how messed up their philosophy was.

Addison had grown up with loving parents who went the extra mile to make sure she and her sisters grew up happy. They hadn’t been without discipline, but everything had always been done out of love.

A love that his parents had always lacked.

Tyler had sworn to himself a long time ago that he would be a better father to his children. He hoped they would always grow up knowing their father loved them.

Addison seemed to have sensed his change in mood and was giving him a questioning look. He smiled at her reassuringly and squeezed her hand. She studied him a minute more before smiling herself. “You know, if the kids see this place, they’re going to want one of their own.”

Tyler barked out a laugh. “Then I guess I’ll just have to build one for them as well.”

“All by yourself?” she teased.

“Well, maybe with a little bit of help.”

That made her tip her head back and laugh. And when she did, the evening light coming from the curtain fell on her just right. Her hair looked radiant, and she was practically glowing in the light.

An overwhelming sense of adoration and pure love filled him. Now more than ever, he wanted nothing more than to live with this woman for all of time. Everything about her was enchanting and wonderful. He loved every piece of her, from her intelligence to her stubborn determination. She was so much more than her absolute beauty, even though she was that too.

There was no one else in this world or any other he would rather spend the rest of his life with. No one else whom he wanted to have a family with and raise their children together. She was his everything, and the concept of waiting seemed silly now.

He knew she felt much the same way. What was stopping them from bonding right here and now?

She was everything to him, and he didn’t want to waste a moment with the uncertainty surrounding them.

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