10. Bryce

10

Bryce

Bryce

“ W hat did you think of the movie?” Connor grabbed my hand as we exited the car near the restaurant. We had driven here from the Movie Theater VWMC, where he had picked the newest release in an action-adventure trilogy as our date for the night. I wondered if he remembered my crush on the main character from high school. Knowing him, that was probably the reason he picked it.

“I thought the director made the right choice in casting. I heard that Kai Carroll was supposed to play the lead but had backed out at the last minute. I’m unsure if I could have believed him in this role.” I guided Connor across the street to the restaurant where we planned to have dinner.

“I don’t know about that.” Connor opened the door to Mama Vee’s and motioned for me to enter first. “I think he would have made a fantastic—”

“Don’t you dare say that?” I pointed my finger at him. “He definitely would not have been the right fit.”

“If you say so.”

Connor gave the host his name. After a moment, we were guided to our table and given water, bread, and butter while we waited for our waiter. This restaurant was new to me, and a few things had changed in Valleywood since I’d been gone.

“Good evening, gentlemen.” A college-aged man refilled the waters we had already drunk. “Have you decided what you will order tonight, or would you like to hear our specials?”

“Do you mind reviewing the specials? There are usually some amazing choices, and I don’t want to miss out.” I closed my menu and placed it on the table.

The waiter, whose name tag read Trevor, smiled. “Tonight, we have spinach and cheese manicotti, with a side Caesar salad and vegetable minestrone soup. We also have a rib eye with candied sweet mashed potatoes and seasoned Brussels sprouts. I have tried both and can verify they are delicious. It depends on whether you are in the mood for meat or pasta.”

“I think I will try the manicotti, please.” Connor closed his menu and handed it to Trevor.

“And I will have the prime rib.” I gave my menu to our waiter as well. “And can we have a bottle of the Luna Del Lupo Merlot?”

“Certainly, sir. I will be right back with the glasses and wine.”

Once Trevor walked away, Connor grinned. “Are you planning to give me half of your prime rib?”

“Why, of course. Isn’t that how we always did it?” I reached out for his hand. “Sharing is caring, after all.”

“I missed my dining buddy. No one else understands that sometimes you need to split your meal with your best buddies, so you don’t need to order both options yourself.”

“I’m glad to have my best friend back.”

“Best friend, huh?” Connor chuckled. “Is that all I am?”

“I think we both know that you are so much more than that.” I squeezed his hand, my heartbeat increasing as my wolf begged for our mate to understand how precious he was to us. “You are my everything.”

Once dinner was over and we were walking to my car, that familiar tingle of warning zinged up my spine, just as it did the other day with my father at the market.

“Do you feel that?” I whispered to Connor as I picked up my pace.

“The air’s a bit heavy. How I feel when I enter a place I shouldn’t be.” Connor pushed himself closer into my side, his steps quickly keeping up with mine. “I don’t like this.”

“Me neither.”

As we approached my parked car, a black vehicle pulled up and the passenger rolled down their window. A fraction of my anxiety eased when Hector’s face appeared.

“Hey. We got that same feeling again as the other day. Thought we would come follow you home since we’re still unsure of the cause behind the foreboding sense you may be in trouble.” Hector tilted his chin toward us. “Hey, Connor. Hope Bryce treated you to a nice dinner.”

“He did. Thanks.” Connor waved to my two friends and bodyguards. “Why don’t you two follow us to my house? Bryce is going to stay the night.”

I whipped my head up to look at him as I opened the car door for him. “I am?”

“You are.” Connor slipped into the passenger side and closed his door.

“You heard the man.” I nodded toward Hector and Bruno and got into my car.

The farther we drove from the restaurant, the lighter I felt. The dark mist I had noticed at the market and the restaurant parking lot didn’t follow our vehicles, so I let my guard down and thought about the rest of the night.

The night was only beginning.

Connor

Bryce had been the most amazing boyfriend when we were teenagers, up until the moment he left. I had decided to cut all ties to make it easier on us both. But the man he had become far surpassed the goalposts that had been set a decade ago for what a boyfriend should be.

He allowed me the space and time I needed to spend time with my friends to get my writing and editing done but never guilted me into making him a bigger priority. I had a place in his life, as he did in mine. Each day, I came closer and closer to fully committing to our mating. And at dinner at Mama Vee’s, I knew it was time. I was his fated mate, and it would be silly to put it off anymore. It was time to move on from the past and embrace what Bryce and I had, what we could have. He was my past but also my present and future. He was everything.

But then that strange occurrence with the gray mist and eerie chill happened, and I wanted nothing more than to cuddle up in my bed, safe and warm in my mate’s arms, in our home. And that is what my house had slowly become as we dated these last few weeks: a home for us. He didn’t slept over every night, and every moment he was gone, I felt a void. It was time for me to ask him to officially move in and become what we were always meant to be—a family.

“Should I ask the guys to stay outside the house and ensure no one followed us?” Bryce parked the car in my driveway and turned the engine off. “I still have no idea what that mist was. But I felt and saw it the other day when I was out with my father, making me wonder if it’s targeting me.”

“And Hector did mention getting a feeling to come to check on you, so something must have triggered his senses on that. He has a tracking spell on you. The protection one alerts them if triggered by you being in some sort of danger.” I released my seat belt. “Instead of letting them sit outside, invite them into our home for coffee. I would like to get to know your friends.”

“Our home?” Bryce’s eyes widened, but his lips slowly slid upward. “I think that is a great idea.”

“Great.” I leaned in and pecked his lips softly. “Let’s go get our guests some coffee and maybe cookies, chat a bit. Once we’re safe, and they go back to their hotel for the night, you can claim me as your mate and make this house, for real, our home.”

When I entered the house, I went straight to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee while Bryce told his friends to come in for a bit.

“Thanks for the invite, Connor.” Bruno sat down at the kitchen table, followed by Hector and Bryce who carried a deck of cards with him.

“I thought we could play a few hands for fun while these two embarrass me by telling you about all my misadventures in hockey.” Bryce slipped past me and kissed my cheek before joining his friends at the table.

“Oh. I love embarrassing Bryce.” Hector grinned wickedly. “Should we start with the time you drank too much Wolf’s Tooth gin and ran through the hotel naked on a dare?”

“Or the time that you let Gregory hypnotize you, and you spent the whole game only able to snarl at opponents and not speak?” Bruno winked. “Or the time—” Hector started laughing before getting to the story.

“Okay, I would have started slow and built up to those, but that’s fair.” Bryce shook his head. “At least there are no puck bunny stories to share with my mate. Just hilarious tales of drinking magically infused drinks so my shifter side could get a buzz and letting teammates’ boyfriends put me under spells.”

“True. You always said no to those who tried to tempt you.” Bruno glanced at me and smiled. “And I finally understand fully why you did. And I would have too.”

“He’s mine,” Bryce growled, laughter hidden within the sound.

“Relax, big guy.” Hector held up a hand. “We won’t attempt to step in there. Bruno and I have our own mate out there somewhere. We just need to meet him or her.”

“Oh.” I placed the pot of coffee down in the middle of the table and handed out the mugs so they could help themselves. “You two are together, then?”

“We are.” Hector grabbed Bruno’s hand. “It was obvious the moment we met on the job.”

“That was ten years ago.” Bruno scooped two spoonfuls of sugar into his cup. “But we also always felt we were fated for a trio. That there is an omega out there somewhere for us. Just haven’t met them yet.”

“Well, perhaps you will soon.” I put a bit of cream into my coffee. “I hear Valleywood has a pretty good record for getting fated mates together. Have you thought about sticking around for a while or visiting Vale Valley?”

“We have.” Hector took one of the oatmeal raisin cookies I had placed out on the table. “We are going to stick around here for now. At least until we figure out this mist thing. And then see where Fate takes us.”

“That sounds like a great plan.” Bryce stirred his coffee and took a sip. “I definitely recommend following Fate.”

After dinner at Mama Vee’s, the night hadn’t gone quite as planned, but hanging out with Bruno and Hector was a blast. Even Ren enjoyed meeting new shifters and getting some ear scratches. I would have to tell Evelyn how Ren was adoringly all over Bruno and Hector. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t remind my best friend that my cat liked everyone but her?

Unfortunately, the late hour led to less of a mating and more of a cuddling night between Bryce and me. Sadly, he had to go to help his father in the morning, but we had plans for the following week. I wouldn’t let the chance to be claimed slip through my fingers again.