15. Miles

Chapter 15

Miles

M y eyes skimmed over the classified section, searching for new apartment listings. I wasn't expecting much, just the same ones I'd seen the past few days. But then, my eyes widened when I spotted a new one:

Maple Leaf Residences

Address: 456 Elm Street, Pecan Pines 78901

Rent: $850 per month

Rooms: 1 Bedrooms, 1 Bath

Square Feet: 750 sq. ft.

Available: ASAP

Features: Hardwood floors, updated kitchen, in-unit washer/dryer

Utilities Included: Water, trash removal, sewer

Utilities Not Included: Electricity, gas, internet

Contact: Arnie James, (555) 123-4567

It was just two streets over from the bookshop. I grabbed the red marker from the mug of pens by the cashier and circled it.

With the bookstore busier than ever, I've been thinking about getting my own place. Something so close by like this seemed like the perfect solution.

But then, I wondered if it was too soon. I was still worried about Sawyer.

He said his physical therapy was going well, but he would get angry every time I asked about it or mentioned his limp. So, I wasn't sure if moving out soon was the right decision just yet.

I stood up and quietly peeked into the small office behind the bookstore. Sawyer was still in there, making his coffee. I sat back down, pulled out my phone, and saved the number.

I'd have to call them as soon as possible—who knew how long this place would stay available?

Pecan Pines was a relatively small town with few apartments for rent. Finding a decent one—one with good plumbing, no mold, and a functional heating system—was like hitting the jackpot.

But finding something this good felt like your past self had made a sacrifice to a divine entity just so your present self could have this place.

Basically, this was a rare opportunity, and I knew I needed to act fast.

Just the memory of visiting other listings over the past few days made me shudder. One place had mold creeping up the walls, and the kitchen sink looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years.

Another was so tiny that calling it a "cozy" studio would have been generous. It was no wonder those places were still on the market, no matter how cheap they were.

I tapped my pen on the counter. Maybe I could sneak outside for a couple of minutes without Sawyer noticing.

I could tell him I needed to run to the grocery store real quick. The sooner, the better.

"What are you looking at those for?" Sawyer's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I almost jumped from my seat. Quickly, I folded the newspaper haphazardly to cover the classified ads and nonchalantly placed my elbow over it, leaning my head on my hand. But I was too late.

"Are you looking for a new place or something?" Sawyer asked, reaching for the newspaper under my arm. I pressed my elbow down to keep him from grabbing it, but Sawyer managed to yank it free.

He set his coffee mug down and flipped through the paper, eventually finding the classified section with my circled ad.

I grabbed his mug in annoyance and took a long, slow drink of his coffee, trying to buy myself some time.

Should I tell him the truth? That I was looking for an apartment because things were finally starting to look up?

It was strange how things could change so quickly.

Just a few weeks ago, I was drowning in bills and worry, struggling to keep the bookstore afloat. The constant threat from Ryder's men made every decision feel like a burden.

But now, with the bookstore getting unexpected attention and the pack's threat seeming less immediate, I finally had space to think about things I'd been putting off—like the café section of the bookstore or even getting my own place.

Sure, having more privacy with Cooper would be great too—after all, we have been spending a lot of time together.

But more than that, the idea of having my own space, a place where I could set my own rules and build something real, felt like a luxury I hadn't let myself imagine before.

With everything starting to fall into place, I can't help but want Cooper to be part of this new chapter in my life.

I knew it was a big step—maybe even a hasty one. I also knew Cooper wanted to take things slow, and I respected that. But was it so wrong of me to want this for both of us?

I guess I was afraid that if I didn't bring it up now, I might miss the chance to share my plans with him, and I'd regret not being open about my hopes for our future.

But if I told Sawyer all this, he'd probably think I sounded crazy or like something straight out of a self-help book. So I kept my mouth shut.

Sawyer crossed his arms. "Please tell me you're not getting your own place because of Cooper."

I blinked. "What? No!"

Sawyer looked surprised. "Really? Because you two have been inseparable lately. But you know I don't care about... what you guys do together."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Just the other morning, Sawyer freaked out when he saw Cooper and me in the bathroom.

Ignoring the fact that my brother didn't knock and that Cooper and I forgot to lock the door, we weren't even doing anything particularly scandalous. Sawyer had acted all weird and robotic all day after that.

Cooper and I had just finished brushing our teeth. Sure, maybe we were standing pretty close. Maybe Cooper's hands were on my ass, rubbing our hard-ons together, and maybe we were planning to shower together afterward.

But Sawyer barely saw anything since he practically opened the door and slammed it shut the next second.

So, one could say that, other than finally having my own place, it might also be good for my brother's mental health.

"It's just something I've been thinking about for a while, and now seemed like a good time," I explained. "Anyway, don't you have to leave for you PT soon?"

Sawyer sipped his coffee with a slight frown. "Are you just saying that because you don't want to talk more about this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously," I said, flashing a wide smile.

I didn't want to continue this discussion—I knew it could lead to another talk about his physical therapy, and we'd end up arguing again.

Sawyer rolled his eyes and headed out of the bookstore.

As the door closed behind him, I looked at the newspaper Sawyer had tossed on the counter earlier. It was now crumpled and folded messily.

I picked it up, carefully opened it, and smoothed out the wrinkles. Seeing the classified section again, I wondered if I should tell Cooper about my plans to find my own place.

But I hesitated. I didn't want Cooper to get the wrong idea and think I was pushing him into something he wasn't ready for.

A familiar engine noise caught my attention, and I saw Cooper parking his truck outside. I quickly raised my hand to wave at him, but then I noticed he seemed unusually tense.

He remained inside, looking down at something with a frown. After a few seconds, he let out a tired sigh and answered a call.

I watched him closely, getting more worried as I saw the tension in his brow. Something was definitely up.

Cooper nodded occasionally, clearly deep in conversation. He seemed on the verge of opening his door at one point but instead leaned his elbow on the window ledge, running his hand through his hair.

I knew that look. It was the same serious expression he had every time he talked to his lead alpha. I recalled him mentioning some conflict with another pack, though the details were a bit hazy.

Guilt washed over me. I realized I hadn't asked much about his pack or his life back in Winter Valley, yet he was spending so much time here with me instead.

Seeing him on a serious call with his lead alpha made my worries about our relationship suddenly seem trivial.

It was a stark reminder that he was still part of his pack and they needed him. I didn't want to rush him into anything, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we needed to have a more serious talk about us.

Was it bad to want to know where we stood?

I glanced down at the newspaper again and tucked it under my desk. Respecting Cooper's wish to take things slow was important, and anyway, now didn't seem like the right time to bring it up.

Eventually, Cooper got out of his truck, still on the phone. When he finally noticed me, he gave me a warm smile—the same smile he had every morning when we woke up next to each other and every night before bed. A smile I knew was only meant for me.

But he lingered on the sidewalk for a moment longer.

After a couple more minutes, Cooper ended the call and came inside with breakfast—a brown paper bag full of pastries that made my stomach growl. He came around the counter, and kissed my temple.

"Hey," I said softly, smiling up at him.

Before Cooper could respond, his phone buzzed again. He glanced at it and sighed. "I already told you, I'm leaving tonight. Fine. This afternoon then."

I could vaguely hear a voice on the other end of the line still talking as Cooper ended the call abruptly.

I frowned. "Everything okay?"

Cooper looked frustrated. "They need me back in Winter Valley. I wanted to spend the day with you, but it looks like I'll have to leave early."

"Oh," I said, feeling a pang of disappointment.

I hesitated to say anything more, still unsure if I should bring it up now. Part of me wanted to wait until he had more time, but I also felt it was important to talk about it sooner rather than later.

Cooper brushed my cheek. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Shoot. Did my face give away that I was stressing about us?

"No, it's nothing," I said quickly, but Cooper looked unconvinced.

"I was just wondering if we could talk when you get back," I said, looking down and picking at the corner of the brown paper bag. "About us…?"

I glanced up, searching his eyes for a reaction.

Cooper looked uneasy. "Is this a good talk or one that's going to end with someone crying? And by someone, I mean me." He smiled, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

I quickly raised my hands. "No! It's nothing like that. It's just a continuation of our conversation from the other night, about us. But I don't want to rush you into making any decisions, of course! I know you're busy with your pack…" My words tumbled out in a rush. "I just think we should talk more about it when you have the time. Not that I'm saying you don't have time now, but?—"

Feeling the heat rise in my cheeks, I grabbed my coffee to collect myself, even though I knew the caffeine probably wasn't helping my already fast-beating heart.

Cooper chuckled. "Good. You had me worried there for a second. Of course, we can talk." He lifted my chin and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

I smiled in relief. Cooper always had a way of calming me down.

"I'll be back in two days. Let's talk then," he said reassuringly."Come on, let's have breakfast."

As we started eating, I glanced up and noticed Garth walking past the shop. Cooper saw where I was looking and tensed, as if ready to get up.

"He's gone," I said quickly, placing a hand on his arm to stop him.

Cooper frowned. "Didn't you mention Ryder's men have been walking by the store for the last couple of days?"

"Yeah, but they're not causing any trouble," I replied, giving him a pleading look to let it go.

He reluctantly sat back down, his gaze still fixed on the storefront window, but Garth was already out of sight.

There was no need to confront Ryder's men. They were just passing through, not stopping or watching us.

For all I knew, they were simply hanging around town like any normal townspeople would.

Pecan Pines was a small place, so running into someone from the pack was likely.

I tried to figure out if there was a specific time they passed by my shop, but they always seemed to appear at random.

I guess on one hand, I did notice Ryder's men passing by more frequently over the past week. On the other hand, I wondered whether I was just more alert now, seeing patterns where there might be none.

I could simply be overreacting, especially since I hadn't paid much attention to them before.

I glanced back at Cooper. His eyes were dark with worry. I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Nothing's happened, Cooper. There's nothing to worry about," I said.

At least, not for now. Then I remembered Cooper mentioning he saw Ryder at the cemetery.

I started to worry if something was about to happen. I made a mental note to bring Sawyer's old baseball bat to the store tomorrow, just in case.

We finished breakfast in silence, the tension still hanging in the air. Cooper's jaw was tight. He was clearly on edge and unable to relax.

"Look, even if something happens, Sawyer's here. You're only gone for two days. I can handle myself. And if anything comes up, I'll call you right away, okay?" I said, trying to reassure both him and myself.

Cooper nodded but still looked a bit uneasy.

"And they wouldn't be stupid enough to attack the store in broad daylight," I added, convincing myself as much as him.

In a place where humans and shifters lived side by side, no shifter, let alone a lead alpha, would attack or threaten anyone openly.

These things happened in the pack lands, not in the middle of town. Ryder might be a reckless jerk, but I didn't think he'd be dumb enough to cause trouble here.

Cooper studied me, his eyes searching mine. Finally, he gave a small, reassuring smile. "You're right," he said, though I could still see concern in his eyes.