Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

H e needed to stop pacing, but the longer Ro was gone, the more worried Dash became. He’d been the one to tell her to go to her sister, but what if it didn’t work? What if he was wrong? Gradually, a current of good cheer wafted up towards him and he relaxed a bit. He could feel the flavor of Ro in it and knew something must have gone right. But he wanted to know what. Wanted to know it all. And he needed to tell her the truth. It had weighed on him since his shift, since he’d confirmed that his horns were glowing for her. She’d taken his second form in stride. But what about the mate bond?

He tried to lay down and sleep like he’d said he would, but his mind was racing too much for that.

What would he do if Ro rejected him? Should he keep the information to himself? It didn’t need to change anything. So they’d been destined to be together by the hands of fate. It didn’t change the fact that they’d fallen in love on their own. Or, well, he’d fallen. Definitely. He’d seen Ro’s drive, her heart, and how she handled pressure, and all of it made him love her more. He’d been gone on her before he knew his antlers were glowing, and if they hadn’t been, he’d still be right here, with her.

But he couldn’t keep it from her.

If their relationship progressed— when —she’d find out eventually. Either Ettie would let it slip, or one of his other cousins. And if they had children, he’d need to tell them what it meant. Besides, he’d just told her that it was better to share the truth rather than let it fester.

Maybe he could wait until they left, though. Let her enjoy the holiday without it hanging over her.

“Are you okay?” Dash whipped around. He’d been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard Ro enter. She looked as good as always. Better, actually, like she was no longer carrying a heavy burden.

“I’m fine,” he said, maybe a little too quickly. “How did it go?”

Ro thumped down on the bed. “My dad’s an asshole, but I think things might end up okay between me and May.” She patted the seat beside her.

Dash sat. “So the conversation went well.”

“Better than expected.” Ro leaned against him. “And we didn’t just talk about Dad.”

“Yeah?” She was so soft against him that Dash wanted to cuddle her close and never let go.

“We talked about you. And me. And… stuff.”

“Stuff.” That could be good or bad, but it had to be good if she was touching him, right?

Ro swallowed loud enough that he could hear it, but when she spoke, it was a little quiet. “I like you, Dash. More than I’ve liked anyone in… well, ever. And I don’t want this to be some holiday fling that we look back fondly on after we go our separate ways. So how do we make that work?” She tilted her head up at him. “That is, do you want to make that work?”

“You’re my mate!” He froze after he said it, his instincts kicking in, and if he was in his other form he might have sprinted away. He was no wolf, ready to face a threat with teeth and claws. But Rowan wasn’t a threat and as he got his reactions under control he was able to stay in place. “You’re my mate,” he repeated, a little more calm. “That’s why my antlers glowed. And anywhere you go, I’d follow. Or lead. Or walk beside you. Just so long as we’re in this together.”

“Mate.” Ro tried the word out. Not rejecting, but not jumping for joy either. Her levels of cheer hadn’t changed since she’d walked in, but he’d take that as a good sign for the moment. “That’s… what is that supposed to mean?”

He was in it now, and there was no way to go but forward. “It means whatever we want it to mean. I want to be with you, you want to be with me, and maybe there’s some force out there in the universe that thought we’d be a good fit.”

“You think it’s really that simple?” She traced a pattern on his arm, nothing he could identify, but he didn’t care as long as she kept touching him.

“What’s so complicated about love?”

That got her to move, shifting until she’d straddled his hips and had a hand on each of his shoulders. “You’re saying you love me?” she challenged with a smile.

“I do.”

Good cheer burst around him as Ro pulled him close, crushing their lips together in one hell of a kiss. “You can’t take that back,” she said when she finally came up for air, her lips swollen and eyes a bit dazed. “I’m keeping you.”

“I’m keeping you too,” he replied, leaning in to kiss her again.

And as the snow began to fall outside and the noises of Ro’s family echoed from the other rooms, he and his mate laid down and sealed their bond with a kiss… and so much more. It was a promise of the future they both wanted, and they’d find their own way to take it.

Together.