CHAPTER 20

CASSIE

Hannah was like a whole different female. I was so happy that the tea had worked. We could start lowering her dosage to once a day and see how it went from there.

Handing her a cup of the morning one, I smiled when she wrinkled her nose at it, “Only once a day now. When your tiger lets you know she doesn’t need it anymore, tell me and we’ll stop. My guess is that you’ll be done within the next two days.”

Her gratitude is heartfelt, “Thank you, Cassie, I truly don’t know what I would have done without you.” With those words she throws back the tea with a shudder, making me laugh. The taste is truly awful.

A hard arm snakes around my waist, hand cupping my non-existent belly. It was like Luca couldn’t help himself, he needed to make sure that all was well.

He’d gone off to phone Jett and let him know about Hannah. With a kiss to my temple, he lets us know what Jett had said, “Jett’s thrilled you’re better, Han, he’s going to meet us at home later today to check on you. He also wants to speak to you and Cassie about joining his team.” Both Luca and Anton roll their eyes at this news. “I know, brother, I told him to slow his roll.”

Snickering at the two of them, I had a feeling that when it came to the health of his patients, Jett wouldn’t be taking their feelings into consideration.

“Um, did either of you think that maybe all he wants to do is set up a medical unit on your property the same as they have on theirs and that Julie has set up on Joel’s and her place? It makes sense to have one on each property. He probably just wants to check what Cassie will need because I’m not trained yet,” Hannah pointed out.

Well, that certainly shut them up. I started to laugh when the realisation spread over their faces that it was the most likely scenario.

“I didn’t think of that,” Luca admitted a little sheepishly.

Still chuckling, I turned my head to kiss his cheek, patting the arm he had wrapped around me gently, “It’s okay, Luca. You and Anton have Hannah and me to keep you both in line now.”

“Is that right?” he muttered, rubbing his face into my neck and blowing a raspberry, making me shriek with laughter at the sensation.

I was still laughing softly when a team of waiters and waitresses brought out steaming dishes of breakfast and added them to the buffet table.

Grasping my hand, Luca tugs me towards the food, “Come on, baby, let’s get you and our cubs fed.”

Anton and Hannah followed along behind us. It was one of the first and only times I’d seen the alpha rise in Luca was when it came to food. He’d made it known in no uncertain terms that Hannah and I’d be fed before anyone else. Not that any of our crew minded. I’d just about swooned, though. We all knew that both Luca and Anton were alphas in their own right and it said a lot about them that they were happy to be under Dex. It was unheard of where we came from to have so many alphas working together but then again this was a totally different bunch, from allowing multi-shifters to mate to having so many alphas content to be the best that they could for those they protected. Personally, I loved it and how they all made it work. Luca had told me about the monthly meetings where they all got together to discuss their separate businesses and endeavours. For me, I was looking forward to being part of it and now that Dad had calmed down about me being mated, I know he was too.

It wasn’t long before we were back in the vehicles and on our last leg of our journey. It would take anywhere from three to four hours to get to where Luca lived, and I was so ready for this trip to be over. Coming from the US, I thought we did long trips but driving the same mileage here was no joke. I was exhausted, and I wasn’t even the one driving.

We’d been travelling for about an hour and a half when the traffic suddenly cleared, and Luca relaxed in the driving seat. Resting my head back against my seat, I turned to look at him and couldn’t quite believe that he was mine.

As if he could feel me watching him, not taking his eyes from the road, he reached for my hand where it lay on the seat between us. Lifting it, he pressed a kiss to my knuckles. I turned to mush at that small show of affection, and a rush of love flowed through me when he asked, “You doing okay, baby? Do you need us to stop for anything?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “No, I’m fine. I was just sitting here thinking about how lucky I am that you’re mine. And that I can’t quite believe it.”

Slanting his silver gaze towards me, he held my eyes for as long as he could before turning back to the road. In that moment, with that look in his eyes, I knew exactly how he felt. “I’m the lucky one, baby. You don’t realise what meeting you has given me. I was drowning in jealousy that Anton had met his mate, even if I tried not to.

“In most cases, meeting your mate is the best thing that can happen to you, and that’s how it should be. But it had been me and Anton for so long that I wondered where I’d fit into their lives.

“And then you appeared as if out of nowhere and I realised how selfish I’d been for thinking the things that I had, especially with everything they were going through.

“You, my love, made me realise how lucky I was to have you, and now that we’re expecting young I know I’m truly blessed. I can’t wait to show you around your new home and hope you come to love it as much as I do.”

Tears pricked my eyes at his words. Squeezing his hand, “And I can’t wait for you to show me,” I professed.

And I couldn’t. I’d wondered what I’d do now that we’d left the military. If we’d stayed in the US, I probably would have looked at being a first responder. Now that my home was here, I couldn’t wait to speak with Jett and find out the best way that I could help.

My life, like I’d known it, had certainly changed its trajectory, and I couldn’t say that I was sad about that. For once, I was perfectly comfortable in my skin and it had everything to do with the male sitting next to me and the love and care he showed me.