“That’s an interesting question, but I think your uncle is right.”
Merrick reached out and took my hand. “I am.”
13
MERRICK
It was hard to believe it was already Christmas Eve, and that we were celebrating in our new home. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to how differently timelines worked when you had money.
It felt like yesterday I was being told I had to give up a vacation day to work the masked ball, one I later discovered was to help mates find each other. I couldn’t vouch for its success rate, but it worked for King and me.
The two of us were spending tonight alone together, by choice. It was our first Christmas together, and we wanted to start building some of our own traditions, but as we came closer and closer to the day, neither of us was sure what those traditions would look like. It quickly turned into a quiet evening at home, listening to Christmas music, watching a fake fireplace on my laptop screen, and singing off-key to all of our favorite Christmas songs. It was actually kind of perfect.
I knew the day would come when we started our family and we’d need to go to a Christmas program or listen carefully for the children to fall asleep so we could wrap all the presents—the ones we told ourselves we’d wrap long before the big day. But fornow, all there was were him and me. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the day.
We hadn’t fully unpacked yet, and the place was kind of a mess, but I couldn’t think of a better place to celebrate the holiday.
“Dinner was so good.” I leaned back in my chair. My mate made us a pasta dish that he’d loved growing up. It was simple, not too many ingredients, a very light sauce, and I could see why it was a favorite, because it was quickly becoming mine as well.
As we were eating, my mind kept flickering back to my mate’s bear, and as I stood up to collect the dishes, I asked him if it would be a good night for him to shift. We had freshly fallen snow, and I had been given a pair of snowshoes as an early Christmas gift by my mate. It wouldn't take much to add a night walk to our agenda.
“It’s funny you should say that, mate,” he said. “My bear has been pushing to go out all night long. It’s weird, he isn’t usually like this.”
“Sounds like we have a plan… after dishes and cookies, of course.”
Cookie baking and buying were becoming a bad habit. So far this season, we had the cookie walk, the cookie class, cookies from Sally, cookies from Chef, and cookies we’d made. It was ridiculous and fantabulous wrapped into one.
We cleaned the dishes, ate far too many cookies, and then I got bundled up for a night in the snow. King didn’t bother. He would not stay dressed long, so why bother?
My mate and I went out our back door, where we had put a bench, much like the one at my old apartment building. Thelandlord had put a little bench for the tenants to put their clothes on if they were heading out for a shift. I never knew for sure who was or wasn’t a shifter in the building, but there had been at least one koala shifter around there. They weren’t indigenous to this area, so that was the only logical explanation. And, for a short time, my bear.
I sat down and put on my snowshoes, grateful for the modern design where it was no longer a trick and a half to get them on. I’d always loved snowshoeing, ever since I was a kid and tried my friend’s on one snow day. There was something cool about walking on, not in the snow.
The two of us walked out into our backyard and toward the woods behind us. Those woods were the reason we chose here for our new home. They were not only gorgeous, they were convenient for when my mate wanted to let his bear out.
My mate didn’t take very many steps before his bear took over. He slowly lumbered toward the treeline, and I kept up, thanks to my snowshoes.
It was a gorgeous night. The stars were out, and the air was still, keeping the temperatures warmer than normal. Best of all, I was walking side by side with my mate. What could be better than that?
“This was a good idea,” I said, and I pet my mate, which was probably pretty poor etiquette. But since he kept leaning into it, I figured he was enjoying it as much as I was, which made etiquette no longer matter. We kept walking, me telling him random things to pass the time, and as soon as I started to get cold, I knew we had to turn around and head back to the house. The temperature was only going to drop from here, and I didn’t want to begin Christmas Day with frostbite.
My mate shifted back a few feet from the bench, and before I could say anything to him, he scooped me up in his arms and started walking inside.
“What are you doing? You’re naked! Everybody’s gonna see my goods, and I’m gonna have to fight them all off tomorrow.” I was only half kidding. I didn’t think anyone could see my mate’s naked form and not be affected. Our closest neighbors weren’t exactly close.
Instead of slowing down at my warning, he sped up until we were inside.
“We could’ve waited for you to grab your clothes,” I said.
“You could have. I couldn’t. I have something to tell you, and I wanted it to be in the warmth of our new home.” Suddenly he was serious. What could he possibly have to say that he didn’t know before we left? It wasn’t as if shifters could read minds. At least mine couldn’t.
“Something to tell me? That’s not ominous or anything.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” He grabbed the back of his neck. “When I shifted, my bear told me something… something I’m going to share with you.”
He picked up my hands, which were still wearing my mittens. It was such a sight… I had my snow gear on, including my snowshoes, and there I was, standing across from my mate, who was buck-ass naked.
“What is it?” I asked.
