“It really is. I spared no expense. I knew the two of us weren’t going to fit in a regular bed. And you, my dear omega, are the only omega who’s ever been in it.”
“Any other alphas been in it?”
I laughed. “No. No alphas either. I’ve never brought anyone to my home. No one but you.”
“I like the thought of that,” he said.
I helped him to his feet, and he pulled on a pair of sweatpants but left his chest bare. I tugged him next door, across the hall.
“There are three bedrooms. Obviously, the primary suite, which you’ve been in, and then this one, which also has its own little bathroom attached. Right next to our bedroom is another smaller room with the option of having an adjoining door.”
“Where? I didn’t see one.”
I tugged him back toward our bedroom and went to the southern wall. I pushed lightly on it and there was a click, and it opened.
“Whoa, that’s pretty cool.”
“I thought so too. I’m guessing it’s used as a nursery, or was, with the previous owners. I don’t actually know who lived here before me. My parents would know.”
“Can we paint the room?”
“We can repaint, replace the windows, do whatever you want in here, darling.”
“I’ll have to put some thought into how we’re decorating this nursery. We’ll need a bookshelf.”
“True. Do you like turtles?”
“Turtles are a bit random, but sure. I think teddy bears are a little too on the nose, don’t you think?”
“Perhaps they are.”
His phone pinged, and he grabbed it from his pocket. “My mom said dinner is at 6:30. Me and my ‘special friend’ can come. I guess she was very hopeful that I did indeed find a mate, or my brother has spilled the beans.”
“I don’t think that he has, so it’s more likely that she’s hopeful.”
“Well, we don’t want to disappoint her, do we?”
“Indeed, we don’t.”
We made quick work of getting ready to go to his parents’. I tried not to put too much thought into what I was wearing. After all, I had met these people several times before. Yet that didn’t stop my heart from racing when we walked the short distance from my house to his.
His mom opened the door as we came up the front walk.
“Braxton! We didn’t expect you tonight. Kip, why didn’t you let us know you needed a ride home? How’d you get here?”
“Mom, I’d like you to meet my mate.”
Her eyes went wide, and she covered her face with her hands. She let out a delighted scream. “I knew it! I always suspected! Your dad thought I was crazy, but I knew it. This is celebration-worthy. I’m so glad I made dinner. You guys are going to love it. Come in, come in!”
Of course, throughout dinner, they had a ton of questions—how we didn’t realize we were mates, how it came to be that we vacationed in the same spot and booked the same cabin.
I’d expected all this the first time “meeting” my mate’s family after us claiming one another. It was all working out exactly as I expected. Even the occasional eye roll I got from my mate.
Once his mom and dad left the table so they could dish up the dessert they’d made—they insisted that I didn’t need to help—Kip pinched my leg.
“Ow!”
“You have spent the last two years buttering up my parents.”
