I didn’t try to deny it. “Yes, sir. In the ranger cabin.”
“And now you’re kissing her? Onmydriveway.” His two sons stood arms crossed behind him.
“Well, technically, sir. She kissed me.”
“Oh, stop interrogating the poor man.” A woman who must have been Ella’s mother because she looked so much like her approached us. She hip-checked away one of her boys and grabbed my hands for a two-handed shake. “You must be Axel. Come, come. You have to stay for dinner.”
I found myself dragged toward the house, Ella shaking her head, but smiling next to me. I eyed the shotgun in her father’s hands. Of all the times to meet him, it had to be when he was already armed.
Great.
Not to mention, our first introduction was of me beating a man’s face in. Double great. But then again, the asshole had been threatening Ella with a weapon, so maybe that counted as a point for rather than against me.
The house smelled like roasted meat and baked goods. But the yummy scents didn’t ease the tension crawling up my spine. Ella’s mom kept a hold of my hand like she thought I might bolt given the chance. But I wouldn’t do that. This was her family, and now my family too, since we were mates. We were going to make this work. Especially if it meant I got to stay close to Ella.
“Shoes off,” she said, already tugging me toward the entry bench. “Ella dear, grab a towel. Your man’s bleeding on my floor.”
Her man. Yes, yes, I was. I decided I liked her mother very much. Aside from Ella, she was currently my sole ally in this room.
Ella handed me a towel and whispered, “You’re doing great.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant surviving the fight or surviving her family. I quickly cleaned up my bloody knuckles.
“This is Pete, and Kyle. I’m Linda, and my husband’s George. But you can call us Mom and Dad if you like.”
Her dad, who’d leaned the shotgun against the counter, looked ready to protest, but she put a hand up. “You heard what he said about a mate bond,” she said. “They're practically married! And he loves her! That's so romantic!”
Ella covered her face. “Mom! You’re going to scare him away.”
“Impossible! He’s your mate. We’ve learned a lot about the monsters and shifters living in the area since you left for Chicago. Jacklyn’s in my spinning class with me; she’s told me all about the mate bond. It’s pure and forever.”
“She’s right,” I said. “It is. And there’s nothing that will scare me away because I’m already yours.” That last part I said especially clearly for her father and brothers.
Then, as if on cue, the oven dinged.
Suddenly, her two brothers were nowhere to be seen. I soon found out why, as Linda “assigned” Ella and me to table-setting duty, then sent George down to the wine cellar to bring up something to accompany their meal. I didn’t mind setting the table, though; it gave us some much-needed time alone after our fiasco.
It was only as we started setting the table that I noticed how incredibly small everything was compared to the things I owned. I realized I hadn’t turned my camouflage back on.
“What’s wrong?” Ella asked, handing me the forks.
“I don’t have my camouflage on.”
“I don’t think Mom cares at this point. She’s just thinking about how you can convince me to move back into the area and give her grandbabies.”
I frowned. “Would you do that? Move to the area to be with me?”
She was quiet as she placed the plates. Then she said, “I’m not particularly attached to Chicago.”
“What about your job?”
“I actually work remotely, teaching English online. I’m good as long as I have an internet connection. But let’s take it one day at a time. This all feels too perfect, and I’m still worried I’m going to suddenly wake up and find out I was dreaming the whole time. You still haven’t survived dinner.”
I laughed, then turned serious. “For you, my love. I will survive anything.”
Her bottom lip wobbled again, like it had when I’d told her I loved her. “You really mean that, don’t you?” she said. “That I’m your love. That you love me.”
“With everything in my soul.”
