“Oh, we absolutely are,” Mom agreed. “And you’ll love every minute of it.”
She slid off the bar stool and rinsed her tea mug out.
“Now, I have to get going. Aspen dear, I look forward to shopping in a few days.”
“Me, too,” Aspen promised.
The fact that she meant it made something warm settle in my chest. I loved that she and Mom got along, both of them were important to me.
“Is everything okay?” Aspen asked once Mom walked away. Then that attention was all on me, the rest of the world seeming to fade into nothingness around us.
She had no idea how important that was to me, how much it told me this would work out.
“Actually… yes,” I said. “I spoke to North. About feelings I had for him and was always too scared to admit out loud.”
Her eyes widened, and her smile lit up. “He told me how he felt. I think he was afraid you wouldn’t. I’m so glad you said something.”
“Well, it took a harsh conversation from my brother and some hard truths, but… it seems I get in my own way a lot. And that’s going to change.”
She looked serious now. “I hope so. I think we all deserve a pack that gets along and makes sense together.”
“I couldn’t agree more, omega,” I promised. “And I’m sorry again for how I acted yesterday. It was out of character, and I won’t let it happen again.”
“I believe you,” she said softly. “We all have our moments and we will again someday. As long as there isn’t malice behind it, then we’re fine. We’ll work it out. Now, we need to let it go. I want to see what this pack can become. I came here to experience Christmas, not drama.”
“Don’t worry, omega, that starts tomorrow,” Cole said as he walked in. “I was thinking we could go cut down a Christmas tree and North wants for him and Jack to join. That way we have one of our own to decorate.”
An idea hit me then.
“You know… the guest wing is completely empty. It has room for all of us and a nest if we need one. A perfect, isolated space to get to know each other without interruptions.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Cole said, nodding. “I have a feeling you’re going to be busy tonight, so maybe we handle that tomorrow.”
How the hell did he know about tonight? The confusion must’ve shown on my face because Cole chuckled.
“I talked to North. Good for you, brother. I’m glad you finally got your head out of your ass and dealt with it. He’s been waiting on you alongtime.”
Apparently, everyone but me saw that.
“So it seems,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I guess I was the only one too stubborn to be on board.”
“But you felt the same about him all these years, right?” Aspen asked.
“I did,” I admitted, biting back a smile as I remembered that kiss. Honestly, it was all I could think about, second only to kissingher.
“Judging from that cute little blush,” she teased, “I’d say it went well.”
“It did,” I said simply.
“Oh, come on,” she argued. “That’s all I get?”
“Well…” I relented. “I walked in, asked him if he really felt that way about me, he shockingly admitted it. Which is wild, because North is shy. Then I kissed him.”
She squealed and did a little dance in her chair. “That issocute.”
I leaned in, smirking. “Cute? Is that what you’re going to say when I tell you all about the dirty things I do to our beta?”
She swallowed hard, scent blooming in the air. Oh, she definitely liked that idea.
