“Yes,” he said easily, eyes dancing with amusement. “Will you be going to the town Christmas festival? I could use more eyes on the ground. I don’t want to give you any direction other than the fact that I’ve been covering behind-the-scenes. I’d love to see somebody cover the festival itself.”
“Oh, wow,” I stuttered out.
“I know passion when I see one, and if you’re open for critique and feedback, I think we can make this work. Cole has integrity and I trust he wouldn’t hire someone who doesn’t have potential.”
“I appreciate your trust,” I said. “I’ll send everything as soon as I can. Do you have a card or something?”
He moved to his desk, pulling a business card from the front and handing it over with a parting smile.
My heart felt lighter than it had in a long time, and my mind was already reeling with ideas on how to cover this festival.
Cole found me still standing there long after Grady had walked away.
“Did you have a nice chat with Grady?” He questioned, eager to know the answer. His eyes were brighter than they had been when we first met and I knew it wasn’t just the fact that he found me. He was rediscovering things about himself that I think he might’ve lost.
“I did,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip, unsure how to broach this topic.
Cole
For the first time since meeting my omega, she was holding back from me. It wasn’t that she was trying to hide something, but more afraid of my response.
It took effort, but I calmed my features into a well-practiced mask. I didn’t want to use it on her, but if it saved her from panic, I was absolutely going to.
I knew this couldn’t truly be bad. I’d given her and Grady a moment to talk. This town and this paper meant something tome, just like he did. I think it was starting to mean just as much to her.
After a deep breath, her words came out in a rush. “Grady mentioned that he hasn’t had anybody working here since you left.” Then she trailed off, struggling again.
“I did have hard shoes to fill,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood and earned a half smile, which was not enough. The last thing I wanted was a dimmed version of my gorgeous omega. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
“It’s just…” she started and swallowed hard. “Grady offered me a position here. He asked me to write a piece about the festival and to send him something I’ve written before. I offered my resume, but he said he trusted your judgment in hiring me.”
Excitement and pride filled me, but also a hint of worry. I knew damn well I would do everything in my power to make sure that she got everything she wanted. Which meant uprooting my life if I had to.
“That’s incredible,” I said. “You said you wanted more out of journalism and maybe this job is something that you could find your peace in. If Pack & Co. was just a stepping stone for you and now you’re moving on to better things, then I’m proud we could provide the stability that led you there.”
She stared at me, still battling her own guilt that was unnecessary. Tears bloomed in her eyes and I quickly swiped them away.
“What about the city? What about you?”
I sighed, unsure how to answer that. We didn’t have the full solution yet.
“That seems to be the million dollar question, omega. I wish I had an answer for you, but at the end of the day most of what I do can be done remotely.”
She opened her mouth to protest but I silenced her with a kiss, refusing to let her overthink and argue this. If this job called to her, then I wanted her to take it.
“Stop. I think you need to do this for you, Aspen. No pack finds each other and everything just magically falls into place. We had the attraction part down, and the rest we can figure out as it comes.”
“I just want to make sure my alpha is making choices with himself in mind as much as the pack,” she challenged.
“My job is staying. I’ll figure out a way for it to work out for our new life together, but you’re worth every bit of effort, omega.”
She smiled and leaned up, pressing her lips to mine.
“If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
“Same,” she agreed. “Maybe we’ll find a Christmas miracle.”
“I’m sure we will,” I agreed, pulling her under the window that had mistletoe hanging from it. She tipped her head up when I did, grinning when she noticed.
