“Yeah,” he admits, running his hand through his hair. “They moved away a few years ago, and they run a farm a few hours away now, but we’re still close. I want you to meet them.”
“I’d like that.”
Nate presses a kiss to my forehead. “Now that I’ve said my piece, there are a few others that would like to say something, too.”
My eyes flash to the envelope he’s holding in his hands, something leaping in my chest as I take it.
Where we first met – Axel
My mouth opens, then closes as I think it through. “The gym?”
Nate grins. “I’ll take you.”
* * *
Nate drops me outside the entrance to Axel’s gym. “Just go on in,” he assures me. “He’s waiting for you.”
His hand cups my neck, drawing me in for a long kiss that leaves me breathless. “I can’t wait to spend every day with you, kitten.”
My eyes close as he rests his forehead against mine. “Even when my hormones are going wild?”
He widens his eyes comically. “Oh, especially then. You’re far more amenable to gifts when your omega-ness is in charge.”
He nudges me. “Go on. I’ll wait until you’re inside.”
When I walk in, the room is dark, and I hesitate for a split second. Then a shadow moves, and the lights come on.
Not the main light. Hundreds, if not thousands of fairy lights are strung up over every wall, warm light bathing Axel where he stands in the middle, watching me.
He doesn’t smile, shifting from side to side.
“I’m not good at this stuff, little spoon,” he says abruptly. “Not compared to the others. But I’m going to give it my best shot.”
My heart clenches, and I reach out my hand. He shakes his head, giving me a half smile. “Let me say this, first.”
He shakes his hands out, his hair pulled back in its usual messy bun, kitted out in another sweatshirt I know I’ll be stealing from him at some point.
“There is so much bad in the world,” he says quietly. “So much bad, Gabrielle. And you’ve seen far more than your fair share of it. But there’s so much good out there, too. And I never realized how much until I met you. Because you are what’s good about my world.”
“I told you before that you gave me a home, and I meant it. My home is wherever you are.”
I shake my head, smiling. “And you say you’re not good with words.”
He still looks tense, and I walk up to him, placing my hands on his cheeks. “You feel like home to me too, you know.”
I feel the moment the tension leaks out of him, his arms tentatively wrapping around me as he breathes me in, my head tucked under his chin. “You’re staying.”
It’s not a question, but I nod my head anyway. “I’ve spent so much time looking for a home, Ax. So much that I didn’t even realize when I’d found it.”
Arms tighten around me. “Your home is with us. And our home is you. Everything else can work itself out.”
I glance around at the lights. “It’s so pretty in here.”
The base of his neck is flushed when I look up. “Like I said, I’m not good at this stuff. But I thought you might like these.”
“I do.” In fact, I’m absolutely planning on stealing them for my nest.
Axel shifts, tugging out yet another envelope from his pocket. “This is for you.”
