“Come now, let them leave,” Natalie said, already armed with a super soaker. “They will be back before you know it, and we have a battle to commence.”
Benny rolled his eyes. “What’s the rush? You always win at war, Natalie.”
“Yes. And I will continue until you, as they say ‘git gud’.”
“Git gud?” Benny parroted. “Is that some sort of weird Russian saying?”
Ben let out a groan beside me. “That meme isn’tthatancient!”
I patted his arm. “The march of time is relentless, and the sands of the hourglass speed ever faster.”
“Did you just call me old in Shakespearean?”
“It’s not a direct quote, no.”
He chuckled, then leaned down and kissed the tip of my nose. To his credit, Benny didn’t make gagging sounds like other kids would, but his face did flush a bright shade of red. He was such an adorable kid.
“All right, where’s my water gun? I’ll show you who’s gotten good or not!”
“That is not how you say it, but I admire your fighting spirit. Come, it is time to meet your maker.” She looked to Ben and me, and I loved the broad, cheesy smile that spread across her fine features. Although Natalie was still a woman to herself, she had opened up to all of us in the past couple of months. “Have fun on your trip, you two.”
“We will!” I promised before Ben and I were both out the door.
The weekend getaway was all Ben’s idea. He’d suggested it as an escape from being a teacher since I was so torn up about my class moving on, and had said it would help me reset for the new year. I had agreed without hesitation. The last time we’d gotten away from things had been the jamboree, which had been one of the defining points of our relationship.
Which, by the way, we were officially in. Perhaps it was a bit juvenile to be so elated about the boyfriend/girlfriend titles, but I didn’t care how other people might measure our milestones. Although there were plenty of things that were still uncertain for the both of us, we were working towards a future both of us could envision.
And for the moment, that was all we needed.
Yes, sometimes I wished for more. Although Ben and I had both admitted we were falling in love with each other, we hadn’t really dropped the L-bomb since. The word held so much weight, enough that saying it at the wrong time might break the tentative peace and healing we had set up for ourselves.
Sometimes, I found myself wishing for the perfect moment where everything lined up and felt right, so I could say it. But every time I tried, something held me back. Not because I had doubts about my feelings—of that I was certain—but simply because the words weren’t there yet; I had to be patient for them to arrive.
Luckily, I had a lot of experience with being patient.
“Sure you don’t want one last bathroom trip before we head out?” Ben asked as we got into his minivan. Although it used more gas than my little car, the spare room and the gadgetry certainly made the car nice. Particularly the heated seats. It would be a blessing for my sore back when we drove home after our getaway.
“I actually went while you were filling the cooler with ice,” I said, grinning.
“Look at you, being so proactive.”
“I’ve been stuck with my bladder my whole life, so I’ve figured out a hack or two.”
Perhaps beginning a romantic getaway with conversations about bathroom habits was a bit unorthodox, but it also was entirely us. Ben and I weren’t spring chickens caught up in the rush of falling in love for the first time. We knew what it was like to wake up and need to recover from sleep, as well as how simply bending over could tweak a muscle the wrong way. Granted, Ben’s shifter nature would allow him to heal within an hour, whereas my recovery was a lot longer and usually involved a nap.
With that, we hit the road to the remote cabin he’d booked for us. Radio on, windows down, it was like neither of us had any troubles in the world. It was only him and me with no emotional baggage, only our favorite songs and hopes of relaxation.
We arrived in the early afternoon, only stopping once to stretch our legs and so I could use the restroom. The placewas far fancier than I’d expected, spotless and equipped with modern appliances.
Sometimes it was easy to forget that Ben was moderately wealthy. He certainly didn’t act that way. He had money from selling pack lands, all the wealth he’d recovered from Charles and his gang, as well as the entire pack fund he’d inherited. He’d mentioned once that if he ever joined a pack again, he would give a huge percentage of that money to that pack’s coffers, but that was the most he’d told me about it. Although I was a human, I didn’t think it was quite healthy for three wolves and a horse to be entirely on their own, but it would take a lot of time before they could organically build a connection like that with anybody. I was grateful that somehow, against all odds, they’d carved out a gap for me.
“Wow, this place is beautiful,” I said, mentally comparing it to the images of a sparse, drafty cabin with cobwebs that needed to be cleaned out. It wasn’t like I hated camping, but sparse, drafty cabins were what my family could afford on the few occasions we’d visited state parks and the like.
“I’ll go get our supplies from the car while you get settled.” Ben kissed the top of my head, and I gave him a giddy grin. He’d also grown more comfortable with touch, which always left my cheeks flushed a little and my heart fluttering. I loved that even months later, I was still so physically affected by my boyfriend, and I doubted that would ever stop.
“Okay, let me go grab my suitcase.”
“No need, I got it for you.”
