“I will,” she promises.
We hang up, and I wander through the house.I peek out the window, but all is still and calm outside.Heading down the hall, I step into what looks like an office.I pause to study the photos on the walls.Medals and commendations are on display, and I smile as I scan them.Looks like Jameson was a soldier, recognized for his service and dedication.
Old photos hang in neatly framed rows along the far wall.Jameson, in a uniform, younger but just as intense.A group of soldiers laughing together.A much younger Jameson with a woman I assume is his mom.Medals sit on a shelf beneath it all, polished to a high gleam.
Proof of who he was before me.Before this.
I turn away from the photos and go to the kitchen.It’s getting late, so I decide to make dinner for us.Maybe I should do something nice for Jameson.It’s the least I can do after all he’s done for me.
I lose myself in chopping up vegetables and grilling chicken.Finding some rice in the cupboard, I prepare it to add to the chicken and vegetables.
When Jameson walks in later, surprise flickers across his face as he sees me plating up the food.
“Everything okay?”I ask anxiously.
“Yeah, we’ll be doing more patrols.They haven’t come onto our land yet, and we’d like to keep it that way.”
We both sit and eat.
“What did you do while I was gone?”he asks.
“I talked to Roxie.Snooped around your place.”
He grins.“Find anything interesting?”
“A bunch of medals.”
“Ah, the office.”
“Yeah.I’m surprised that you’re not still in.Based on all the medals, it seems like you could have been running the Army by now.”
He snorts.“No chance.”
I take a bite of my chicken.“Why did you get out?”
“I got shot.Medically discharged.”
“Oh… I’m so sorry, Jameson.”
“It’s okay.I have this place and Midnight Haven.If I were still in, I wouldn’t have been here to catch you and keep you safe.It all worked out.”
I wonder if he truly believes that.It’s obvious from those photos that he was happy in the military.He must miss it.
I clear my throat.“I told Roxie about you… being a bear.”
His gaze holds mine.“How did she take it?”
“Better than I did.”I laugh.“I, um, I have questions.”
“Okay.”He nods.
“What does all this mean… long term?My being your mate?”
His gaze sharpens, and he sets his fork down.“It means that if you choose me, I’ll be yours for life, and you’ll be mine.No turning that off once we’re bonded.”
“Bonded?”
“I’ll bite and mark you on the night of the full moon,” he explains.
