His face lit up. “I love you too.” He pecked my lips, and I was pleased I’d rinsed with mouthwash. “You no longer have a job.” He peered outside at the flashing lights of a police car. “Would you consider coming home…” He cleared his throat. “Coming back with me where I can pamper you?”
That was a huge step, but I couldn’t be apart from him. Though my jailed boss had threatened me and it was unlikely he’d follow through, it would be good to leave the city behind.
Piecemeal work wouldn’t be hard to get, and I could rent out my place. One of my college friends was looking for somewhere to live. There might not be coffee shops on every corner and takeout was… well, it came from the lodge kitchen to the cabin, so that was better than the city. And the views were impeccable.
“One question. If I’m pregnant, will your pack look on me as an outsider or interloper?” I recalled all those eyes on me.
“No. You’re my fated mate. A mate is held in high esteem, even more than any allegiance to the Alpha. But I will need to mark you.”
TWELVE
RIVEN
The last turn in the mountain road revealed Moonridge Lodge nestled in its valley,with the snow-covered peaks behind it and the snow on the trees sparkling in the late-afternoon sun.
“Everything looks the same.” Indigo peered out the car window. “I half expected it to have changed.”
“The lodge has been here for decades and the mountains for millions of years.” I slowed the car as we approached the main entrance.
Nothing about pack land was different, unlike our lives, since the positive pregnancy test at the shifter clinic in the city had confirmed Indigo was carrying our child. And we now bore mating marks on our shoulders.
“We're not staying at the lodge?” he asked as I drove past the building.
“No. My real home is beyond the lodge.” I took the private drive that branched off from the main one. “The cabin we shared wasfor guests.”
“You have your own house? That you never mentioned?”
Shit! I feared we were going to have the why-didn’t-you-tell-me discussion again. “I wasn't hiding it. The protocol for witness protection required you to stay in the guest cabins while under supervision.”
“Oh.”
The conversation was cut short when we rounded a bend and my house appeared.
“Wow. It’s stunning. This is yours?” Indigo wound down the window.
“Ours, if you want it to be.”
He grinned but didn’t respond. We had a lot of issues to sort out, but for the next eight months, we were here together while he carried our baby.
I was proud of my home because I’d designed it myself. It had large windows that brought in the mountain light, minimal furniture so as not to detract from the magnificent view, and a huge kitchen because I loved to cook.
“Welcome home.” I opened the front door, but I put down our bags and scooped him up.
“What are you doing?” He giggled and draped his arms around my neck.
“Carrying you over the threshold. That’s a human thing, right?”
“It is.” He nuzzled my throat.
“This house is you.” He sniffed. “It even smells like you.”
“I hope you’re not saying itstinks.”
“Don’t be silly. It has a sexy scent, combined with something warm and old.” His cute smirk nullified him calling me old. “Nah, wrong word. Ancient, as if part of you has been here since the mountains formed.”
I was pleased with that description, and I took him on a tour. There was an open kitchen and living area, a den that could be used as office space downstairs, plus a guest bedroom and a bathroom. Upstairs were two more bedrooms and a bathroom, with the master suite on the third floor.
“Could I convert that bedroom into an office?”
