Matt walked to the back door and opened it, looking out at the mountains and forests. He’d miss this place. As much as he’d always wondered what it would be like to leave and travel like his brother, Elliot, this was where he knew he belonged. The place he would always return to.
The place where he would raise a family.
It’ll still be here,his bear reminded him.
You’re right,Matt said.We can always visit for holidays and vacations.
It wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be home. But it would still be here.
Home is where the heart is,his bear said.
And their hearts belonged to Tessa. Along with his body and soul.
So they would make a home wherever Tessa was. Whether that meant the other side of the country or the other side of the world. Home wasn’t about the mountains he could see from his window or the familiar trails he’d walked since childhood. Home was Tessa.
The realization settled over Matt with surprising peace. He’d build a life with her wherever she needed to be, and they would be happy because she was happy. But mostly, they would be happy because they had each other.
For so long, he’d resigned himself to the idea that fate had passed him by, that finding his mate wasn’t in the cards for him. Now that he’d found her, everything else seemed small in comparison.
Maybe we could open our own restaurant,his bear suggested with enthusiasm.
“Yeah,” Matt murmured aloud, warming to the idea. “I’m sure there’s room for another Thornberg Restaurant somewhere in the world.”
It would be hard work starting over, building a reputation from scratch. But it would be satisfying work. And his family could come and visit. His mother would insist on it, especially once there were grandchildren.
Matt sucked in a deep breath of mountain air, letting it fill his lungs. There was no point in dwelling on what he would begiving up. Better to focus on what he was gaining: a soulmate. And she was everything.
He went back inside and threw himself into chores, cleaning the house with an intensity that surprised even him. He scrubbed the kitchen counters until they gleamed, washed the dishes from their breakfast, and swept the floors. Then he moved to the laundry room and sorted clothes, tossing a load into the washing machine.
“Nesting,” his mother would call it with that knowing smile of hers.
Denning,his bear corrected with a huff.
Matt smiled to himself. But this house, where he’d dreamed of raising his children, would soon be someone else’s nest. Someone else’s den. The thought brought a pang of nostalgia, but no real regret.
How could he regret a life lived with his mate?
As he loaded the washing machine, the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. The same electric awareness he’d felt that first day when he sensed Tessa approaching the restaurant.
She’s back!his bear roared with excitement.
Matt’s heart thumped in his chest so hard he thought it might burst out. But they’d planned to meet up tonight, not now. If she were back already, was she coming to tell him she was leaving for her interview? Leaving him behind?
He straightened up, wiping his hands on his jeans, and went to meet her. He had never been the kind of man who put things off, who hid from tough conversations.
When her car came down the drive, he was there waiting. She got out and froze when she saw him. His heart froze, too, suspended between hope and fear.
Then she took a step forward, and another. Matt did the same, drawn to her by a force more powerful than gravity. They moved toward each other with increasing urgency until their bodies crashed together, his arms wrapping around her as he held her close and breathed in her scent.
“You came back,” he murmured into her hair, his voice rough with emotion.
“I didn’t want to wait until tonight,” she said, looking up at him with those eyes that saw straight to his soul.
Matt couldn’t hide the hope and heartache warring in his expression. “Are you leaving?”
She shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “No. I’ve decided to stay.”
“But your art, your publishing deal...” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
