“It’s all right. To offer you a sense of security, I’m putting your name on the SUV’s registration as well. And we’re adding you to the loan so your credit is boosted. The payments are going to be set up to come from our shared bank account, and you don’t have to worry about anything.”
I was trying to make him feel as comfortable as possible. I knew he had been hesitant about all of this, but something had shifted during his heat. I thought maybe it was that things were finally starting to sink in a bit more for him. I truly wasn’t tryingto bulldoze him, but I wanted him to be taken care of. With or without children involved. Now that they were a very real possibility, he’d been quicker to accept the inevitable.
Duncan clicked the spots he needed to, and then we spent the next several minutes going back and forth, each of us agreeing to the terms of the loan. When it was his turn to click, I reached over and rubbed his thigh, hoping to reassure him.
“That’s it. Let me just get these printed off for you, and then we’ll get the temporary registration printed, and then we’ll get you into your new SUV.” Tony turned a paper over, read it, and then smiled at us. “That is such a pretty blue color.”
Duncan smiled, then looked down at his lap. “It’s my favorite color.”
“Well, it’s a good choice.” He clicked a few times on his computer, and the printer started printing.
“Here’s the keys, Tony,” the salesman said after walking into the office and placing the keys on the desk.
“Thanks, Clint.”
Clint left the office, and I reached over and picked up the pair of key fobs. I handed one to Duncan, who sat there staring at it. He smiled over at me. “It’s going to be different not having an actual key poke me in the pocket,” Duncan said quietly.
“Yes, it’s nice to not have to worry about that,” I whispered back.
“All right. Here’s your packet of papers. These go in a safe place at the house,” Tony said. “And this is the temporary registration. This needs to stay in the vehicle until the permanent one arrives in the mail with the plates.” He handed over a second envelope.
“Will do,” I said. This wasn’t my first car purchase, and I knew it wouldn’t be my last. But it was certainly the first time I’d purchased one for someone else. I was happy to provide for my mate, though, and was looking forward to him becoming morecomfortable with spending the money that was in the now joint account.
“That’s it,” Tony said. “Congratulations on your new Sequoia. It’s a great family vehicle.”
“That was certainly a bonus,” I said. Duncan rubbed his thighs again and stood up.
“Let’s go this way, and then Clint will take care of the rest and get the two of you on your way.”
I could feel Duncan’s nervousness through our bond. Once we were out of the office, I ran a hand up and down his back. He smiled, but I could tell his nerves were getting the best of him.
“It’s going to be all right,” I said quietly.
“I’ve never had anything that nice. It was expensive, Clay.”
I nodded. “Everything is. It cost just a little more than my truck, but it’s something that you needed. That we will need in the future,” I said, trying to make him feel better.
“That doesn’t help, Clay. You paid for your truck.”
“And now I’m paying for our family’s SUV. It’s just going to be with you about ninety percent of the time.” My phone vibrated in my pocket, but it could wait until I had Duncan sorted in his new vehicle and I was in the truck. He was with me, and the only other person I would really be concerned about was Charlie, but I knew that if it was an emergency, Silver would have called.
“This one’s a beauty,” Clint said as he opened the door. “It’s all ready. Freshly washed, tank filled, everything looked over one last time. It’s ready for a night on the town.”
Duncan snorted. “Yeah, I’m going to take it home and park it. This was stressful, and I didn’t even do anything except test-drive it.” He climbed in and sat behind the wheel. I kept reminding myself that it was going to take time for him to become comfortable with everything. There were so many changes happening all at once, but those were coming to an end,and we were about to get to the point where we were going to settle in, and then there would be changes still, but not so many all at once.
“Did you want help syncing your phone with the vehicle?” Clint asked Duncan.
“Naw. Clay can do it later. It’s the same setup as his truck, it looks like.”
Clint glanced back at me and nodded. “All right. Do you have any questions? Need anything else?”
“I think we’re good,” I said. Duncan nodded. I knew this was overwhelming for him, but we were almost done, and then we’d be on our way home. Then he could rest and relax and not have to worry about shopping for a vehicle for years to come. It would be some time before we outgrew this SUV, if ever. I didn’t think the plan was for more than three kids, but one never really knew.
“All right, then. I’ll let the two of you get back to your day,” Clint said. He reached for my hand, and I gave it a shake. He then waved to Duncan. The wolf shifter understood that Duncan was my mate and that, as with any newly mated alpha, I didn’t really take too well to other alphas getting too close to him. I wasn’t trying to be controlling or territorial, but our relationship was incredibly new, and that was just how it was.
I leaned in and got close. Duncan moved his head back against the headrest and then smiled. He then moved forward and gave me a kiss. “I can’t believe you bought this. It’s expensive, Clay.”
I shrugged. “It’s just money. And we needed a family vehicle.”
