"I've been thinking," I said as I slid closer so I could hold him in my arms. Sensing what I wanted, he threw his arm over my middle and shuffled forward, erasing the distance between us as he tucked his head under mine.
"Yeah?"
"I think... I think I'd like to track down my father."
I'd thought about it a lot over the last few days, ever since I asked Zephyr if it was possible, and the more I'd thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. Seeing Dustin and Khush with their kids just made me want it more.
I hadn't allowed myself to go down the rabbit hole of what could've happened if my father had stuck around after his one-night stand with my mom, or if he'd found out about me and come to get me. I didn't—couldn't—think about what my life would've been like if I'd grown up with him.
But I would like to find out what my life could be like now with him in it. I had a family in the Sanctuary already, so I knew I wouldn't be too disappointed if my father turned out to be a less-than-nice man.
"You've thought about it?" Zephyr asked as he leaned back to meet my gaze, and I nodded.
"Yeah. No one in my herd had any way of tracking him down, so he doesn't even know I exist. At the very least, I'd like to meet him once."
"Of course. When would you like to do the spell?"
"Tomorrow?" I asked, wanting to get it over with now that I'd decided to try.
"Sure. Come to my office after breakfast tomorrow, and we'll do it then."
"Thank you."
Zephyr gave me a squeeze but said nothing, and I nuzzled into his hair, breathing in his familiar scent. We stayed like that for a while, but I felt too wired to take a nap, so after a few minutes, I pulled back.
"Can we bring my things over now?"
Zephyr chuckled, his eyes crinkled into a smile as he gazed at me. "Yeah, let's do that."
I got to my feet and pulled my shirt on as Zephyr got dressed, and then he took a minute to charge my stockings.
Finally, we went back to the Forest, and I picked up the pace as I rushed toward my house, much to Zephyr's amusement.
I went straight to my closet and started packing up all my clothes in paper shopping bags since I didn't have luggage of any kind. Why would I, when I never traveled?
Other than my clothes, some blankets, and some books I'd gotten from the Library, I didn't have much here because I kept knocking things over when I used the cart. It was much easier to move around now, so maybe I'd start buying things simply fordecorative purposes now. Zephyr's bedroom and office could use some brightening up.
When we came out of my place with our hands laden with shopping bags, we found Zamir and Silas waiting for us.
"Keoni, are you moving?" Silas asked, sounding serious, and I hummed.
"Yeah. I'm going to live with Zephyr," I said, unable to hide my smile.
Silas groaned, and Zamir grinned at him. I narrowed my eyes at them. They were up to something.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing much. Silas just won a week of my chores," Zamir said with a smirk, his eyes bright. "Oooh, maybe Nolan and I can go on a vacation or something."
"Were you betting on when we'd move in together?" I demanded, and Zamir's smirk turned into a sheepish smile. I turned to Silas. "And you thought it would take longer?"
"It took you years to get together! I figured this would be the same," Silas practically whined, and I rolled my eyes.
Before I could delve into why it'd taken us so long, Zephyr leaned into me, reminding me I had much better things to do than argue about this.
Shaking my head, I hiked up the bags higher on my arms, then patted Silas's shoulder. "That's what you get for betting against me. Enjoy the extra work. I'll see you at dinner."
"I'm confident that wasn't the only bet people have made on our relationship," Zephyr said as we left the Forest, and I glanced over at him.
