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“Hey!”
Rowan leaned up and placed a swift kiss on his offended mouth before dropping back into his tangle of gorgeous hair. “I probably didn’t notice because having your stuff here feels as natural as any of mine. It belongs here, so it doesn’t stand out. It fits right in.”
Milo found himself inexplicably fighting back tears as the words sank in, cradling his bruised heart.
It belongs here because I belong here.
Rowan frowned and cupped his face. “Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”
“No, you said everything right.” Milo sniffled.
“Why are you crying, then?” Rowan looked worried, thumbing one of the tears away.
“Because you’re so great,” he blubbered, dropping his head into his arms to hide.
Rowan petted his hair, rubbing his back. “I think you’re great too, Mi.”
“You’re making it worse,” Milo wailed.
“I’m sorry. What do you need me to do?”
“Say something grumpy.”
“I don’t feel grumpy though,” Rowan whispered. “I feel so happy.”
“ROWAN!”
“Are you happy?” Rowan checked, sounding vulnerable.
Milo pushed past his tears and looked up. “I feel calm.”
Rowan’s brows scrunched. “Is that…good?”
“I’ve never felt calm in my whole life. I didn’t think that was a setting I was programmed with and that was okay. But it’s tiring to always be moving. I felt like I couldn’t stop. Something in me wouldn’t settle. Not with anyone or anything. I never got to simply rest.” He swallowed. “Until you.”
It was Rowan’s turn to get misty-eyed. “Milo…”
“Is it scary that this feels so right already?”
“We’re mates. We were always right.”
“You’re going to have to explain the whole mate thing to me. We skipped that chapter.”
Rowan smiled, carding his fingers through Milo’s hair. “We were living that chapter.”
“Mates are there to bug the shit out of each other and bite them?”
Rowan laughed. “Among other things. The way we couldn’t stay away from each other. The jealousy—”
“Was valid! Also, you’re never going back to that restaurant again, just so you know.”
“That’s fine. I don’t think they would let me back in anyway, after…” He turned beet red.
It was Milo’s turn to laugh. “Ah yes. The Great Cremating.”
Rowan winced. “You gave it a name.”
“A spectacle like that needs to be recognized. The story will be told for years to come.”
