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“That’s a mate thing too?”
Rowan hummed in acknowledgment. “Mates are even more precious than hoards. We’ll go to war for them, even against family.”
“How did Ruben know?” Milo asked.
“Because he was looking at us from the outside. All the signs were there. You smelled right to me from the start, and the accidental run-ins weren’t accidents, we were being pulled toward each other. Being away from you…”
“I spiraled,” Milo said.
“I did too.” Rowan nodded.
“The Ruben thing… He looked like you. He…he was similar enough to you that it was soothing for a moment,” Milo said. “But it was wrong. He was all wrong.”
“Everyone else will be wrong to us.”
Milo could feel the truth of that in his heart. “Have mates ever cheated on each other?”
“No. It’s not possible,” Rowan said confidently. “Mates are for life, until death.”
“Okay, good. I didn’t like being cheated on.”
“Whoever did it to you deserves to never be happy again!” Rowan said, a growl forming in his throat.
“He doesn’t matter anymore. Ray and I forgot all about him!”
“Ray?” Rowan asked.
“The guy was dating both of us at the same time,” Milo said. “It’s how we met.”
“I’ll never do that to you. I’ll never want anyone else. Never look at anyone else.”
“So what you’re saying is that I’m stuck with you,” Milo teased, elated.
“If you’ll have me,” Rowan mumbled shyly.
Milo splayed his hand over Rowan’s chest. “And let somebody else have these? No way.”
Rowan’s laugh was music to his ears. He sounded happy. Because of Milo.
“I’m glad you came back early.” He sighed, eyes closing to a lazy half-mast. “Things felt all wrong when you were gone.”
“They did for me too. Normally mates can be apart for lengths of time, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything but coming back. I may have been rude to a few business partners. My dad will be mad at me.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Rowan hummed. “He will, but his expectations of me are so high. I don’t know how to meet them.”
“You meet them by being yourself. And if that’s not good enough then that’s his problem, not yours. Because you’re amazing just as you are.”
Rowan took a shaky breath. “Even when I’m ditching business trips to bring you a new coffee cup?”
Milo blinked and sat upright. “What?”
Rowan gave him an embarrassed smile. “You said you forgot your cup.”
“And that’s why you came back? Because I forgot my cup?”
Rowan nodded.
