Page 132 of Starting a New Life

“We can get that done quickly,” Gray interjected. “We have a contractor in our pack. I checked, and he’s free within a couple of days to get this done. Apparently, no one wants their homes remodeled before Christmas.”

Connie snorted. “Ah yes, construction site flair is not what most families are going for as far as Christmas décor is concerned.”

Gray laughed louder, his shoulders shaking. “Fair point. If it bothers you, we can wait.”

Connie quickly shook his head. “No, Alpha, it doesn’t bother us.”

“Gray,” Gray gently corrected. “Not Alpha.”

Nick set his cup down, a frown on his face. He even hopped down from the counter. “Are you really okay giving up the primary bedroom?”

Gray nodded. “Yeah. To me, it makes sense. You’re almost adults, so having your own floor grants you a bit of freedom. Besides… if we’re sleeping on the first floor, you can’t sneak past us.”

Nick and Connie both laughed, and the last bit of tension slowly drained away as we started planning our future. Together. The pups might only be staying a year or two until they went off to college or did whatever, but for that time, we’d give them what they needed. A home.

Nick kept chatting with Gray, going over possible remodeling ideas, while Connie quietly drank his coffee, looking out the window with a thoughtful expression on his face.

All the while, Gray kept his arms wrapped around my middle and rested his chin on top of my head, watching the pups like I did. He was radiating contentment, his wolf relaxed in his chest, aura calm and happy.

Was this what our lives were going to be like?

Quiet, shared mornings in the kitchen?

Making plans over coffee and hopefully breakfast, once we’d gotten to the store.

It wasn’t what I’d envisioned for my life, but then again, I’d never envisioned ending up with a shifter for a mate either. And it was possibly the best thing to have ever happened to me.

“Hey, Nix, stop daydreaming. We need to get dressed!” Nick shouted, and I blinked. He and Connie were halfway through the living room already. “My phone says it’s more than two hours to the closest IKEA. We need to get going.”

I snorted and shook my head, turning in Gray’s arms so I could face him.

“What were we thinking?” I asked with a smile on my face as the door slammed shut behind the pups.

“No idea. But I don’t hate it.”

“Yeah. I don’t hate it either.”

My life was loud, chaotic, filled with a frenzy of shifters and mages—and it couldn’t be more perfect.

Epilogue

Gray

Three months later

“Morning,” I mumbled, kissing the top of Nix’s head and burying my nose in the soft strands of his hair. It smelled like rosemary and sage from the new shampoo he’d found, the herbs perfectly blending with his natural ozone scent.

“Morning,” he answered softly, voice still scratchy from sleep. Then he abruptly sat up, blinking in confusion, worry echoing through our bond. “The pups?”

“Mom and Dad picked them up an hour ago. They thought they were being sneaky, but damn, teens have no idea how loud they really are. Nick fell against our door. Anyway, apparently they wanted to gift us something for Valentine’s Day… their absence.”

Nix let out a small laugh, and a smile lit up his whole face, eyes sparkling. “We got lucky.”

I nodded. “We really did. Now, I know there’s a card waiting for us in the kitchen that supposedly explains everything. It’s why Nick fell against our door—he needed to run back because he forgot to put the card in place. Do you want to get it now or do we stay in bed, seeing as we already know where they are?”

Nix bit his lip, eyes darting to the door, and I let out a laugh.

“You’re curious?”