Pam leaned forward. “I think his wolf is more grown up. Matured a bit. If TJ is twenty-two, that means his wolf is…” She turned to face him and asked, “What are wolf years, seven like dogs?”
He groaned. “You promised you wouldn’t do that anymore.”
Pam smirked at him. “If you’re gonna play with the big dogs, you use every tool you can.”
He opened his mouth to protest and suddenly the cell phone Keil had returned to him rang. Some joker had reprogrammed the phone tones to “Who Let the Dogs Out” and Pam cracked up.
He stood to answer it, leaving Pam and Missy giggling together furiously.
“Hello?”
“You idiot. You couldn’t wait until we were done our honeymoon? Sheesh.”
“Hi, Maggie.” TJ took a deep breath. So much for him being stronger. There was no way he could get a word in edgewise with all these women around. He listened to her scolding for a minute before he had the most brilliant idea. “Hey, Maggie. I bet you need to talk to Pam. She’s right here.”
He held out the phone to his mate and she took it with surprise. Her surprise turned to delight and she rose to find a quieter spot to chat with her best friend.
TJ glanced around the room. Missy rocked one baby in her arms while Tad paced with her twin sister. Robyn was holding a conversation with someone, her hands moving rapidly.
Kara, Keil and Robyn’s two-year-old daughter, crossed the room to Pam’s side. She tugged on Pam’s pant leg then reached her arms up. Pam leaned over and picked up the little girl who immediately wrapped herself close, her face buried in Pam’s neck. Pam resumed her phone conversation.
Deep satisfaction filled TJ as everywhere he looked he saw family. Sharing together, laughing together. Little Jamie, Missy and Tad’s oldest child, rolled on the floor with a couple of the pack in their wolf forms.
It wasn’t the Waltons but it was home.
He glanced back at Pam to find her staring at him, a burning light in her eyes. She adjusted the girl in her arms and waggled her brows, tilting her head toward the child.
Oh shit. Oh shit, yeah. Well, maybe not this minute, but…
TJ winked at her and she grinned, blowing him a kiss.
Keil poked him in the shoulder. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you? What’s that goofy expression for?”
TJ took a deep breath. His head filled with the familiar scents of home, and overlaying it all was Pam. In his head, and his heart.
Forever.
“It’s because I’m finally in the right place, at the right time. Excuse me, I’ll be back for my lickings regarding safety, because you’re right, I screwed up. And I’ll apologize to Robyn in a minute as well. But there’s something I need to do with my mate.”
He stepped across the room and tugged Pam into the kitchen, taking little Kara along for the ride since she refused to let go of her newfound friend. He held out his hand for the phone.
“Mags? I gotta go. I think TJ wants me to take him for a walk.”
TJ rubbed his forehead as she said goodbye to Maggie. A dog handler. She must have a million jokes all lined up and ready to spring on him.
Pam handed back his cell and batted her eyes. “Well. I thought that all went marvelously.”
He groaned. “Yeah, I can see this relationship is going to keep me on my toes. I wanted to know if you still had the mate list.”
Pam frowned. “It’s in my pocket. Why?”
“I never got to finish it.”
She kissed Kara on the forehead then passed her to TJ. The little girl squirmed to be put down, returning with a laugh to the main room.
Pam reached into her back pocket and unfolded the paper on the counter. The edges were a little more tattered and ragged than when they started less than a week ago. She cupped his face in her hands. “You proved enough for me to take a chance, and while we’ve still got stuff to figure out, I think we’re on our way.”
TJ grabbed a pen. “I agree, but there’s something I need you to see. It’s important.”
There where the five circles overlapped, an empty space remained. He’d deliberately made sure it was a part of every single circle and with great care he filled in one word.
Forever.
Pam sucked in air and threw her arms around his neck. He stumbled for a second to catch his balance as she crawled up him and kissed him madly. Oh yes, she was going to fit in fine. A room full of people on the other side of the wall and she was happily attempting to touch his tonsils.
He clasped her under the hips and turned to carry her to one of the back guestrooms. No one would notice if they were MIA for an hour or so, would they?
“Stop.”
Shit. Please don’t get all human shy. “They’re all wolves. They wouldn’t care if we had sex in the room in front of them.”
Pam snorted. “Yeah, well, I doubt I’ll ever get to that stage of comfort, but just let me get…” She leaned over and snatched the mate list off the counter. “Okay, now we can go fool around.”
TJ laughed as he headed down the hall. “You going to keep that list?”
“Uh-huh. Just like you wrote. I’m planning on keeping it, and you, forever.”
About the Author
Vivian Arend has hiked, biked, skied and paddled her way around most of North America and parts of Europe. Throughout all the wandering in the wilderness, stories have been planted and they are bursting out in vivid colour. Paranormal, twisted fairytales, red-hot contemporaries—the genres are all over.
Between times of living with no running water, she home schools her teenaged children and tries to keep up with her husband—the instigator of most of the wilderness adventures.
She loves to hear from readers: vivarend@gmail.com. You can also drop by www.vivianarend.com for more information on what is coming next.
Now Available:
Granite Lake Wolves
Wolf Signs
Wolf Flight
Wolf Games
Forces of Nature
Tidal Wave
Whirlpool
Turn It On
Stormchild
Coming Soon:
Falling, Freestyle
Turn It Up
Stormy Seduction