Page 18 of Cherished By Her Guardian

“I know,” Winterlyn said. “It’s a relief, actually. I always felt like such an outsider.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t get your shift,” her dad said. “But I’m not sorry that you’re my daughter. You’re a great treasure to me and your mom.”

“Aw, Dad.”

He grunted, like it was too much sappy emotion, which made Winterlyn smile.

They talked to her parents for a little while longer, until they had to get back to the business of getting ready for the winter solstice celebration.

Her mom walked them to the front door. Winterlyn gave her a tight hug.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Anytime. You’re going next door to pack?”

“Yes. We’ve got a date planned tonight. Can we borrow your truck so we can load it up and then drive my things to the woods where the portal will open?”

“Yes, of course,” her mom said. “Leave the keys in the cup holder. I’ll have someone drive it back to the house in the morning. Anything you don’t get packed, Dad and I will pack up for you. Will you come visit for Christmas Day?”

Winterlyn glanced at Declan, and he said, “We can after Santa has replenished his magic and is back to full strength.”

“Great, you can pick the rest of your things up then.”

“Sounds good. Have fun at the solstice celebration,” Winterlyn said. She gave her mom one last hug, shouted goodbye into the house to her dad, and then left with Declan.

“House first, then our date,” Winterlyn said.

“So they liked me, right? I think they like me.”

“Of course they do,” she said. She stepped off the porch and smiled up at him. “You’re pretty damn amazing.”

“You’re pretty damn amazing too.”

The day sped by as he and Winterlyn packed up as much of her garage apartment as they could, loaded it into the back of her mom’s pickup, and then headed out to their first date. Because the truck was loaded up with her things, he’d called a car service to pick them up.

Their date was spectacular, but only because Winterlyn was amazing company.

He loved hearing about her life, even though it was difficult for him to hear how she’d been mistreated by the skulk, by people she’d known her whole life. They’d shared the whole meal—splitting appetizers, main dishes, and finally the tallest piece of chocolate cake he’d ever seen in his life.

It seemed all too soon that he was driving her mother’s truck to the agreed-upon location for the portal to open.

“I can’t believe we’re already back here,” Winterlyn said as she got out of the vehicle. “It seems like we just arrived.”

“The day flew by.”

He met her at the back of the truck and lowered the gate. The portal would open in a few minutes, and he’d requested some extra hands to help haul her things to his apartment in the barracks. When they’d been packing up, she said she wanted to get as much of her stuff packed and take it to Northernmost,because that’s where she felt like they should stay. He’d offered to take her to Ohio to live so she could be around shifters, and he’d also suggested she could take some more time to make her choice.

He didn’t care. He’d live anywhere with her.

Yeah, he loved being a Guardian, but he’d be just as happy back with his pack. So long as she was by his side, he couldn’t care less what the scenery looked like.

“I know you think I’m jumping into things too fast,” she said.

Her hands were on his shoulders and his were on her waist. They were nearly touching, their breaths puffing out into the cold air as they spoke.

“Too fast for what?” he asked. “Our relationship?”

“No,” she said. “Too fast for deciding where we’ll live.”

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