Page 80 of Wicching Hour

He glanced up with a shrug. “They fit the style of the room, but I don’t love them.”

I nodded. “Cool. I have an idea for a light fixture that I think would work better.”

“You already have a ton of work to do. We have time. A new light can wait.”

My chest felt tight.We have time. He wanted time with me.

There was a guest bath off the living room. The plaster in there was a lighter green, like shallow water on a sunny day. There were two guest rooms with creamy walls and views of the forest behind Declan’s business.

My stomach dropped and I clutched his hand.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I can’t move in,” I told him. “Bracken and I just had this long conversation about being outcasts all our lives and how happy he is to now be with family who understands him. I told him I’d put an addition on the gallery, one very similar to his RV, so he’d have a stable home that was known and comfortable. I can’t leave him all by himself again.” I blinked back the tears. “I can’t do that to him.”

“Then we won’t,” Declan said simply. “We’ll figure out an arrangement that works for everyone. I mean, you’re not moving across country. I could throw Wilbur’s ball and hit the gallery from here. That’s your studio and your gallery. You’ll be there every day. No one’s being abandoned.”

Nodding, I wiped my face. “That’s true. Sorry. I don’t know why I’m leaking so much today.” There was too much going on and emotions were running too high, obviously.

“I want you to see our bedroom.” He pulled me into a huge room. The board-and-batten paneling in here mirrored the living room. On the outside wall were huge windows overlooking the ocean. The view was amazing.

“That strip of sand, seagrass, and rocks across the road is part of your property. It’s obviously too narrow to build anything, but I wanted to make sure no one could throw up a billboard and ruin our view. I asked Natsuki to look up the boundaries of your parcel of land.”

Pushing up the window where I was standing, I breathed in the ocean air. I wasn’t too far from it. Pointing down the road, away from the gallery, I said, “Do you see those daisies growing on the verge? That’s about where my land ends.”

I glanced over and realized I’d walked right past another stone fireplace, a smaller version of the one in the living room. “How did you do this so fast?”

He laughed. “I have a good crew, all of whom are suspiciously strong.”

Grinning at that, I kept exploring, opening a door and finding a large, walk-through closet that led to a huge master bath. “And I thought my shower was massive.” I stepped in, marveling at the blue, green, and indigo glass tiles. “Ha! You already have a hair trap on your drain.”

“I know my mate and her incredible hair.” He kissed the top of my head and then spun me around. “Well?”

“I love it. I love everything about it.”

“Except the dining room light fixture,” he qualified.

I grimaced. “They’re great lights. I just have an idea for something better.”

“Good,” he rumbled, wrapping his arms around me and picking me up off the floor. “I want you to put your touch on all of it. This is our home. It should reflect both of us.”

“Done and done.” I had a hard time keeping the excited bubbles from fixing a permanent grin on my face. “Tell me the truth,” I whispered, not wanting the wolves and bears in the building to hear. “Are you sure about this? I’m a lot. Ask anyone.”

He dropped his hands to my butt, pulling my legs around his waist, and then pressing me against the beautiful shower tiles. “Ursula, you may not be aware of this, but wolves mate for life. I have no control over how you feel about me, but Iloveyou. I want to be with you and only you, so, yes, I’m sure.”

I pulled off a glove and ran my fingertips over his brow and down his nose. I brushed my thumb across his bottom lip and then kissed him until we’d both lost track of time and space. When we came up for air, I said, “I love you, Declan Quinn, and I take you.”

He kissed me again and my butt tingled.

I gasped. “How’d you do that?”

Laughing, he gave me another quick kiss and put me down. “Your phone is on vibrate.”

“Oh. Right. I knew that.” Feeling like an idiot—a ridiculously happy one—I pulled my phone out of my pocket and tapped the screen. “Hey, Hernández. What’s up?”

“Can I come see you? I have an idea and something I want you to touch to see if my idea is correct.”

“Oh, uh.” I walked out of the beautiful bathroom, through the roomy his-and-hers closet, bummed I had to think about murder instead of love and a shared home. “Yeah, I guess. I’m at Declan’s workshop right now, but I can be back at the gallery in a few.”

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