Page 69 of Home: Posy 5

"I have no wants, except to be with you. I can live anywhere so long as you're there and, now that Maple's happy and satisfied to find his mate, I can work wherever. I'm proud of you for going to college. Of course you're going to graduate! And as for pups, they can happen whenever you want."

"You're too good to be true." I scowled at him, unwilling to believe there wasn't a single demand he wanted to make before we went any further.

"I'm not good," he smirked, "but I will be foryou."

"Well, what's your one request then?"

"Keep me. Keep me forever." He raised my hand and kissed my knuckles. "And that's not a want. That's a non-negotiable need."

A joy like none I'd ever experienced bubbled up inside me until I thought I'd burst from it. My mate was everything I'd ever dreamed of, and all my anxieties and fears shriveled up and blew away like dried leaves in a fall breeze.

"Then I believe we have an agreement, Mr. Everleigh," I teased him with a blossoming smile.

With a soft laugh, he raised his free hand and cupped the side of my face in his big, rough palm.

"You can call me Hen if you want. Maple started it. He's a very basic wolf and could only talk in singles syllables when I first got him. In fact," Ethan grinned down at me, "he said his first three-syllable word today!"

"Oh?" I smiled back, happy that he was happy. "What was it?"

"Beautiful. He called you beautiful when he saw you."

Heat built in my cheeks, and I dropped my head to bury my face in the center of his chest.

"He was right, too," Ethan murmured into my hair as his arms went around me. "You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

"And you, sir, are the most handsome man in the world."

"Thank you, Millie. No one's ever called me handsome before. Well, besides Mom and Grandma, and they kind ofhaveto, you know."

Giggling, I swiveled my head to look up at him and found him smiling down at me.

"How did I get so lucky?" I whispered.

"I was just wondering the same thing," he whispered back.

His face slowly came closer until his glimmering black eyes filled my vision, then his lips were on mine and the rest of the world fell silent as my heart sang a new song.

13: All That I’ll Ever Need

Posy

"Posy? Can we talk to you? We have something we want to tell you."

I smiled at my brothers and, when James held his hand, I grabbed it without hesitation.

"Of course!" I said.

As he led me away from the noise and laughter, Aiden came up on my other side, and I held out my free hand to him. He took it gently and looked down at me.

"I want to thank you for sending Poppy to do that absolution ceremony," he said quietly. "I was at such a low point, I was only living for Keeley. I don't know what would have happened if—"

"I'm glad she was able to help you," I cut him off, not wanting to think about it. "And I'm glad you accepted that help and are healing."

"Healing slowly, but steadily. And you? How are you, baby sister?"

"Healing slowly, but steadily." I smiled up at him. "Having your mates' support really helps, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does," he agreed with a gentle smile.

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