Page 49 of Sold Rejected Mate
“You have a place,” I say, turning in my seat. “I’myour place.”
Her cheeks flush, “Lachlan, we’ve only been dating for a month. It’s not like I’m going to assume—”
“Assume.” I reach for her hand, lacing my fingers through hers, staring at her so intently that if I had magic, I might be casting right now. “Assumeeverything, Val. You and I both know this thing is a lot more complicated than havingonly been dating for a month. There’s more to us here.”
“Okay,” she says, a little breath rushing from her. “I don’t like your house.”
“Okay,” I say, tugging on her hand, pulling it up, and setting it on my chest. “The house is gone.”
“Wait,” she laughs, curling her fingers into a fist on my chest. “You can’t just—you’re allowed to have the things you like, or want. You can’t just start dating someone and let them—”
“First, you’re not just someone.” I don’t know how many times I need to clarify this to her, but I’ll never stop. Not until she gets it. “You’re my person, Valerie.”
Even as I say it, I know what it sounds like. I know it’sdangerouslyclose to what she tried to tell me all those years ago.
But I’ve never fully believed in fated mates. Have always thought that was something closer to magic than to the nature of the shifter. We have mates, sure—mates that we choose, that we mark. But some sort of ethereal bond? Some sort of soulmate situation?
It’s a nice thought, but it’s not real.
“But—”
“But nothing. You don’t like the house? We’ll move. Where do you want to live?”
“Here,” she replies instantly, and her cheeks color like she’s just admitted to having a crush on Silverville. Like the town is a boy who won’t reciprocate her feelings. “Here, but maybe closer to town? Or closer to Phina? I don’t know…I always secretly thought I’d have a house in the woods. A garden. Chickens.”
“Chickens?” I laugh, imagining my mother’s face if she came to visit me and foundactualanimals in our yard. When Aurela was younger, she begged for a cat, but our parents maintained the idea that animals belonged outside and people belonged inside.
Part of the reason we wereneverallowed to shift in the house.
The other part was because of theonetime I shifted in the entryway and accidentally broke one of my mother’s crystal bowls. Back then, my wolf was always getting bigger, and I could never account for how much it had grown between each shift.
“Yeah,” Valerie says, shrugging one shoulder. “I like the idea of having something to take care of. I’ve never really been good at holding down a job, but I like having something to take care of, like how you’d take care of a kid.”
The word sends a jolt through me, and I tune out for a second as Valerie goes on, talking about using our garden to put fresh flowers in the kitchen, jar our own jam, all that cottage stuff. I’m stuck on what she said.
She likes having something to take care of.
While I’m pretty sure I’m ass at taking care of anything—even myself. This—this month with Valerie—has been intentional, me doing everything in my power to make sure I didn’t hurt her.
“What else would you want in this hypothetical house?” I ask when I realize she’s gone quiet and is watching me intently.
“Big kitchen,” she says. “Kind of like Phina’s. I like having a window by the sink so you can look out while doing dishes. I think a front porch with a swing might be nice. Somewhere to watch the sunset.”
“Noted.”
“It will take some time,” Valerie says, brushing her hair out of her face. “I mean, I have to find a job first—”
“You do know that money isn’t an issue, right?”
“Lachlan,” she says, rolling her eyes at me. “I’m not, like, a trophy wife. I need to contribute.”
“Do you know where I got my money?” I ask, feeling the familiar weight, the shame of being born with a silver spoon.
Valerie is silent for a moment. “Your parents?”
“My grandfather left me a trust. I have more than I’ll ever need, just from pure luck. So why shouldn’t I share it with you?”
“Youdosomething, though. You fight fires.”
