Page 106 of Unhinged Magic
Seriously, my thoughts these days were like I was in heat, care of the mate bond.
“I’m not going to lie, owning a business is not easy. If it was, everyone would do it.” He pushed his hair from his eyes before gripping the trunk on either side of him. “What if I helped get you started? Guided you through the process?” he offered.
Did he just offer to help me start my own business? Holy shit.
“You would really do that for me?”
“Come here,” he crooked his finger, motioning me closer, and I moved between his knees. He curled his hands around my hips, staring up at me. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, and I’m happy to help if it’s something you would really like to do.”
“Teach people.” I tested the words on my tongue, something I had never considered before. Could I really do this?
He grinned. “I can see that brain of yours already second-guessing yourself. You can do this Skip, I know you can. If you want it bad enough, I’ll help you make it happen.”
“For real?”
Maybe I could do this.
He sank his fingers into my sides, as if assuring me. “For real.”
I was so lucky to have this man, to have such a supportive companion in life. After everything we had been through, we were stronger than ever before.
“Maybe,” I said, and he stood, pulling me against him.
“You can do anything you set your mind to. I believe that with all my heart.”
He kissed me like asserting his belief in me, an everlasting thing. I had never felt so loved, so supported in my life. And it was all him. Wesley, my childhood friend, come fated mate. Who would have thought?
I pulled away from him smiling, and he stood again, shutting the trunk. We jumped into the car where his hand settled on my thigh as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It gave me all the warm fuzzies.
Giving it a quick squeeze, I veered off the curve, heading back to my house. I couldn’t wait to get this chair into the shed in our backyard that I had only cleared out yesterday. A space I could do my upholstery in. The thought of turning my hobby into something more serious scared me, but Wesley had so much confidence in me, and it made me wonder if this could be something more. Something I could build on. Only time would tell.
When I pulled the car back into our drive, I cut the engine, stepping out.
Again, lifting the trunk, we trudged the wingback chair around the side of the house, heading for the backyard. As we rounded the corner, a resounding, “Surprise!” caught me off-guard, making me jump. I dropped my end of the chair out of pure shock.
Surrounding a makeshift firepit in the backyard were all my closest friends and family.
“Happy birthday!” Scar came rushing to me, engulfing me in her arms.
I turned to the group, almost speechless. “My birthday isn’t until tomorrow,” I said, laughing.
Tyler wrapped a hand around my shoulder. “Yeah, well, that wouldn’t be a surprise now, would it?”
I laughed. “I guess not!”
It was nice to see Tyler smile again. I knew things between him and Wesley were forced right now, but he was trying to put his own feelings aside for me today.
He took one look at the sorry excuse of a chair we had dragged in here. “Even brought your own throne,” he said with a chuckle.
I grinned. “Yeah, something like that.”
“C’mon then.” He put down his beer, helping Wesley lift it over to the circle of chairs surrounding the firepit.
I shook my head, cracking up at the entire scenario.
Wesley sat on the chair, patting his knee for me to join him.
I couldn’t contain my laughter, my smile growing bigger again.
