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“He’s working on a surprise for you. Try not to be too upset that he didn’t drop everything and head out here to greet you,” James whispers in my ear.
“A surprise? What is it?” I ask, not even concerned that James seems to have read my mind. There have been some strange developments with our bond and certain abilities lately. I try not to plan surprises for my mates, because I have lost the ability to keep secrets.
“You’ll find out when he’s finished with it. Let’s go inside and you can show us how much of my brother’s money you spent,” James answers, turning me back toward the house. I know he’s teasing, but I feel a pang of guilt at the cost of everything.
We walk up the steps to the covered wrap-around porch. I show them the patio chairs, tables, and couch I selected, along with the additional set of pillows that can be swapped out. “One set for spring and summer, and another for fall and winter. These will keep us cool, and these will be warmer.”
I’m certain that I went overboard, but Delilah pushed me into making sure we had everything we could possibly need.
LUCA
Dec and I finish building the swing and hang it on the back porch, then head back to the gazebo. The swing was a last-minute addition to my plan, but I know that Red has always wanted one. The gazebo is a replacement for the picnic table that didn’t survive the fight with Amber.
Red has been feeling guilty for destroying the house and everything around it, so we all decided that we’d do something special for her to ease her mind. The porch swing will easily hold all five of us, and I was able to get Delilah to order cushions to match what Red got for the front porch.
The gazebo is large enough that we can have most of the territory over and everyone can sit under it. Dec and I built cozy furniture to go under it. We finish setting it up and I head inside to grab everyone for the big reveal.
I know that Red got back a little while ago, and she was disappointed I didn’t greet her. I had to finish this, but I was disappointed too. Now I’m excited to see what she thinks of my surprise.
“Red! Where are you?” I call as I run into the house. She jumps when I yell, and I see that she was closer than I’d expected. “Sorry. I got excited.” I laugh and hold my arms out for her to hug me. Red runs and jumps into my arms, kissing me until I nearly forget why I came inside.
When she breaks the kiss, she asks, “So, what’s this about a surprise?”
I laugh again. “That’s why I came to get you. But I want to show everyone at the same time, okay?”
She rolls her eyes, but waits until I get everyone together and follows me outside. “This is half your surprise,” I say, gesturing to the swing.
“Luca! It’s beautiful! And the cushions match the set out front. How?” She’s amazed and I’m relieved. I’d been worried that she wouldn’t like it.
Delilah nudges me and laughs. “I told you she’d appreciate that.”
“Here’s the rest of it,” I say, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her to look out into the back yard.
“Oh, Luca!” she says, then runs down the back steps to check out the gazebo. The deep red flowers of the Clematis vines contrast against the white pine we used for the structure. I can’t tell if she loves it or hates it from her reaction.
“Well?” I ask, following her down to stand next to it.
“How did you guys do this in one day? This wasn’t here yesterday. It’s amazing,” she gushes. Relief washes over me. I was so worried that she’d hate it. I’d prepared myself for having to tear the whole thing down.
“Dec helped me. And of course, he has a crew for this kind of thing. But I did most of the carving myself.”
RYLAND
With Luca’s surprise, Red decides we have to eat outside tonight. No one minds, and we all work on dinner together. The kitchen is full and chaotic, with Vik and Kayden showing up just before we’re ready to eat. The ten of us gather under the new gazebo, eating and chatting. Laughter echoes through the forest, and for once, no one is worrying about what’s coming for us next.
Tonight will be our first night in the new house. We’ve been staying at Luca’s cabin because it’s the closest to the new one. I’d hardly call this a cabin, though. Sure, it looks like one, but it’s two stories tall and has a basement.
The first floor has the kitchen, pantry, security room, living room, spare bedroom, and a bathroom. The top floor is our master suite. It’s the largest bedroom/bathroom combination I’ve ever seen, and I can’t wait to make full use of it.
We’ll have family time first, because Red is still concerned about everything. She’s trying to take care of everyone and ensure that Declan knows how much we appreciate all of their help. What she doesn’t know is that he only paid for the furnishings and décor because he insisted on it. The poor girl has no clue what kind of accounts I have access to now that I’m the territory alpha.
Just because Gunnar chose to force the entire territory to live as meagerly as possible, that doesn’t mean we don’t have resources. I wasn’t aware of most of them until Eli stepped in and helped Orym research Gunnar’s computer. And we didn’t bother with that until six months ago, when we were starting to rebuild the cabin.
I wonder how Red will take the news that we have almost as much money as the family that controls the city. I can’t wait to show her the bank statements. Tomorrow morning. Not tonight. Tonight is for family.
I realize that’s what we’ve become. Delilah and her mates, along with the five of us, have become a chosen family. I sit back and watch as they joke around and enjoy what we’ve built here. Life couldn’t get any better than it is right now.
Goddess knows we all sacrificed enough to get here, and we won’t soon forget those who gave their lives in the fight. That’s what makes me even more determined that we’ll make something happy here.
