“Sorry,” I said with an apologetic shrug. “Sometimes I just get lost behind the camera.”
In the months I’d known him, I had tried to keep it in check, mostly because I had been so nervous around him, but that had shifted after our mating. I was more comfortable with Chase Westin than I was with anyone else.
I went to put my camera away, but instead I whipped it around in his direction and took a few candid shots before he caught on and started posing for me. He even tore off his shirt and my mouth watered as I eagerly snapped pics of my shirtless mate.
He redressed when I finally put it back in its case.
“Okay, my turn,” he said, pulling out his phone. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back towards him and held it out in front of us. I buried my head in his chest and shook my head.
“I hate having my picture taken,” I confessed.
“Too bad. This is happening. I have like two pictures of you. I need more.”
“Why? You see me every day,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Come on, smart-ass. Humor me. Please?”
There was no way I could ever say no to that face. I turned my head towards the phone and smiled for real when I saw the two of us together, his strong arm around me, making me feel so safe, with the beautiful forest and rolling hills in the background as the sun shined down on us, was perfect.
I had chosen a dark purple sweater, jeans and boots to wear for the trip down. The effect the color had on my eyes was stunning. I had always considered Tessa beautiful, gorgeous even, but despite knowing we were identical, I had never quite seen myself that way, until now. Through an artist’s eye, I could appreciate how truly breathtaking the two of us looked together.
“I want a copy of that,” I told him.
My phone dinged and as I went to check it, he leaned down and kissed me. “Already sent. See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
I rolled my eyes and gave him another peck on the lips. The sun was just beginning to set, and I knew we still had a long way to go.
“We should hit the road. And you shouldn’t have let me take up so much time,” I scolded, getting back into the car and continued our drive to San Marco.
At some point in the drive, I must have dozed off. I awoke suddenly with Chase’s arm around me as I drooled against his shoulder.
“Hey,” I said sleepily. “How long was I out?”
“A few hours. We’re heading up the mountain now. It’s the final stretch. Won’t be long now.”
“You okay? Do you need me to take over and finish driving?”
“Nah, I’m good. It’s still early.”
“Sorry, I can never stay awake in the car if I’m not behind the wheel.”
He laughed. “Good to know. Are you hungry?” My stomach growled suddenly and we both laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll call ahead and let them know we’re almost there so Mom can have some dinner ready.”
“Do they know we’re coming in tonight?”
“Nope,” he said.
“What? You didn’t tell them?”
“Relax, Jenna, it’s not like we need a reservation to go home.”
“You don’t, maybe. I can’t believe you didn’t tell them I was coming.”
“Princess, they know you’re coming. They are excited to meet you. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”
His hand now rested on my thigh and he gave it a squeeze that sent a jolt of pleasure cutting through my paranoia. I took a deep breath. I could do this.
As we entered San Marco I felt this strange sort of comfort. The entire place seemed to have that faint scent of Chase. Not Chase, I remembered, but pack. It relaxed me a little, despite my concerns.
We drove through a little town. It was quaint and far smaller than any town I’d ever been in. People were out talking to one another and just hanging around. There was a place called The Crate that seemed to be hopping. Young people were crammed into a cute little ice cream shop. I craned my neck to look, taking it all in.
“Welcome to San Marco,” Chase said, pulling off the main road and down a long, wooded path, much like the driveway to our cabin. “And welcome home,” he said, pulling up in front a large, inviting house. It was brightly lit like they were waiting for us.
He got out and grabbed our bags. I waited until he came around and opened my door, checking my appearance quickly in the mirror on the back of the visor. I grabbed my lip gloss to reapply before I got out.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and nibbled on my lip. I loved the taste of watermelon lip gloss, so it in no way dissuaded me from the nervous habit. Chase noticed. Chase always noticed.
He dropped the bags to the ground and wrapped his arms around me, my back pinned against the Jeep. He lowered his mouth to mine and sucked my bottom lip into his. I fought back a grin. He seemed to do that a lot and it inevitably calmed my nerves and caused a different sort of butterflies in my stomach. He deepened the kiss and made my knees shake. I sighed.
He pulled back with a grin. “You have nothing to worry about.”
I just nodded. I wasn’t sure I could even talk after that anyway. He left one arm around me and led me towards the house.
“What about the bags?” I asked when we hit the porch.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get them later.”
He didn’t stop, or knock, just walked right in, pulling me with him. I felt so out of place. A crashing noise came from another room and a ball bounced into the foyer right towards us. Chase stopped it with his foot, as a young dark-haired boy in pajamas and socks came slipping and sliding around the corner, abruptly stopping.
His eyes were wide with excitement. “Uncle Chase?” He sounded like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It only lasted a moment before he launched himself into Chase’s expectant arms. After a quick hug, Chase set him down and those little arms wrapped around my waist. “Hi Aunt Jenna!” he squealed. “They said you wouldn’t be here till tomorrow.”
“Surprise,” Chase said . . .
I hugged the little man closer. “You must be Oscar,” I finally said, happy when my voice didn’t crack.
“Yup, that’s me,” he said, letting go and stepping back to look me over. “Mom, Uncle Chase and Aunt Jenna are here!” he yelled over his shoulder.
I stole a quick look at Chase, who just grinned and picked the boy up.
“You monkey, how can we surprise anyone if you’re going to tell the whole house?” He began tickling Oscar, who squealed in delight.
People started coming from all directions. A petite woman with short blonde hair and pink highlights came bouncing down the stairs. Several people came from both directions on the main level. When Maddie came into view, I stopped holding my breath. She didn’t hold back but walked right up to me and pulled me into an embrace.
“I know they can be a little overwhelming. Just remember to breathe. Everyone’s excited to meet you,” she whispered. I already knew that whispering in a house of wolves was pointless, but then again, she clearly made her point as people started taking a step back and giving us some space. A little louder she said, “Come on, let me introduce you around.”
“Mom said you weren’t coming in till tomorrow,” the one with the pink-streaked hair said.
“Surprise,” Oscar said, mimicking Chase.
“Oh, come on in to the living room. Maddie show her the way,” instructed an older lady who I knew must be Chase’s mom. As we rounded the corner to the left, I saw her give Chase a big hug and she had tears in her eyes. They followed behind us, her arm linked through his.
The living room was huge. I’d never seen such a big space. There were at least five couches in just the one room. A monster sized TV hung on one wall, and the back wall was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows that made it feel like you were outdoors. A chess board sat on a table in the corner with two chairs. There was also a card table, and games and books lined several shelves flanking the big screen TV. One corner of the room wa
s stacked high with toys. It was clear this was the hub of family life in the Westin house.
“Mom, Dad,” Chase said, drawing my attention back to them. “This is Jenna, my mate.”
I blushed at his candidness. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” I said awkwardly before his mother pulled me into a hug, followed immediately by his father.
Chase had explained once before that wolves were very touchy creatures. I don’t think it really hit me until that moment just what he had meant. My parents would never hug a stranger like that. Heck, they barely ever hugged me and Tessa.
“I’m Jason, this is my mate, Mary,” the older man said, finally letting me go.
“I’m Jenna,” I said, then chastised myself for it, ‘cause, duh, Chase just told them that.
“Welcome, Jenna,” Mary said, misting up.
“Mom, you’re gonna freak her out. Pull it together,” the pink-haired girl said.
“Don’t be rude, Lily,” Mary warned. “I’m allowed to get a little emotional. My baby boy just brought home his mate.”
Lily rolled her eyes. She pulled me into yet another hug. “Follow my lead,” she whispered.
“Hi Jenna, I’m Lily, Chase’s sister,” she said a little louder. “Oh, was that your stomach? Have you guys not eaten?”
My cheeks heated. I didn’t realize my stomach grumbled, but I was starving.
“Oh, let me heat something up real quick for you both,” Mary said, smacking Chase on the arm. “You should have called and let me know. I would have had something ready when you arrived.”
Chase gave her a grin I had never seen before. Something told me it was the one that he used to wrap his mother around his little finger and get away with anything.
“It was a last minute decision, Mom. I figured we’d surprise you.”
I snorted. “Last minute? He had his bag packed and in the Jeep, and was stalking me before I could even take a shower after class.”
“I let you take your shower,” Chase argued.
I laughed. “You scared the life out of me!”
“I really did,” Chase defended. “Then I grabbed her stuff and hit the road before she could recover.”
His family was taking in the light bantering we had going on between us.
“So basically, you kidnapped her,” her mother pointed out.
Chase shrugged and gave her that grin again. “But I got her here and we have a whole extra day home.”
Lily shook her head. “You have serious issues, baby brother.”
As Mary turned to scold Lily, Chase made a face at her behind his mother’s back. I couldn’t believe it and my face must have shown my shock because Mary whipped around and Chase had that damn grin of pure innocence on his face before she saw him. Meanwhile, Lily stuck her tongue out at him. I couldn’t even believe it. I would never in a million years act that way to my sister, but especially not in front of our prim and proper mother.
“Do I need to send both of you to your rooms?” she asked them.
“If I can take Jenna with me, I’m okay with that,” Chase confessed, and I smacked him hard in the gut and then wanted to crawl in a hole and die of embarrassment for my behavior.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Westin,” I immediately apologized.
“It’s Mary,” she told me firmly, “and no apology needed. I’ve always had a soft spot for my baby. He needs a strong woman to stand up to his shit.”
She said it with such a straight face that I fought back the need to laugh, until the entire room erupted. Chase wrapped his arms around me and hugged me close to him. He was laughing, too.
“Mom, you’ve had a long day. Just relax. I’ll take the lovebirds down to The Crate. Maddie, you want to call and have Liam meet us there?”
“Yeah, sure, that sounds great,” Maddie agreed.
“That’s not necessary. It’ll only take a moment to warm up leftovers for them and they just got here, I’m sure they are exhausted,” Mary said.
“I slept most of the way, but I’m fine with whatever,” I told them.
“Relax, Mom, you weren’t expecting us till tomorrow anyway. We’ll go hang out tonight. I promise we won’t be out too late,” Chase said, and his mother conceded.
Lily was on the phone and heading for the door. She started talking and then stopped and turned around. “Mom, Kels is about to call a sitter,” she said in a tattle-tale voice I imagined she reserved for her siblings.
“No, she isn’t,” Mary Westin said. “Tell her to bring that baby over here on her way. Oscar’s staying the night, so he and Zander can have a sleep over.”
“Yay!” Oscar cheered.
“Thanks, Mom. She’ll be by in a few,” Lily said, hanging up the phone.
Instead of turning towards the front door, Lily kept walking down the hall and started banging on a door.
“Jesus, what’s going on?” Kyle said when he opened the door. “What’s the matter?”
Lily nodded my way. “Chase and Jenna got in early. So stop working and come to the Crate with us.”
I smiled and gave him a small wave. It was nice to see a familiar face.
Maddie walked up behind me, “Okay, Liam’s going to meet us there. Let’s go.”
“Did you call Kelsey?” Kyle asked Lily.
“Of course I did. She’s bringing Z over here to have a sleepover with Oscar, then meeting us there.”
“Okay, let me just finish things up and I’ll head over with her when she gets here,” Kyle said.
Lily rolled her eyes again. I was beginning to think it was just a normal look for her. “Fine. See you there, but you better not bail on us again.”
Kyle grinned from ear to ear and I could tell there was definitely a story there, and that it was probably one I really didn’t want to know.
We all shuffled out of the house. Chase ran ahead and grabbed our bags that were still sitting in the driveway next to the Jeep. He threw them back into the house and I heard him ask Oscar to take them up to his room.
I climbed into the Jeep as Maddie agreed to ride with Lily and they argued over who would call Elise. I knew that was Chase’s other sister, but I hadn’t met her yet, or Kelsey.
Their family dynamics overwhelmed me somewhat, and yet it just felt right being there with them all. When Chase climbed into the driver’s seat he turned and looked at me.
“Hey, beautiful, what are you thinking about?”
It had dawned on me when he asked Oscar to take our bags up to his room that we’d be sleeping together . . . in his parents’ house. I hadn’t even considered the logistics of that before.
“Um, are you sure your parents are okay with us sleeping together?” I knew mine sure wouldn’t be.
He looked at me with his eyebrow quirked like it was a crazy question to ask. “I’m sure, Jenna; we’re mated. Trust me, it’s okay. Mated is basically the same as human marriage, only more. They can divorce, but for us, it’s forever.”
I had never thought about mating quite like that.
“Wait, human marriage?” I asked. “Does that mean wolves don’t marry?”
Chase looked at me like I was crazy. “No. Do panthers?”
“Well, yeah, we do.” I had dreamed about my wedding day since I was little girl. It had never occurred to me that I wouldn’t have one.
“Why?” he asked simply.
“Why? Because that’s what people do. They fall in love, they get married, and then they have kids.”
“That’s what humans do. Shifters find their mate. If they’re as lucky as I am, their one true mate. They create an unbreakable bond. It’s private and it’s beautiful. They create a life together, they have pups . . .”
“Or cubs,” I interrupted, correcting him.
“Or cubs,” he conceded in our case. “Babies, and grow old together. If the bond fully matures they live until one dies, and the other follows his or her mate into death.” He looked at me hard, studying my reaction. “Do you want to get married, Jenna?” he finally asked.
I shrugged. “I guess I always assumed I would. Most panthers don’t complete their mating bond until their honeymoon. Marriage first. I guess since we’ve already done that, it doesn’t really matter.”
“You don’t sound convinced. If you want to get married, we will,” he said matter-of-factly.
“You’d do that for me even though it would mean nothing to you?” I asked skeptically.
“Look, it’s nothing I would have thought of, but that doesn’t mean it would mean nothing to me. Liam and Maddie got married last year. Wedding, dress, the ring, the name change, the whole bit. He even legally adopted Oscar at the ceremony. It’s not that we can’t get married if we want to.”
“Why did Liam go through all that if it’s not important to the wolves?” I asked, more curious than anything.
“Oscar,” he said simply. “Oscar was raised in the human world. He didn’t understand their bonding and called my brother out on it. He took the kid’s words to heart and made it right for his family.”
“What about taxes and stuff? I mean, you have an entire town, all shifters. If no one gets married, doesn’t that look suspicious or something?”
“We have a perfectly legal clerk, of course. She files the paperwork for the government on every mated pair, so I guess legally, yes, we are considered married. In a little less than four months, ours will be filed, unless you want to have a real wedding.”
Of course I wanted a real wedding, but I didn’t want to tell him that. Did it really matter? I’d have to do some soul-searching at a later date to figure out the answer to that, but right then we were pulling up in front of the bar I had seen on the drive in, and I really hoped they had real food, not just fried bar snacks.
Chase
Chapter 25
Jenna had surprised me with talk of marriage. I made a mental note to discuss the idea with Liam while we were there. I wanted his take on whether it was worth all the trouble weddings seemed to be, or not.
For now, walking into the Crate with my mate on my arm was the best feeling ever. We met Lily and Maddie in the parking lot and walked in with them. Patrick and Elise were already there. E stood and hugged me before turning to hug Jenna.
Confusing Hearts (Westin Pack Book 4) Page 22