by R. E. Butler
She smiled up at him, her heart tugging at the determined tone of his voice. “Okay.”
“Let’s get packed up so we can have dinner with my parents and then go home.”
“I wish we could stay here tonight,” she said. “I’d like to be in your world for a little while.”
“There isn’t anything in this world for me anymore but my family. Your world is mine now, and I’m ready to go home.”
They returned to their packing, and she finished up the bathroom and then pushed a box out into the hall, dragging the bag of towels behind her.
“Bathroom’s done,” she said.
He straightened and haphazardly folded the sheets that he’d just stripped from the bed. “Good. When we’re ready to tell my parents about the move, I’ll ask them to sell whatever furniture we leave behind.”
For now, he wasn’t telling his parents that he’d quit his job and was moving to New Jersey, and he wasn’t canceling the lease for his apartment. Once he found a job, then he’d give notice for the apartment and tell his parents. All they knew at the moment was that he and Jenni were dating, which, according to Trina, was the first human step before marriage. Humans would think it odd for a man to just quit his job and move after knowing a woman only a few days. For shifters, though, it made perfect sense. Once a shifter found his or her mate, the need to be with them overwhelmed everything else.
“I want to take my recliner,” he said. “It’s really comfy.”
“I know just the place for it. And it matches my couch, too.”
“Kitchen’s done,” Lexy said, coming into the bedroom. “I’m freaking starving. My folks are coming to your parents’ house for dinner, and we need to leave in about ten minutes. How are things coming?”
“Great,” Devlin said. “I’m just about done in here.”
They hurried to finish packing up his things, and carried them out to the trailer that they’d pulled behind one of the park’s SUVs. They left the trailer in the apartment parking lot and drove to Devlin and Trina’s parents’ home.
Lexy chuckled. “Win just texted and said he wishes everyone luck meeting our crazy family.”
Win had needed to work and hadn’t been able to take a day off to join them for the trip. Jenni had met Trina and Devlin’s parents at the shop, but things were different now that they were together.
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” Trina asked.
“What?” Devlin asked.
“That just a couple weeks ago we were all unmated and wondering what the future would hold for us. Now, we’re all mated and living at the zoo, and shifters – which seemed like an impossibility – are real.”
Devlin glanced at Jenni and took her hand. “If I never said it before, Lex, I’m thankful for your flat tire, because it kicked off the chain of events that brought me and my Jenni together.”
“You’re welcome,” Lexy said with a laugh. “I am glad that my bad luck led to something amazing for all of us.”
When they arrived at the house, Devlin introduced her to his parents as his girlfriend. He’d already told them on the phone that he and Jenni were dating, but this was the first time she was meeting them in what she felt was an official capacity. She wanted his parents to like her and think she was a good mate for him to have, even though her lioness didn’t particularly care if they liked her or not.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Betty, Devlin’s mom said, giving Jenni a hug. “I knew I saw sparks between you two.”
“It would have been hard to miss those sparks,” Rick, Devlin’s dad, said as he kissed her cheek. “How was the drive?”
“Good,” Jenni said. “I’m glad to be here, thanks for inviting me.”
Rick shut the front door and said, “You’re welcome.”
Betty ushered them into the living room where Jenni was introduced to Lexy’s parents. They all sat and talked for a while before dinner. Devlin’s parents asked Jenni about working in the shop with Lexy and Trina. They didn’t ask about her family, but she had a feeling they were being polite, since she knew that Devlin had told them about her mom leaving when she was younger and her dad being absent her whole life. She didn’t want them to feel sorry for her, because she’d had a great life in the park with Caesar and the pride. What she’d been missing as a kid had been given back to her in spades.
Over a dinner of grilled tilapia topped with thinly sliced mango and sautéed carrots, Jenni heard how Betty and Rick met, laughed at the funny stories of Devlin’s childhood, and had a slice of amazing apple pie that Lexy had brought. By the time the evening was over, she hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to his parents because she liked them so much. It was easy to see why Devlin and Trina were such amazing people – because their parents were, too.
“Thank you for everything, I had a great time,” Jenni said as she hugged Betty.
“I’m so glad. Come back to visit anytime.”
“And thanks for the taffy,” Rick said. “I’m going to hoard it and eat it all myself.”
“No, you won’t,” Betty warned.
“You’ll see,” Rick said with a wink. “I’ll hide it.”
Lexy told Jenni that bringing gifts to parents at the first meeting was a good idea, so she’d brought a bag of different flavors of taffy.
“I’ll bring two bags next time,” Jenni said.
“I’ll find two hiding spots, then,” Rick said.
“Watch me hide your favorite coffee mug,” Betty said.
“Oh, ouch. Fine, I’ll share.”
Jenni smiled at their bantering and said goodbye, walking out with Devlin.
He put his arm around Jenni. “They like you, but I knew they would.”
She grinned. “I like them, too.”
After Lexy, Trina, and Justus joined them, they headed back to Devlin’s apartment and hooked up the trailer. As they started the journey back to the park, Jenni leaned on Devlin’s shoulder and yawned.
He kissed the top of her head. “It’s been a good day.”
“Long, but good.”
“I’m ready to go home now, though.”
“Me, too.”
* * *
Wednesday morning, Devlin walked Jenni to the sweets shop. They’d unpacked his things the day before, and when she’d gotten dressed for work, she’d loved to see his clothes hanging next to hers in the closet. They’d only been together for a little while, but she already couldn’t imagine her life without him. Which was how things were supposed to be with soulmates.
“Hey!” Caesar called to them as they passed by the security office. “Come in here for a minute.”
They turned and headed for the office, and found Caesar and the other alphas standing at the counter in the main room.
“Good morning,” Jenni said, and then introduced Devlin to the alphas. “Devlin, this is Joss the wolf alpha, Alastair, the elephant alpha, Marcus, the bear alpha, and Atticus, the gorilla alpha. This is my soulmate, Devlin Potter.”
Devlin shook the alphas’ hands and said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“We’ve been discussing a few things since you two mated,” Caesar said. “We understand that you’re a finance professional.”
“I am. I was up for the controller position at the accounting firm I worked at, and I just recently graduated with my Masters in Finance.”
“We’d like to offer you a job at the park,” Caesar said.
Jenni’s brows rose and her heart sped up with excitement.
Joss said, “We’d like to ask you to join our finance department. Several of my wolves handle things, but we outsource a good deal to a local accounting firm. It would be nice to be able to bring that in-house, especially with someone of your expertise.”
“That would be great,” Devlin said.
“We’ve got calls in to several contractors to get bids for the apartment complex that we’re going to build for future mates,” Atticus said. “But in the meanwhile, we’d like you to find a house or apartment to rent in one of the n
earby communities. The park will pay the rent for as long as you need it.”
Jenni asked, “Why can’t he say he lives in the barn apartments? There are three of them.”
Devlin shook his head. “What if my parents came to visit and they wanted to see mine and Trina’s apartment? Only one apartment is finished.”
“Oh,” she said. “Good point. But the same could go for Lexy and Trina.”
“Fortunately,” Atticus said, “both sets of parents haven’t wanted to see the apartments together, but it was a worry. For now, we’re going to finish one of the other barn apartments to alleviate that situation, and then eventually there will be a complex that will have a separate entrance instead of being inside the park.”
“Cool,” Jenni said.
Caesar smiled at her. “After you take Jenni to the shop, come back here and Joss will take you to the finance office so you can meet the wolves. You can take a day or two and think about the job, and then let us know.”
Devlin shook the hands of all the alphas again and thanked them for the opportunity. He held the door open for Jenni and then followed her out of the building. She hugged him tightly with a laugh as the door shut.
He laughed and lifted her off the ground. “That’s freaking amazing.”
“It sure is,” she said, kissing him.
“Did you know they were going to do that?” he asked as he set her on the ground and held her hand while they walked toward the shop.
“No. It was in the back of my mind that, so far, they’ve found jobs for the mates in the park, but in both those instances, the mates created those new jobs. Adriana and Celeste have the nail salon in the market, and Lexy and Trina have the sweets shop. I don’t know anything about the finance stuff, so I didn’t know if there was room for another person or if I should even ask.”
“Well, I was pretty determined to find something on my own,” he said. “But this is more than I could have hoped for. Now I don’t have to leave the park to go to work, and we can have lunch together.”
She stopped and he turned to face her.
“I was afraid you’d resent me for all that you had to give up in order to be with me.”
“Never, sweetheart. Before I met you, my career was the most important thing to me. I was confused by my feelings for you at first, and yes, I was reluctant to walk away from my job, but that’s because I didn’t understand your needs. Now, I know that the place I was always meant to be was here at Amazing Adventures. I not only get you, but I also get a job without having to interview for months and then explain why I want to take off Mondays and Tuesdays.”
He wiggled his brows at her and she laughed.
“You make me and my lioness so happy. I want only the best for you, and I want you to be as happy as you make me.”
“I’m happier now than I’ve ever been because of you. What I thought of as being happy before, I now see wasn’t anything close to real happiness. You’re gorgeous and sweet, and most importantly, you’re mine.”
He made a soft growling sound in his throat, the human equivalent of a happy lion, and he brushed his lips against hers. She deepened the kiss immediately, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him close. Passion flared between them, and if it hadn’t been for the tinkling of the bell over the sweets shop door as one of her co-workers opened it, she would have happily forgotten about work entirely.
“Just making sure that you didn’t get lost,” Trina said.
Devlin groaned in annoyance. “Uncool, Trin.”
“That’s what sisters are for.”
Jenni smiled up at Devlin. “Come back for lunch?”
“You bet,” he said.
“Have fun with the wolves,” she said, giving his hand a little squeeze. “Oh, I almost forgot.”
“What, sweetheart?”
“You’re sexy as hell, you make me feel like the most important female in the world, and you’re mine, too.”
He grinned. “See you soon, soulmate.”
She didn’t want to part, but she couldn’t help but enjoy the view as he walked away, his sexy butt covered in tight denim that made her want to pounce on him. Her cat purred in happiness.
“Let’s get to work so we can get to lunch,” Jenni said as she walked into the shop.
“Lunch is my favorite time of the workday,” Lexy said.
“My favorite is when we’re done working,” Trina said.
“I think going home with Devlin will be my favorite thing about the day,” Jenni said. “And waking up with him, too.”
“There’s nothing better than being in your soulmate’s arms,” Lexy said.
Jenni agreed wholeheartedly.
Chapter 10
Devlin tried to settle his nerves, but he had a hard time tamping down what Jenni said was a “million years of evolution” reminding him that he was human and most everyone in the park was not. He’d been at Amazing Adventures for a month, working in the finance department by day and sexing up his lioness soulmate at night. But right now, he was giving a presentation to the council – made up of the alphas and other important members of the shifter groups – about the finances for the park as well as an update on the apartment complex.
He was nervous because he wanted to do well for his bosses. He’d have been nervous whether they were shifters or not. Maybe.
Joss cleared his throat. The alpha wolf was a serious man and Devlin had only seen him smile twice in the last month. Jenni had explained that Joss had killed his son, after he put the entire park at risk by attacking Zane’s soulmate, Adriana. Devlin couldn’t imagine doing something like that to his own child, but shifters were more practical than humans, and they saw the world in different tones than he did.
“You have a report for us, Devlin?” Joss asked.
“Yes,” he said, standing and carrying his laptop to the head of the conference table. The council met monthly, but could also convene to discuss important issues related to the park and their people.
Devlin plugged his laptop into the projection system while Jupiter lowered a screen on the wall for his presentation. Shaking off his nerves, he started the presentation, flipping through the slides that he’d made to explain the park’s financial situation. After answering questions, he turned his attention to the apartment complex.
Clicking the next slide, he said, “The bank approved the construction loan, so we just need to choose a builder from the six bids that we accepted. We’re looking at around twelve months until completion, depending on weather, supplies, and workers. The two-story building will have four apartments on each floor with exterior entrances. Each apartment will have two bedrooms and one bathroom.”
Devlin detailed the different timelines and costs for each builder that had submitted a bid for the job, and the alphas voted on Vane Brothers Construction. He’d thought they were the best fit for the job, too.
“Set up a meeting for the company,” Atticus said. “We’d like to meet them in person.”
“And I have a number of wolves who would be available to help with construction as well,” Joss said.
“I’ll set something up for them next week,” Devlin said.
“I think that’s everything,” Caesar said.
As the group dispersed, Devlin said, “Can I speak to you for a minute, Caesar?”
“Sure,” he said.
Devlin unplugged his laptop and shut the lid, waiting until they were alone before he spoke.
“I’d like to ask Jenni to marry me, and since she thinks of you as a father, I wanted to get your permission.”
Caesar said nothing for a long moment, and then smiled. “Of course, I approve. I wouldn’t think of standing in the way of the traditions of your people, since you accepted ours so easily.”
Devlin knew that shifters didn’t necessarily consider marriage by human standards to be more than a piece of government-issued paper, but it was important to him that Jenni be his wife and take his last name.
“I’d like to
propose after dinner on Sunday night,” he said.
“That’s a great idea. The pride would love to be part of it, since it’s not normal for us.”
“Depending on how many mates end up being human, though, I suspect that there will be a lot more proposals in the pipeline.”
“True. Your sister and cousin aren’t engaged yet.”
“I’m sure they will be soon. Win and Justus would do anything for their mates.”
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
Devlin walked out of the meeting room with Caesar, and headed topside, where he borrowed an SUV from the park and went to find a jewelry store. He’d already gathered one of Jenni’s rings from her jewelry box to use for sizing. It hadn’t taken him long to find the perfect ring for her – two diamonds centered on a platinum ring, with rows of tiny diamonds on either side. It was the perfect size, too.
After leaving the jewelry store, he picked up a bottle of sparkling wine for the celebration and returned to the park and back to work. He hadn’t thought it was possible to like a job more than he had his previous job as assistant controller. Being the finance manager for the park was more challenging and rewarding than he ever thought possible. He was helping to ensure that the park stayed profitable so their people had a place to live. Working for the park meant he was helping to keep a roof over his sweetheart’s head and to provide stability and a wonderful future for their children.
* * *
Jenni thought Devlin was acting strange Sunday evening when he came to get her after the shop was closed for the day. He was smiling, but he was trying to hide just how much. He was definitely up to something, but she couldn’t fathom what it might be.
“We could go out to dinner instead of eating with the pride,” she suggested.
“No!” He cleared his throat and then said with less enthusiasm, “I mean that we should eat with the pride because it’s one of Caesar’s unspoken rules.”