But, lately, he’d noticed a change in her. She seemed distant, and almost sad. She still had that dazzling Mia smile, but she showed it a little less often. Calum sighed as he held Mia tighter. They had all been through a lot, but he worried that Mia wasn’t handling the changes well anymore. He knew her plan to move to Texas was a desperate effort to improve things by changing something, but he had a feeling she wasn’t going to be happy with the move in the long run.
Calum sighed and held Mia tighter, careful not to shift her too much and wake her. He wasn’t sure what the future held for them. Mia hadn’t said much of anything after their kiss, but she had seemed to enjoy it. And there was no doubt left in Calum’s mind that Grant’s teasing had been based on truth.
Calum was in love with Mia. Now he just had to convince her not to move away.
Chapter Nine
Mia woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. Her heart was pounding, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Her breathing slowed as she realized that she was safe at home in her own bed. She’d been having a nightmare about being chased through Chicago by soldiers who hated shifters. Even though shifters were now accepted into society, Mia still had flashbacks to the war on shifters. Her dreams had been so strange lately, between nightmares about the war and sex dreams about Calum.
Calum!
Suddenly, the events of the previous night came flooding back. Had that all been a dream, too? Mia looked over at the other side of her bed and saw Calum sleeping there, curled up under her comforter. No, it hadn’t been a dream. He had really kissed her, and then carried her in here to make sure she got some sleep. Mia raised her finger to touch her lips, closing her eyes briefly to remember the sensation of his kiss.
Then she silently slipped out of the bed and made her way to the kitchen. The computer clock on the fridge said it was four in the morning. Mia grabbed a glass of water before sitting down at her kitchen table to think. She was feeling much better after sleeping off whatever bug she’d had, and she didn’t think she’d be able to go back to sleep now.
Her heart beat faster as she thought about Calum. She had to decide what to do about this new development between them. She was thrilled to know he had feelings for her, but she was also confused. Did this mean she should cancel her request to transfer to Texas? She was pretty sure that Calum wasn’t going to be willing to move to Texas. And Mia couldn’t really blame him. It was true that they had no friends there. And it was a different culture—and climate—from what they were used to. For a bear who had grown up in Alaska, the Texas summers were bound to be an adjustment.
Mia sighed. She felt strongly that couples should make sacrifices for each other, and, in this case, it made sense for her to be the one to sacrifice and to decide to stay in D.C. She wasn’t sure if she could quite consider her and Calum a couple yet, and she didn’t want to be in Washington anymore. But she knew she couldn’t ask Calum to go to Texas. With a resigned look on her face, Mia stood and went to take a shower. She would get ready and go in to work early. If she could catch her boss before the day started to get crazy, she could hopefully talk to him in person and explain that she had changed her mind about Texas. She knew her boss wouldn’t be happy, but at least telling him in person would show her sincerity. She hoped, anyway.
Forty minutes later, Mia scribbled a note on a sheet of paper to let Calum know she had gone in to work. Then she went to the parking garage and climbed into her hover. The streets were quiet at this hour, and Mia relished the silence. She felt like the stillness gave her room to breathe. When she arrived at the office, it was quiet. She was the first one in, but she knew it wouldn’t be long before her boss was in. He was an early riser, and liked to get in to work before everyone else.
Mia made her way to her office and started sifting through the emails she had missed from the day before, but she couldn’t concentrate on them. All she could think about was Calum. She had wanted so badly to know he had feelings for her, but now that she knew, she wasn’t as ecstatic as she thought she would be. His kiss had been amazing, and she was touched that he had brought her soup. But her heart felt sad at the thought of staying in Washington.
Shouldn’t she be happy no matter what, if he was her lifemate? Even though she would be staying in D.C., she would have him. Wasn’t that what she had been wanting for so long? Mia frowned as she heard her boss arriving down the hallway. Something was still bothering her about Calum. He was perfect for her in every way, except that he didn’t want to leave D.C. Mia wanted a man who would follow her to the ends of the earth, but, she realized that she had to be practical. She had to make sacrifices, too. Still, it was with a heavy heart that she stood to walk down the hallway to her boss’s office and knock on the door.
“Come in,” her boss bellowed out, looking up in surprise. He probably wasn’t expecting someone else to be in the office this early.
“Mia! You’re sure here early. I hope you’re feeling better today,” he said.
“Much better, thank you. Do you have a minute?” Mia asked.
Her boss nodded and waved her in. Mia sat down across from him and took a deep breath. It was now or never.
“I wanted to ask you if I could cancel my transfer request to Texas. I’ve had some things come up in my personal life, and I’ve realized that Texas isn’t the best move for me at this time.”
Mia forced herself to stop talking. Her natural instinct was to blabber on and on and overexplain why she wanted to cancel the transfer, giving one thousand reasons why Texas wasn’t a good fit for her after all. But she forced herself to wait for her boss to respond before turning into the classic over-explainer that she was.
Her boss’s eyes widened. “Are you sure, Mia? I don’t want to force you to move against your will, but I think you’d be great for the position. You’re a good worker, and you have a lot of talent. You’d have the potential to really go far if you moved to that office. I have it on good authority that there are going to be big promotions happening there very soon.”
“I’m sure,” Mia said. “I appreciate your faith in my work, but I think it’s better if I stay here for now.”
Her boss leaned back in his chair and started stroking his chin. To Mia’s surprise, it didn’t look like he was going to put up a big fight. She held her breath, and waited for him to speak.
“Is it just Texas that you don’t want to move to? Or are you completely opposed to moving at all?”
Mia frowned. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well,” her boss said, leaning over the table and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial tone, which was kind of silly since they were the only two people in the office right now. “I have it on good authority that we’ll actually be announcing the opening of our second remote office next week, and it’s going to be in Kodiak, Alaska. You’re originally from Alaska, right? Any interest in going back?”
Mia’s eyes widened. “I am from Alaska,” she said. “But I hadn’t considered going back because I thought there was no way I would be able to find a job there.”
“Well, would you consider it if you had a job there?” her boss asked.
It was Mia’s turn to lean back in her chair and think. She hadn’t expected this development. She wondered if Calum would be more open to moving to Alaska. Kodiak was not exactly close to her hometown of Glacier Point, but it was still Alaska. It would be nice to be back in her home state. For a polar bear shifter like herself, the winters would be heaven. Not to mention that Kodiak was where Grant and Storm were moving too—and it sounded like they had nearly convinced the rest of the clan to move back as well. Only Mia and Calum were still planning to stay behind.
“Mia?” her boss prompted.
“Uh...when do I have to decide by?” Mia asked.
“The sooner the better,” he said. “But we’ll be announcing the openings tomorrow, and we’re expecting competition for spots in this office to be fierce. There wasn’t a lot of interest in Texas, but most
of the shifters don’t like the hot summers. Kodiak is expected to be much more attractive. There are a lot of shifters up there in need of assistance, so we’re wanting to get this second remote office opened as soon as possible.”
Mia nodded slowly. Her body was filling with adrenaline at the thought of agreeing to go back to Alaska. She wasn’t sure if Calum would move there, but it had to be more attractive than Texas. After all, it was Alaska. They had grown up there. And the rest of the clan was moving back there. Mia knew if she agreed to move now, her boss would not let her change her mind again and stay in D.C. You only got so many chances to change your mind and waffle around with your decision. Mia’s head screamed at her that she needed to talk to Calum first, and find out if he was willing to move. But her heart told her that she needed to go. She had been restless for so long now. It was time to go home. If Calum was her lifemate, he would follow her. If he wasn’t, well, it was better she found out sooner rather than later.
“Mia?” her boss asked again, giving her a funny look. “If you need a little bit of time to think about it that’s okay. Just don’t take too long.”
Mia shook her head. “No, I don’t need time to think,” she said. “My answer is yes. I’ll go to Kodiak. I would be honored to help the shifters up there with the recovery efforts.”
A big grin spread across her boss’s face, and he reached across the table to shake her hand. “Alright, then. Welcome to the Kodiak office. It’s going to be a great adventure for you. I’ll get your change of transfer processed and you’ll get your official notice tomorrow when we formally announce the new office opening.”
Mia smiled and nodded, then rose to leave. She thanked her boss, and managed to keep her composure until she was back out in the hallway. In the dim, gray light of morning, she leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes, a slow smile spreading across her face. She was really doing it. She was going back to Alaska. Now that the decision was made, Mia felt a deep sense of peace and happiness.
Holy shit, she was going home.
* * *
You’re doing what?” Calum asked. He could feel his blood pressure instantly rising. The stress of this week was starting to get to him. He’d woken up an hour earlier, and had been disappointed to find that Mia had already left for work. He’d been hoping for some early morning snuggles with her, and perhaps for a serious conversation about their feelings for each other. He hadn’t wanted to push things too much when she was sick the night before, but he’d planned on a romantic morning with her if she was feeling better. He was going to make her one of his signature omelets, and some freshly brewed coffee. Then they could enjoy each other’s company for a while before leaving for work.
But he’d woken up to an empty apartment, and a simple note from Mia that she’d gone in to catch up on work she was behind on due to taking the day off. Calum had moved on to Plan B, which was to at least stop by Mia’s favorite coffee shop and grab her a latte to surprise her with at work. But as soon as he’d shown up at her office door, she’d dropped a bombshell on him. She was moving to Alaska.
He’d been pretty confident in his ability to convince her to give up on the idea of moving to Texas. But he knew as soon as she said the word Alaska that she was determined to follow through with a transfer to Kodiak. Calum had to admit that this move made a lot more sense than Texas. Mia had ties to Alaska, and their whole clan was moving there. But his heart kept dropping with every passing second. He didn’t want to move back. He wanted to stay in D.C. And he wanted Mia to stay with him.
“I’m moving to Alaska,” she said calmly. “There’s an office opening up there. You should try to get a transfer and move, too. My boss said the spots are going to go quickly.”
Calum felt his blood pressure rising. “You’re moving too, then? Everyone’s just going to abandon me and head to Alaska. What happened to all of this ‘leave the old ways behind’ ideology everyone used to talk about? Was it all just talk, then?”
“Just because we’re moving back to Alaska doesn’t mean we have to return to the old ways of doing things,” Mia said. “But I do miss home, and I miss nature. I’ve had my fun living in big cities. I’ve lived here through my twenties, and sowed my wild oats, if you will. But I’m done, now. I want to go back to a more peaceful life.”
“What about us?” Calum asked, his voice cracking slightly from emotion. “Last night I thought there was a spark of something between us. I thought it meant something. I was hoping to convince you not to move to Texas, but you seem bound and determined to move away from me no matter what.”
Mia’s eyes narrowed. “I thought there was a spark, too. But you already knew I was planning to move before you kissed me. If you have feelings for me, you’ll have to decide how strong they are. Because unless they’re strong enough to move, I don’t think we have a future together. No hard feelings, Calum. You’ll always be one of my best friends. But I can’t stay here anymore. My heart isn’t in it.”
Calum frowned and opened his mouth to say something else, but then shut it again. He set his lips in a straight line and turned to walk out.
Fine. If everyone, including Mia, wanted to move away, let them. He would find someone else eventually. He would find a new girl, and new friends. He wasn’t going to be bullied into anything. Hell, if he had to be a bachelor for life, so be it.
He was strong enough on his own. He didn’t need anyone.
Chapter Ten
One week later, Mia boarded a plane to Alaska. She was joined by the rest of her clan—Grant, Storm, Jack, Silver, Sebastian, Lily, Drew, Hope, Juno, and Wyatt. They took up several rows of the airplane, and their mood was jovial. The only one missing was Calum. Mia tried not to think about him. She had made her decision, and he had made his. They would just have to live with it.
Mia had purchased a small home ahead of time, and when they arrived in Alaska, she was relieved to see that she liked the place even better in person. It had been a little scary to buy a house based only on pictures, but the purchase had turned out well. The rest of the clan members had purchased houses nearby, too, so Mia already had a built-in community. She should have been happy, and she was, for the most part. But she had a deep sense of sadness whenever she saw a couple together on the street. Something told her that she had missed her one chance at true love.
Mia did the only thing she knew to do. She threw herself into work. Her first week in the Kodiak office, she accomplished twice as much as she had back in D.C. in the same amount of time. She wasn’t sleeping much, and she wasn’t eating well, but at least she was getting a lot done. She told herself that, eventually, the feelings of loneliness and heartache would fade. She had been a fool, worrying about Angela and Calum. It didn’t matter what either of them did. Calum’s life was in D.C., and hers was here.
And yet, every night as Mia closed her eyes to go to sleep, her bear would grow restless, always repeating one word to her over and over.
Calum. Calum. Calum.
* * *
Calum had survived one week without his clan members. He had managed to act like nothing was wrong. He’d avoided walking by Mia’s old office every day so that he didn’t have to acknowledge the fact that she wasn’t there. He hadn’t been to the bar to play darts all week, so he hadn’t had to acknowledge that there was no one to call to hang out with him. All in all, the week hadn’t been too bad. The worst part was that Angela was on the prowl again. After he had rejected her attempt at a kiss, she seemed more determined than ever to win him over. She made sure to sit by him in every meeting. She cornered him at lunch. She came up with the most ridiculous reasons to stop by his office. Calum was tired of her games, but he wasn’t sure how to make her stop. She was everywhere.
And the fact that she was everywhere rubbed in the fact that Mia was nowhere. Calum missed her horribly. His bear was constantly clawing at his heart, pining for Mia. But what was Calum supposed to do? He didn’t want to return to Alaska. He had been so excited to leave as a yo
ung man that going back now felt like admitting defeat. It felt like he was admitting that he couldn’t hack it.
By Sunday night, Calum couldn’t take the loneliness anymore. He decided to head down to his favorite bar. Even if he didn’t have someone to play darts with him, he needed to at least get out and be around other people. He was going crazy sitting in his apartment all by himself. It was nearly nine o’clock at night by the time Calum settled into a barstool and ordered a pint of one of his favorite lagers. The place was nearly empty, but at least the bartender was willing to strike up a conversation.
“Haven’t seen you much lately,” the bartender said as he lazily wiped down the bartop with a dishrag.
“Yeah, I’ve been busy with work,” Calum said.
The bartender raised an eyebrow in his direction. “Work, eh? Because you look to me like a man who’s just had his heart broken.”
Calum’s eyes shot up to look at the bartender in surprise. How were bartenders always so damn good at reading emotions? Calum didn’t say anything, but his silence was all the answer the bartender needed.
“Who is she? The blonde girl that’s usually in here falling all over you?”
Calum wanted to laugh. “Angela? No, it’s not her. She’s a nice enough girl, and admittedly beautiful. But she’s not my type. It’s my friend Mia.”
“Mia!” the bartender said. “That little firecracker? She’s awesome. You two would be great together. What’d you do to mess things up.”
Calum sighed. “Why are you automatically accusing me of being the one who messed things up?”
Homecoming in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 6) Page 6