I Stole the Alpha's Car (18+)|✔️

Chapter 44

As her feet left the concrete path and stepped onto the wooden planking of the deck, Tori realized that, lost in thought, she had made a complete circuit of the entire resort.

And she still felt at war with herself.

There were a million reasons to wait. That had been her automatic excuse for years now. Ever since Jess had first broached the subject of kids, Tori's knee-jerk reaction had been not now.

She wanted more time with just the two of them.

They hadn't settled down into a permanent home.

Both of them were relative newcomers to their careers.

There were a million reasons to wait.

Tori looked up, breathing in the scents of pine and lake water.

And how many of them really mattered?

Walking over to the edge, Tori stood at the railing, looking over the rippling surface of the lake.

As the waves lapped against the shore, she thought about the real difficulty: the question of where?

Jess hadn't exactly been explicit, but Tori knew she would rather rip out her own teeth than live in her pack under her cousin's rule.

The situation at Tori's pack wasn't much better. Not when her mother was just waiting for Tori to come crawling back into her overbearing clutches.

So, where?

Sensing someone near her, Tori turned and saw Sweetwater's Alpha approaching.

As Dwayne walked up beside her, his smile was unpracticed – she'd noticed that the first time they'd met. Nothing about him seemed fake or rehearsed – instead he gave off an impression of authenticity, of being completely, truly genuine.

"Enjoying the view?"

She nodded, "It's breathtaking."

"Where are the rest of the girls?" He looked around, trying to play it cool, but clearly hoping to see Lauren.

She shook her head. Newly-mated couples...

"They're napping – we took the bike path to Sweetwater and back. I think it was more strenuous than they were expecting."

"How did you like the town?"

"It's beautiful. You said the population is mostly werewolves?"

Dwayne nodded. "About eighty percent. Most of the businesses are either pack owned or run by pack members."

"That's remarkable. Between the town and the resort, your pack has a pretty incredible set up."

"Thank you. It's taken years, and I've got some plans in motion for the future, but we're proud of it."

Tori's eyes turned away, focusing on the distant hills.

There are a million reasons to wait...

Taking a breath, she said, "Jess and I have been talking about starting a family."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But when we do, we can't stay in the city."

Catching the run of her thoughts, Dwayne turned toward her. "Hmm?"

She met his gaze evenly. "I want to raise my kids in a pack."

"What do you and Jess do?"

"Jess does hair-"

"Has she done Lauren's hair?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Remind me to thank her."

"And I'm a tattoo artist."

"Do you have a portfolio?"

"Yeah," she took her phone out of her pocket and opened the folder of client photos.

Handing it over, she let him examine them.

"These are very good."

"Thank you."

He handed the phone back. "Suzanne's got an empty chair in her salon, and Vincent's been talking about taking on a partner at his parlor for years now."

"Would you expect a Tithe?"

The Tithe, the payment that pack members gave to support their Pack, was a tradition that had existed since before the advent of money. Her parents had paid the Tithe, as had her grandparents and great-grandparents, going back farther than anyone could remember.

He nodded. "The usual ten percent net income. In exchange, you'd get full access to pack resources, voting rights, housing assistance, healthcare, childcare..."

"I'll need to talk with Jess."

"Can I tell Suzanne and Vincent that you're interested?"

"Please do."

Jess found her mate in a deck chair overlooking the lake. Beyond the water, dense pines stretched for miles across the verdant hills.

"Hey, I got your message. What's up?"

Tori patted her lap. Jess sat, and Tori handed her a scotch on the rocks to match her own.

Tori smiled, "It is so beautiful out here."

"It really is."

Wrapping her arms around Jess's waist, Tori asked, "Can you imagine waking up every morning to the smell of pine needles and fresh air?"

Jess chuckled and sipped her scotch. "As opposed to car exhaust and hot garbage?"

"Gotta love summertime in the city..."

Laying back against her mate's chest, Jess sighed. "I could definitely get used to this."

Feeling her heartbeat quicken, Tori swallowed.

There are a million reasons to wait...

"I spoke to Dwayne."

Jess looked up, confused. "About what?"

...and the best reason to not.

"Jess," she paused, nuzzling her face into Jess's neck. "I could see us having kids out here."

Jess twisted in her seat, turning to face her mate.

Throat tightening with emotion, Jess asked, "Do you mean that?"

Tori nodded, eyes brimming with unshed tears, "Yeah, I do."

Setting her tumbler down, Jess cradled her mate's face in her hands and kissed her hard, savoring the lingering heat of liquor on her tongue.

Gripping Jess tightly, Tori leaned her face into the crook of her neck. "I didn't want to commit to anything without talking to you first, but it sounds like a really good fit for us."

Jess's torso shook as she sobbed, "I'm so happy right now!"

"Baby..." Tori hugged her tighter, rubbing one hand up and down her spine as she cried.

With Jess in her arms, Tori watched as the sunset painted the evening sky vermillion. Gradually, Jess's tears slowed, and she looked up at her mate.

Eyes glassy, her lips trembled as she smiled. "Tori, we're gonna be moms..."

Hugging her tighter, Tori pressed a kiss against her cheek. "I'm just sorry I made you wait so long."

A/N: Happy Pride!