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Colson had another mission today, but he had promised he would be home before nightfall. While a part of me worried he didn’t mean it, I decided to believe him. Jenny and I were looking forward to his return and had set up a family game night in his honor.

“Are you sure he likes these games?” Jenny asked. “They’re kind of… old.”

“Hey now!” I protested. “These are the games we used to play. Don’t you be calling us old!”

“I’m serious, Mom. What if Colson doesn’t like what we set up for him?” Jenny worried.

I pulled her into a hug and turned her toward the decorations and snacks we had set up on the kitchen island, complete with the “Welcome Home” banner that Jenny had hand-crafted this morning. A pile of games sat on the coffee table, ready for playing, and various drinks were prepped and ready in the fridge.

“Baby, he’s going to love it,” I assured her. “Colson isn’t used to people taking care of him. He’s still getting used to having us around. But I swear to you, he is going to be over the moon.”

I could feel the tension in her shoulders and felt a pang of fear. After years without him, I could tell just how important it was for Jenny that Colson accept her bids for attention. I prayed to the moon goddess that I was right about my predictions, and that he didn’t come home in a bad mood after their mission.

“Mom, I hear him!” Jenny exclaimed, pulling away from me and running toward the living room window. Headlights swung into the driveway, and a moment later, the front door opened.

“What’s all this?” Colson asked, hugging Jenny.

“Mom and I set up a party for you!” she chirped.

“A welcome home party?” he asked. “I’ve only been gone a few hours.”

“We know. We just wanted to do something to show our appreciation for you,” I explained quietly as Jenny went to showcase her work with the decorations. “You’ve been doing so much for us lately—building your relationship with Jenny, making us feel welcome in your pack, and all the other positive changes I’ve seen.”

Colson seemed to be at a loss for words, but happiness was evident in his eyes as he listened to Jenny explain her color choices for the banner.

We all loaded up our plates with snacks and headed to the living room, where Colson chose a game.

“Monopoly?” I questioned.

“Yeah, I want to see how competitive you ladies are,” he teased.

“Fine. Then I get to be the banker,” I said.

“Oh no!” he protested, grabbing the box from me. “Jenny and I both know you’ll cheat. Isn’t that right, Jen?”

Jenny laughed, and I protested against their conspiracy.

“I see the battle lines have been drawn,” I said, narrowing my eyes across the table at them. “Alright, then. Game on.”

The game took about two hours and, as I had expected, Colson won.

“Yes!” he exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air. “Victory is mine!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“I just had to make up for not getting any real territory today,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Just then, the house phone rang, and Jenny jumped up to answer it.

“The Dark Alphas took some territory today, but I gave up my share,” Colson explained. “I realized that having allies who will defend what I already have is more important than getting more.”

“That’s a big step for you,” I said, surprised by his revelation. “How did the others take it?”

“I only spoke with Axel about it, but he seemed pleased,” Colson said.

“Hey, Mom,” Jenny said from the kitchen. “Lizzie wants to know if I can come over for a sleepover.”

“Lizzie?” I asked.

“Lizzie Spencer. From down the street.”

I turned to look at Colson, looking for a more experienced opinion about whether the Spencer family home was a safe place for Jenny to spend time.

“The Spencers are loyal. I know Jenny has been going to play at the park with their daughter for a while. They’re the same age,” Colson said, reading my mind.

“That’s fine,” I told her.

“Great! Thanks, Mom!”

She told the good news to her new friend and ran off to pack her bag. It didn’t take long until she was back and started heading out the door.

“Hold on,” I ordered. “Just because I said you could go doesn’t mean you can go alone. I still need to meet her parents.”

“Mooom,” she whined.

“Complain all you want, but it’s my job to keep you safe,” I explained, putting my shoes on. Colson was right behind me, feeling the same protective urge that I was at the sight of our daughter going to a sleepover.

We walked a few houses down to the house where Lizzie Spencer lived. It was a well-kept home, with the porch light shining brightly. Inside, I could see a girl with wild, curly brown hair jumping up and down by the window.

“Lizzie!” Jenny exclaimed excitedly when the door opened.

“I’m so glad you could come!” her friend chattered back to her. “Come on! I set up a spa in my room, and then we can watch a movie, and….”

Their voices trailed off as the two girls bounced off the walls, down the hallway, and out of sight.

“We’re sorry for the late notice, Alpha,” Mrs. Spencer said. “Lizzie has been asking for a sleepover with Jenny for weeks. Tonight, the plans just seemed to fall into place.”

“It’s no trouble,” Colson said.

“Call us if she needs anything,” I said. “I can come get her at any time.”

Mrs. Spencer smiled and nodded, and Colson and I started walking back home. Jenny had rarely been able to have sleepovers due to our low place in the Sparkle Hollow pack, and although I was excited for her to get the chance to bond with another little girl, I was also worried about her.

“She’s going to be fine,” Colson assured me.

“I know,” I said. “It’s just hard to let go.”

“It’s nice to have some time just for us, though,” he added.

We got back home, and I started cleaning up from the night. Colson joined me in the kitchen. I thought he was going to help with putting the food away, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and started kissing my neck.

“Um, hey,” I said. “What are you doing?”

“Kissing you,” he said.

His hands began traveling across my body, and I felt a tightness in my stomach at his touch. Even though it felt good, I was hurt that his immediate thought once Jenny was out of the house was to begin touching me. It wasn’t that sex was off the table, but it seemed like that was all he had on his mind.

“I see that,” I said. I cleared my throat and unwrapped his arms from my body so that I could turn around and face him. “I’m trying to get this cleaned up right now, though.”

His eyebrows creased as he looked at the food that was left out. “I’m sure that can wait, can’t it?” he asked. “I don’t think chips and cookies are going to go bad if they’re left out on the counter.”

“It isn’t about that, Colson,” I snapped.

“Christa,” he said quietly, taking a step back. “Tell me what’s going on. Did I do something?”

I sighed in frustration, not knowing how to explain the thoughts that were racing through my head without seeming like I had gone off the deep end. We weren’t in a real relationship, and he didn’t owe me anything beyond normal human decency. So why did I suddenly feel on edge?

“Talk to me, Chris,” he said.

“The second we were alone, you were all over me,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “I don’t know it felt… it felt…”

“Oh. Chris, it’s not like that,” he explained as he realized what I was getting at. “I’m not just after something physical. I was just excited, that’s all, and I wanted to be close to you. I always want to be close to you. That’s actually what I was hoping to talk to you about tonight.”

“Talk to me about what?” I asked.

“These past few weeks have shown me what I need to do to be a better person,” he began. “I’ve learned that I need to prioritize the people I care about and be open with them. They’ve also shown me just how much I messed up in the past. I don’t want to repeat any mistakes. And the biggest mistake I ever made was leaving you behind.”

He was being more vulnerable than he had ever been, and I realized my jaw had dropped. I closed it quickly, listening as he continued his speech.

“You asked me to describe my dream woman, but all you need to do is look in a mirror,” he said. “It’s you, Chris. It’s always been you. I’ve been in love with you since the day we first met, and I’ll be in love with you until the day I die. All I ever want is to be with you.”

“Col,” I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. “I love you, too.”

His dark eyes widened, seeming surprised by my admission. “Really?” he asked.

“Yes, really,” I said, putting my hands on either side of his face and staring into his eyes. “I just had no idea you felt the same way. I thought you were doing all those things for Jenny’s sake, and that I was just a live-in booty call.”

“No, babe,” he said, pulling me close. “It’s been for you. All for you.”

Colson kissed me delicately, but now that I knew where we stood, my hesitation had evaporated. I deepened the kiss, wrapping my arms around him and feeling his taut muscles against me. He put his hands on my backside, and I jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist.

“To the bedroom?” he asked.

I nodded, and he wasted no time whisking me away to his room.