Page 57 of Someone Else's Wolf

I didn't know much about his pack, but I didn't have a high opinion of them, since they'd let him get into — and worse, stay in — an abusive relationship when he was only a teenager. If I'd gone with him, I'd probably have said exactly what I thought about the whole thing, too, never mind the decorum of the situation — and never mind if I was "small inside" or not. Even non-predators could be quite fierce sometimes. Just ask Kirk.

In the end, Sue had gone along with him. Sue wouldn't put up with any bullshit or mistreatment of Peter, and she wouldn't make things more complicated. She was tough enough to take on the pack if need be, without making things worse by being directly involved.

Their visit hadn't taken long, but I'd missed Peter dreadfully.

Today, Kirk had come with me for moral support, which he couldn't hide no matter how many times he rolled his eyes or snorted. He'd been stalking around the airport for the last half-hour as I grew ever more jittery.

I patted the inside pocket of my jacket, checking to be sure. Of course they hadn't gone anywhere. I was just nervous.

I'd bought hockey tickets for Peter. I'd figured it was nearly his birthday, and I wanted to do something special for him. This would actually cost me something, and not just monetarily. I didn't know why people would pay good money to sit through hockey, but I didn't have to know. He loved it, and that was enough.

Kirk raised his head, sniffing the air, a delicate, intense movement that was very deer-like. "There." He pointed towards one of the gates.

I could see a figure headed purposefully this way, long, awkward strides breaking into a run as he left his shorter female companion behind and loped straight towards me.

Peter!

He dropped his shoulder bag just before he reached me. He ran into my arms as he'd run into my heart so long ago and hugged me tight. It felt so good. His strong arms around me, his breathless kiss and bright eyes, the warmth of his smile and the way he smelled, so familiar, so good.

"I love you," I mumbled into his coat, holding on to him for dear life. "I missed you."

"I love you. I missed you, too." He drew back enough to look at me. His eyes had that intense look as he leaned in for another kiss.

Kirk cleared his throat loudly. "Did it go well, then?" he asked, sounding irritated. "All the family stuff cleared up?"

"Oh, yes, all that." Peter waved a hand vaguely and almost smacked Sue, who had finally caught up. "Sorry."

She just smiled at him and gave him a pat on the back. Sue had become a lot more mellow now that Jeffrey was out of the picture. I supposed we all had.

Well, maybe not Kirk. "Kirk" and "mellow" didn't belong in the same sentence.

I remembered the tickets. "Oh, here, I got you something. For an early birthday present," I said breathlessly, wishing we were alone so we could take this embrace to its logical conclusion and let the tickets wait. I fished around in my inner coat pocket and brought out his present.

"Tickets!" He sounded pleased and shocked. "Season tickets, for two people. Oh, wow, these are good seats! But, Shane, you don't even like hockey." He gave me a look of confusion and awe. "You didn't have to."

"I wanted to get something you'd like, not me!" I gave him a clumsy little thump on the arm because I couldn't say what I actually meant. I'd suffer through a season of hockey if it made the man I loved happy. I was prepared for that sacrifice.

Sue cleared her throat loudly. "Or you could invite someone who actually likes hockey to go with you instead." She raised her brows pointedly.

Peter laughed, sounding a little overwhelmed. "Okay. I mean, yes. If it's okay with Shane." He cast me a quick look, half-pleading. "If you don't mind."

"Mind? I'd love it!" The words just burst out; I hadn't meant to sound so adamant. It was enough to make Peter, Sue, and even Kirk laugh at me.

Peter embraced me gently. "Thank you, Shane. Oh, and by the way, you're officially my mate now. I hope you don't mind."

Way to bury the lede."I — I don't mind at all," I managed, a lot more quietly. How could I possibly be anything but flattered? It would have taken guts for him to tell his family that he'd chosen someone else. It couldn't have been easy, the way they were about mates, with all the things they'd engrained in him. I'd have been fine with them never knowing what we were to each other. I was blown away, and I stared at him wonderingly.

"Peter, I'll see you at work," said Sue. "It's been a long day. I'm heading home. Shane, take care." She tipped me a little nod and... Was that almost a smile?

This was a day of surprises, indeed.

Peter looked at me with love and fondness in his eyes. "You should've seen me, Shane. I was calm and reasonable, but I laid out how it was. They don't have to like it, but they have to accept it. And it was amazing."

"I know you were."You're amazing, every inch of you.

Kirk cleared his throat again, interrupting some pretty intense eye contact between me and Peter. "If you don't mind, the car is waiting. It's good to see you, Peter, but I've got things to do. You will be cooking again soon? Good. You'd better. Now, get in the car, and I'll take you home."

"You didn't have to drive me here, you know," I said mildly, far too happy to mind his brusqueness. I held Peter's hand as we walked to the car.