Page 11 of Wooded Bliss (Mated to the Monster: Season 3)

THATCHER

In the weeks since Birdie has come into my life, we’ve found a rhythm that works for both of us. Well, for the most part. I don’t want to ask my mate to change her entire life, which means she’s still living in her house; I just spend pretty much every night there with her.

The only other problem is that I haven’t marked her yet. Even though my bear has been impatient, I don’t want to rush her into letting me mark her. She took the news of me shifting into a bear so well, but I can’t help but wonder if she needed some time to process before freaking out.

Honestly, I should have had more faith in my mate. She was made for me after all. The more I’ve gotten to know Birdie, the more grateful I am for the Moon Goddess. She couldn’t have picked a better mate for me.

Birdie loves nature, it’s one of the reasons she opened a flower shop. She’d much rather spend time at home reading than going out and tearing up the town, even though Whispering Pines doesn’t have much of a nightlife to take advantage of. She would love nothing more than to spend time in nature, though she bemoans how she wasn’t given the opportunity while growing up.

She’s smart, so damn smart it amazes me sometimes. Then there’s how sweet she is. Her caring nature shines through in everything she does.

One thing she insisted on starting was family dinner night because she wanted the opportunity to get to know my brothers. The way she’s put time into getting to know them warms my heart. She’s stepped into the idea of family, of pack, and being my mate without any reservations.

The fact that she trusted and believed me when I told her she has a family now, complete with brothers, makes me so fucking happy. I can barely stand it. I’ve seen my mate smile so big and so many times over the last few weeks; I had no idea how something so simple could make me feel so good.

It’s not just my mate who has thrived either. My brothers seem happier now. I’m not sure, but I think having a female around has been good for them. Or it could just be the effect my mate has on everyone she’s around.

Birdie even embraced Circe. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it, but I know Circe has filled in some things I missed in terms of the supernatural world for my mate. Even though it makes me a little uncomfortable, I’ll keep biting my tongue because my little one deserves to have as many friends as she can handle.

As I finish cleaning up my workshop, I can’t help but smile. My woman was so shy the first time she asked me what I do, knowing I’m not the kind of guy to be idle. I picked her up, loving the feel of her legs wrapping around my waist as she looped her arms around my neck, and didn’t stop until we were stepping into my workshop.

Instead of looking around at what she was seeing, I watched Birdie’s face. The genuine awe made pride fill me. She gushed over my pieces and then proceeded to ask questions about what I was making and how I take orders.

“You’re amazing,” she whispered after walking through my workshop and coming over to me until our toes were almost touching. Pride shone in her eyes and my bear puffed up his chest right along with me.

It’s a memory I hold close to my heart.

Birdie’s shop will be open for a little while longer, but I’m planning to meet her at her place later. My bear grumbles because he would much rather have our mate in our den. Since I haven’t spent a lot of time with my brothers one on one, I head toward the main house and step inside.

I’m not surprised when I find Wylie doing some work on his computer at the kitchen island and I breathe a sigh of relief at not finding Circe there cooking something. The sigh I let out as I sit down next to my brother has him looking over at me with an amused expression on his face.

“Let me guess,” he muses, a teasing lilt to his voice, “not transitioning well to not being in self-imposed solitude all the time?”

“No,” my rebuttal is fierce, “I love spending time with Birdie.”

Wylie makes a humming sound and the look he shoots me tells me he doesn’t quite believe me. My shoulders slump and I figure I might as well open up to my brother. He’s the one who went to school with my mate, after all. I know he loves her like a sister; all my brothers do.

“It’s been a few weeks since I found her,” I start, my voice quiet. “I’m glad I listened to you guys and my bear about having a mate. She’s amazing, everything I could ever want. I love her and it’s not just because of the bond. I love her ,” I emphasize the word, hoping he understands. When he nods, I shrug, a little unsure how to put the next part into words. “I want her here with me all the time, but I’m afraid to ask because I know how important her shop is, and she’s not like me. I’m afraid that asking her to move out here with me won’t be what she wants.”

Wylie studies me for a long moment before closing his laptop and turning toward me fully. There’s a hint of accusation in his tone, “Do you want her to close her shop and just be a mate to you?”

“No,” I bark quickly, “that’s not what I’m saying. Birdie is proud of her shop, and she should be,” I add on because it’s true. I’m fucking proud of her as well. “I want her here, I want her to have her shop, I want to mark her. I want it all with my mate.”

Wylie’s eyes soften and he nods slowly. “Maybe it’s just time to ask her. She knows bears don’t usually wait to mark their mate, right?”

“Yeah,” I swallow hard, the thought of sinking my teeth into her marking spot making my dick twitch when the last thing I should be doing is getting hard while talking with my brother, “she knows.”

“You don’t think she’s wondering why you haven’t marked her yet? Or why you haven’t asked her to move out here? She knows you love it out here and has seen how everything is set up with your workshop and with all of us living close to each other. You don’t think she would be willing to move while still being able to go into Whispering Pines to run her own business?”

Wylie’s words hit me in the chest, and I know, deep down, I’ve been selling my mate short. I haven’t given her enough credit for being the amazing woman she is.

“Told you,” my bear grumbles, “mate will move out here because she loves us.”

“She hasn’t said that,” I remind him.

“Neither have we,” he snarls and my heart sinks.

I hope I haven’t given her the impression that I’m not all in when it comes to my mate. I am.

“I just didn’t want to push her to move faster than she’s comfortable with,” I try and explain my reasoning to Wylie.

He arches an eyebrow in response before, very logically, asking, “And have you talked to her about it?”

I groan and run my fingers through my hair. “No,” I admit, the one word filled with defeat, “and I should have.”

Wylie chuckles before reaching over and giving my shoulder a squeeze. “Yeah, you should have,” he agrees. “You can’t make assumptions about what she wants. I think going at her speed is a good thing, it shows you want to put her first. But if you don’t ask her about what she is and isn’t ready for then you’re really putting yourself first, not her.”

I grumble, “When did you get so smart?”

“Since always,” he declares like it’s common fucking knowledge.

It is not.

“Maybe,” he muses while rubbing his jaw, “it’s time for you to make a grand gesture. Sure, you go to the edge of town and spend most nights with her but maybe it’s time for more than that. For her and for you.”

“Are you suggesting I move into town?” I can’t help the way my face twists up in disgust.

There’s nothing wrong with Whispering Pines, I’m glad it’s so close, but at the same time, I can’t imagine living within the town’s limits when living out here is perfect for me and my bear.

“But we miss mate when we’re here and she’s there,” my bear chuffs the words, clearly annoyed and fed up because he can’t spend all day, every day with Birdie.

“No,” Wylie scoffs, “but maybe there’s something in the middle. Not everything in life is all or nothing, Thatch.” He rolls his eyes at me and asks, “When was the last time you went into town?”

When I go to answer him, he holds a hand up and shakes his head. My mouth clamps closed again, and I glare at my brother.

“I mean really go into town and not just go to your mate’s house to stalk her,” his words are filled with teasing amusement.

“I don’t stalk my mate,” I mutter knowing I’m full of shit.

Wylie stays quiet and lets me mull over his words. When I really consider whether I can go back into town, I realize there’s nothing holding me back. Not anymore. I’ve allowed grief and fear to dictate the last ten years of my life.

It’s time to change because I need to do better for myself and for my mate.

With a slap on the back, I thank my brother and then head out of the main house. It only takes a few minutes before I’m in my truck and heading into Whispering Pines.

Honestly, I should have done this a while ago. Birdie has been in my life for weeks and even though she’s shown me pictures of her shop, I haven’t stepped foot inside of it. I never want her to question how fucking proud I am of her.

When I pull up in front of Blooms Happen, I notice the large space next to her shop is empty. But I don’t have time to think about it right now. I have a mate to see.

The bell above the door chimes when I pull it open, and Birdie looks up from where she’s arranging a bouquet of flowers with a big smile on her face. I swear her smile grows even wider when she sees it’s me.

She stops what she’s doing and moves toward me, picking up speed with every step. When she launches herself at me, I catch her easily. Our mouths fuse and I nip at her bottom lip, earning a gasp and the opportunity to slide my tongue into her mouth.

Fucking perfect.

We’re both panting when we pull apart and her blue eyes are shining with surprise, devotion, and love. She pants, “What are you doing here, Thatcher?”

I love hearing my name fall from her lips. It does something to me and my bear. He rumbles his own approval as I give my woman’s luscious ass a squeeze.

“I came to see you, little one,” I rasp, and she beams up at me. “Not only did I want to see your shop, but I wanted to see you.”

Her eyebrows furrow together, “Aren’t you coming over tonight? You’d see me in just a few hours.”

“Not soon enough,” my voice is husky and filled with need.

I’m sure she can feel my dick hardening against her pussy, but I ignore it for now. This is about so much more than filling my mate with my cock and my cum. This is about forever and what it could look like.

I glance around Blooms Happen and am very impressed, even though I’ve barely scratched the surface. “I want you to know I’m here for you and I support you,” I tell her honestly. “I also needed to come here and tell you something very important and then ask you a question.”

Curiosity covers her features, and she nods slowly. There’s a hint of uncertainty there, but I don’t see any fear. She trusts me. The truth of it resonates through me and settles deep in my soul.

“I love you, Birdie,” I murmur the words, everything fading away other than this woman in my arms and the way my heart beats only for her.

She gasps and her eyes become glassy with unshed tears. “I love you too, Thatcher,” she whispers softly as if she’s afraid to break the magic between us. “I wasn’t sure since you hadn’t brought up marking me…,” her voice trails off as she lets her words gently fill the space between us.

“I didn’t want to rush you. I know everything you’ve learned has already been big. I never want you to look back at your life, our life, with regret, but I was afraid if I didn’t give you time to adjust then that’s exactly what would happen.”

Her arms tighten around my neck, and she nods slowly as she processes my words. “I understand,” she tells me, her eyes full of sincerity as she looks at me.

“I want to be more than a bear for you. I want to be the man who deserves your love, who deserves to be your partner.” Her eyes widen and I kiss her forehead, savoring the way she feels in my arms. “I have a plan. I’m going to spend more time in Whispering Pines because it is where you are. I never want you to give up your shop, you’ve worked too hard for it. But I also can’t stand being away from you.”

“I don’t want to be away from you either,” she says as she buries her face in my neck and nuzzles me. “You’re everything I need already, Thatcher.”

She might not be a bear, but sometimes she does things which are so much like a bear that I forget. This woman. My woman. She’s everything.

“As I figure out where I belong in Whispering Pines, I’d love for you to consider moving in with me.”

Birdie pulls back from me and looks at me with her mouth gaping open. “Move in with you?” As I nod, the biggest, brightest smile spreads across my mate’s face. “Of course,” she shouts and throws her arms up like she’s celebrating.

The movement surprises me, but I have a firm grip on my woman. I’ll never let her fall.

This time it’s her mouth that slams into mine. She kisses me with passion, taking the lead and showing me just what I mean to her. I give myself over to her, knowing she needs this moment. The way she’s willing to take it is sexy as hell.

“And when I move in, you can mark me,” she murmurs against my lips.

It’s not easy to remind myself we’re standing in the middle of her shop because all I want to do is bend her over the closest surface and bury myself balls deep inside of her.

Soon. Very fucking soon.

I let her slide down my body, the glint in her eye telling me she knows just how much she’s torturing me and is enjoying it. “Now,” I insist, “show me your shop.”

My mate glows as she shows me every nook and cranny of her flower shop. Even though I didn’t realize it was possible, I fall a little more in love with her as she does.