Fates Entwined

60

“Can you check if we have service yet?” I asked.

Wesley nodded. “I’ll text to make sure everything is okay.”

I waited anxiously, driving slowly to make sure we didn’t slide on the snow or the places where it had melted. Wesley texted a few people, and then his phone chimed.

“That’s Stella. She says everything is fine, and Adriana was no trouble at all,” he said and grinned up at me. “See?”

I let out a long breath, as some of the stress left my body in a rush. “Thanks for checking in with them. Tell them we'll be there soon.”

It wasn't long before I pulled into Kaden’s driveway, and together Wesley and I walked up to the house. The driveway hadn’t been plowed yet, and all the cars were still covered with snow. The steps had been swept though, and I kicked snow off my boots as I went up, not wanting to track it onto the porch. I knocked, and Ayla opened the door, looking tired but healthy.

“Oh, you’re back!” She hugged Wesley tightly, and then me. “I’m so glad you’re both okay. We couldn’t get ahold of you, but I figured you’d made it and just didn’t have service.”

“You’re right,” I said. “Sorry I couldn’t call.”

"We were fine," Wesley said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "Better than fine."

Ayla grinned. “I’m happy you two worked everything out."

"We did," I said. "You were right, as usual."

"Finally someone admits it," she said with a laugh. "Come inside and relax. You must be exhausted."

Everyone was gathered in the living room, chatting and sitting around the fire, which was roaring and huge to keep everyone warm. Kaden was holding Jack, whose fuzzy shock of white hair stood out against the grey blanket he’d been swaddled in, and Ayla sat back down next to Jordan and leaned in to ask him something I couldn’t quite hear over the buzz of everyone else talking.

Larkin and Stella, who were sitting on the floor, looked up in tandem as I walked around the couch. “Oh, your mom’s here,” Stella said, pointing. Adriana followed the movement, her eyes bright and her cheeks rosy. “I told you she’d be here soon, didn’t I?”

Adriana giggled and clapped her hands together. The last bit of worry I’d been holding onto unraveled. I rushed over and picked her up off the floor. Adriana cooed and pressed her little hands against my cheeks. I kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, and then her hands. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you, my sweet girl,” I said, hugging her close.

“Hi there,” Wesley said, waving to Adriana. "We haven't officially met. I'm Wesley."

Adriana smiled at him and waved back, cooing softly. I moved in close, and Adriana leaned forward and rubbed her hands along his stubble. Wesley laughed softly and Adriana giggled as well.

“Oh, she likes you,” I said.

"I like her too." He took her hand and squeezed it gently. "I hope we can become good friends."

“I’m so happy you’re both okay,” Ayla said again. “And that you figured everything out.”

Wesley wrapped one arm around me and Adriana. “I’m pleased my mate found me out in the snow."

I blushed and shoved at his arm good-naturedly. “He’s the one who found me. I would have been walking around all night looking for his cabin if he hadn't returned my howl."

"Sounds like fate brought you together," Stella said with a knowing gleam in her eye. "Congratulations."

Larkin, Jordan, and Kaden echoed her thoughts, and I relaxed a little more. It was nice to have their acceptance, even if they weren’t really the people I was worried about. Having people on our side would make it easier to deal with whatever fallout waited back at the Pisces pack.

“It’s funny,” Larkin said. “I always thought this kind of stuff only happened in romance novels.”

“What stuff?” I asked.

Stella snorted. “Sex."

I covered Adriana’s ears and pretended to be outraged. “Hush, there’s children present."

"Not what I meant, but yes," Larkin said with a laugh. "The whole snowed-in-a-cabin trope. Who knew it was so effective?"

Wesley laughed and pulled me over to one of the couches, where we sat Adriana down so she could clamber over both of us. As we settled in and everyone fell back into the discussions they’d been having before our arrival, I leaned back into Wesley’s arms. This was the most content I’d felt in ages, and as I looked over at Wesley, wearing an easy smile, I realized that he felt the same way.

“Goodbye,” I said, closing the door behind Larkin. She waved as she ran down the steps and into the road. I shook my head as I watched her go. “I wish she would have let me give her a ride." I knew she’d be fine. She was tougher than she looked, but I still felt protective over her, just like I felt protective over Stella and Ayla. Maybe it was a mom thing. Once you had a baby, suddenly you wanted to look after everyone you cared about. Or maybe it was a Cancer thing. My mother had been like that too, always taking care of everyone and anything, from lost kids to stray dogs to elderly neighbors. I missed her so much.

Stella and Jordan had left about an hour before, saying they needed to catch up on some sleep. I’d felt bad, knowing it was Adriana who had kept them up, but Stella assured me that it was more than okay and that it was good practice since she’d be dealing with late nights and early mornings soon enough.