Reclaiming His Abused Mate

Homecoming

The ruckus that ensued when Devin and I walked through the door that evening was deafening. the boys were elated that their dad was home, my mother was chattering away, and my kiddos were dying for my attention in a typically noisy fashion. I was hoping that this all wasn't too overwhelming for Devin, and eventually managed to raise my voice above the chaos.

"Okay Everyone! We have a half hour before dinner, so Cole, Ben, why don't you take your dad upstairs and show him your room. My three, homework and chores, Now!" startled into listening, there was finally a few moments of quiet and everyone wandered off to their newly assigned tasks. I followed my mother into the kitchen.

"Oh, Mia! It is so lovely to see you with all of them, finally with a decent strong man by your side! It does my heart so much good, knowing you are safe now, after everything you've been through. Here, peel these potatoes up so we can get supper started. It might be a little later, I was just a bit distracted by your home coming."

My mother started washing vegetables in the sink. I cleared my throat, sighing and sitting down at the kitchen table with the potatoes and a paring knife.

"Mom, he's just out of the hospital. Don't be envisioning weddings. You are as bad as Ava, fantasizing about happy endings and sailing off into the sunset." I started attacking the potatoes with a bit more aggression than they deserved, and kept quiet as Gwen wandered through with her laundry basket. Once she was out of ear shot, my mother spoke again.

"Mia, why do you say such things? He is your mate! Of course he will want to be with you, be a partner to you! Why on earth wouldn't he?" she said, indignantly.

"He's been my mate for ten years, mother. And not once in all that time have we spoken of spending any part of our futures together. We stole bits and pieces of happiness with each other. That's all."

I dumped a strainer full of butchered (but peeled) Potatoes in the sink. Ava grumbled at me in the back of my mind.

A throat cleared behind me.

Devin.

I made eye contact with him, realizing he had overheard me and feeling my cheeks redden.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother slip the rest of dinner into the pot and wisely slip out of the kitchen.

"Mia, I am sorry. I hate that I've made you feel like that." He said, coming forward, as I started tearing up like a foolish emotional pregnant she wolf. He wrapped his strong well muscled arms around me and pulled me into his chest. I let the tears fall silently and said nothing at all.

He strokes my hair and held me close.

"I should have been there for you. I would have, It was the boys needing me, and . . . there really isn't anything I can say. I knew what you were going through with that asshole, and I did nothing. Even that last night, when I followed you home, I was too late and too weak to stop him from hurting you, and ended up getting Leah killed." Tears fell from his eyes too. I hugged him tighter.

" You don't have to trust me, you have no real reason to believe me when I say I'm staying. That here is where I want to be. Let me prove it.Give me the chance to show you where my heart truly belongs."

I pulled back, met his eyes, and kissed him. My heart ached and I wanted so badly to believe every word he said. but, I needed time. I couldn't trust that his heart would ever really belong to me.

He would have to show me, he would have to prove it. Some scars run deeper than the physical, and those wounds take longer to heal.

Dinner was loud and noisy, full of chattering children and stories of their day. Everyone competed for Devin's attention, my kids were fascinated by having a man who seemed interested, listened and asked questions about what they had to say, and his boys were beyond happy to have him there. Afterwards, they cleared the table together and did the dishes up. We put in a movie in the living room and everyone settled in to watch it.

Afterwards, they were sent to bed with hugs and tuck ins for the younger ones.

Five kids, I thought, Five futures to be responsible for. Five young lives to be nurtured and cared for as best we could. And another on the way, I realized, laying my hand on my growing babe.

We certainly had a full plate, and I had this feeling inside me, that we weren't done being tested. More challenges and difficulties lay ahead, I was sure of it.

When the house was finally quiet, the kids and my mother finally all off to bed, Devin took my hand.

"My Mia, perhaps you can show me to our room?"

I couldn't help the feeling inside me when he said the word Ours.

I had dreamed him say those words before.

I had spun a fairytale world in my mind, one where we lived together happily ever after, and used it as my escape, my safe place for years. I nearly felt like I should punch myself now, just to make sure this was truly reality.

I led him upstairs and down the hall, toward my room. I paused for a moment, realizing he might be surprised by my room. I had never shared the Master with Eaton, I had a smaller bedroom closer to the kids. It has been just right for me, but I wondered what Devin would think.

I pushed the door open, and he followed me in.

he turned and locked the door behind him, and looked around for a moment.

" This is just your space." He said and I could hear the relief in his voice.

My drawings covered the walls, and my books lay jumbled all over the bookcase. The bed was made,

but the floor not quite cleaned of my clothes and debris. The shade on my lamp was cockeyed, and I flushed a bit.

"It's perfect, " he said and tugged me into his arms. When his lips met mine, all thoughts of my cluttered small room flew out of my mind, replaced by a passionate hunger that was as familiar as it was strange.

Tonight, we would make love in a real bed, as partners that needn't ever hide our bond again.