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❦Six Months Later❦

The breeze against my face was light, barely kissing my skin but it still felt as great. I could feel the breeze against my hair, lifting it slightly off my forehead for a second. The soft breeze felt better here than any other time in my life. Then again... everything seemed way better here in the Alliance than anywhere else. 

The corner of my lip twitched upward and continued to keep my eyes shut; seeing the orange-reddish hue behind my eyelids from the sunlight that warmed my skin. My fingers wiggled slightly, blades of grass in between them and though it was sunny the grass still felt cool. At least in this part of the Alliance. 

I took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds. I counted in my head, 'One... two... three... four...' and then let the breath escape. 

I'm not sure how long I've been out here but it's become a normal part of my day-to-day for the past months. By six a.m. every morning, I was making my way up this hill---the only hill in the Alliance---to lay next to the tall oak tree with countless leaves. I say countless because I've laid here before and attempted counting each and every single one. 

It was one of the much needed calming moments for me. Hence my need to start the day of getting up at five-thirty every day to make it up to the hill by six and watch the sunrise. It was always a sight to look across the expansive landscape of treetops; so far that I wasn't even sure that the woods actually ended, and then watching the soft orange-yellow beams of the sun fan across the treetops in every direction. In those specific moments, I felt completely at peace. 

Since last leaving Blood Moon Falls six months prior, a lot has changed. 

For one, Maddox, Sr. and Langley were expecting. 

The she-wolf was so eager to run over and throw her arms to the sides to announce her pregnancy to us all. While everyone was expressing how excited they were, Langley went over to kiss Maddox's cheek because of how teary-eyed and giggly he got when she blurted it out in the middle of a get-together we all were having.

I won't forget the wide-eyed, horrified look on Easton's face; one of his eyes twitching slightly. I wrapped my arm around the back of his neck and used my other hand to ruffle his hair as I congratulated him on becoming an uncle. The Moody-Asshat growled, sneering at Maddox, Sr. from across the way all while I leaned to kiss his cheek. 

Just thinking about Easton's grumbling until his sister walked over and whispered if he was happy for her. Those ice-blue eyes that matched his looked hopeful at her twin brother and though he looked down at her with a frown, her question was answered when he pulled her into a hug and kissed the side of her head before he whispered for her ears (though I could hear him), "Only the happiest, baby sister."

Safe to say that Maddox, Sr. was growing on Easton.

And while on the topic of expectancy, we all had another celebration to welcome the new addition to the Dennison family name just last month. Turns out that my Aunt Emeel had been keeping Thea's pregnancy to herself a lot longer than we were told. That always seemed to happen to them, didn't it?

Anyway... Oakley Aspen Dennison made her way into the world.

I still laugh to think of my Aunt Emeel's disappointment that they didn't name her 'Amelia' like she suggested. She made it a point to how honored she would have been because the name was pretty close to hers. Mr. Dennison rolled his eyes, shaking his head while the rest of us laugh a little at my aunt's expense. 

Thea and Dennison mentioned that they were not exactly the ones who named their daughter but her brothers. Both Eli and little Maddie (who we all started calling by his middle name due to the confusion of speaking to Maddox, Sr. and him when in the same room) sat in the fields for hours every day trying to come up with the perfect name for their soon-to-be-born baby sister. 

Now that I think of it... they would have this discussion everywhere. The boys would be brushing their teeth and as I walked by the door they were muffle-arguing about a name they were in disagreeing on. Even at the dinner table, the living room, their rooms, outside. Just... anywhere. 

Thea assured me that it was just excited that they'd have a girl around the house now other than her. I think it was obsessive but that's beside the point!

The two brothers had finally come to a decision after countless hours of arguing and resorted to a baby name book that Langley had bought. The boys wanted for their parents to not announce the name until the day their sister was born, so we all had to wait for who Dennison was calling, 'Potato Chip' to arrive. 

With Oakley around now, I don't think anyone adored her more than her father. It was always a side to Dennison that wasn't seen a lot but when it came to his family he was ever-so-loving. But even though he loved his boys, there was this twinkling in the emotionless guy's face every time he was handed his daughter. 

The little girl would stare up at him and break out into a gummy smile while waving her arms up and down; so pleased with who she was staring up at. Dennison's grin turned into a full smile when he would softly speak to Oakley, calling her the 'most adorable Potato Chip' he ever met which made his daughter gurgle noises in response and Dennison laugh whole-heartedly. 

Poor bastard... He didn't realize his daughter already had him wrapped around her finger. 

And then I think about the boys that will one day come into Oakley's life and have to deal with not only Dennison but her brothers too. That's when I felt bad for all those poor little bastards. 

As for the Six, with their permanent move to the Alliance, they all started to have time to spend time with one another as they'd done before. Easton is always so eager to see them and I would always wonder why when they lived here too and then I later find out it is because he found a spot that was similar to the one in Blood Moon Falls where a tree had stuck halfway off the cliff. He would egg on Valentine and Jonah to play that shitty-ass game I hated. 

I have not gone to this spot with Easton. Ever. And I don't plan to. Ever. And he knows it. So he won't bother asking me.

Cheryl and the girls were adapting quite easily to their new life in the Alliance. Jonah was the one having a harder time because he wasn't able to watch football on TV anymore. He had to resort to socializing which I would think wasn't a problem for him but it was since most of the males in the 'Six' were off with their significant others. 

Jonah whined, "What happened to 'bros before hoes'!?" every time his friends needed to leave. Cheryl didn't think it was funny. 

Each of the Six had their own home that was built to add to the others already part of the Alliance. Though the homes were in various sections, it was nice to know that we all were together in the same place anyway. Even if Violet didn't want to admit it. 

Speaking of Violet, she was someone we all were surprised with the one afternoon we found her walking hand-in-hand with someone to a brunch the Alliance went to every Sunday. Valentine grinned as he pulled Athena closer to him and the redhead rolled her eyes seeing the woman she was designated to protect standing beside Violet.

I had to lean over and use a finger to push up Easton's jaw. 

Thea lowered a brow, looking between the two she-wolves who had---at one point---hated her with a passion. She tilted her head, grinning at the women that they made a really cute couple. 

"Obviously," Violet sneered back at my cousin while Ophelia blushed and rested her head on the other's shoulder. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" my boyfriend frowned, scrunching his nose and waving his hands in front of him as he stood up from his seat on the bench. He demanded to know when this sudden epiphany of the two she-wolves being 'hot for one another' happened. I rolled my eyes at his word usage but Violet was used to Easton. 

She shrugged a shoulder, tucking her hair behind her ear and explained that though she had been seen with guys it was mostly for them to satisfy her sexual needs. Her green eyes glanced at Thea and Dennison with a raised a brow, "Albeit that Auric and I were a thing once and I did care for him, it never felt like it did for you two." 

Then Ophelia added her two cents, nodding in agreement that she felt the same way. 

"I'd liked boys before but... it was just like Violet said about sexual gratification. After that was done and over with, I felt like something was missing." Her gaze went to Thea and a small grin tugged at Ophelia's lips. "I can understand now what you felt for Auric back then---and now obviously---but while I might have been after him because I was looking for someone to fill the void of happiness inside me." 

The she-wolf bit her lip, shrugging a shoulder that even though she did care about Auric and at one point believed she was in love with him, Ophelia continued to feel strangled. That she felt like she was still missing a part of herself. 

"I think it helped that Auric wasn't fully invested emotionally because of his never-ending love for you," she glanced at Dennison looking adoringly at Thea whose brows furrowed as she was listening intently to what was being said. 

"That I was able to be by myself for a while. And... and there was a night that I had gotten pretty wasted when out with Athena and Vi. We were just hanging around in the woods around a fire with beer and---and well, I got to talking to Violet about the emptiness I felt inside. About... about my brother too. And how Auric and Thea tied into how I just wanted someone to love me as much as they loved each other. The love part was what I needed." 

Ophelia blushed, her eyes lowering as she sighed, "And then it happened when Violet leaned over to kiss me. Out of the blue. It was obviously the alcohol in our system... but... that should have gone away the next day, you know, with the hangover?" 

She lifted her head to look up with so much adoration at Violet whose grin was actually soft this time around---and not arrogant like I was used to. 

"But it didn't. It made something inside bloom and now..."

"Now we don't feel so incomplete," Violet finished for her girlfriend. She then frowned at the rest of us and growled, "Now move the fuck over and make room for us to eat!" 

"Why?" Easton sneered, "Didn't get enough last night?"

I reeled in my lips and slapped the back of my hand against his shoulder. Violet growled back at him while Ophelia blushed but then she too growled at her "protector" who muttered loud enough for us to hear, "No. Bitches kept me up all night..." 

Valentine grinned, pulling her against him so that Athena smiled back before giving Ophelia a look. 

For Thorton... I loved that guy. He was my best friend and though he insisted on having his own place, Easton was having none of it. He told Thorton that he was going to live with us because we were his family now and we cared about him. Thorton's stunned look made him stutter that he didn't know what to say.

"Just say you'll live with us, Roman," Easton grinned, wrapping his arm around the guy's neck and tugging him to him. After much hesitation, my best friend sighed, nodding that he'd love to live with us. 

"Great!" Easton cried then ruffled Thorton's hair and chuckled, "That way I can tickle the shit out of you and make you piss your pants again."

Thorton groaned, pleading for my help but I held up a hand, shaking my head that it was his own fault because he agreed to the offer. I walked away hearing Thorton pleading for Easton to back off before hearing him yelp. 

As for Easton and I, well, I was just happy to see the old side to him. He still had his moments were he'd a Moody Asshat but for the most part, it was like seeing him exactly how he was when I first met him. 

The grin tugged at my lips again remembering that far back. How squirmy he made me feel with all the attention he was giving me. I often wonder what would have happened had I been more open to him back then. Would it be like it is now? Or would I have just been another notch on his belt?

But the past is the past. And I for one am just grateful that I have Easton in my life now. He gets so damn excited to go visit my dad who lived on the other side of the Alliance since it was closer to his sons' places where his grandkids were. 

With our sudden escape from Blood Moon Falls, Easton and Langley, along with the others in the Six whose parents weren't present, wanted to go back for said-parents. Azkar had hesitated at first because he didn't want to risk the location of the Alliance but when Thea and Dennison assured Azkar that the Six have done so much and more to protect their children, Azkar finally gave in to sending Vrable and Keishan with a few warriors back to the town.

For weeks they were actually gone and it worried Easton every day. He would check in with Maddox, Sr. to make sure his sister was okay since she was pregnant and didn't want the stress to get to his niece or nephew. 

Another week had passed before Vrable's return with the group and the parents in question. The reunion was bittersweet since Vrable and Keishan reported to Azkar that things in the town were starting to go awry. 

Alpha Brown's pack was still in tack but with only so many members left. Most had deserted the town after finding out about the fall of their alpha and the mercenaries invading. Azkar's lead warriors had given those remaining behind an option to tag along back to the Alliance but the Weres refused. They already had a home and couldn't see anywhere else that could be any safer. 

Outside of the Alliance... hearing about that and then hearing about this pack of 'wild wolves' that ran into Blood Moon Falls and killed humans this past month, Azkar made it a point to inform us all that it was no longer safe to go outside of the borders. That we were all going to have to remain here and only go out to the nearest town over for any necessities. Only the necessities that were absolutely vital. 

We had a radio that would help us keep in touch with outside the Alliance borders but most of the time I tried not to listen. As the month passed, I knew that things were changing. Things were only going to get worse. I could feel it. 

"I knew this is where I'd find you!" 

My eyes snapped open, staring at the flittering leaves high above me; their brown, red, yellow and orange colors blending together. A moment later, a face looked down at me and those beautiful ice blue eyes belonging to my Moody Asshat stared from below a raised a brow.

"It's been hours, Red. When are you coming back down?"

I smiled, brows furrowing as I mentioned that it hasn't been that long.

"Oh, yes it has!" he argued, lifting his wrist with his watch to tap the face of it. "I've been counting since I heard you leave this morning!"

"So then if you knew where I was then why do you sound so surprised?"

Easton shrugged a shoulder, grinning, "I just like getting you riled up, Red." before he moved to kneel down. He sighed as he turned onto his back and rested his head next to mine while lying in the opposite direction of me. I glanced at him, studying the way the sunlight peered through the flittering leaves above us and still managed to hit Easton's eyes just right. They were already a pure blue so with the sunlight the hue now looked like a color that hadn't been invented yet. 

But if they had they should name it 'Easton'... or 'Moody Asshat'. 

The Were's brows furrowed and his eyes squinted slightly from the sunbeams flickering from the leaves. Shadows of the leaves were on his face and mine too, I was sure. Easton continued staring up before letting those gorgeous eyes of his scan the tree. His head made a slow nodding motion before taking a deep breath that he released slowly.

"You know...?" I blinked, waiting for him to continue what he was going to say. He still admired the tree above us. "I can see why you love coming up here so much." 

His head rolled to the side to look at me. His eyes looking over my face and I saw a hint of a grin on his face as he did this. Those blond curls of his fell sideways on his forehead and I couldn't help reaching over to try to move them off his brow. Easton grinned wider when I pulled my hand back to my side. 

Easton stared at me for another moment and I could see the way his face got a little serious that he was thinking about something that was delicate. 

"What..." I decided to be the first to say something since he'd be continuing to hesitate. 

The Were sighed, turning his head to look up again. It helped that he wasn't looking at me since he was able to speak a little more. 

"I love you, Red." 

I blinked, my brows furrowing a bit and I slowly grinned, chuckling, "Yeah... I know, Easton. And I love you, too."

"No," Easton shook his head, frowning and looked back to me. He paused, swallowing as he continued to stare at me. I raised a brow, waiting. He licked his lip and admitted, "I mean... I am so... in love with you. And I---I have never been able to describe it to myself so perfectly than this moment."

Unsure of what he meant, I narrowed my eyes a bit and studied his blue eyes admiring the tree. He nodded at it after a moment. 

"This tree..." I turned my head to look up at the tree. "You see how tall it is?"

"Yeah...?"

"It's got all these colorful leaves; yellow... brown... orange..." He glanced at me with a grin, "Red." and I smiled without looking at him. From the corner of my eye, he faced the tree again. "And... the leaves... sometimes they change depending on the season. The branches aren't straight. They bend any way they want depending on how the trunk is shaped and formed."

I lowered a brow, staring at the tree and studying the branches that he was referring to. The corners of my lips pulled down a bit as I hadn't thought of the branches before. 

"The tree is tall. That's obvious. But to get that tall it needed nutrients---support---like water... and the dirt... Very important parts for tree growth. That's a given."

Feeling him look at me, I nodded silently to acknowledge his words. He sighed, looking back at the tree.

"But the sun... with the sun..." Easton paused, swallowing. "It needs the sun to grow, too. That is the most vital part of the tree's growth. The tree needs something else that would help take all the minor supportive pieces like the water and soil and... and give it life. Without the sun none of those other supportive components make a difference."

I squinted my eyes, concentrating on the flittering leaves while feeling the breeze against my skin again.  

"The sun gives the tree warmth. The warmth... or affection, if you will... so that the tree can grow as tall as it likes."

Easton stopped, taking in a deep breath. A small grin tugged at his lips. His eyes still focused on the tree. 

"And no matter how the tree grows... whether it's taller than the others or bent or filled with sap or... or just standing on its own someplace... The sun is always there. The sun is always there because it already knows that the tree needs it. That tree can't survive without it..." 

Easton looked at me after a moment, those ice blue eyes glossy and I frowned, a bit taken back with his behavior. He wasn't the type to share his feelings so willingly, even with me, so seeing him be more vulnerable than I'm used to kind of set me back a bit. 

"Like I wouldn't survive without you."

My heart pounded wildly in my chest and I couldn't stop staring at him while inhaling to hold it for a few seconds. 'One... two... three...'

My blond Werewolf sniffled, chuckling through a grin and sighed, "You're the sunlight for me, Red. You give me life. And... and I was in the shade for a long time. A really... long time."

I bit my lip, swallowing the lump in my throat. Fucking Moody Asshat... I'm the one who is supposed to be the sappy one in this relationship!

"But like I said before about the tree having all those supportive components---Thea... Auric... my parents... your aunts and uncle... your dad..." Easton shrugged a shoulder, pursing his mouth to the side. "Can't really do much all that if I don't know how to use it. How to help me become tall." 

His finger came into view, using it to gently move a strand of my hair from my brow. He stared at me again then grinned, "And then you came along." 

Easton explained that it was inevitable for trees to grow because the sun would find the tree and make sure that it was there to help the tree grow. The sunlight was always there. It was always going to be there other than the night time. And for a long time, I felt like it was dark---a never-ending darkness."

The Were took a second before whispering with a smirk, "And then the sun came out." 

I laughed. Facing the sky, I shut my eyes and laughed so hard that my hands hugged my sides. I could hear Easton laugh too. The wind carried out laughter, breezing through the tree above us. 

When I came down from my high, I rolled my head to the side to look at my Moody Asshat. He was already watching me and I smiled at him that I don't think anyone could beat personifying being so in love with someone as Easton just did. He grinned, his silent way of agreeing with me. 

I moved a little closer to which he liked since that grin of his got bigger. The silence around us other than the soft wisp of the wind made this moment so much more special... intimate. 

"I think you being the tree is a great way to describe yourself..." I pointed out, smirking while looking down at the blades of grass under us. 

"Why's that...?"

I shrugged a shoulder, smiling that with the tree's leaves changing colors all the time it fit him since he was such a Moody Asshat. Easton laughed, shaking his head and leaned closer to me. 

"I spout something so romantic and you have to ruin it by comparing my flaws to the tree's." 

"It's beautiful on a tree."

Easton narrowed his eyes, grinning again before I sighed and admitted that I actually thought it was beautiful on him too. One of the reasons I fell in love with him... because he frustrated me so much with his back and forth of emotions. 

"Like the seasons?" he asked with his brows raised. 

Rolling my eyes, I nodded, "Yeah, Ease. Like the seasons."

Easton nodded, satisfied with my response and stared up at the tree again. I sighed, waiting for a second to really let it sink in how amazing what he said was. It was so profound for someone like him. For anyone, really. But I think that's why I am so lucky that he barged his way into my life as he did.

"You know...?" he raised his brows, pursing his lips a bit and scoffed, "With how fucking sweet and romantic I was a few moments ago, your pants should off by now, Red."

Sigh... The Ever So Charming Easton. 

"Ease..." I groaned, grunting as I pulled my body to sit up. 

I could hear him practically smile when he replied, "And you'd be sounding like that too. But ya know... it's progress."

My hands braced on the ground to push myself up. I turned around frowning at the Moody Asshat who beamed as he rose to stand too. He kept smiling at me as he dusted off his backside. 

"You're so fucking charming... do you know that?" I mocked, stepping forward to start walking down the hill. 

Easton nodded as he walked beside me. He glanced at me, nodding again. "I do. As should you since it was this---" he gestured to himself with raised brows. "Undeniable Prince Charming that peaked your interest, to begin with."

I laughed at his expense, raising my brows and scoffed, "Are we remembering the same day? I could have sworn you were the one I was desperately trying to get away from." 

"That's not how I remember it, Red."

I looked at him, lowering a brow as he shrugged a shoulder while his gaze watched his footing down the hill. 

"From what I recall, you wanted me to sit beside you that day."

My mouth dropped, raising my brows as I stared at him. Then I frowned, "Were you also high that day?"  

The Moody Asshat winked at me that he was high on the hardcore pheromones I was giving out that day. That I was playing hard to get on purpose. I rolled my eyes, sighing that he was an idiot as I hopped onto a boulder sticking out of the ground. 

"Are the others up?" I asked, grunting as I pushed off the boulder I was on to leap over to another one. I almost slipped. 

Easton shook his head and I noticed that his gaze was on my footing; watching to make sure I was okay. It was adorable. 

"No..." he mumbled, brows furrowed. "Except for Eli. I caught a glimpse of him heading to the creek with Honey. I'm figuring he is trying to get a head start in his escape from Ruby."

I grinned, knowing what he was referring to. 

Ever since we'd made the Alliance our permanent home, Keishan's daughter had been following Eli around like a puppy dog---no pun intended---and the thirteen-year-old was trying every single thing to get rid of her. Nothing seemed to work so Eli figured that he would be sure to have at least a few hours to himself before having to deal with Ruby. 

So Eli would make his way to his "secret spot" by the creek and would have his dog, Honey, to accompany him. 

Honey was a rare breed of dog, a Goberian which was a Golden Retriever and a Siberian Husky mix, with golf fur and white paws but with some spotting of dark brown and black all over its face. The eye color was as those of the Siberian Husky breed; a blinding blue that was somewhat eerie to look at sometimes, but Honey's left eye had a half-crescent shape of brown on the top half of her iris.  

Thea mentioned, when Dennison brought the puppy home one day for the kids, that the dog reminded her of the only one she'd ever owned as a teenager. My cousin had a sad grin on her face as she stared at the boys getting so excited about the dog. She mentioned that she missed Newt very much then looked up at her husband to let him know that it was like he was back again. 

They all loved the dog but 'Honey' as they named her when she had gotten into the cabinet and somehow chewed open the bottle of honey. When they found her, she had the sticky substance smeared all on the floor and through her coat. The dog looked up at them, panting happily with her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth. 

Honey took a great liking to the older of the two boys considering that the younger brother who would chase the dog around made her slightly skittish. It was noticed by the younger Dennison brother that Honey liked Eli more and would complain that he just wanted to love her to bits.  

"She loves you too, Grey," Eli promised, petting the dog that jumped up and now sat loyally at his side on the couch. "You just can't chase her around too much." 

We all started calling little Maddie 'Grey' after his older brother mentioned that it was more fitting for the little guy to go by his middle name that matched his eye color instead of confusing everyone with their family friend. The kid shrugged, not really caring what he was called as long as he could pronounce it. 

And when Mr. Dennison mentioned to the family that Honey being a half breed herself, probably meant that was why she was so close to Eli who often verbalized that he hated feeling different because of what he was. He hadn't thought of it that way before and ever since Honey's rare breed only meant so much more to the teenager who was basically the same thing. And Eli absolutely adored her. 

I grinned, shaking my head as I mumbled that Eli wouldn't be able to hide from Ruby too long. 

"Her dad's the best fucking tracker! No doubt that girl is going to be like him! Poor Eli. Little shit is going to have to beat all the girls off with a stick!"

"Yeah," Easton raised a brow, grinning, "If Ruby doesn't beat them first." 

Mm. Very true.

We made it to the bottom of the hill and could see that the others part of the Alliance were starting to wake up. The sound of children running around and people laughing were starting to echo around. Easton and I stood there for a moment to appreciate how simple our new life was. And safe. 

"Think you can make me an apple pie, Red?" Easton asked, his furrowed brows deepening as his squinted gaze stared off in front of him. 

I raised a brow, grinning at him. 

For those of you wondering, I finally rock at making apple pies. So much that I was asked to make a couple for this coming Thanksgiving since the few I made for get-togethers was always eaten right away. Well... when Easton lets everyone have at least one slice. 

"Aaaaand what's wrong with the one that was still on the counter?" I asked, raising my brows as we continued down the familiar path back to our house. 

The Moody Asshat's lip curled, his blue eyes glancing at me to growl, "Fucking Thorton got to it first..."

I rolled my eyes, grinning to myself and mumbled that I'd have to think about it since I ran out of particular ingredients and I didn't really look forward to having to hunt those missing ones down. As we were walking, we didn't say much; always enjoying walking beside one another as much as talking to one another... or, uh, other stuff with each other.

Easton nudged me a bit, making my brows furrow slightly as I turned my head. He grinned at me, asking if I could guess what he found from the shoebox that had been under his bed back in Blood Moon Falls. His parents had brought it with them when that was the only thing Easton wanted of the belongings they had. 

For months he kept the shoebox under our bed and every time I wanted to ask him about it, he'd glance at me and let me know that I would know when the time is right. I frowned every time. 

"Guess," he urged. 

I looked upward, pursing my lips to feign thought then hummed, "Mmmmm... I give up."

"Well, damn, Red! Not even one guess?"

Scrunching my nose and shaking my head, I scoffed, "Well, I dunno, Ease! You could be keeping sea shells in that shoebox for all I know!" 

Easton nodded that that was true which I gave him a look for but then he told me that I was wrong. 

"Your guess was shit, Red."

"So I figured..."

I kept walking and he sped up to catch up with me after pulling something out of his pocket. I glanced at what he was holding out to me and I raised a brow at the rectangular card fold that had, at one point, been a pristine white but was now more of an off-white color. I stopped, eyeing the car then glanced at Easton who grinned while waiting for me to take it from him.

Eyeing him warily, my fingers took the card from his and then I lowered my gaze to flip the card over to read 'Easton Quinn' in fine, gold cursive. I blinked, frowning at it while peeking up at the blond whose mouth pursed to the side and had shoved his fingers into the pockets of his jeans. 

"This is a card..." I stated the obvious. He nodded. "With your name on it." He nodded again.

I lowered a brow, trying to figure out the significance of this and why it was being handed to me. I really sucked at this game...

I looked up at my boyfriend who laughed that I was hopeless with romantic gestures. My brows shot up and I leaned my head forward, "This is a romantic gesture...?"

Easton nodded, grinning, "That---" he pointed at the card in question. "My gorgeous, sexy platter, is my placement card from your aunt's wedding eight years ago."

We stared at one another; I surprised while he beamed, apparently so proud of himself for keeping this. Stumbling to say anything, I looked down at the card and laughed lightly, lowering a brow while flipping it around and then once more to see his name on the front again. 

When I looked up at him, I smiled, "Why..." a small huff came out with a chuckle. "Ease, why did you keep this?" 

Easton's blue eyes stared at the card, grinning as he took one step towards me. My face faltered, eyes widening as I noticed him take another slow step towards me. 

"I..." he shrugged, eyes still on the card. "Figured it would be a good idea." He took another step towards me. "Somehow there was something in the back of my mind telling me to keep it. To never lose it..." 

The Were was now right in front of me and I swallowed, blinking at him while my heart started pounding again.

"Being that it was the day I---unknowingly---met the love of my life." 

Easton lifted his eyes to mine, lowering a brow while raising the other. He shrugged a shoulder again. "I thought it would be pretty neat for you to place it in front of whichever seat you wanted at my sister's wedding next week."

He raised his brows, leaning closer to whisper, "Preferably by the one next to yours... but... your choice."

The smile on my face made him grin from ear-to-ear. 

"You knew I was going to end up with you... didn't you?" I asked, squinting my eyes at him while turning my chin a bit. 

The blond's brows rose, looking down a bit as his fingers raked through the back of his hair and slowly shook his head, "Mmm, no..." 

He sheepishly glanced up at me with a lowered brow, "But I was hoping so."

With the card still in my hand, I reached forward to grab the sides of his jacket and pulled him to me. Easton's eyes widened until I pressed my lips against his. The Were sighed, stepping closer and raised a hand to hold the side of my face so that he could kiss me better. 

When I opened my eyes, Easton blinked, grinning, "The hell was that for, Red?" he then furrowed his brows, "Not that I'm complaining..."

Ignoring his teasing, I shrugged how my cousin was right when she told me once that everything happens for reason; whether it be good or bad. And that goes the same for people who come and go into and from our lives. Each person makes us question everything we thought we knew. Even about ourselves. 

"And for a while---at the very beginning of 'us'---I kept trying to convince myself that the problem with mending a broken heart is having no warning... no idea... of what that person could do to mine."

My boyfriend stared at me, his blue eyes lighting up as I smiled at him and whispered with my forehead against his, "This love doesn't happen for everyone... but it did for us. And I think that's sweeter than damn apple pie." 

Easton smirked, a small growl rumbling out of him as his blue eyes disappeared behind the gold of his wolf and I pulled him back in for another kiss.