Chapter 55: Ayla
Theo woke me up the next morning with a bubble bath waiting for me. Once I was in and
relaxing, he told me to take my time and that he’d be back soon. Emphasizing that he
would be in the packhouse and to just mind-link him if I needed anything.
I remembered he said he wanted to take me somewhere the night before but refused to
tell me anything when I asked about it. He just told me I would know soon enough, and I’d
have to trust him. I chuckled as I watched him leave.
He seemed nervous. But a good, excited, nervous. I didn’t know if it was because of my
pregnancy or whatever he had planned for the day. Possibly a little of both. Either way, I
wasn’t worried. The level of happiness passing between our mate bond was more than
enough to keep me
calm.
When I was done soaking, I got dressed and spent some time making myself look nice.
Nothing much, just spending a little time more time on my hair and makeup than I usually
did. When I was satisfied, I stood in front of the mirror and looked myself over. My hand
instinctively went to my stomach. I wondered what Theo would think when I was big and
round in a few months. Dasha lingered smugly and contently in my mind. She had enjoyed
every second of our mate doting on us.
‘Mate thinks we’re beautiful. Mate happy,’ she cooed with
pride.
I giggled softly. ‘I would hope so. He did his job well.’
‘Dasha happy,’ she replied.
‘Me, too,’ I concurred.
I heard Theo return and went to greet him. We bumped into each other in the hall as we
were both heading for each other. We laughed as we kissed, my arms going around his
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtneck as he held me close.
“You ready?” he asked, brushing his nose against mine.
“Mhmm,” I nodded.
“Great.”
With his arm around my waist, he led me through the packhouse and out the front
entrance. His car was already parked at the door ready for us. Theo opened my door but
stopped me before I got in.
“Turn around,” he said with a mischievous grin.
“Why?” I asked cautiously.
“Just turned around,” he chuckled.
I sighed but did as he said. My vision suddenly went dark as
soft fabric covered my eyes.
“What the…”
“This stays on until I tell you,” he said as he tied the
blindfold securely. “Understood?”
“Is this really necessary?”
He kissed my cheek and guided me into the front seat.
“Absolutely.”
The door shut and Theo was climbing in next to me within a few seconds. I heard the
engine come to life, and we were on our way… to wherever the heck we were on our way
to.
“You’re really not going to tell me what this is all about, are you?” I asked.
“Nope,” he replied.
I wracked my brain, trying to think of where he could be taking me.
“We’re going to your parents’, aren’t we?”
“Nope,” he repeated. “And you’ll never guess, so you might as well think of something
else to discuss.”
I crossed my arms over my chest with a huff, resisting the urge to pull the blindfold off.
“Fine.”
Theo chuckled, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. I could feel how excited he was, and it
was so adorable. I didn’t want to ruin that for him. So, I relaxed back in the seat and went
along for the ride.
“We will have to tell your parents soon,” I said.
“My mother would kill me if I kept this from her, so I
definitely agree.”
“I
“But I want to hold off a little before we formally announce it to the pack,” I said. “Get a
little further along. Maybe closer to our ceremony.”
“I can live with that,” Theo said. “However, I can’t say I can do anything about the rumors
once you start to show.”
I laughed. “I don’t expect you to be a miracle worker,” I said.
We drove a little longer, but it didn’t seem far when we stopped, and Theo cut the engine.
“Wait here a moment, babe,” he said as he kissed the back of my hand. “And don’t touch
that blindfold. I mean it.”
I chuckled. “I promise I’ll leave it be,” I said. “Just hurry up.’
He kissed my neck before getting out, leaving me in darkness. I could hear him get
something out of the trunk of the car before listening to him walk away. I cracked the door
open and took a deep breath. It may have been cheating, but I wasn’t breaking my
promise.
We definitely weren’t in the city anymore. The air was fresh and clean, with the smell of
fall trees around us. It was also quiet, only the sound of nature filling my ears.
It was peaceful wherever we were.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmFinally, Theo returned and pulled my door open all the way. He took my hands and tugged
me out of the car. With his hands on my hips, he walked me to whatever spot he had
picked out.
“Ready?” he whispered from behind me.
“Yes,” I insisted eagerly.
He tugged at the tie of the fabric and the blindfold fell
away.
We were in a clearing surrounded by trees. A large pond butted up against the stretch of
land, and fall wildflowers were growing along the treeline. It was a gorgeous space. Right
in front of me was a blanket with a picnic spread out on top. At the end of the blanket,
there was a board set up. Pinned to it were blueprints.
“What is this?” I asked.
“This is our home,” he said gently, holding back his excitement and nervousness. “Or it
will be when I’m done building it.’
”
“What?” I turned to him.
“Do you
like the land?” he asked urgently. “I know I probably should have asked you, but I saw the
property for sale, and I thought of you. I know how much you like the water. And it’s not so
far from the city. And the blueprints aren’t set in stone. We have plenty of time to make
any changes you want, babe. It’s all whatever you want.”
I threw my arms around his neck, my mouth taking his.
“Is this what you’ve been up to when you were coming home late?” I asked as I pulled
away.
He nodded sheepishly. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
7
I kissed him again. “It’s perfect.”