A Trip To Love - 7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tim and I enjoyed our time at Beda Lake, we spent time fishing in both our human and animal forms, swimming, hiking, and going for a run together. It's a shame that our time there was so short, but all too soon it was time to head back to the pack house to gather the rest of our belongings, before heading to my parent's house in Spokane.

We went on one final run together before packing up our camping equipment. Tim can be a fast little bugger when he shifts into his wolf form. Once we had both shifted he took off at quick pace while I lumbered along behind him. He would stop every few minutes so that I could catch up with him before taking off again.

When he finally stopped he was breathing a little heavy but had a wolfie smile on his face letting me know that he was happy and having fun. I walked up to him and nuzzled into his neck before he decided to rub up against me. He ran into the lake splashing me, daring me to follow. I lumbered in, and he backed deeper into the lake. Suddenly he was doggy paddling while I still had four paws firmly planted on the lake. I ducked under the water and swam under him. Tim yelped in fear as he found himself suddenly riding "bear" back. I ducked under the water again and Tim was swimming under his own power. He headed quickly back to shallower water where we splashed each other. After some time frolicking in the lake, we headed back to our campsite to load up and head out.

The closer that we got to the pack house, the quieter Tim got. I knew that he was nervous about meeting my family, and how they would react when they learn that he is a wolf and not a bear.

I knew that my dad and brothers will love him for the fact that he’s my mate alone, the only wild card was my mom.

“Babe, are you ok?” I asked.

“Yeah, just nervous, I mean in a few hours I will be meeting my in-laws, and I know there is one for sure that is not going to like me,” Tim replied with a chuckle.

I reached over and held his hand, reassuring him that everything would be fine.

Soon we pulled up in front of the pack house and I stopped the suburban. Tim looked over at me before opening his door and getting out of the vehicle.

As we walked in the front door, we were met by Alpha Jeff.

“I hope you guys had a good time camping,” stated Alpha Jeff.

“Yeah, it was an amazing couple of days,” replied Tim.

“Tim before I forget, your dad called looking for you. Apparently you didn't check in before you guys took off, and he was worried about you.”

“Oh man, I knew that I forgot to do something,” Tim smacked his forehead.

“Tim, don't worry about it, I explained to your dad that you and Jon went camping for some alone time before heading off to meet the family.”

“Thank you Alpha, for making sure that Dad knew what was going on while we were gone. Well, I guess I had better get a hold of him, and let him know that we are still alive, as well as letting him know of the current travel plans to Spokane,” Tim replied.

Tim and I shook hands with Alpha Jeff before heading upstairs to our rooms to finish packing and calling his dad.

“Let's call my dad and then we can get in touch with your family before loading up to head out,” stated Tim.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” I replied.

We separated to finish packing. Since I had packed most of my things before we went camping, it didn't take me long.

Once all of my bags were packed I grabbed them and left the room. I knew that we would both need to do some laundry, but I figured that could wait until we got to my parent's house later in the day. I placed them in the hallway just outside of Tim's door before knocking.

“Come in.” came from the other side of the door.

I opened the door and saw Tim sitting at the desk with his computer in front of him. It appeared that he was checking his e-mail.

“Have you called your dad yet?” I asked.

“Yeah, I let him know that we were still alive and that we are getting ready to head to your parent's house in Spokane. I also apologized for not letting him know that we were going to be away from civilization for a little while. I can't believe that I forgot my cellphone here.”

“I can, we did kind of pack in a hurry,” I nodded.

“Have you called your parents to let them know that we are on our way?”

I chuckled and said, “No, not yet, was thinking of calling them right before we got to my parent’s. I don't want to give Mom too much notice because she will probably have someone at the house that I just have to meet.”

We grabbed our bags and headed downstairs and out to the car where Alpha Jeff and Alpha James were waiting for us.

“You fellas have a safe trip and enjoy your time with your families,” Alpha James helped us load our bags into the suburban.

“Remember that you are always welcome here. Stay in touch, here are our e-mail addresses, so that you can stay in touch. Please be safe in your travels,” said Alpha Jeff as he handed me a slip of paper that had two e-mail addresses on it, as well as a phone number on it.

“Thank you for your hospitality, I know that I will never forget both of you or the time that I spent here,” I put the paper in my wallet for safe keeping.

“Yes, thank you,” agreed Tim.

“You are both welcome, I enjoyed seeing someone meet their mate for the first time. It reminds me of a breath of fresh air,” replied Alpha Jeff as he pulled each of us into a hug.

We walked to Tim's side and I opened his door for him to get in before going around to my side of the vehicle. Once inside we waved to Alpha Jeff and Alpha James as we pulled out of the drive, heading towards Spokane.

A few hours later we were pulling into my parent’s driveway. I was relieve that both Mom's and Dad's cars were gone. I was a little worried about what my mom’s reaction was going to be. We got out of the suburban, grabbed our suitcases and headed inside.

“Anybody here?” I called out once we were inside.

I heard a herd of elephants coming down the stairs. My three brothers tackled me.

“Hey Bubba, welcome home,” said Tyler as he, Alex, and Kyle wrapped me in a group hug.

“Guys, I would like you to meet my mate, Tim,” I said as I pulled Tim to stand next to me. “Tim, these are my brothers Kyle, Tyler, and Alex,” I pointed in turn to each of my brothers.

“Welcome to the family, Tim,” chuckled Alex as each of my brothers pulled Tim into a hug.

Tyler, the ever helpful younger brother, grabbed our suitcases and took them upstairs while Alex and Kyle got to know Tim a little better.

“So where are you from Tim?” asked Kyle.

“I’m from Charlottesville, Virginia, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains,” replied Tim.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” asked Alex.

“Well, I did have one sister but she died during childbirth, along with my mom.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Alex commented as he pulled Tim into another hug.

“It’s ok, it happened a long time ago. I still miss my mom though, but I know that she and my sister are in a better place, watching over me. She would’ve loved to have met you guys, especially you, Jon.”

I pulled him into a hug and kissed the side of his forehead. I knew that he was still deeply affected by the death of his mom, but that he was trying to not show weakness in front of my brothers.

Tyler came bounding down the stairs and asked, “So, who’s ready for a run?”

We all decided to go for a run in the woods before Mom and Dad got home. We led Tim to the hollowed out log where we placed our clothes before shifting into our bear forms.

When we had started to undress, Tim turned and looked in the other direction. Once we were changed he went behind a tree, removed his clothes, and shifted into his wolf. He picked his clothes up in his mouth and brought them over to the log, setting them inside.

Tim saw a black bear, a brown bear, and two reddish brown bears. He knew that I was one of the reddish brown one, so he followed his nose over to me and rubbed up against him.

“Guys, let’s go to the river and show Tim around the property,” I mind linked with my brothers.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” responded Alex before taking off at a jaunt, with the rest of us following behind

Tim obviously figured out that he needed to follow us since I couldn’t mind link him yet. I will be glad of when we finally mate because, for one thing, then we would be able to communicate telepathically.

The boys ran ahead of us, while I showed Tim different areas that I enjoyed visiting when I go for a run. We came across the clearing where I go to get away from mom for a little while. The multicolored carpet of wildflowers shimmered in the wind. The yellow, purple, white, blue and pink heads nodded to us as if nature recognized the true mates.

We continued on to the stream where my brothers and I usually go fishing and play in the water. Alex greeted us with a huge splash of the cold, clear water. The war was on! With our bigger paws we easily created larger waves than Tim could. However, I had underestimated my mate's cleverness. Four paws at full speed through the stream threw up quite a wave. What seemed like hours later, 4 soaked bears and one tired wolf left the now muddied stream. It was great to be with my brothers, I miss them every time that I had to leave. I was glad that they accepted my mate and that he them.

When we had worn ourselves out, we headed back to where we had stashed our clothes. We needed to get home so Tim could meet our parents.

Once dressed, we walked, strolled or something similar back to the house. Mom and Dad’s cars were both in the driveway. Apparently Mom thought that by parking behind me she would prevent me from leaving early again.

My brothers went inside first while Tim and I stood outside for a minute so that I needed to get myself under control. I didn't want to go off on my mom.

Tim took my hand in his, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Its ok, babe. I will be right by your side, and I will not let anything that she says get to me. You are my true mate and nothing will change that.”

“Thanks babe, I just don’t want her starting any of her nonsense,” I replied.

With that said we walked into the house with our hands clasped and found mom, dad, and the boys in the living room waiting for us.

“Hi, Mom and Dad. I would like you to meet my mate, Tim Collins, from Charlottesville, Virginia.”

“Welcome Tim, it’s good to meet you in person,” Dad walked over to shake Tim’s hand before saying. “Welcome to the family, son.”

“Thank you, Sir and Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I have heard a lot about you both,” Tim replied.

When Tim turned to look at me, he missed the look of utter disgust on my mom’s face, but I saw it and it was pissing me off.

My expression must have given it away because Tim noticed and asked, “Babe, what’s wrong?”

“Hun, it’s ok. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. Right, Mom?”

Tim turned around at my words and looked at my mom with a questioning look on his face. She replaced the look of disgust with a smile.

“Tim, why don’t you go up and take a shower? I’ll be up in a few,” I suggested.

“Ok.”

Facing my mom I growled out. “If you try any of your bull, I will move to Virginia to live. You will never see me again.”

I looked at my Dad before turning, heading upstairs to shower, and check my e-mail. I figured that there was probably one from Steve and I knew that Tim wanted to talk to his Dad and let him know where he was.

When I got upstairs I overheard Tim talking to his Dad, letting him know that he was safe and where he was.

“Yeah, Dad, we’re at his parent’s house in Spokane…We’re planning on being here for about a week before heading East…Yes, we’re driving…Ok, I love you too. Talk to you soon…Bye.”

Tim ended his call as I came into the bedroom.

“Is everything ok?” Tim questioned as he pulled me into a hug.

“Yeah, just Mom and her usual bull. I warned her that if she pulled any of her crap that we would start our cross country journey early and I would move to Virginia on a permanent basis.”

“Give her a chance babe. Maybe now that she has seen that your mate is in fact a guy, she will leave you alone.”

“I hope so, but you didn’t see her face downstairs. She directed a look of absolute disgust at us. I will not put up with anyone messing with you,” I stated. “How’s your dad? He doing ok?”

“Dad’s fine, he wants to Skype tonight so that he can get the chance to meet your family and start getting to know them.”

“That would be awesome. I know Dad would want to meet him and to talk to him. I’m sure the boys would like to meet him as well. Now go get your shower.”

“Actually, I was hoping that you would join me in the shower. I’m not ready for us to complete the mating but that shouldn’t stop us from having a little bit of fun,” he said with a shy grin.

“That sounds like a really good idea. We don’t have to do anything other than wash each other’s backs if you don’t want to,” I said with a smile of my own. I just couldn’t get the Cheshire grin off of my face.

“Well, then let’s go,” he grabbed my hand. We grabbed our toiletries and he pulled me to the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Tim locked the door. He grabbed the hem of my shirt, and slowly inching it upwards until he had me lift my arms and took it off of me.

I repeated the gesture with him before unbuttoning his jeans and slowly lowering them, along with his boxers, to the floor. He grabbed ahold of my shoulders while I was kneeling in front of him to steady himself, as he stepped out of his jeans and boxers.

Once they were pooled on the floor next to me, I stood up and pulled him in for a deep and passionate kiss. I was falling more and more in love with him with each passing day. As we were kissing, he reached in between us, running his hands down my chest to my waist and unbuttoned my pants.

He slid his hand inside the waistband of my boxers.

I could not believe that this was happening. His hand felt amazing. He trailed slow kisses down my chest as he lowered my pants and boxers to the floor. Once he had them to my ankles I used his shoulders to support myself while I lifted each leg so that he could remove each pant leg.

Once the pants were removed he stood up on tiptoes, giving me a hard and long kiss. After several seconds he broke the kiss and I pulled him into a hug, running my hands up and down his back.

I turned on the water in the shower and we waited for it to get to the right temperature. Once the water was at the right temperature, Tim and I got in the shower. We spent time kissing and running our hands all over each other. Finally we got the soap out and soaped each other up, washing every square inch of the other person.

All too soon the water started to cool off and it was time to get out of the shower. Once out of the shower we dried each other off and went back into the bedroom to get dressed. We both dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

As we were exiting my room, we ran into Tim in the hallway, who warned, “Someone has come to visit.”

I sniffed the air and growled low in my throat.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” he wondered.

“My mom has invited Jackie over. You remember me telling you about the she-bear that said she doesn’t believe that I’m gay?” I asked.

“It’ll be ok, babe,” Tim took my hand in his and started to rub small circles with his thumb on the back of my hand.

With our hands still clasped, we headed downstairs to deal with whatever my mom had planned. I couldn’t believe that she would invite Jackie over. Maybe I’m overthinking it and they had become friends, but something in my gut told me that was not the case.

“Hello ladies,” Tim said as we came into the living room.

Jackie saw me and came over and tried to pull me into a hug before kissing me on the cheek.

I took a couple of steps back, wiped my cheek, and demanded, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I was just saying hello,” Jackie smirked.

“Jon behave yourself and apologize this instant,” growled Mom.

“There is nothing for me to apologize for. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s Jackie. She had no business doing what she just did. Especially in front of my mate,” I growled back.

“She did nothing wrong. She didn’t know that Tim is your ‘supposed’ mate,” Mom replied snidely.

“I guess you don’t want us to stay for very long, do you?” I glared at mom.

“You are welcome to stay as long as you want but that wolf is not welcome here,” Mom argued.

“JENNIE!! You will stop that right now,” yelled Dad coming in from the backyard just as Mom made the last comment and it pissed him off.

I looked at her and growled, “If he leaves, I leave and I think that’s what we’re going to do.”

Dad pleaded with me, “Jon, please wait and leave in the morning. Spend some time with your brothers and let them get to know your mate better. I understand that you are upset but don’t let your mother’s actions cause any unnecessary hard feelings.”

I looked at Tim to see him nod his head and told Dad, “All right Dad, we will stay until morning but then we are leaving. I told Mom that if she did not stop, I would move to Virginia with Tim. That’s precisely what’s going to happen.”

“Well, before you guys leave, would you go out with me, Tim?” Jackie coyly asked.

Tim looked at her like she had grown a second head.

“Lady, you’re nuts. Not only do I have a true mate but you’re not my type at all,” Tim said with his voice dripping with disgust.

Tim and I turned our backs on them before going out the back door to get away from them.

I pulled Tim into my arms and whispering, “I’m sorry babe, I don’t know what has gotten into Mom. She used to be the nicest woman in the world but when I started searching for my mate, she started to parade all of the she-bears that she knows in front of me hoping that one of them would take my mind off finding my true mate.”

Tim took my face in his hands while standing on his tiptoes leaning in to give me a quick kiss before saying, “Babe, it’s all right. I know that you had nothing to do with what happened and that you have had nothing to do with Jackie. Even if you had done something with Jackie before we met, I know that it would have ended as soon as we saw each other. I trust you.”

I could not believe my luck that I would have such a trusting and loving mate. He was everything that I had ever hoped for and I knew that we were going to have a wonderful life together.

Grabbing his face in my hands, I slowly leaned in to initiate a slow and deep kiss that was powerful enough to curl my toes and take my breath away.

“All right break it up you two.” came the laughing voices of Kyle and Alex.

I slowly lifted my head, never taking my eyes off of my beautiful mate. While pulling my face away I ran my fingertips along his jawline and could feel the trace of stubble.

Giving my brothers a mock glare, I said, “What do you two want?”

“Just wanted to give you a hard time,” teased Alex.

“Well ya did, now go away.” I playfully growled.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” asked Kyle.

“Face it babe, the only way for us to get some privacy is to lock ourselves away in your room,” joked Tim, joining the teasing.

“I know, but still they could have let us have a little bit of time by ourselves,” I grumbled.

Tim chuckled as he pulled my face down for a quick kiss.

“How about the five of us go out for dinner?” asked Tim. “I think we could use some time away from here and sometime bonding as brothers.”

“I think that’s a great idea,” remarked Kyle.

“I’m gonna go let Dad know, and get Tyler so that we can go. Let’s take your suburban Jon,” suggested Alex.

“Ok, when you let Dad know, ask him if he could move Mom’s car so that we can get out,” I replied as Alex turned to go inside, nodding his head to show that he heard me.

“So Tim, are you taking any college classes?” questioned Kyle.

“Yeah, I am studying Business Administration through an online school,” responded Tim.

“Cool, Jon got his English Degree through an online school as well. You guys really do have quite a bit in common.”

Alex bounded out the back door, “All right guys, let’s go. Tyler is already out front and Dad is moving Mom’s car even though she’s not happy about it.”

“All righty then, let’s go around front and get going, I’m hungry,” my stomach growled proving the point.

“You’re always hungry, Jon.” responded Alex with a chuckle.

I attempted to swat him on the back of the head as he took off running around the front of the house with me chasing behind him.

I could hear Tim chuckle as he asked Kyle, “Are they always like this?”

“Yep, they sure are.”

I rounded the front of the house and saw that Tyler was sitting in the front seat with Alex in the back seat.

“Nope, sorry Tyler but you get to be in the back with the other two, Tim gets the front seat,” I said with a chuckle while trying to catch my breath.

“Aw man, that’s not fair,” whined Tyler.

Tim giggled, “Sorry man.”

I had never heard a more beautiful sound than when Tim giggled at that moment. It was like music to my ears.

Tyler got out of the suburban, getting into the back with Kyle and Alex, while I held the door open for Tim, only shutting it after he was safely inside. I quickly jogged to my side before getting in and starting the engine.

“So, where do you guys want to go eat?” I asked.

“Let’s go to Qdoba’s.” suggested Alex. “Mexican food sounds really good right about now.”

“Their fajitas are delicious and I could go for some really good, authentic tacos right now,” I said as my stomach growled.

“Well, I guess he’s really hungry,” Tyler chuckled.

I got on Interstate 90 going West towards downtown Spokane, exiting onto Pines Road. The whole trip took about fifteen to twenty minutes and my stomach was growling loudly the whole time.

The food could be smelled as soon as someone opened the door. I examined the interior as I follows the waitress to the table and noticed that not much had changed since the last time that we came here. The walls were a taupe kind of brown with tasteful cactuses drawn on the wall and authentic Mexican decorations scattered throughout the restaurant.

Glancing over the menus once we were seated, we gave our orders.

“I’ll have a double portion of steak fajitas, Spanish rice, but only a single serving of the refried beans, with a Pepsi to drink,” ordered Tyler, which was soon followed by same for me by Alex and Kyle.

“I’ll have the chicken enchiladas, with an order of steak tacos on the side, with water to drink,” Tim told the waitress when it was his turn.

“I’ll have the steak fajitas, steak tacos, and beef enchiladas with a Pepsi and water to drink,” I ordered when it was my turn. What can I say, I’m a big guy.

“What do you plan to do when you are done with school?” Alex started the conversation.

Tim thought for a minute before answering, “Well, now that I’ve found my mate, I will probably look for a position close to where we settle down. I have always been interested in construction, so I will probably look to get in with a construction company on the administration side of things.”

“Sounds like a good plan. How much longer do you have on it?” Tyler questioned.

“I still have about two years to go on it but I have an Associates in Business right now,” Tim replied.

Our food came and the table got quiet as we all dug into our food. The smells alone caused my stomach to rumble in anticipation of the coming food. You would have thought that we hadn’t eaten all day the way that we were devouring the food in front of us.

The waitress brought our check and Tim beat me to paying the bill. I chuckled as I shook my head in resignation, remembering that I had told him he could get the next meal. I just wasn’t expecting it to be with my three brothers.

As we pulled into the driveway, I made sure that I couldn’t be blocked in again by Mom or anyone else. We all got out of the suburban, I pocketed my keys and walked over to the passenger side of the vehicle and took Tim’s hand in mine.

Tim looked at his watch, “Babe, it’s almost time for me to Skype with Dad.”

“Ok, let’s get going then. Don’t want you to be late.”

“Do you think your dad and brothers would want to meet him tonight?”

Tim asked as we walked in the door.

I looked in his eyes, “Why don’t you ask them? I’m sure they would love to meet him.”

We walked in and were met by my irritated mom.

“Where have you been? I had dinner waiting for everyone,” she growled.

“Mom, if you had asked Dad he would have told you that we went out to eat,” I replied barely containing my impatience with her.

“Well, then why were we not invited?” she asked trying to appear innocent.

“You weren’t invited because of your attitude towards Tim earlier. I am not going submit him to your attitude and manipulations.”

Tim and I walked away, and headed upstairs so that he could set up his computer to Skype his dad.

“Get back here, I’m not done talking to you!” Mom screeched.

Tim wanted to turn around but I kept him going up the stairs and said, “Just ignore her.”

Once we got in ‘our room’ Tim immediately set up his computer. While he was doing that I sought out my brothers. I found them in Alex and Kyle’s room.

“Hey guys, do you want to meet Tim’s dad? He’s getting ready to Skype him,” I said from the doorway.

“Sure, we can say hi. Does he want Mom and Dad to meet him as well?” Kyle question when he stood up from his desk chair.

“Dad, yes. Mom, no. She demanded to know why they weren’t invited to go eat with us,” I said with disgust.

All three of the boys were dumbfound before Tyler said in frustration, “I can’t believe her! She is less than welcoming to your mate and she wonders why you don’t want her around for dinner?”

“I know but she is going to have to get used to him being around because that is something that is never going to change,” I said with conviction.

“I’m gonna go get Dad and meet you guys in your room Jon,” Tyler said

“Ok, I’m gonna go check and make sure that Tim is all set up to talk to his dad,” I turned to head back to ‘our room’.

“You ready, babe?” I asked as I walked into the room.

“Yeah, was waiting for you to get back before I dialed Dad,” Tim walked over to me before going up on tiptoes and giving me a quick kiss.

Tim returned to my desk where he had set up his laptop. I walked over, placing my hands on his shoulders giving them a few squeezes to let him know that I’m there.

“Tyler went to go get Dad and the boys should be in here soon,” I said just as there was a knock on the door.

“Hey guys, you ready for us?” asked Kyle, as he and Alex came into the room.

“Sure am. Why don’t you have a seat on the bed while I get ahold of my dad,” said Tim as he clicked on the video call button.

There was another knock on the door and I saw Tyler and my dad standing in the doorway.

“Come on in, guys,” I smiled. “Dad, Tim’s dad is Jasper and he should be coming on shortly.”

“Hey Dad! How are you?” Tim asked when his dad came on the screen.

“Hi son. Hi Jon. I’m good. How are you boys?” asked Jasper.

“We’re doing good Dad,” replied Tim.

“Sir, I would like to introduce you to my brothers, Tyler, Alex, and Kyle. Also this is my Dad, Thomas,” I said as I introduced my family to him, pointing at each one as I named them off.

“Gentlemen, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope Tim has been behaving himself,” Jasper chuckled.

“Jasper, it’s a pleasure to meet you and Tim has been a model guest. It has been a pleasure getting to know him. I know the boys have been having a blast today,” replied Dad.

“That’s good to know,” replied Jasper with a chuckle. “How old are you boys?”

“Sir, I am sixteen, Alex and Kyle are both eighteen,” said Tyler as he pointed to each of them in turn.

“Kyle and Alex are you still in school? Have you found your mates yet?” asked Jasper.

“We just graduated this past May and no we haven’t met our mates yet,” replied Alex with a laugh.

“Sir, it was a pleasure to meet you but I am going to let you talk with Tim and Jon for a little bit,” stated Kyle.

“Me too, Sir,” Alex smiled.

“All right, boys. You have a good night and it was nice meeting you,” acknowledge Jasper.

“Night,” Alex, Tyler, and Kyle said in unison.

“So Jasper, tell me about my son in law,” Dad grinned.

“Well, he has always excelled at sports, smart as a whip, a great sense of humor, and very respectful. He has done his father proud in so many ways,” Jasper said with a fond look on his face.

“Sounds like he will make a fine mate to Jon. Jon also excelled at sports, has a wicked sense of humor, is respectful but has a clear cut set of values and nothing will sway them, he is also very smart,” Dad said with pride in his voice.

“Babe, I think we should let our dads talk and get to know each other. I’m gonna take out our clothes for tomorrow and pack the rest of our stuff in the suburban so that we will have an easier time getting out of here in the morning.”

“All right, I will bag up our dirty clothes so that everything is in one place, making it easier to grab in the morning,” Tim replied with a quick kiss before going and bagging up the dirty laundry.

Once the packing was taken care of, we each sat on the bed with our e-readers and read while the dads continued talking.

After about an hour Dad stood up and said, “Well, goodnight boys. Tim it was a pleasure talking to your dad and getting to know him. I meant what I said when I told him that you make a fine mate for Jon. I am proud to call you my son-in-law because whether you have completed the mating yet or not, you are bound to us and I will do whatever I can to make you boys happy.”

“Thank you, sir. I am honored to be a member of your family and I will do my best to make you as proud of me as you are of Jon and his brothers,” Tim said while blushing from the compliment.

I pulled Dad in for a hug and said, “Good night, Dad. We will see you in the morning before we leave. I’m sorry that it has come to this but unless Mom changes her attitude, you won’t be seeing us as much as I would like. You will always be welcome in our home, Dad.”

As Dad left our room, Tim looked at me and said, “I love you, babe.”

“I love you, too,” I replied before leaning in and kissing him passionately.

As the author, I take final responsibility for all parts of the story, including any errors.

Photo by Frank B. Raymond