The Merry Moose’s Mates (Male-Order Mates #16)

Chapter Ten

Briar

As it grew later, the blizzard showed no signs of letting up, not that I expected it would. The way the weather report talked about it, we were in for a ton of snow. There was something peaceful about watching it fall, at least until the wind decided to fully kick in. Then there was nothing peaceful about it at all.

I poured myself another cup of tea and stood at the kitchen sink, looking out the back window, watching the snow pile up. It was amazing how it went from an overcast day to some flurries to steady snow, and now to such steady snow, with flakes so big they didn’t even look real. It was like something from a movie set. Down they came and there I was watching them, mesmerized.

The snow on the ground was already up to the birdbath I had in the back; pretty soon, I wouldn’t even be able to see it.

“What do you see out there?” Shay came and stood beside me with his mug.

“There’s something about tea on snowy nights.” It was the one normal part of the evening.

“They weren’t kidding about the snow,” he said, his body so close to mine, I could almost feel his warmth. I longed to lean in to his side, to be pressed against him, even if there was going to be fabric in the way.

My moose had perked up when they arrived, and now he was getting quite bossy, asking me to scent the bear shifter. As if there was any way to do that undetected. My beast was going to need to be happy with what I was able to pick up from a distance.

“No, they weren’t.” I took a sip of my hot beverage. “We usually get some pretty intense storms every year.”

“Should I go out there and start on shoveling so we can get out in the morning?”

I hated the sound of that. He hadn’t said that he meant for them all to leave, but that’s how my gut took it, and I was not a fan. When I’d slipped and called them my mates while talking to my brother, it felt right and with, each second I spent with them, it felt more so.

“Nah, the wind’s gonna pick up soon.” I was surprised it hadn’t already. It either meant the storm wasn’t going to be a blizzard after all, or that it was slow moving and the snowfall was going to be significantly more bountiful than predicted. “Everything you shovel is gonna blow back again. Just leave it.”

“It is pretty, though.”

“Yeah, I’ll give it that. Where’s Austin? I made him a cup of tea, too.” It was sitting on the counter.

Unlike Shay and I, he wasn’t here alone. He had his beautiful daughter to take care of. One day, if the three of us figured out a way for this to work between us, we’d all share that responsibility, but that was too much, too soon for a little girl, especially a human one who wouldn’t understand any of this.

“He was planning to stay with Alice until she fell asleep again. She was pretty exhausted, I can’t imagine it will be long.”

“Well, it was kind of a big day. She showed up at her new home to meet strangers during a blizzard. That doesn’t happen to a kid every day.” Or adults for that matter. “I felt bad that she didn’t get to make her snowman yet. She’s really excited about that.”

“Yeah, about the big day— I really do wish things had happened differently,” Shay said.

I turned to face him, setting my mug on the counter. “But you don’t wish that they didn’t happen.”

The clink of his mug on the counter, followed by his warm hand on my cheek, was all the answer I needed. Instinctively, I leaned in to his touch.

“No, I’m not sad that it happened,” he murmured. “And if you’ll have me, I’d like to stay…even after the snow is gone.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” We’d been talking around things since they arrived. This was the first time we spit it out.

“I-I would, too.” Only it wasn’t Shay who was speaking.

Both of us nearly jumped out of our skin, turning around to see Austin standing there.

“Sorry.” Austin took a step closer. “I’m like a cat sometimes, according to Alice. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop.”

“Don’t worry about it. Shay wasn’t trying to earlier, either.”

“You got that, did you?” Shay asked.

Austin moved closer and Shay removed his hand. I felt the loss of his touch instantly and nearly whimpered.

“Austin, I’d like you to stay, too, if that works for the two of you,” I said.

Shay reached over and took Austin’s hand. “Does that work for you?”

“Yeah, it does. But if I stay—if we stay—I don’t want to be here just for Briar. I want to be here for you, too, Shay.”

Music to my huge moose ears. I was an all for one and one for all kinda shifter.

“Is that how this works?” Because I really wanted it to be.

I looked between Shay and Austin.

“Yeah,” Shay said softly. “I think that’s how this works.”

“And Alice—she’s nonnegotiable.”

“She’s part of this family, without a doubt.” I vowed to myself to make sure they both knew that every second of every day.

Shay and Austin nodded in agreement. “Absolutely,” they said in unison.

“Now what?” Austin looked down at his joined hand and then grabbed mine with his free hand. “What do we do?”

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I have meaningful, deep conversations like this, I always like to end with a kiss.” It was my first conversation even close to this one, but I couldn’t think of anything other than tasting their lips, so it wasn’t a lie.

Austin grinned. “Then…who would you like to kiss, Briar?” Shay asked.

“Both of you. And also, maybe just watch the two of you kiss.”

“All around kissing,” Austin chuckled. “Works for me.”

Worked for me, too.