Twenty-Two

“Sure you three can’t stay longer?” Dimitri asked as Fitz tossed another suitcase in the trunk of his car. “I mean, now that the excitement is over, we can spend time catching up.”

Fitz slammed the trunk closed and turned to lean back on it, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Trust me, I’d love doing just that, but I need to figure out what Dad was doing back at home with the Order of Wardens. Dad had to be into some shady dealings, and I need to know what the company is facing.”

Dimitri nodded. “I get it. Just don’t try to do it all on your own.”

“Like he’d have a choice,” Mandy said as she and Kinsey left the cabin to join them, Adira and Lainie beside them. Mandy’s arm was in a sling to help protect her wound. Thanks to her shifter blood, she would heal quicker than a human, but she still had to be careful and not overdo it. Their mother stayed at Dimitri’s cabin, deciding to visit her younger children since she was there and saw no need to rush home. Lainie had reached out to her mother when Daniel’s plan to kill Kinsey came out into the open, begging for her help to stop her father. However, as it turned out, Daniel was too far gone to be stopped. “The two of us are going to be stuck to him like glue until we figure all this out.”

Kinsey slid her arm around Mandy’s waist. “Of course, there will be plenty of other things to keep us occupied as well,” she said with a bounce of her brows. “Have you two ever done it at the office?”

“Stop!” Lainie said with upheld hands. “I don’t want to know about my brother’s sex life. It’s bad enough I have to hear this one’s as it is,” she said as she pointed to Dimitri, who just stood there grinning, not looking the least bit apologetic. “Have you two ever thought about sound proofing your cabin?”

Fitz laughed. “Are you sure? I mean, I’m sure the office has security cameras now thanks to Dad. We could send you some footage.”

“Gross,” Lainie said with a scrunched-up face and a shake of her head. “Just gross.” She leaned in and gave Mandy a gentle hug. “And with that image forever branded on my mind, I’m going to take my leave. I need to get back to the department and help with all the paperwork from yesterday’s chaos.” She hugged Kinsey and then stepped in front of her brother, her hands going to his arms. “I’m not only happy for you, but I’m proud of you as well. It took a lot of guts to do what you did, to stand up to our father and take over the family. I’d happily follow you anywhere.” She pulled him to her and hugged him tightly. “Except, don’t ever ask me to marry someone I don’t want. Or to leave here. Or to give up strawberry ice cream. Other than that, I’d follow you anywhere.”

Everyone chuckled as Fitz returned her hug. “I love you, too, Sis. Don’t worry. We’ll be back to visit.”

She nodded as she stepped back. “And we’ll be back to visit Draven Falls now that we can. Count on it.”

Everyone watched as she walked away, slid into her sheriff’s car, and drove away, Fitz smiling at the thought of family holidays once again. Nothing had been the same since his siblings left thanks to their father. Now, everything could return to normal. Well, not normal, but back to them being a family. He had missed that.

Adira walked over to Dimitri, and he slid his arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him. “So, what’s the plan for when you get back home?” Dimitri asked. “Seems Dad had his hands in more than just wood pulp and paper.”

Kinsey moved to one side of Fitz, and Mandy stood on his other, all of them leaning back on the car. Fitz shook his head. “To be honest, I’m not sure. I’m hoping to dig into Dad’s office and find a paper trail of sorts.”

Mandy giggled. “A paper trail at a paper mill. Ironic.”

Fitz leaned over and kissed the side of her head, his panther purring at the touch. When he looked back at his brother, he shrugged. “Dad said something about the Order using part of his land. I’ll do a search and see what’s out there. Hopefully, I can find it before Jeremiah uses his one phone call to have them clear out.”

“Still seems weird,” Kinsey said. “The Order and paranormals working together against paranormals. What would Stella Fletcher have to gain by tossing in with the likes of Jeremiah? Or your father for that matter? What could the Order possibly have that they would want?”

“One thing I’ve noticed by being alpha of Bull Creek is that hate finds hate,” Dimitri said. “They feed off each other. The ends don’t really matter or the goals, just that they both have something to hate together, a common enemy.”

“I suppose,” Kinsey said, and Fitz could tell by her expression that she still didn’t believe it was that simple.

He reached out and took her hand in his, squeezing it. “We’ll figure it out when we get back home.”

“I can’t wait,” she deadpanned.

Everyone just laughed.

“Well, we’ll let you finish up here,” Dimitri said as he moved from Adira’s side to start the hugs goodbye. “Be safe on the roads and let us know when you arrive home safely.”

“We will,” Fitz assured him. “And thanks for everything. All of you.”

They all made the rounds of hugs and well wishes, and then Adira and Dimitri slid into his truck, and Fitz watched them drive away. It didn’t feel like goodbye, however, but more like a new beginning.

“How much more do we have to get loaded?” he asked the ladies as he pushed himself off the trunk, eager for the trip to be over, but not to be parted from either one of them for too long. “Sucks that we have two cars.”

Mandy just grinned at him. “Well, Kinsey and I talked about that, and we figure we can all just rotate cars every time we have to stop. Then, we’ll all have plenty of time with each other.”

Kinsey placed a finger on Fitz’s chest, dragging it down across his abdomen to his crotch. “And time for whatever road fun we can have while your hands are busy on the steering wheel.”

Fitz sucked in a deep breath. “God, this trip is going to be the best ever.” Then, reality hit. “So, whose house do we go to when we get to Draven Falls? We never had time to figure out the logistics of our new relationship.”

Mandy shrugged. “I say we start over completely. It doesn’t matter whose house we go to when we get back home, but we all should look for a new home, one that belongs to all three of us. Otherwise, if we stay at mine, Kinsey may never feel like it’s truly hers, and vice versa if I go to hers.”

“And what about how I would feel?” Fitz asked with a slight chuckle.

Mandy waved off his question. “You’re the guy. You don’t count. This is a female thing.”

Kinsey nodded. “I like it. We’ll decorate it together, pull certain pieces of furniture from each of our homes that means something to us to use and replace everything else. We’ll find a blending of both of our tastes and make it a unique home that represents all of us.”

Fitz shook his head. “This is going to cost me.”

Mandy laughed as she patted his chest. “But just think, Kinsey and I are practically the same size, so you get two shirts when you buy one. Our wardrobes just doubled.”

“And I just love some of her outfits,” Kinsey said with a grin as she bounced a little in her excitement.

Fitz ran a hand through his hair. There was still so much to figure out to make the three of them work as one unit, and they were excited about sharing clothes.

Both women stood on either side of him. “Relax,” Mandy said. “The main thing is we’re together and safe. Everything else is just logistics. We’ll make it work. We’ve already got the best foundation—love.”

“And a family who supports us,” Kinsey added.

Both ladies leaned in and kissed his neck, moving upward until they could nibble his neck. “Oh, and did we mention the best sex ever,” Kinsey giggled.

“The best,” Mandy echoed. “Maybe we should postpone that road trip for just a little while longer.”

Fitz groaned as his cock stiffened in his pants. He sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “Yeah, um, let’s do that. I think I can clear it with the boss.”

Both girls giggled as they grabbed each other’s hands and skipped into the house.

Fitz stood there a second staring after them, smiling as he watched them bounce up the stairs and back into the cabin. This was more than he ever expected; more, he knew, than he ever deserved, and it was all his, two women who loved him as well as each other. He shook his head. Not the norm by any stretch of the means, but love is love, and he would bask in it for the rest of his life.

Both girls stopped at the front door, turning to him with impatience. “Are you joining us or what?” Kinsey asked.

“Don’t make us start without you,” Mandy added with a daring look.

Fitz just chuckled as he started toward the cabin, hoping they did start without him. Now, that would be a hot welcome home.