* * * *
Faith couldn't believe all she had just been told. She should be angry that they had tricked her into coming home, but how could she be anything but filled with love after that confession?
"I don't mind going to some parties or fundraisers. I love you. I want you to be happy too. I'm not thrilled you all tricked me, but I know it was done with good intentions."
They sat for a while just hugging, snuggling, and talking about old times.
Bengie came in later yelling, "Arden's in the car. He said Jamie's going to come around tomorrow to play video games with me and help you find a job." He stopped yelling when he came upon them. He smiled. "I got a new game, Star Wars." He ran to his room saying, "I'm going to go play it."
Kane kissed her. "He's so big I'm scared to think what's going to happen when he hits puberty."
Faith laughed.
* * * *
The next morning came way too early. At six o'clock the alarm went off, and Faith groaned. "Noooo, don't take away my heater, the best pillow ever."
Kane chuckled. "I'm glad to know I'm needed for something."
Faith snuggled into his chest.
"Princess, I would love to spend another day with you, but we're swamped at work. I already had five days off, people pulling doubles for me, I'm going to owe some favors."
Faith groaned again, clinging to him harder for a second. "Go." She clung to him a moment or two longer, then reluctantly let him go.
Kane kissed her lips. "I love waking up to you on top of me. I think I found my little piece of heaven."
Faith smiled and pushed Kane away. "Go to work."
Faith fell back to sleep and woke a couple of hours later to loud whispers.
"She's had a busy couple of days, let her sleep."
"But she wanted to be up early so she could call about jobs."
Faith put the pillow over her face, moaning. She pulled it off and yelled, "I'm up. Give me ten to fifteen minutes."
Twenty-five minutes later, she was ringing around for a job and faxing resumes. She practiced calling up a vision then later calling up one and holding it off. By late afternoon she had a job at the after school care she'd worked at for six months before she left the country. They wanted her to start tomorrow. Faith was so excited about getting a job she went out to get groceries so she could cook a celebration dinner-roast chicken, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkin. She was even going to make a chocolate cake.
Jamie came in as she was putting the chicken in the oven.
"Are we celebrating something?"
"Several things, actually, like Kane and I becoming mates, me having a brother, and me getting a job."
Jamie grinned. "That's great, but I still think I would have made a better mate for you."
Faith smiled. "You know I love you, Jamie, but I'm not in love with you. That kiss we had was nice but nothing sparked. Trust me, you're going to love your mate, all my werewolves are."
Jamie stared at her as she walked away.
* * * *
Kane loved his job, but today had felt like a whole week of days rolled into one. He couldn't wait to get home to Faith. He'd had to take off his watch so he stopped counting down the hour, minutes, and seconds before he could go home. He'd even turned down a double shift, which he never did. His work mates were shocked, but Kane was determined to be home by six o'clock at the latest. As he was getting ready to leave a close friend and colleague, Dr. Jerome Stark, came up behind him.
"I just heard the funniest thing-you're not pulling a double. Are you sick?" He made a show of touching Kane's forehead.
Kane chuckled. "No, I just want to get home."
Jerome's brows furrowed as he shook his head. "The nurses said you've been acting weird. What's up? You hate going home. To quote what you said last week, ‘to a big, empty house'."
Kane grinned. "It's not empty anymore."
Jerome sighed. "Please don't tell me you sold that ginormous, beautiful house, because I know for a fact you built that house for someone you call princess."
Kane frowned, he didn't know he had mentioned Faith. "I said that?"
"A couple of times, although after saying it you shook your head and corrected yourself by saying you'd built it for your future wife."
Kane was shocked. "Oh, I didn't sell it. My princess is in it. I mat...married her."
Jerome nodded, then yelled when the last of what he'd said sunk in. "What! You married the princess, the one you're always talking about?"
Kane suppressed a growl at Jerome. "I do not always talk about her. In fact, I didn't even know I did talk about her."
Jerome laughed. "Well, you do. It's odd, I don't even think you realize you're doing it."
"She came back from overseas. I kind of didn't give her a chance to say no to me."
Jerome smiled. "Go home, I'll cover you if they need you for anything."
"Thanks, buddy. I owe you one."
"Yeah, yeah. You know, one of these days I'm going to find out her real name."
Kane laughed as he headed for his car.
* * * *
As soon as Kane opened his car door, the sweet aroma of a roast dinner hit him. He rushed inside to find Jamie and Bengie playing video games. He walked to the kitchen to see the most delectable sight-Faith's lush arse sticking out of the oven as she turned potatoes and added garlic bread.
Without saying a word, she shut the oven, turned, and jumped up on him, wrapping her legs around him. She bit his earlobe and whispered, "You're early."
He groaned as she sealed her lips over his. Her hands came up to tug on his hair, and he moved his hands down to cup her arse, kneading it. Faith moaned into his mouth, kissing him like she hadn't seen him in days. They broke away, panting, when the oven timer went off.
She whispered in his ear what she had on underneath her clothes. "I have a matching black lace set on. Wanna guess if it's got bows?"
He growled through clenched teeth as she moved away from his arms back to the oven.
"Well, so much for that hot shower I've been looking forward to all day. Now I will be having a cold shower."
She giggled at him.
* * * *
After dinner Kane finally got rid of Jamie, shoving him outside with a piece of cake. Jamie laughed, saying he would be back tomorrow. When Kane came back in Faith was sitting on the lounge reading a book. He picked her up, sitting her on his lap. She placed her book on the coffee table and snuggled into him. Kane hugged her closer, trying to say what he had to say carefully.
"You start work tomorrow. I know you want to work. I have no problem with it, but I am glad it's only part time."
She glared at him.
"Before you get angry, all I'm saying is I think it would be best for you as you have been getting visions." He held up his hand so he could finish. "I know you can look after yourself, but I'll still worry."
She kissed him slowly before saying, "It should be fine. It's only at the after school program, which is ages six and up."
"Just don't overdo it."
Faith nodded.
He debated if he should tell her what he had been thinking of doing as he hadn't fully decided himself yet. Hugging her tighter to him, he blurted out, "I'm thinking I might stop working at the hospital and become a local doctor, maybe not even full time, join a clinic three to four days a week."
* * * *
Faith was shocked. She knew Kane loved working in the fast pace of the emergency room.
"But you love your job."
"I did before I had you. One of the reasons I loved that job so much was because I thought it kept me so busy I didn't even think about you, but today I was told I talked about you quite a bit. I hated coming home to this empty house, but tonight I couldn't get away from the hospital fast enough. I had to take off my watch to stop checking the time."
He moved her so her legs straddled him. Faith stared into his eyes and chewed on her bottom lip, trying to decide how to word what she wanted to say. "I don't want to be the reason you resign from your job. If it makes you happy, I'm sure we can figure something out, like cutting back on your hours or maybe-"
Kane captured her mouth before she could continue. He groaned against her lips, and she slid her hands up and under his shirt, hugging him to her. Kane gently gathered her hands, moving them behind her before he ended their kiss and eased down her body, worshipping her. When he reached her belly button he paused and looked up at her as he said, "Bengie asleep?" He placed feathered kisses on her stomach, which sent butterflies coursing through her. She groaned when he stopped to add, "What do you want to do?"