It was the only reason they hadn’t headed straight back to their mate. If Xavier was going to face that sort of opposition from his own mother, he needed time to solidify his feelings about Andrea first.
“You missed a semicolon,” Isaac said as he pointed out the problem line in several pages of code.
“Thanks,” Daegan said, finally able to see the flaw in his program. He tried to hide his annoyance, but it was getting frustrating that Isaac seemed to be even more focused on work than usual when Daegan felt like his life was falling apart. Without his mate by his side, everything was starting to feel pointless.
“I think we should head back tonight,” Isaac said casually. “Most of what we’re doing at the moment can be done off-site. If we take our laptops, we should be able to get some work done while we’re there.”
“I want to,” Daegan said, not trying to hide the leap in his enthusiasm. Just the thought of seeing Andrea and he could already feel the knot of tension in his chest starting to loosen. “But I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Xavier needs the time with her.”
“I’ll call Xavier first, but it might be the last chance the four of us get to spend some quality time together far away from the concerns of pack life.”
“Good point,” Daegan said with a nod as a niggle of concern zipped through him. Even though they were brothers and knew each other well, it was probably a good idea to sort out any issues early. With even their own mother convinced that Xavier should mate with a born werewolf—and there was no way she was the only one to think that— they needed to present a united front to the rest of the pack.
* * * *
“I can’t go back, can I?”
The question was so out of the blue that Xavier wasn’t sure what topic Andrea was discussing. “Back where, sugar?”
“Back to the quiet life I built here.”
He wanted to lie. He wanted to tell her exactly what he thought she wanted to hear, but his innate honesty wouldn’t let him shield her from the truth. “No, Andrea. You can’t go back.”
“It’s kind of funny,” she said as she packed away some of the tools she’d been using to repair several watches that seemed old enough to be family heirlooms. “Two weeks ago I would have said I’m perfectly happy here. Hell, a week ago I was willing to fight tooth and nail to get back here, but now…” She ran a hand through her hair in a clear sign of her agitation. “Now, I don’t feel like I fit here any longer.”
He stepped over to where she sat perched on the stool. He could feel her sadness and wanted nothing more than to take it away for her, but he stayed quiet and simply wrapped his arms around her from behind. She curled her hands around one of his arms and rested her face on his bicep. They stayed that way for a long while, simply holding each other.
“In some ways it’s sort of fitting. Like a type of cosmic balance.”
“How so?” he asked.
“Without Isaac and Daegan I would have died, and my life here would have been over anyway. By making me a werewolf, they gave me a second chance at life.” She slid off the stool and turned in his arms. “A second chance at happiness. A second chance at having my own family.”
Xavier’s wolf spun crazy, happy circles in his head, the thought of having pups with his beautiful mate surprising him by how much he wanted it.
“What about your jewelry?” She’d given up so much of herself in her first marriage. He never wanted her to feel that she should subjugate her own wants and desires. There were some things simply beyond their control, but for the rest he’d make certain she had choices.
“I can make jewelry anywhere. Jessie seemed quite interested the other night at dinner. Maybe I can fill special orders for the pack for a while.” She rubbed her face along his collarbone, subconsciously marking him with her scent without even knowing it. “Maybe one day, when my wolf is under control I can open a shop again.”
“What about this one?”
“My lease is up next Thursday,” she said with a smile in her voice. “First night of the full moon. Kind of ironic, huh?”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“Actually, I’m not. I was supposed to sign the new lease last Monday evening, but I kind of missed my appointment. You know with the ‘being shot’ and all.”
Hell, maybe fate or karma or, fuck, some of the mating legends were indeed true. His wolf yipped in his mind, demanding he claim her immediately, but Xavier held back, willing to wait an extra night until his brothers could join him. She was mate to all of them, and he wanted, in their relationship at least, for all three brothers to be equals.