Romance Rules for Werewolves (Charming Cove, #3)(69)

“I know. But the house is finished. I can come back in time to meet the solicitor, but your family has waited long enough.”

“You’re right.” Guilt flashed on his face. “They know I’m alive. A pack can feel when it loses a member. But all the same, I should go see them. I want to go see them.”

“Definitely.” I grinned at him.

“Come with me.”

I drew in a shuddery breath. I’d been hoping he would ask. I’d even spoken like I planned to go. But I loved hearing that he wanted me there. “I’ll get packed for the night. Shall we meet in an hour and go? We’ll make it there by evening if there isn’t too much traffic.”

“Okay.” He reached for my hands and squeezed them. “Thank you, Isobel.”

“It was nothing.” I stepped back, about to go.

He tightened his grip, his gaze intense. “It was everything.”

I drew in a shuddery breath and nodded. There was nothing I could say to that.

He released my hands, and I hurried upstairs to pack a bag. On my way back down, I heard a car in the drive. When I went outside, I saw that Emma, Holly, Aria, and Tabitha had arrived. They climbed out of Aria’s car.

“Hello!” Emma waved a bunch of flowers at me.

Tabitha hurried around the side of the car, a big white bakery box clutched in her hands. I spotted Margot’s logo on the side.

“What are you guys doing here?” I asked, smiling as they approached.

“We came to see the house!” Emma shoved the bouquet at me. “I heard from Vivienne that the furniture is all in and the place is done!”

“It is.” I grinned. I still had about twenty minutes before we were meant to go to Wales. “I can show you really quickly. Come on.”

I led them up the hill to the house, letting them in through the beautiful blue front door. We’d painted it a glossy navy, and it looked gorgeous with the fall wreath hanging on the front.

The main foyer gleamed—everything from the newly varnished wooden floors to the shining light fixtures. Vivienne’s beautiful old side table sat against the wall, an antique lamp on the top. I would put the bouquet on that table as soon as I had a vase.

“It’s gorgeous,” Emma breathed.

“Let me show you the rest.” I led them on a tour of the house, and my soul lit up with happiness as we walked into each room. Every window had a view of the sea or the green hills, and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was.

As for the house? It was clearly happy with its new paint and varnished floors and properly sealed roof. The beautiful kitchen and baths suited the traditional style of the house, but they now had all the amenities that had been lacking before.

I could have stayed here all night, looking at every new feature, but the hour was nearly up, and I needed to meet Rafe.

I turned to my friends. “I’ve got to go, but you guys stay here as long as you like. There’s even milk in the fridge for tea.”

“Where are you going?” Tabitha asked.

“Rafe and I are headed to Wales to meet his family.”

Aria gasped. “He agreed to go?”

“Yep.” I’d told them about our progress when they’d come over last Thursday for a girls’ night of wine and painting the last guest bedroom. “I think I’ll meet his parents.”

Holly blew out a breath. “That’s a big deal.”

“I know.” I shook my head. “But it’s not like it’s going to work out, so I’m just thinking of it as a friends thing.”

“Not going to work out?” Emma sounded appalled. “I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

“Yeah, but he’s going to move back to Wales to be with his family. He already told me. And I’m not leaving Charming Cove.” I looked around the gorgeous blue living room in which we stood. “This is my home. And anyway, he hasn’t asked me to go with him.” Not that I would. I just couldn’t give up the life I was meant to have—not for a man. Not again. “It’s okay, though. I’m getting my life together. I’m happy.”

“You definitely have your life together.” Aria gestured to the house around us. “And Hazel wants you to formally join the coven once your house is approved and you’re an official resident of Charming Cove.”

I smiled, pleasure rushing through me. It was just one more reason I couldn’t leave. I had a life here. Friends, a house, a job. It was more than I’d ever had before.

Everything was working out…except for the one thing that mattered the most.





Chapter

Twenty-Nine





Isobel



Rafe’s pack lived in a seaside village about fifty miles from the stone circle where Coraline had cursed him. The drive was just as long as it had been the first time we’d gone to Wales, but the vibe was very different. There was silence, but it was heavy with anticipation.

By the time we pulled into the village where his family lived, I was nearly shaking with anxiety. The village itself was lovely, with a row of small cottages along the rocky coast and a village shop that had a pub on one side. It was far smaller than Charming Cove, but it was just as beautiful in its own way.

No wonder he’d ended up in Charming Cove—he was drawn to the sea.