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Taking a deep breath, she went into the front roohted in living with Nate and wanted toa bit overboard The man loved her He couldn’t care less if the pilloere skewed or dinner was late

She smelled Nathan’s wild masculine scent before he knocked Her heart tripped a beat Thinking he must have his hands full, she pulled the door open "Nathan, what - " Her eyes dropped to the flowers in his arold streaks that shiht you’d like these," he said, the cat in his voice

She touched a hesitant finger to one perfect petal "For rowl than anything close to hu other wo her head, she looked up into the velvet blue of his eyes "You think I’irl?"

"Hell yes" He put them into her arms and wiped away the tear she hadn’t been aware of shedding "Stop that" She sniffed, staring at those precious flowers Orchids Nathan had given her orchids Rare and precious and beautifulthe kind of flowers a s

"Thank you"

"You can thank ainst her ear "When I peel this sexy dress off you" He was behind her now, his hands caressing her hips as he pulled her back against his body "Or maybe I’ll leave the dress on and only take off the underwear"

"You’reme blush" It was a playful rejoinder - she loved his earthy sensuality

"A dress gives a man ideas" He nibbled at her earlobe

Her srin as her heart filled with so ht it would burst "What if I took off everything but the heels?" He groaned "Put the damn orchids in water"

"They need tender care," sheanother petal

"Yes" He kissed the curve of her neck "But I want to take care of you Let me"

She blinked No one had ever offered to take care of her She was the pack healer - she took care of everyone else But Nate thought she was an orchid kind of girl She had the wondrous realization that, to him, that ho she’d always been He saw the woman behind the healer Another tear streaked down her cheek "Always"

His arht

BY the ti was a dim memory The Psy had re behind only the ornahts Tah the chosen fir had no lack of decorations - every one of her packmates had added a piece or ten, so that by Christmas Day, that tree was truly the pack’s Christht Shayla would have been pleased So ed by what had happened, but at least this silly extravagant tree had brought some joy back into their lives They held the Christmas party under its snow-dusted branches and it was there that Lachlan for

"For avetinsel

He slid his hands down to her lower back "I vote for the cabin in Tahoe"

She laughed "What are we going to tell our children when they ask about ourif we pick Tahoe? Hmm?"

"That DarkRiver looks after its own" Sadie’s, Cian’s, and even Nita’s interference had been born of the ties of Pack, and Nate accepted it "And that their daddy was a stupid idiot, but one who came to his senses in time" Nate wondered what their cubs would look like Not that he was going to ask Tammy to have children anytime soon

She was only nineteenand part of hi ht, he decided to believe in happy endings "Want a replay?"

"Of the orchids?"

It was such an innocent question he almost missed the mischief in her eyes

"I’ll make you pay for that" He stroked his hand over her bottom

"Behave," she whispered with a blush "The others will see"

"So?" He turned her until her back was to the tree "I’ withup under his sweater "I want the replay with creaht those cans of whipped cream?" Eyes wide, she licked her lips "Me first"

Happiness Epilogue

Eighteen Years Later: Year 2079

"WHERE’S THE WHIPPED cream?" Nate kissed his way down the naked line of his lanced over her shoulder, beautiful enough to steal his breath