Dannika Dark - Six Months

Reno sat up, grabbed my legs, and turned me so that I was straddling him. He wrapped the blanket around my back and slipped his arms around my waist.

“Just so we have a few things straight, princess, I’m turning your old bedroom into a reading room. When our pack gets bigger and we have to give up the room, then the lounge downstairs will be your library and you’ll have your own time where you can close the door and no one will bother you. I’ll put locks on the damn door if I have to. You’re also going to learn to ride a motorcycle, because bikes are my life and I want to share that with you. Even if it’s just taking a spin around the property, I want you to learn to handle something powerful without fear. I’m also going to show you a little self-defense because women should know how to take care of themselves.”

I kissed his cheek as he spoke, making my way to the other side.

“Like I said a while back, we’re done with all the belts and tying up. Obviously we both like to be in control, but we can work out our needs together. I still work as a PI, and if I have to leave town, then Trevor is going to look after you. If it’s something serious, you see Austin.”

Wow, he was getting serious with the talk. I told him I loved him, and he was planning out our days together.

“Next summer, I’m taking you on a trip to Hawaii.”

“What?” I exclaimed and laughed all at once. “That’s not necessary.”

“Oh? Humans take vacations all the time. When’s the last time you had one? Plus, I want to see that gorgeous body in a bikini.”

“Ah, now I’m beginning to see the big picture,” I said with a giggle, kissing his chin and ruffling my hands through his short hair. “I have a few conditions of my own.”

His brow quirked. “Oh?”

“Every so often, I want you to skip a shave or two. I like your stubble.”

“Done.”

“I’m also a little messier than you, and I’ll try to pick up, but don’t get all neat-freak on me and start lining up my shoes. My sister has OCD and if you don’t keep that under control, it can take over. I’m not saying you have it, I’m just pointing out that I’ve never seen a man neatly line up packages of gum on his dresser like you do. I also want you to teach me how to play horseshoes.”

He smiled. “Is that so?”

“Yeah. I’m having fun learning all these new things. I want to be good at something.”

“Oh, you’re good at something,” he said suggestively, waggling his brows. “I like it when you nibble on my ear. Maybe you can do some of that later on.”

I slipped my arms beneath his and held on to my man so tight I could feel his heartbeat. His warmth surrounded me like the Pacific sun melting across tranquil waters. Reno kissed the top of my head and began rocking the swing again. Inside the house, Maizy was singing a Christmas song and Ivy joined in.

Someday I would die before Reno’s time. I didn’t understand Breed magic enough to speculate how his body would age, although from what he said, everyone is different and it was quite possible we could grow old together.

So I gave it some thought and concluded that I couldn’t plan our relationship on sex. If I ended up sixty and he still looked thirty, the intimacy we shared would be nonexistent.

But after it’s all said and done, don’t you want to grow old with your best friend? At the end of the day, that’s who you want to share your life and laughter with. Someone who will be there in hard times to hold you tight. Someone who will fight for your honor and support your decisions. Someone who will encourage your dreams and help you to fulfill them.

Do I think I’ll be having great sex all the way into my eighties? Probably not. But I’ll have someone there to make me bacon and tell me I’m beautiful. Someone to sit on the porch beside me and listen to the crickets in the summertime while we share a glass of lemon tea, talking about old times.

And I’m okay with that.

I’m more than okay with that.

I hate that I won’t be there for him after I’m gone, but Reno will find himself a woman one day—maybe a Shifter. Perhaps I’ll play a part in helping him become a man who is finally ready to make decisions about adoption and having a family of his own. Or maybe he’ll finally realize that giving a woman babies is not what defines him as a man. The courage to love is.

Nothing lasts forever. But maybe I can carry a little piece of that happiness in my pocket for as long as I’m here.

Just like Reno carried that earring.