Everything That You Are (27 page)

Beautiful.

“We’ll blame it on Nick and his wonderful gift.” The burst of happiness that came from
Kaden
shot through him like lightning as the man released another peal of laughter so amazing, it caught his breath in his throat.

“Come on, mate. Clean me up.”
Kaden
pulled him from the bed and led him into the bathroom, where they got into the shower together. They took their time washing each other thoroughly, enjoying the way their emotions bounced from one to the other. The moment they stepped out, a loud knock on the door ended their intentions of holding off the party for another twenty minutes.

“Don’t make me come in there after you boys. Neither one of you has anything I haven’t seen before, so if you think your bare butts are going to put me off, think again,
” Katherine
yelled through the door. “And if I see one wrinkle in the suits I made for both of you, I’ll haunt you after I die!”

Kaden
laughed again, so loudly that Michael had to kiss him to cut off his outburst. He growled against his lips, “She may love you too much to kill you, but I don’t think I’d be that lucky. Now shut up and get your sexy ass back in your suit so we can go.” He broke off the kiss and smacked his mate’s delectable backside before going to the closet to retrieve his own outfit.

He slipped on his suit quickly and made sure that he was at the door to their bedroom before
Kaden
eventually managed to pull himself away from his reflection in the dresser mirror to proclaim that he was ready.

Some may call that vanity, but it had taken him more than two weeks to convince his mate that the reflected image he saw in the mirror was one that Michael adored more than anything else in his life. And so, his boy primped and preened just for him. And he enjoyed every moment of watching him learn to love the person he was, inside and out.

When
Kaden
skipped to him and bounced on the balls of his feet, barely able to contain his happiness, Michael grinned and had to press down on his shoulders to keep him still.

“Slow down there, pup. There’s something that I want to ask you before we go to our celebration.”

Kaden’s
face instantly dropped its mirth and his emotions of worry and fear lanced through Michael’s chest like knives tearing at his heart.
“No, baby.
Please don’t worry.” He pulled a small, flat box from his left jacket pocket and awkwardly pressed it into
Kaden’s
hand. “I know you like it out at Henry’s ranch, and now that you can take wolf form, it’s easy for you to travel back and forth…”

Kaden
snorted. “Don’t you mean us? You haven’t let me travel alone once since I started training the horses again.”

Michael narrowed his eyes in mock offence at the interruption but only got a smirk for his effort.

“As I was saying, I was wondering if I could talk you into staying here.
Working here.”
He held up his hand at the protest about to jump from his mate’s mouth. “The guys and I have already started plans to build a stable and corral behind the house after we relocate some of the trees in that area.

“Henry agreed to let you transport the horses you’re currently working with so that you can train them here. ‘Course you’ll have to take Missy with you. Mrs
Connel
threatened me in no uncertain terms that our lives would be at stake if we didn’t bring your sister to visit. Henry also said he knows of a few other ranchers that would appreciate your services.”

Michael reached to the almost-forgotten box in the man’s hand and opened it, pulling out a large Ford key. “And this is the key to a truck with a trailer already attached so that you can drive the horses back and forth from the ranches. All I need to know is if you’re okay with this.”

Kaden
stood with his jaw open, eyes bulging, for so long that Michael was starting to get nervous. He wanted to touch him but had to know that whatever answer the boy gave was made in honesty, without his influence.

“Baby?”

“That’s way too much. I can’t let you do that.”

“That’s not what I asked. If I do set everything up, will you stay here with me? Train them here?”

“Well yeah, but…”

Michael swept him up in a fierce hug, squeezing the next protest out of him. “Please accept this, because I need you. I love you, for everything that you are.
My heart, my salvation, my mate.”

Kaden
sighed and melted into him. “Yes, and I love you, too.”