"Close your eyes."
I complied and squeezed my eyes shut. Rayne said he had a surprise for me and I was eager to see what it was. He grabbed my hand and led us away from the living room after the gathering dispersed. We stopped for a moment and I felt myself being lifted off my feet. My eyes shot wide open as we ascended up the grandeur staircase, with Rayne carrying me bridal style.
"Eyes closed Ashlyn." He reprimanded. I sighed then closed my eyes and focused on his smooth motions up the stairs. He carried me as if I weighed nothing because of his enhanced strength.
"Can I have a hint about where we're going?" I whined, I didn't like being kept out of the loop!
"Nope." He replied popping the 'p'.
After a few more minutes, we finally stopped and he set me down carefully on my feet. I opened my eyes a little . We were on his side of the house and before he could check if I was peeking, I shut my eyes quickly.
"Good girl." He said pinching my cheek.
I stuck my tongue out at him briefly as he pulled me along. Because of his tall stature, he took several long strides and it only took us a few seconds to come to a halt again. I heard the sound of a door being unlocked and he led us inside, shutting the door behind him.
"Open your eyes." he said wrapping his arms around my waist from behind me.
I gasped as I took in my surroundings. We were in a huge master bedroom with a french door balcony directly in front of us. I walked over to see what awaited me outside. It revealed the horizon to a coastal beachy area that was a fair distance away.
"Welcome to our new bedroom." He said grinning. I turned to face him and gasped.
"This is for us!?" I said in awe as I continued to look around the grand room.
It had sandy brown walls, dark brown furniture, a large flat screen TV in the center of the front wall above a shelf that had the cablebox and other appliances on it. On the other wall to the left there was a stone fire place, a futon and coffee table by the french doors, and a huge king sized bed with cremé satin sheets in the middle of the room on the back wall. In the center of the ceiling, there was a crystal clear chandelier with a cascading design, giving the room a touch of wealth. The floors were marble with a peach tint and black specs in them. The bed had a sheer golden canopy that canvassed the top of the bed, giving it a romantic feel. What stuck out to me was that on the bed there was a bouquet and rose petals spread out. I turned to face my body towards his and placed kisses all over his face.
"I love it, it's perfect!" I said inbetween kisses.
I pulled back to gaze into his eyes that were swirling with joy and relief.
"I'm glad you do, I designed it just for my baby," I grinned and kissed him again.
"I love it, I really do. What are you going to do with your old room?" I asked.
"It's a guest room now." He replied indifferently.
He then placed a kiss on my forehead then walked over to the bed to pick up the large bouquet of red roses, my favorite flowers. He handed them to me with a pink tint hovering on his cheeks.
"For you,"
I'm pretty sure I was beaming from ear to ear. Nothing could top how happy I was feeling at this moment. He did all of this for me, to make sure we'd live comfortably together. How could I not be happy? He was the epitome of romantic. I took the bouquet from his hands and put them to my nose. I took a deep whiff, appreaciating the fresh scent.
"They're beautiful babe," I said appreciatively, still overwhelmed by how much he's done for me. He smirked at me.
"Not as beautiful as you," I chuckled as my cheeks heated up involuntarily.
"Cheeseball." I muttered underneath my breath.
•••
We spent the last hour and a half unpacking the final boxes of my items into the new furniture dressers and closets. Apparently, I had my own walk in closet. I walked in and flipped the light switch to be greeted by racks of clothing and as I stepped in further, a rack of shoes. I swear my mouth dropped to the floor as I oogled the clothing on the racks. It was an arrangment of dresses, coats, blouses, skirts, and denim jeans. They were all in my perfect size and I stared in complete astonishment. They were expensive, I knew that for sure. I saw familiar brands like Céline and Prada. This was like my own fashion haven and I wanted to slap myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. There was a gold card attached to a piece of clothing in the middle and I opened it carefully.
"Ashlyn, Since you're going to be a Luna I thought you'd like to dress like one.
Enjoy honey-Aria" I squealed as I read the note over again. Aria did this for me?? I have to thank her when I see her. To say I felt special was an understatement. My head was about to burst from all this air going into it. First, a surprise party, Second, a new master bedroom, Third, a brand new wardrobe?!Rayne's family all went through their way to make me feel welcome and for that, I'd be forever grateful. I remember back to when Aria said she already considered me part of the family and it was a day after she'd met me. They all accepted me unconditionally and knowing that made my heart pulse with gratitude. Deciding to move in with Rayne was probably the best choice I've ever made in a long time. I moved into a home with people who welcomed me with open arms and the uttermost respect.
Walking out of the closet, I joined Rayne who was sitting on the edge of the bed running his fingers through his hair. He looked as if something was bothering him but his expression changed once he saw me.
"I see you enjoyed my mothers welcoming gift judging by that creepy smile on your face." He said slyly.
I hadn't realized that I was still smiling so I quickly clamped my lips shut. He laughed at my realization and I walked over to clamp his lips shut inbetween my fingers. He forced his tongue out to lick my fingers and I recoiled in disgust at the feeling of saliva on my hand. The action made him laugh even harder and I tried my best to glare at him but it failed as the look of joy lighting up his features, caused my heart to swell and ultimately, join in laughter too.
My laughter abruptly stopped when he pulled me onto his lap. He adjusted me so I was now straddling him and his hands were firmly planted on my backside.
"I'm really happy that you're here baby." I placed my forehead onto his, embracing our closeness.
"I'm happy too, I really am." I replied softly.
He smiled as he placed his lips onto mine, kissing me slowly and passionately. I tilted my head to the side to deepen the kiss, earning a pinch on my left glute. We broke away for air, boring our gazes into one another.
In that moment, I knew that I made the best decision of my life to move in with the man I loved.
•••
Somewhere in Home Depot a week earlier...
Mahogany...ocean blue....lavender...AHA Yellow! Crap, I don't know what color she'd want the walls to be! I looked between the paint swatches in a last effort attenpt to try and choose the perfect color for the bedroom, I wanted it to be perfection for my Ashlyn. I sighed in frustration, running my hands through my hair as I sorted through another color palette.
"Look at this one honey!" My mother pointed at a sandy brown paint swatch.
I took a closer look and instanely pictured how it would look on the walls of the room I was decorating for Ashlyn and I. I don't know when, but I was definitely planning on asking her to move in with me. She was supposed to immediately after we met but our relationship was moving at a slow, sweet pace. I knew it was because we both were truly understanding what was happening. We were from two different worlds but yet, we were brought together by the approval of the goddess.
Not only that, but at a certain point in time I believed she didn't exist...Blair had only increased that void within me. She manipulated my vulnerability to convince me that the moon goddess had made a mistake in pairing her with evil man such as Christian, and that I was her true mate. I didn't have romantic feelings towards her, I couldn't for I wasn't meant to. I gave in anyways, I let my lonliness take over and drive me into her arms for that kiss, hoping that I would feel something that spark, to fill that deepening void within my heart. Once we kissed, I immediately recoiled from her, disgusted at what I had done. I didn't feel anything towards her as I had expected, but I let her persuasion and my desperation influence my actions. I don't think anyone will ever understand how lonely I was. Seeing my mother and father's relationship made me crave for my own Mate that I could take care of and spoil, lead my pack with and carry my pups. Seeing Nathan and Kassidy's relationship made me realize that I was missing out on such young passion and adventure for nearly 5 years of my life. The way their eyes shined with joy when they looked at each other, I wanted that and more for my Mate and I. I wanted to look at her like that too, proud to have her all to myself . For a werewolf, 5 years is the equivalent of 3 months but for me, it felt like an eternity, constantly seeking out the face of the woman that was made for you.
Then, I finally met her. As soon as I saw her, it was done. I was never going to let her go, I was going to protect her, cherish her, and love her with every fiber of my being. I was finally coming to terms with the fact that I was worthy and capable of love, meeting Ashlyn proved it.
God I loved this girl.
It was strange because I couldn't even put it into words what exactly I loved about her, it was too much at once. Her laugh, her smile, that fire in her eyes when she puts her mind to something, the feel of her hands on my skin, her lips upon mine.....My wolf growled in satisfaction at the thought.
"Earth to Rayne!!" My mother waved her hand in front of my face, snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked rapidly then looked at her.
"Sorry ma...I was thinking about-"
"Ashlyn? Our should I say my future daughter in law? You guys need to hurry up and mate I want to be buried up to my neck in grandpups!" She said dreamily.
My cheeks heated up, probably now red at the thought of mating with Ashlyn. I was more than ready to but she was harder to read. That's one of the most addictive qualities about her, you can never tell what she's thinking or what she's feeling unless you really tried. Her mind was like the great unknown. Her emotions however, were very readable if I expended enough mental energy on her. You can't feel anothers emotions readily, it takes supernatural strength in order to slip past emotional barriers. Hers were stronger than most for some reason I noticed. She was open around people she was comfortable with I noticed. Around me, she was carefree and spoke her mind, she put things into a different perspective that captured me when she spoke. I'll be honest, she did blurt out a lot of strange things from time to time, but it was cute I have to admit.
Overall, I came to a conclusion after these revelating thoughts.
This room had to be perfect.
Taking the sandy brown swatch from my mothers hand, I took a long glance at it before grabbing two cans of paint in the same color.
"This is perfect ma, she'll love it."