Page 22 of Breaking the Surface
Peter snickered.“Doesn’t it?I couldn’t believe it when I saw you.I didn’t realize it the day of the move because I was so busy obsessing over Lou, but yeah.You’re my mate.”
Braden inched closer to Peter.Peter was still holding his wrist, and Braden reached over to gently stroke his cheek.“You know that I don’t expect anything from you, right?I’m just glad that you trust me and I’m here to protect you.”
“But you’re my mate.You know what that means.”
“I do.I know what it means, and I know what I want, but none of that matters.Youmatter, and whatever you want is what we’ll do.”He couldn’t imagine that it would be easy for Peter to trust anyone after Lou, even his mate.It hurt Braden’s heart, but that didn’t mean he was going to step away from this.He and Peter shared a bond, and he had every intention of honoring it.
“Whatyouwant also matters,” Peter insisted.
“Well, what I want is for you to be happy.What I want is for you to trust me and be comfortable with me.If that’s all you can give me for now, it’s fine.I’ll be perfectly happy with that until you’re ready to give me more.”
“I just don’t want you to regret this.”
Peter’s voice was soft, and it hurt Braden to hear him like that.“I don’t see how I could ever regret it.I don’t want you to worry about any of this, Peter.I’m not in a rush.Whatever you want to give me, whatever you can give, I’ll take it.We can talk about this again once the mess with Lou is over, if you want, but I need you to know that I don’t expect anything from you.”
Braden felt Peter’s body relax and mentally patted himself on the shoulder for doing that.He hadn’t been lying.Whatever Peter was ready for, it was what Braden would give him.Yes, he hoped that Peter would eventually be ready for more than cuddling at night, but even if he never was, Braden didn’t care.They could build something anyway.Their relationship was theirs, and it didn’t have to be like anyone else’s.
It wouldn’t be.
Chapter Five
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PETER TOOK A STEP BACKto look at the wall.He cocked his head, wondering if they’d chosen the right color.“Do you like it?”he asked Braden.
There was a drop of paint on the tip of Braden’s nose, and Peter had to resist the urge to reach for him.He had no idea where the two of them stood.He’d told Braden they were mates, and Braden had accepted it with a smile before holding him while he slept.They hadn’t talked about it again, though, and Peter knew it was mostly his fault.Braden was letting him lead, but he had no ideawherehe was leading them.He had no idea what he was ready for or what he wanted.
Well, that wasn’t true.He knew exactly what he wanted.He just wasn’t sure he could have it, not yet, not when he was still terrified.
So, he and Braden had focused on renovating the house, almost as if they were going to stay indefinitely.It wasn’t like Peter had another home or an apartment to return to.Thiswashis home, and painting the walls was a small but sure way to make it feel more like his.Fully unpacking his stuff would help, too, but that felt like a step too far.It still didn’t feel completely real, especially with Braden still here.
Braden was still here because Lou was still out there.Of course, Lou would always be out there, but he was still coming after Peter.Peter had been right when he’d said that Lou seeing him with Braden would make things worse.He didn’t have his phone anymore, but from what Braden had told him, Lou hadn’t been shy with what he thought of Peter in his texts.
Peter didn’t want to read them.He didn’t want anything to do with Lou, not again, not ever.He wished Loureallywould disappear from the surface of the earth, but unfortunately for him, that wasn’t how things worked.At least being sat on by a phoenix shifter had scared Lou enough that he hadn’t tried getting to Peter again.
For now.
Braden joined Peter to look at the wall.He was clearly humoring Peter, but Peter liked it.He liked everything about Braden.He might be terrified of what might happen next and of investing in their relationship, but he knew that Braden was nothing like Lou.Logically, it was obvious, but his heart still skipped a beat when Braden moved too fast, and he knew that it would take him some time to get over it.
He’d been afraid that Braden wouldn’t like that, but he should have known better.Braden never pushed for more.He never made Peter uncomfortable.He was just there, giving him time and space, but also reminding him that if he needed anything, he just had to ask for it.He cooked Peter meals, held him after he had nightmares, and had made himself indispensable.Peter didn’t know what his life would look like if it didn’t have Braden in it, and even though he knew it was because they were mates, it was still hard to believe.He hadn’t known this man until a few weeks ago, and now, he was the center of his universe.
Part of that was because of Lou.Peter barely left the house in case Lou managed to get into pack territory again.He would eventually, and everyone wanted to be cautious so that Peter wouldn’t get hurt when it happened.Peter had already been angry with Lou, but he was starting to be furious because he felt like a prisoner.Renovating the house was helping with that feeling, but there was only so much he and Braden could do, especially without talking about why they were doing it.
“I like it,” Braden said.“You were right.It fits the room.”
Peter had chosen a soft sage green for the living room.Braden had mentioned that he thought blue would have worked, too.They hadn’t argued over the choice, mostly because Braden had said that he liked green, but Peter was relieved that he actually liked it and hadn’t been saying it just to make him happy.
Because this felt like more than painting the walls.It felt like they were building something, and Peter was afraid to.They were making the house belong to them, and for Peter, that was perfectly fine, but what about Braden?He’d mentioned that he’d been thinking about moving closer to the pack, but what did he think about it now that he knew he had a mate?
Peter had many questions, and he knew that Braden would answer them if he asked, but he was also scared.The problem was that he wasalwaysscared.He hated that Lou had done this to him, but he wasn’t sure how to deal with it.How could he get over it?Even knowing that Braden was nothing like Lou wasn’t really helping.
“So, what color do you think we should paint the kitchen?”Braden asked, gently knocking their shoulders together.
Peter shrugged.“I think the kitchen has more problems than just needing a coat of paint.”
“Oh?What would you want to fix in there, then?”
Peter opened his mouth to tell Braden his plans for the kitchen, but a knock on the front door interrupted them.They weren’t expecting anyone, but Peter told himself not to freak out.He didn’t have a reason to.Vincent visited almost every day, so it was probably him, but Peter’s heart still raced, silently telling him that Lou was here and he needed to run.
