ANNA'S POV
"You have my number," my Mother spoke as she smushed my face together playfully. "Please call me every night. I just wish you could come with me, but I understand that your life is here now."
I smiled sadly. I wished that my Mother and I could have had more time together, but she had to get back to Geoff. A doctor had come over to check her over though, and they had concluded that she was fine. I was happy to hear it. I was concerned that she was going to have an underlying issue and it was going to cause her issues.
"I can come and visit," I told her.
"I just got you back," my Mother sniffled, gazing at me sadly. "I can't lose you again. Please come and visit me as soon as you can."
I nodded. "You know I will. I love you."
"I love you more," she responded, leaning forwards and pressing her lips to my forehead, looking upset.
I was saddened to see her go, but I kept a brave face on as I hugged her one last time and watched her hop into her rented car that was parked on the side of the road. I was going to call her the second she got home though. I was unbelievably happy to have her back. I felt as if my life was slowly piecing itself back together again.
We waved as she started up the car and drove off, Jared and I making our way back to Clara and Dylan's house in comfortable silence, the wind whistling through the cold air.
Entering the house and closing the front door behind us, I allowed a single tear to slip down my cheek, Jared taking my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You're okay," he comforted me, nodding.
I smiled, placing myself on his lap and cuddling into him. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."
"Anna," Jared mumbled, leaning his head back so he could look at me. "You don't need to thank me. I would do all of this a thousand times over for you. I love you so much."
I smiled. "I love you too."
He pressed his lips to mine, and I allowed my eyes to flutter closed as I moved my lips against his, pressing myself closer to his body. He snaked his arms around my waist, pulling me so I was straddling his waist. It felt good to be so close to him, my heart hammering against my ribs as we kissed. I eventually parted our lips, smiling at him and hopping off of Jared's lap.
"Do you want to come and see my house?" Jared asked me, and my eyes widened.
Yes. A thousand times yes.
"I'll take that as a yes," chuckled Jared as he took my hand in his and led me out of the door. My legs were still a little shaky, and Jared watched me as we walked. He purposely ensured we moved slowly, and he avoided any holes in the ground or logs that I would need to step over.
I gazed around as we walked, a small office coming into view, a man wandering out in a smart shirt. He had a stethoscope wrapped around his neck, making me smile to myself. I really thought doctors only wore them like that in movies or on TV shows.
My lips suddenly parted as I remembered about Jared's surgery. Was it something he was going to do now that things had been sorted? Or had he completely abandoned the prospect?
Jared noticed me looking, and he sighed. "That's Doctor Oliver. He was the man I was working with regarding me walking again."
Oh.
"Well is that plan still active? Is that something you still want to do?" I asked curiously. I knew how much Jared wanted to be able to walk, but getting his legs amputated and replaced was a huge decision. I fully understood why he needed time to consider it.
Jared shrugged. "I haven't really been thinking about it lately. I was too caught up with keeping you safe."
I blushed. I hoped I hadn't stopped him from walking again.
"What do you think I should do?" Jared suddenly questioned me, taking me off guard. I hadn't expected him to ask me my opinion. It was his choice.
"Um, I mean, I know how down you get being in your wheelchair sometimes, and you seemed excited when you told me about your surgery when I first met you. I just want you to do what is going to make you more comfortable. I don't want you to have nay regrets. I will love you either way though. I hope you know that."
Jared hummed. "You'd secretly like for me to actually be taller than you, wouldn't you?" he teased, both of us laughing.
Jared was tall, and due to him being a strong werewolf, he hadn't suffered with any muscle wastage on his legs. They were in proportion to the rest of his body and I could tell that if he did stand up, he would tower over me.
"I was ready to do it before," Jared muttered, almost to himself as he gazed at the back of Doctor Oliver, the man having not noticed us as he strolled across the clearing. "So it's something I can be ready to do again. The thought scares me, but I know that it'll be worth it."
"I imagine you will heal quickly anyway."
Jared nodded. "Apparently I should be up walking around within a day or so."
"Wow," I said. I was impressed. A human would be bed ridden for weeks after such an intensive surgery. "Well I'll be there by your side the whole time helping you heal."
Jared chuckled. "There's no need." My face fell, and I could tell that Jared had noticed, his brows furrowing as he scanned my face. "I mean, of course, I appreciate it. I would love to have you by my side. Thank you."
I smiled, following Jared around the corner and gasping as a small brick house came into view. There were a number of wolves lingering around it, most of them shirtless and carrying heavy material like wood and metal. Some were chatting, admiring the house and nodding, whereas some appeared hard at work inside, drilling and sawing.
"Jared!" one of the men spoke, waving us over and gesturing up towards the house. "We will be done by tomorrow. We're looking forward to hearing what you think of it. We've installed counters for you that would suit your wheelchair height, as well as ripping up the whole back wall to create you a patio with a ramp."
"Wow," Jared spoke, looking impressed. "Thanks guys. I appreciate it. I hope Clara and Dylan are paying you well for this."
I knew that Jared felt as if the renovation was unnecessary, but Clara and Dylan wanted to ensure that Jared's home was fully adapted to suit him. They were too generous.
I gazed at my future home. It looked messy, and I was struggling to picture it as a clean and quaint place, but I knew that that was just because of the sheer amount of workers surrounding the area. Dust and debris was coating the grass around it, a few men sweeping it off as it settled, looking fed up with the mundane task.
Jared and I were going to finally be able to be with each other though, and it looked like the perfect house to spend our days in. I was excited to cook for him. I wanted to lay over his lap while we watched TV. I couldn't wait to snuggle up next to him at night. Every night.
"Do you have a double bed?" I questioned.
Jared shot me a comedic glare. "Of course I do. I ordered a king sized mattress when I met you."
I blushed, taken aback by Jared's comment. "You did?"
He nodded. "I did. I didn't want to get ahead of myself, but I had a small double at the time and I knew that it wasn't going to fit the both of us. I hadn't expected to meet anyone else, so I hadn't prepared my house for a mate. I wasn't sure what you liked, but I changed the couch and furniture too. I wanted them to all be brand new for you."
Jared was the sweetest person alive. My stomach fluttered. "I can't wait to see it when it's done."
"If there's anything you don't like, please tell me," Jared continued, looking a little flustered. "We can go out and get new furniture if you like. You can pick a colour scheme for the whole house if you're not happy with the one it currently has."
"Jared," I chuckled, cupping his cheeks. "I'm sure the house is going to turn out beautifully. Stop stressing. I'll love it."
He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I think I'm going to go ahead with the surgery. I want to walk again, Anna. I want to be out of this chair."
I raised my brows. I hadn't expected Jared to have said what he said, but I understood that he had made up his mind. "Okay, as long as you're doing it for you, and not for me."
"I mean," Jared said, shrugging. "I won't lie. A part of it is for you, yes. I want to give you a mate who can walk and run, but this is what I want too. I've wanted it for a long time. I'm ready."
I smiled. "Well, then you better let Doctor Oliver know that the plan is back in action." I chuckled. I was so happy for Jared. He was finally going to get a chance to be who he wanted to be.
"I will," Jared said, pulling out his phone and quickly pressing his lips to mine.
"We need to get brainstorming about a job for me too," I said. I wanted to earn my place here. "I just don't know what I'm going to do yet."
Jared smiled at me. "I have something in mind."
•••
Jared has a plan.
Read the completed book on my patreon early!
patreon.com/Loveme105
The link can also be found in my bio!
Please vote if you enjoyed!