Finding Home

Chapter Thirty Three-Paige

They followed the hostess to their table, a small two person booth tucked in the back corner. It felt like they were the only ones in the restaurant; though Paige suspected that the ambiance and set up of the restaurant would make it feel as though every table was secluded. It didn't help that they only had eyes for each other.

They sat and the hostess handed them the menus. Paige looked over it tying to focus on something to eat but her mind kept wanted it to Nathan. Glancing up she caught him looking at her before quickly looking back at his menu. She couldn't keep a smile from spreading across her face.

The waitress came over and told them the specials before asking for their drink order. Nathan ordered a whole bottle of wine for them. She raised an eyebrow at him as the waitress walked away. "Trying to get me drunk Mr. Grant?"

"Would that be such a bad thing Mrs. Grant?" He quipped, a smile spreading across his face. He clearly loved that the hostess called her Mrs. Grant and by the way he smirked at her when she didn't correct the hostess, she could tell that he knew that she didn't hate the idea of it either. She decided that she was going to tease him for it. Just a little.

"Depends on what you intentions are." She responded, trying to keep the smile off her face. She looked down at her menu to hide it.

"Oh?"

"Mmm," she refused to look up from her menu. "For example, if your intent is get me drunk merely so I can forget everything that is going on right now and just focus on this evening, then no, not such a bad thing. But," she let out a sigh, "If you're trying to get me drunk so you can ravish me, well, I hate to break it to you, but you could have saved yourself the eighty bucks." She looked up at him and smirked at the the stunned look on his face. His jaw dropped, just like in cartoons. She had to hold back a snicker as she said, "Here, let me close that for you." She reached across the table and lifted his jaw so his mouth was closed again and felt tingles where she touched him. He gulped and took a deep breath.

Looking back at her menu she paused for a moment then said, "I think I'll get the Brasato al Barolo. What do you think?" When she didn't get an answer she looked up at him. He still had a stunned expression on his face as though he was unable to process what she had just said. "Nathan?"

"What?" He shook his head as if doing so would help him come back to himself.

"I said, I think I'm going to get the Brasato al Barolo. What do you think?"

"Uh yeah, that's- that's good here." He looked back down at his menu. She smirked behind hers, loving what she did to him. She knew he loved and desired her. She knew it was a little mean to do it but she enjoyed making him speechless.

The waitress came back with the bottle of wine and two glasses. She poured if for them before taking their orders. The waitress had to ask Nathan twice and Paige had to kick him under the table before he broke from the thoughts Paige's words had consumed him with. It seemed to her that he just looked down at the menu and ordered the first thing he saw.

Nathan was eventually able to pull himself from his distracted thoughts and return his attention to their date. It was slightly awkward for the both of them. They had spent months traveling together, never really leaving each others side but they had both been holding something back then. It took a few shaky starts but they soon found a rhythm. They talked about their childhoods with out restriction.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Nathan repeated the word over and over drawing out the space in between each one as he connected the story she had told him while traveling, with the updated story she was telling him now. "Wait. Okay. You're telling me, that that story about Micah starting beef with that 'bigger dog', as you put it, because he was mocking you for not shifting after your birthday was actually Micah starting beef with a newly shifted werewolf?"

"Yes."

"While still being too young to have his own wolf?"

"Yeah, he was only sixteen at the time." Paige chuckled at the memory and at Nathan's shock.

"Is he insane? Or does he just have a death wish?"

Newly shifted werewolves are unsteady. Because the wolf is so new to the world and the wolf and the person are getting acquainted, it's easy for new werewolves to shift and attack when feeling threatened or disrespected. Everyone usually gives newly shifted werewolves a wide berth.

"He's always been very protective of me. Even before I didn't shift."

"So what happened? You said the guy lost it? Do you mean he actually shifted?"

"He did. Micah kept his body between me and the wolf the whole time while refusing to back down. James ended up jumping in front of us both as the wolf moved to attack. He shifted and was bigger than the other wolf and made him back down."

"Damn," he said, still trying to process the information. "I mean I knew the kid had balls after yesterday but I thought it was a post-wolf developments, like most people. But you're telling me he's always been this way?"

"What happened yesterday?"

"He told me that if I hurt you again he'd find a way to hurt me just as bad." Nathan held up is hand and waved his hand as if to tell her nothing was wrong, "It's fine. I took it as a brother looking out for his sister, not as a threat to the Alpha." He took a sip of his wine.

Paige smiled lightly, not sure if she should be embarrassed or proud of her brother; or glad that Nathan took it as well as he did. She knew he was different from most Alpha's but every time she saw it it made her smile. It made her think that staying wouldn't be so bad after all.

***

After dinner and the best dessert Paige had ever tasted, they were back in the car headed towards home. Paige wasn't sure she wanted the night to end so when Nathan pulled off the high way she was secretly pleased. They drove up a mountain aways before parking.

"We have to walk a little ways from here." He said, helping her out of the car. She looked down at the high heals she was wearing. He saw her look at them, "Don't worry the path is short and smooth. And if you fall I will catch you." He smirked, and she couldn't help but return a smile.

He grabbed a small tote bag and lead her down to the path which opened to a small clearing that overlooked the valley and pack town below them. There was a bench looking out at the view. Paige opened her mouth at the beauty. They were just in time to catch the last rays of sunset. She gazed at it until she heard the sound of a small Bluetooth speaker starting up. She turned to Nathan to see him setting it on the bench and pulling up a playlist on his phone.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller started.

"I believe the next part of the date is dancing. But since there really isn't anywhere to go dancing around here and technology is quite advanced these days, I thought we could dance on our own." He walked towards her with his hand out. "Dance with me, Paige."

The part of her brain that knew heartbreak was coming shouted at her to tell him 'no', shouted at her to run, to stop this before it goes to far. It had been shouting at her all night. She pushed it aside and took his hand. As they say, it's better to have loved and lost than to never to have loved at all. Paige wasn't sure if she believed that, but at this moment she didn't care. She stepped into his arms and lost herself to the feeling of home.