Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Gideon hesitated on the landing outside of his door for a second, curiosity nibbling at him. What did Ryder’s place look like? When Rafe had bought the building and hired a crew to remodel it, he’d asked Gideon to pick out the colors, cabinets, countertops, and all the fixtures. That part had been fun. He and Philippe had spent hours together pouring over books, swatches, and color palettes to select all the right things.
But what had Ryder selected?
Hell, he couldn’t imagine Ryder doing something like that.
Maybe he could beg Ryder to let him see his place later. Or maybe he could wheedle his way in with a housewarming gift like a plant. Maybe an orchid. No, a cactus!
Smiling to himself about his evil plan to get into Ryder’s apartment, Gideon unlocked his new front door and walked into his very first place.
“Welcome home!” Philippe shouted as he stepped over the threshold.
Gideon giggled and hurried down the short hall to the living room, where Philippe stood amid stacks of boxes. Gideon wove his way through the box maze and launched himself into a tight hug with Rafe’s mate.
“Thank you so much for making this happen!” Gideon gushed into Philippe’s shoulder. While Gideon was nervous about moving out on his own, Rafe had been terrified. There were plenty of times Rafe had questioned the decision and tried to coax Gideon into changing his mind, but as always, Philippe had Gideon’s back, keeping them moving forward.
Philippe squeezed him. “I’m so happy for you.” As Gideon released him, Philippe caught his slender shoulders. “The rest of the clan wanted to be here today, but I thought it might be too overwhelming amid all the chaos. They’ll stop by over the next several days. However, Marcus and Aiden asked me to stress that if you want to return to the clan house at any time, you are very welcome there. No questions asked. Please, keep that in mind.”
Gideon nodded, his heart about to burst in his chest. This was what it was like to have a big family that loved you. Even if he had his own place, they were his true home.
With a last squeeze of his shoulder, Philippe released him. “Fox and River were here when the movers dropped off all the boxes and furniture. They said if you don’t like where the sofa or the bed are, they’re happy to get Wyatt to move things for you.”
Gideon snorted. “Of course they are.” Naturally, they’d wrangle the big, strong werewolf into moving heavy objects. But Gideon was pretty sure he could handle things.
“I can move furniture.” Ryder’s low voice jerked Gideon’s gaze to the doorway where Rafe and Ryder were watching them.
“You don’t mind?” Gideon asked playfully.
Ryder shook his head, and Gideon grinned at him like a fool. That was even more convenient since Ryder lived just downstairs.
“You picked out the colors?” Ryder inquired, pointing at the butter-soft yellow walls.
“I did! Yellow in the living room for sunshine, and the mint green in the kitchen with white cabinets and dark marble countertops. And the soft, sleepy blue in the bedroom. Do you like it?”
Ryder grunted, which was barely an answer. Gideon wasn’t sure how to interpret it. He rolled his eyes while Rafe chuckled and clapped a hand on Ryder’s wide shoulder.
Gideon continued through his new place, taking in all the boxes he needed to unpack. He hadn’t thought he’d accumulated that much stuff while living at the Varik house, but Ethan had gotten him into collecting DVDs of his favorite shows. And then Fox had introduced him, Ethan, and River to BL mangas, which gave rise to a swelling collection of books. Of course, there were all the household items he’d had to order new, such as dishes, towels, sheets, and lots of cleaning implements. Not the most fun stuff, but it was all his.
It was going to take him several nights to get everything put in its proper place, and he couldn’t wait.
“Gideon, don’t forget that this door here leads to Ryder’s place. If you need anything, you can reach him in a matter of seconds,” Rafe reminded him, motioning toward the door in the kitchen that could have easily passed for another pantry or closet.
“Pfft, I’ve got this. It’s more like if Ryder needs me for something.” With a laugh, he spun on the toes of his left foot and peeked into the single bedroom, where the queen-sized bed rested against a wall. It was missing the sheets and the extra-thick feather-down duvet. He snatched up a squishy soft pillow from where it sat on the mattress and squeezed it to his chest while he moved to look in the bathroom.
“I can’t believe I have my own place!” Gideon said as he strolled into the living room again. “It’s exactly as we planned it out.” He paused and smiled at Ryder. “Once I get it completely decorated, I can have friends over. Even begin dating, because I have somewhere to bring them.”