With Hearts to Hear| ✔

|35|

Killian showed Rachel and Diana for a few more hours. They saw businesses, community spaces, and schools. Killian went around introducing her to anyone and everyone who was close enough to hear, and Rachel began to suspect he took great joy from being able to show off his family to his people. It was kind of adorable.

When Rachel got tired, he took her back to the pack hall where she got to catch up with Leandra and Aiden. The former fussing and cooing over Diana, who was happy to have a bottle and be in her father's arms. Aiden was still quiet, but Rachel didn't mind. She was able to learn more about him, and (she hoped) form the beginning of a friendship with him through a short signed interaction.

After having seen the pack and met so many friendly, incredible people, Rachel couldn't help thinking that she might actually enjoy living in Killian's pack. She could see a future for herself there, for Diana there. She would never give up her job at the Garage, but even with that she could see things working out for them.

Killian decided that he would take Rachel back to his house to make sure that she ate before she and Diana left to go back to Willsden Brook. He was stalling so that he could spend more time with them both, not ready to say goodbye to his girls just yet.

Rachel didn't mind at all, it was still light out, and in all honesty she wasn't ready to go yet either. She suspected that it would never feel natural for her to leave him. Every time they parted, she had this feeling that she was forgetting something; that innate urge one gets to go back.

There had always been a part of her that felt most at home in his arms.

The first thing she noticed was that the house was completely different. A lot of the furniture was the same, but instead of it looking like some kind of show home, it looked alive.

She could see where Killian had kicked off his sneakers by the door, the sofa had a blanket bundled messily on one of the cushions, books and an empty mug still on the coffee table possibly from that morning. Picture frames dotted the room— a family photo from when he was a kid, Leandra and Aiden, a frame filled with so many people Rachel could have guessed it was the whole pack.

Two frames in particular caught her attention— one with her own grinning face, and another with Diana sleeping. Rachel had no idea when he had taken those pictures, but nonetheless it warmed her heart and stole her breath to see them there.

Among other changes she noticed, there were paintings hung on the walls. One of a sunset, or perhaps a sunrise over the trees, one of a wolf in a snowy forest, an abstract mod podge of colour in the kitchen. The gym equipment that once near the sliding door was completely gone, the space now completely empty.

"What happened to your gym equipment?" Rachel's brows furrowed, taking in the empty space.

She was glad to finally take Diana out of her baby wrap. She set her down on the ground, letting her roam about on her own for a while. With the open plan style of the house, she could have her eye on her easily. The baby pottered about for a few steps, then quickly came back to Rachel perched on her bar stool.

"I donated it for the new indoor training space we're building. I kind of figured it could be a play area for Di." Killian rubbed the back of his neck, a blush creeping up the back of his neck. He walked into the kitchen, pulling out some vegetables and chicken from the fridge and placing them out on the kitchen counter.

Rachel barely registered his words as she fought not to let her eyes bug out of her head, watching him move so adeptly around the kitchen space. This was the man who only knew how to make cereal?

"Okay, who are you and what did you do to Killian," She laughed when he minced the onion in front of him. "Everything is so different."

"You think?" Killian mused thoughtfully.