TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 313

Three hundred and thirteen

Isabella POV

The table fridge cast an orange glow across the room as Iris bent to slide the leftover casserole onto one of the shelves. She shut the door and clapped her hands.

“Up,” she ordered. “You and Maverick are not sleeping on those hostel sheets. They scratch.”

Before I could answer, she disappeared into the room beside mine and returned carrying an armful; neatly folded sheets, a rug tucked beneath one arm, and a bathroom caddy filled with soap, shampoo, and the little things I’ forgotten people kept in their bathrooms.

“But aren’t you using that rug?” I asked.

She snapped it open before spreading it across the floor.

“I wasn’t asking for permission.”

She sounded like an older sister who’d already decided what was happening.

“Harrison’s back,” I said, heading out to help.

He climbed the stairs carrying two bulging grocery bags while Maverick waddled behind him with both hands wrapped around a tub of chocolate ice cream, trying to keep up without dropping it.

“Harrison,” I sighed. “He shouldn’t be eating that after five.”

He brushed past me as though he hadn’t heard.

“He’s a growing pup who needs food. One scoop isn’t going to destroy his future.”

“It’ll ruin his bedtime and give him cavities.” I said and took the ice cream from Maverick’s hands.

“We’ll have this tomorrow.”

He looked at the tub, then me, nodded, and wandered off without complaint.

Harrison watched him go, then pointed at him.

“See that? Good boy. No screaming. No throwing himself on the floor. Unlike those tiny dictators people keep raising nowadays.”

“That’s because his mother actually parents him,” Iris said as she unpacked the groceries, then sorted the milk, eggs, apples, and butter into the fridge.

“You’re both against joy.”

As they kept bickering, Harrison disappeared back downstairs for another trip, returning with bottled water, then insisting the curtain wasn’t hanging straight. Iris disagreed, shoved him aside, adjusted it herself, then stepped back, folded her arms, and admired her work while Harrison insisted she’d made it worse.

I sat on the edge of the bed, torn between amusement and exhaustion.

“You two, tomorrow is Monday. We have to be up early. Can you stop behaving like squabbling parents?”

Their voices faded into the background.

The bare room I’d walked into no longer looked abandoned. A rug softened the floor. Fresh sheets covered the mattress. Groceries filled the fridge. Bread and cereal sat on the counter. The curtains framed the window instead of leaving the glass bare.

Walking away from the most painful realization of my life, I’d expected to collapse into loneliness. Instead, these people refused to let me.

Life really was strange. I’d been here for less than a month and somehow I’d quietly built a family out of strangers.

Iris, Harrison, Grandma Cassidy, even Luna Lisa.

None of them could replace the ache of a one-sided Bond, but they had chosen me without obligation.

Eventually the room settled into silence. Iris and Harrison left after Harrison promised Maverick he’d get his old TV repaired. Maverick sat on the floor with his toy bricks while I laid out tomorrow’s clothes across the chair beside the bed.

My thoughts drifted back to Friday night, to the moment I fled Wesley’s car.

I never returned to the club. I ran straight to the entrance, sent Harrison a message saying I wasn’t feeling well, told him to stay and enjoy the rest of the night, then ignored every call until I finally switched my phone off.

A taxi had been waiting outside.

The tears kept falling no matter how much I wanted them to stop, and the silence inside that cab somehow made them worse.

The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror only once before looking back at the road, pretending not to notice the woman in the shimmering gold top falling apart in his back seat.

By the time I got home, Maverick was already asleep. I carried him to our room, tucked him into bed, and crawled in beside him. I refused to think anymore. I lay staring at the ceiling until exhaustion finally pulled me under.

Saturday morning brought clarity instead of comfort. I didn’t wake believing I’d made a mistake by leaving the club or running from Wesley’s car. If anything, I became even more certain he couldn’t feel the bond.

I replayed every word he’d said.

I haven’t stopped thinking about you.

I want you.

“I can still bring him over once or twice a week.”

“I’ll hold you to that. Inform Luna Lisa about your decision. She won’t object, but she deserves to hear it from you.

I intended to. Unfortunately, Luna Lisa had only just returned home and spent most of the day surrounded by family. Grandma Cassidy eventually told me to go ahead with the move and promised she’d explain everything herself.

The move was uneventful. There was no moving truck or mountain of boxes. Just one duffel bag, one brown carry bag, Maverick’s backpack, and the life we’d managed to piece together.

I arrived at the staff lodge with Maverick’s hand in mine, while the porter confirmed my room assignment. Iris had already spoken to him and made sure I was given Room Seven, right beside hers.

“There you are!” she exclaimed the moment she spotted us.

She hurried over, hugged me, then scooped Maverick into her arms like she’d known him forever, showering him with compliments while he buried his face against her shoulder.

Harrison naturally drifted toward entertaining Maverick while Iris helped me settle into the room. Neither of them commented on how little I owned. They simply noticed and started filling the gaps.

Looking back, I knew their kindness hadn’t been random. They’d seen a single mother carrying her entire life in two bags into an empty concrete room.

I still didn’t know whether moving away would actually help or merely postpone the pain. I’d still see Wesley every day at work, but I didn’t regret leaving.

If nothing else, it put distance between me and Barbara.

I was drifting off when my phone rang.

My father.

My thumb hovered over Decline before I answered on the last ring.

“Thank goodness you finally decided to pick up.”

“What do you want?”

He hesitated before saying, “I want to register you and Maverick under the family name. We need to discuss it properly. Come to the house on Tuesday evening. I’ll be traveling after that.”

He knew exactly where to hit.

Having Maverick legally recognized as part of the family would make everything easier. From daycare and clinic visits to school admissions and every official document that currently forced me to explain why my son didn’t share a family name.

“I’ll be there,” I said. I’d record this conversation too, just as I’d done before.