Atticus by R.E. Butler

Chapter Nineteen

Novi watched her mom get her hair curled by Jenni, a lioness in the park. Jenni worked with her mom at the candy shop and was mated to a human male with an upper body full of tattoos named Devlin who worked in the finance office of the park. Novi and Cael were the eleventh couple to get mated in the park, and tonight, after her mom and Atticus were officially mates, they’d be the twelfth.

Before the park had started the VIP tours, no one had found a soulmate in years. She thought it was interesting that shifters pretty much didn’t date around. They believed in soulmates, which was the one person that both their beast and their human side belonged with. According to Cael, there were shifters who didn’t believe in soulmates or didn’t want to wait for that person, so they would pick someone—or have their alpha choose—which was considered simply a mate and not a soulmate.

Then there were shifters like Atticus, who had chosen to have a child with a female gorilla shifter to continue the species, and he raised Zane by himself.

Humans, on the other hand, dated around until they found their one right person.

But she liked being Cael’s soulmate. She felt connected to him immediately, and now that they’d been together for a month, she felt closer to him than she ever thought possible. He was definitely her soulmate, even if she wasn’t able to shift into anything.

“You look so serious,” Lori said. “I look okay, right?”

“Of course!” Novi got off the bed in the apartment where her mom was getting ready. The three gorilla mates—Lexy, Adriana, and Dani—were there helping her mom get ready too. Novi loved how all the mates were so sweet and loving. She’d never met a better group of ladies in her life. She rested her hand on her mom’s shoulder. “I was just thinking about soulmates and how amazing it is that there are now twelve mates in the park when Cael said there hadn’t been soulmates for a long, long time before the VIP tours.”

“It’s true,” Jenni said. “Our people had gone stagnant. It was really depressing, wondering if we’d ever meet our soulmates. The tours started a chain of events that ended with so many of us finding love. Even though several of us didn’t find our soulmates on the tours, including me, it still seems like they were the catalyst we needed to change things up.”

“I’m certainly glad I came along on the tour,” Adriana said. “I wouldn’t have Zane, the nail salon, or my besties, of which I count you two now also.”

Adriana gave Novi a one-armed hug.

“Aw,” Lori said. “You’re all so sweet. I’m so glad we came here too. Atticus is the best guy I’ve ever known. I feel like we were made for each other.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to be,” Lexy said. “When I met Win, it was like I suddenly couldn’t imagine being with anyone but him, and I couldn’t even picture my life without him.”

Novi leaned over and hugged her mom. “I’m so glad we’re not running anymore. I’m glad that because I went against you and went on the tour anyway, you and I both get to have our happily ever afters with amazing guys. It’s like our lives are starting over again, like we were granted a reset with awesome guys who love us.”

“I feel the exact same way,” Lori said.

“That was so sweet,” Dani said. “I freaking love the park.”

“I think we all do,” Lexy said. “It’s where we found our forever guys.”

When Lori’s hair was finished and she was dressed in a black cocktail dress with peep-toe black heels, Novi thought she looked amazing.

“I don’t think he’s going to let you keep this dress on very long,” Lexy mused. “You look incredible.”

“Uh, ew,” Novi said, wrinkling her nose. “That’s my mom. Don’t talk about sex and my mom. It’s gross.”

Lori laughed. “It’s so not.”

“If you get to talk about you and sex, then I do too,” Novi countered.

Lori put her hand over Novi’s mouth and shook her head. “You win, no sexy talk about youorme.”

“Deal,” Novi said, her voice muffled.

“I love you, kiddo,” Lori said, taking her hand away. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I’m so glad you’re my mom.”

“Ah, I’m going to cry, you two are so freaking sweet,” Lexy said.

There was a knock at the apartment door, and Lori inhaled sharply then smiled. “He’s here.”

They’d opted to get ready separately, so Atticus had taken their underground home and Lori had come to the apartment. It was a great choice, too, because it meant that everyone could be with her, including Novi, while she got ready.

“Have fun tonight,” Novi said. “You look like a million bucks.”

“I feel like it.” She smoothed French-manicure-tipped nails down the front of her dress, her hands trembling a little. “Thank you all for being here for me. You’re the best bunch of ladies a gal could ever know.”

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Adriana said. “Now go wow that man of yours.”

Lori gave Novi another quick hug and then strode from the bedroom.

“It’s amazing that you two can be here in the park together,” Adriana said. “I’d give anything to be able to share the truth with my parents. It’s so hard to keep secrets.”

“It is for Devlin too,” Jenni said. “You’re very lucky to have your mom here and part of the secret.”

“I’m thankful for it. I hated not being able to share anything with her.”

“Maybe someday our people will be able to be open about the truth of what we are with humans,” Lexy said. “I mean, probably not in our generation, but maybe our kids.”

“Who knows what the future will bring?” Dani said. “We can hope for change for the better, even if we don’t think it’ll happen in our lifetime.”

“So long as we can all hang out together and no one has to lie to anyone here, I’ll be happy,” Novi said.

Her phone buzzed and she saw it was a message from Cael.Meet me at the paddock, sweetheart. I miss you.

On my way,she replied. To the ladies, she said, “I’ve been summoned to the paddock by my sexy soulmate, so I’m going to hit the road.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Adriana said. “I’m going to head down to the marketplace for a nail appointment, and I’ll go by way of the cafeteria.”

Their group parted ways, and when Novi left she caught sight of a well-dressed Atticus helping Lori into one of the park’s golf carts. He looked great in a fitted suit, with a big smile on his face. She was so happy and thankful for the Amazing Adventure Safari Park and the VIP tour ticket that had been mailed to their rental home’s previous occupant. Without that error, she wouldn’t have known about the tours or ever thought to come on one. Without that piece of mail, she never would have met Cael, learned about shifters, or brought her mom to the park where she was set free from the chains of the past that had kept them both prisoners.

There was a lot to be thankful for, and it all started with a ticket.