[Rock]Once the veggies were done, I started hauling the meat out onto the large platters I had for barbecues. We were eating outside. Carmen said it was to enjoy the sun. I grumbled but didn’t say anything. Being a desert troll meant I could handle high temperatures, but being a cave troll meant I preferred for it to be dark and hot instead of bright and hot. I would be fine with this, though. There was more room around my outdoor setup than my dining room table. Everything except for the cake was brought out. There was barely any room on the table for everything. Luckily, I had outdoor counter space and most of the containers and platters ended up there with the meat being the main event on the main table. The side dishes were passed around before they went to the counter and people got their meat afterward. Carmen insisted I have more than just meat. She said I needed it for my human side. I had a bit of everything on my plate before I started cutting meat. I put a large chunk of pork onto Carmen’s plate and a couple of ribs, and then served my meat. I saw some of the wolves nodding in approval, but I didn’t do it for their approval. I did it so Carmen wouldn’t have to fight to get what she deserved. She leaned over to me. “Male wolves will sometimes claim the best pieces of meat for their mate,” she whispered. “How do you know that those are the best pieces?” I scoffed. “Because you love me and always give me the best pieces of meat,” Carmen giggled. “Maybe I only give you the second best. You’re assuming a lot, little wolf,” I told her. “The head is one of the best pieces. I didn’t give that to you.” “You know I wouldn’t have been able to cut around it to get the best parts. So you gave me the next best part.” Damn it, she was right. I laughed and she smiled at me. It was something trolls also did, but I didn’t think it was something werewolves did. There were a few comments about the food and people asking each other for recipes, but not a ton of talking otherwise. It was different from how I ate with my friends. Maybe it was just the different people and species getting used to each other. Aside from Carmen’s friends, her brother and sister-in-law, and Beta Roald, we had Gray and Echo, Echo’s sister Harmony and her mate Cam, Echo’s brother Val, a male and female witch called Terry and Elle, Rosario, and Sean. “So, Rock, what do you do for a living?” Gray asked. “I’m in construction,” I replied. “Rock owns his own construction and renovation company,” Carmen added. “Wow, that must be how you got such a big house.” “I built it,” I told him, taking another bite of my food. He winced, but I noticed that none of the wolves were eating the bones, too. It seemed to be another difference between them and me. It looked like I’d have leftovers if they were just eating the meat and not the bones. That was fine. It would make for good lunches for me. “Construction probably pays better than waiting tables,” Cam said.“It can. We work hard and fast in my company. There are bonuses for getting it right the first time. I give my guys a little extra if a job is finished before the estimated day and passes inspection. Since we don’t have much work in the winter, most of them take that season off and do other jobs. They’re usually back in the spring.” “You wouldn’t happen to be hiring, would you?” Gray joked. “Actually, I am. If you wanted to apply, I can give you my card. You can apply and be considered, like everyone else. I don’t play favorites and the only person I’ve ever hired without applying is Carmen. She’s my office manager starting Monday.” “What? Do you think…” Mike stopped what he was saying. He seemed to be considering how to change that. “Do you think that’s a good idea? She’s never managed an office before. Carmen has only done accounting work.” “She’ll figure it out and she’d do a hell of a better job than a stranger would. She’s a quick thinker and she learns fast. Carmen figured trolls out well enough to manipulate them. I know she can figure this out, plus, I’ll train her and I’ll get her an assistant.” I replied.He didn’t say anything else. Mike seemed to be begrudgingly accepting my answer. What he thought didn’t matter much, though. Carmen had been excited about the job and that was what was important. I looked over at my mate and she was playing with her food instead of eating it. Whenever someone she knew doubted her, I saw Carmen start to withdraw. I didn’t like it. Carmen was very bright and clever. She was cheerful and optimistic. But even I knew there was something deep down that made her doubt herself. It was something planted there by every person who doubted her. She managed to keep it away when she was dealing with people she didn’t know. Carmen exuded confidence in situations that were strange to her. Though it was an idea to throw her into a bunch of those, it wasn’t a good one. That could make her feel insecure in our relationship. I didn’t want Carmen to ever regret being my mate. I’d hoped that having others support her would help, but that one doubt from her brother made her retreat. I took her hand and pulled her closer, making her lean toward me. I bent down to her ear and glanced over to Mike, who was watching us. Most of them were either plainly watching or covertly watching. It didn’t matter. “You’re mine, Carmen. You listen to me, not to anyone else. You’re my office manager because you care about my business and you are smart enough to adapt anything you need to. If you need help, I’ll get you help.” I whispered. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe he’s right. I’ve never done this work before. I can do your books and keep an ear out for the office manager doing something wrong.” I growled. “No. You are my office manager. I’ll get someone to do reception and assist you, but this is your job. I need you, Carmen. I need you to do this for us.”She squeezed my hand and nodded. She still looked doubtful, but she was a little better. I was pissed. Carmen had been excited about this job. She laughed and smiled when she talked about it. This was a bad idea. I should have invited her friends, but not her brother. They were scowling at him and his wife looked uncomfortable. “I think Carmen’s a great idea for an office manager. She’s really organized and serious when it comes to her work,” Ashley said. “Definitely, and I can come work with her until you have time to interview someone and find a more permanent solution. I don’t have anything to do right now. Ben was asking me about taking over for Ashley when she leaves,” Gemma added with a smile.“I’d appreciate it. I’ll get you a card, as well, so you can find the office on Monday. Ashley, are you looking forward to seeing your new home?” I asked. The conversation turned back to something else and everyone talked easily. The two Betas were discussing their duties in their packs. Everyone else was talking about weddings and honeymoons. I needed to plan one of those for us. Carmen and I hadn’t talked about it at all yet. I wanted to marry her by human law because it would mean that if anything happened to me, she would inherit my business. I didn’t like the idea of her being alone, but we couldn’t account for everything. Trolls don’t usually plan ahead a lot, but that was one of the things I inherited from my human side. I was always more of a planner. We still had a lot to do before Carmen’s next heat. We needed to see a healer in the fae village. They used to be called oracles and did more than help with healing. They also played matchmaker to some of the other fae species. Not trolls, but elves and stuff like that. They could also predict things. I wanted to know about kids. Carmen obviously loved them. I could see that from our conversations about the renovations we’d have to do. She was thinking of things like a playset in the yard for the kids and how to make their rooms more accessible for her. I knew the odds of her having more than one successful pregnancy were low. She didn’t know yet how deadly a pregnancy with a troll could be. I didn’t know if that would change because I was only half troll, but I wouldn’t risk her life. If she really wanted kids, we could adopt. I’d learn to love someone else’s kids. After the meal, I handed cards out to Gemma, Cam, and Gray. They all seemed grateful. Everyone helped with cleaning things up. I brought out a heavy-duty garbage sack for the bones everyone had left behind. Most of them had been cleaned of meat, but I had a second bag for the ones that weren’t. It was so wasteful to let all those bones get left behind. I’d share some with Forrest. They were his favorite. Once everything was cleaned up, everyone started saying their goodbyes. They thanked Carmen and me for the meal. Beth, Carmen’s sister-in-law, asked if she could hug me and I let her. I patted her back gently. None of them seemed to realize how strange it was for people to want to hug a troll. Or they did and wanted to prove they were different, though Echo hugging me was definitely strange. She must have been grateful for the job opportunity. Thankfully, they all left pretty quickly after that. I turned to Carmen, who was smiling. It made me smile. “Did you have fun?” I asked. “They may be younger than me, but Sean and Rosario’s friends were all really nice. I already knew Cam and Gray. I met Val and Harmony a few times, but only met Echo once. Roald seems like a good match for Ashley and I’m happy for them.”I scooped her up in my arms and held her close. Ever since her brother spoke up, she’d seemed down. She covered it up with a smile and fake cheer, but I could tell it was a cover. “You need a bath,” I murmured, carrying her into the bathroom. She leaned her head against my shoulder and nodded. I didn’t put her down, but shifted her in my arms while I ran the bath. Carmen didn’t object, she was still leaning against my shoulder. “Do you regret that I’m a blind werewolf? If I were a sighted werewolf, I still would have accepted you. You could be with someone others thought was actually capable.” “Fuсk them. I don’t care what other people think. They’re not me or my mate, so they’re not important. I don’t care what your brother thinks. I don’t care what my friends or family think. I don’t care what the neighbors think. Fuсk them in their fuсking nosy asses.” I replied nonchalantly. “There are a lot of blind fae. Including trolls. I don’t care. You can see me when you’re in your wolf form. You saw me and still wanted me. That’s enough for me.” I started pulling her clothes off her, tossing them onto the floor. I’d pick them up later. It took a little work, but I managed to get my clothes off, too, and got into the bathtub with her. Once I turned off the water and laid back, I arranged Carmen to lay on top of me, keeping her head on my shoulder. I liked that. “Seeing you after marking you is different than seeing you before,” Carmen whispered. “Then I guess it was a good thing I was awake when you looked at me the first night we were together,” I said. She gasped. “You thought I would go to sleep when I had a ѕexy little wolf in my arms? I pretended to sleep while I watched what you were doing. You saw me, and you still wanted me. You could have gone home and rejected me. You could have rejected me at my party. You didn’t. You wanted me.” “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was just going to pretend it never happened because I didn’t want you to think I didn’t trust that you were as handsome as I thought you were.” “Lying to me hurts me more than you taking sneaky peeks at me. You wanted to see me. You curled up in my arms and smiled after looking at me. You didn’t sneak away, which you could have. I would’ve let you. I loved you, but I didn’t think I was your mate. I would have understood. You’re the only person who doesn’t think I’m hideous.” Carmen sat up and straddled me, taking my face in her little hands. I took in the sight of my damp mate as she stared at me. I knew she couldn’t see, but I knew she was trying to make a connection with me. She didn’t even realize it was dark in the bathroom and she wouldn’t have been able to see me even if she could see. “Don’t say that, Rock. I don’t want you to ever think I would have left you. I wouldn’t have. I loved you from the moment we met. I should have told you then you wouldn’t doubt me.” She leaned in, kissed my lips, and started kissing all over my face. Carmen was sweet. She didn’t realize that I didn’t doubt her. I knew she loved me and I knew I loved her. My mate was the only person I did love. Carmen was the only person who truly loved me.