Page 46 of Same One
Bay looked troubled and ducked his gaze, then gave her a little wave and got into the car. She waved him off and went back inside where she could have her pity party in peace, where little teenage werewolf ears couldn’t pick up her sniffles.
She made her way into the kitchen, but there was an abrupt knock on the door.
With a frown, she checked the time. Her landlord had an exterminator scheduled to come over to take care of an ant problem in the garage, but not until later.
She made her way to the door, opened it, and froze.
Tabian stood there with a pair of steaming coffees in his hands. His eyes were lightened to a frosty blue, and his dark hair was mussed, as if he’d been running his hands through it this morning. He hadn’t shaved and his three-day stubble was darkening his chiseled jaw. He wore a simple white long-sleeved shirt that clung to his muscular shoulders. The white shirt and dark hair made his eyes look even brighter.
“No,” he said simply.
“What?” she asked, confused.
“No, we aren’t breaking up.”
“Just…no?”
“Nope. I refuse. We can talk about whatever you need to talk about, but this throwing-in-the-towel habit when something goes sideways doesn’t work for me. I’m not finished here.”
“But…” She swallowed hard. “I’m a stepmom, and I have a difficult kid who doesn’t like you—”
“He doesn’t know me.”
“I don’t think that matters to him.”
“You have to give me time, Tru. You sprung a werewolf teenager on me and then bolted when he reacted badly, but you have to understand what actually happened.”
“I do understand. He doesn’t want me dating werewolves—”
“He doesn’t want you dating anyone because he doesn’t want to be abandoned. That’s it. Now, you can let him have his way and teach him that he can destroy any kind of happiness you pursue by throwing a tantrum, and you can choose to grow that type of man, or you can make him sit in it for a little while and give him a chance to learn to trust.”
“But—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, each word a careful, enunciated oath.
“But…I’m older—”
“I don’t’ give a shit and neither does my wolf, and neither does my boner. You’re five years older than me, not a hundred. What else?”
“I am a stepmom—”
“Sweet, the world needs more stepmoms like you. Next.”
“I…I…I have trouble trusting, and I have damage, and running away is easier and more comfortable than staying with you.”
He nodded. “There you go. Now we’re getting somewhere. Here,” he said, handing her one of the coffees. He crowded her in the doorway and leaned down and kissed her forehead, then eased up. Softly he murmured, “Unblock my number.”
She pursed her lips and cupped the warm coffee cup closer to her chest. “You noticed.”
“I tried to message you all night. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Well, you didn’t respond when I messaged you.”
“Woman, I went wolf. I can’t text when I have paws,” he said, holding his hand up. “I don’t even have the same feelingswhen I’m a wolf. Liam called the Pack into the woods so he could regroup us after that fight with Bayen. That was messy and we’ve been going through it with some bloodshed on our Pack.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Bayen,” she murmured, taking a seat at the table. “I feel awful about it.”
“It’s okay. I’ve thought about it all, and I get it. I don’t know if I would’ve told anyone either. You’re right. It is his story to tell, and if he didn’t give you express permission to go around telling people what he is, you handled me well. It was best that I just saw him, but you have to be forgiving on my reaction.”
