Page 41 of Same One
“That kid is full of hurt.”
“Yeah.”
“He loves you.”
Her face fell instantly and her lip trembled. God, it felt good to hear that, even if it was a lie.
“I don’t think so,” she whispered.
“He’s got a lot going on, but part of his attitude is being protective and not wanting me around or to mess with you. If he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t care if you hung out with new people. He’s probably scared to death you’ll leave him too, like his dad, and you know, I have a lot more questions about all of that now.”
“Like what?”
“Like, you’ve been paired with a werewolf before. I’m not your first. You understand more about all of my werewolf shit than I realized.”
“Are you mad?”
“Not mad but I feel…I feel…” He frowned.
“You feel what?”
“Like I want to kill your ex. Now I know he’s a werewolf and that’s fair game. From what you’ve told me, I already can’t stand him, and now I know it’s a werewolf who abandoned his kid?” he said, jamming his finger at the door. “That boy is dealing with abandonment issues at a really important age for a male werewolf and that shit is on his dad. Your ex. You’re ex werewolf boyfriend.”
“Fiancé,” she corrected somberly. “I was the stupidest girl with that one.”
“He fumbled you, Tru. He did that. It’s on him. You’re a catch.”
His eyes were glowing brightly, and he was getting ramped up again.
“I feel like we are fighting.”
“We aren’t even arguing.” He blew out a breath. “I’m riled up a little. That’s on me. Post-fight Tabian is a little on edge.”
“Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?”
Honk!
Tru startled at the sound of her car horn outside. Freaking Bay.
She let off a very human-sounding growl, and Tabian hung his head. Slowly, he approached, arms out, and Tru leaned into the hug. Tabian’s tightening arms around her loosened something inside of her that she hadn’t realized had been so wound up.
She blew out a breath and relaxed against him, closing her eyes tightly. “I know it’s a lot.”
“You’re in pretty deep, Tru. Do you understand the risk with raising him?”
“I don’t care. He needs someone to step up. If not me, then who?”
His heartbeat drummed against her cheek, and she hugged him tighter for a moment before she released him. “I wish everything was simpler.”
“I don’t even know what simple means,” he murmured.
He had grabbed her hand as she’d eased out of the hug, and she stared at his big hand around hers. He made her look so small. She liked it. She rocked her head back and looked up at him. “I like feeling safe.”
“You are.”
“Yeah,” she said noncommittally, because she knew what would come next. He’d seen her real life. There was no hiding the complications that her life was drowning in now. This was too much for anyone.
She was too much. Tru slid her hand out of his.
