Delilah came out of the house, both kids in tow. She went over to where Riley sat and said, “He does not wish to be touched. He needs sunscreen. He will burn.”
Riley looked at Remi, “You need to let us put some lotion on you, man. You don’t want to get a sunburn, do you?”
Remi shook his head no.
Riley said, “If you don’t put sunscreen on, you can’t get wet. I don’t want you to get burned, it hurts!”
Remi held his little hand out, and Delilah handed him the sunscreen. He squeezed a little into his hand and tried to rub it on himself, but couldn't reach well and was getting frustrated. But still he tried.
Avaleigh watched for a few moments, then got up and went around the table to where he stood near Riley. “Can I help you?”
Remi looked up at Avaleigh, frustration clear on his face, but the second he locked eyes with her, he seemed to relax. He regarded her for a moment, then slowly he reached out his little hand and gave her the sunscreen. He looked to Riley, then pointedly turned his little back and took one step backwards, toward Avaleigh. She knelt behind him, squeezed some into her hand and rubbed them together to warm it, then she started slowly, explaining as she went, “I’m going to put it on your neck and your shoulders first, okay?”
Remi didn’t answer, but he nodded.
Daniel met Riley’s eyes over Avaleigh’s back, his eyebrows raised, and Riley raised his also, smiling.
“Now I’m going to put it on your back and your arms, okay?”
Again, Remi nodded.
“Now your legs,” she explained. Then, “Can you turn around for me so I can put it on your chest and tummy?” she asked him.
He didn't answer, but he turned around for her, holding his little arms out to his sides so she could get them good.
She slathered him well, then when she was done, she reached out to put some on his face, across his nose, and he jumped back, snarling. He meant her no harm, but he was used to people hurting him, and her unexpected movement toward his face startled him.
Daniel moved quickly, himself snarling, but Avaleigh put out an arm out to stop him. “It’s okay,” she cooed to Remi. “That was my fault, I should have told you that I was going to put it on your face. Can I put some on your face?” she asked him quietly.
He regarded her for a moment, then he nodded and stepped closer to her.
She smiled at him, her heart hurting for what he must have been through to think that she’d meant him harm. She reached out slowly, “Here we go, just a little on your face so you don’t get sunburned, and you can jump in the pool with Cristie. Okay?”
He held still while she rubbed the lotion across his nose, his cheeks, and his forehead.
Then she asked, “Can I put some on the front of your neck?”
He looked at her, suspiciously, then at Riley, then Daniel, who watched him closely. Daniel was standing so close to Avaleigh that they were touching, and Remi looked at where Daniel’s thigh was touching her body as she knelt in front of him. He knew that Daniel was Dragon. He knew that the tall lady that had put sunscreen on Cristie was Dragon. And he knew all the rest of these people were animals, too. And now from the way that this male Dragon stood over the nice lady, he knew that she was his. But he also saw that when she put out an arm to stop him when he snarled and moved to protect his nice lady, he stopped. He didn't question her. Remi thought about it for a moment; then, he decided that if this Dragon trusted her, he would, too.
He looked back at Avaleigh, where she waited patiently for his answer. Slowly, very slowly, and trying to maintain eye contact with her while he did so, he raised his chin, displaying his neck and throat to her. Daniel’s breath caught, as did Riley's, and they shared a secret smile over Avaleigh’s back as she very slowly explained what she was doing.
“I’m going to spread just a little on your neck, here I go.” And she made sure to touch him very lightly as he looked down his nose at her. Then she said, “Now just a little more on your throat, and there! I’m done.”
He righted his head and looked at her.
“Thank you for trusting me,” Avaleigh told him.
He didn't answer, just smiled at her and nodded. He turned looking for Cristie, who was standing a small distance away, waiting for him. He walked over to her and took her by the hand, and together they went to get in the kiddie pool where Janie still sat watching them, with a smile on her face.
Avaleigh was smiling as she watched him climbing over the side and then turning to hold Cristie’s hand as she did the same. Then she realized that everybody was watching her. She looked around at them, “What? He was afraid, but he’s fine now.”
Maverik didn’t know what was going on, but something was. And it was confirmed when he looked at Bam, and Bam had tears streaming down his face with a huge grin to boot.
Maverik leaned over, eyes still on Avaleigh, “What gives, Bam?”
Bam used the back of his hand to swipe his eyes, “He’s Avaleigh’s. She just don’t know it yet,” he whispered.
“No shit?!! That’s freaking awesome!” Maverik told him.
Bam was quick to shush him, “Hush! She don’t know yet!”
Maverik looked across to where Avaleigh was standing watching the kids playing, splashing and giggling in the pool, then to Daniel who gave him a glare from hell.
“They’re letting it happen on its own; if it happens. She don’t know yet,” Bam repeated.
About that time the screen door to Bane and Janie's slammed shut, and he looked up to see Maia coming out, dressed in shorts and a tight tank top. “Damn, baby, I thought you was gonna miss the whole thing,” Maverik called to her.
“Sorry, Daddy. I just never get to soak in a hot tub; I always had to be quick at home. Too much risk of interruption if ya know what I mean. So I’m afraid I got carried away,” she giggled as she finished her explanation. Truth was she had taken a really long soak, but then when she’d been about ready to come out, she’d seen Riley walk up with the kids, and she’d known immediately; he was hers. But he’d had the kids with him, and she had to take time to adjust to the knowledge that her Mate was already mated with kids. She’d be alone. But she plastered on a smile and went out to greet her daddy’s family, her family now. Her daddy had survived without a Mate, still might have to. And if he could do it, she could, too.
“No problem, baby girl. Come on down and get you something to eat.”
Everybody greeted her and hugged her and were very clearly excited that she was there. She laughed and joked and tasted a little of everything before Delilah convinced her to sit near her and try the fried fish and shrimp. And as far as Maia was concerned, Delilah was right. Fried was best, dipped in a mixture of Mayo and Ketchup. Then Delilah leaned over and plopped a huge spoonful of bread‘n butter pickles on her plate. Maia looked up at her and Delilah smiled, “You can never have too many bread‘n butter pickles. They are good, little Wolf, try them.”
And as Maia dutifully tried first one, then another, Daniel realized that Riley stood in exactly the same spot he’d been in 10 minutes earlier when Maia came out on the porch. In fact, he looked frozen, eyes locked on Maia.
“Riley?” Daniel tried to get his attention.
Riley stood entranced.
Daniel bumped his shoulder. Riley didn't look at him, didn't move his eyes from Maia, but he responded.
“What?”
“What’s the deal, dude? Why you staring at Maia?” Daniel asked.
Riley turned to Daniel, he swallowed deeply, audibly, “She’s mine,” he whispered hoarsely.
“She’s yours?!” Daniel asked him urgently in hushed tones, trying to keep Maverik from hearing it. He knew Maverik was going to freak the fuck out. She was barely seventeen years old.
Then Bam’s healer Bear had to go into action, “Hey! Riley!” He called from across the yard, “You’re glowing gold!”
Everybody turned to look at Bam, then at Riley. Then Bam continued, “Aw, cool! Look at that… so
is Maia!”
Then they turned to look at Maia, who was looking at Bam, confused. Then they started to put two and two together.
Bam, knowing full well what it meant, was steadily playing it Bam style, “Aw!!! You know what that means?! That means ya’ll are Mates! How cool is that?”
He turned to ask Maverik how cool was that and found Maverik gone, already hightailing it to stand between Maia and Riley.
“Aw hell naw! Ain’t happening! Maia get back in the damn house! Riley, I like you and all, but ain’t no way in hell you’re getting your hands on my daughter! Ain’t fucking happening!” Maverik was declaring, steadily chesting Riley, pushing him back away from Maia, who was now standing facing them.
“Daddy?” Maia tried to get his attention.
“Back in the house, Maia, now!” he barked at her.
Riley was trying to not come off as confrontational, especially since Maia was Maverik’s daughter, and Maverik was his friend, but he didn't like it one single fucking bit when Maverik yelled at her, and neither did his Panther.
“Don’t talk to her like that!” he snarled in Maverik’s face.
Maverik raised his eyebrows, let loose some of the Alpha he usually kept buried and thrust it at Riley, who gathered his own Alpha and thrust it right back.
“She’s my daughter! My not even seventeen-year-old daughter!” he yelled at Riley.
And Riley answered, “And she’s my Mate! So don’t fucking yell at her! I don’t care if you are her daddy. You yell at her, I’ll put you on your fucking ass!”
“Oh, yeah?” Maverik screamed in his face.
“Yeah!” Riley screamed back.
People started moving away, Kaid and Daniel moving them back, making sure that everyone was out of the way before they decided to try to intervene.
They’d gotten them all moved to the other end of the yard and had gotten the kids out of the pool and down there with them. Delilah was holding Cristie, and Daniel smiled in spite of the stressful situation when he realized that Remi had placed himself in front of Avaleigh and was standing there, his little feet planted, his arms crossed, eyes glued to the two men facing off.
Maia, tired of the pissing contest her daddy and her Mate were having, whistled once, loudly. So sharply that most of the shifters including she, herself, winced.
She had to move fast when everybody winced because it only afforded her a few seconds time, and she stepped in between Maverik and Riley. She braced her back against Riley, and placed her hands against Maverik’s chest, and shoved in both directions. They both stepped back a couple inches, but only out of respect for her efforts.
“Daddy,” she started. He opened his mouth to talk to her, and she cut him off, “No! Shut it! Hear me out!”
She heard Riley snicker from behind her and told him, “You, too. Shut it!” She waited to see if he’d make any comment, and when he didn't, she continued talking to Maverik.
“Daddy, I’m almost seventeen. Two more weeks and I will be. Some girls are married and mated much younger than me.” He started to interrupt, but she rushed to cut him off again, “I don’t want to be mated or married yet. I’m not ready!”
Maverik smirked at Riley over her shoulder. She snapped her fingers to get her daddy’s attention, “But one day I will. And when I do, I don’t want my daddy and my Mate to argue every time they are near each other. I want to live close to you, but if you don’t allow me to have my Mate and be happy, I won’t be able to. Do you understand?”
“Well, yeah, baby, but…”
“No! No buts. You know how hard it was to lose a Mate. You know how much it can hurt. Don’t make me choose when I find him.”
Riley had been quiet until now, “Wait! Find him? I’m right here!”
She turned to look at him, “Yeah, and you’re already mated and married.” She cut her eyes to the kids standing with the rest of the clan, Kaid and Daniel standing guard halfway between them and the clan.
Riley smiled, reached out to tuck a wisp of her hair that escaped her ponytail behind her ear, “I’m not mated or married. The little girl is mine. Her mom wasn't my Mate, and she left us not too long after Cristie was born. The little boy,” Daniel cleared his throat, and Riley flicked his eyes to Daniel’s in a flash, “is a friend of Cristie’s from daycare. I’m babysitting.”
Riley smiled when Maia’s face turned into the brightest smile he’d ever seen. “You’re not mated?” she asked him in a soft voice.
He shook his head no, annnd then Maverik stepped between them, “And that is why you are going to sit over there,” he told Riley, pointing at the table on the other side of the kiddie pool, “and you are sitting over there,” he told Maia, pointing at the table she’d been sitting at with Delilah earlier, that was located on the opposite side of the clearing.
Riley decided not to provoke Maverik any further. He’d found his Mate. She was young, but she was here. And she’d been happy to find out that he wasn't mated. He could wait. He lifted his hand and reached across Maverik’s shoulder, running his thumb down Maia’s jawline, “I’ll talk to you later, after your daddy and I spend a little time talking, okay?”
Maverik slapped his hand away, “Quit touching her!”
They both ignored Maverik.
“Okay,” she answered Riley, a huge smile on her face.
Chapter 12
Riley turned and walked away from them, stopping at the dessert table and picking up a couple of cookies for the kids. He went straight to Delilah and took Cristie from her, smiling huge. He handed her a cookie and said, “Come play in the pool with Doddy for a little while, yes?”
Cristie took the cookie from him and turned her little body in his arms, looking at Maia over his shoulder. Riley saw her looking and reassured her, “Everything’s okay, baby. No problems at all. Okay?”
She nodded and looked at Maia again, where she stood speaking with Maverik in hushed tones. “Her nice?”
“Yes, baby. She’s very nice. She will want to be your friend, is that okay?” Riley asked her. Realizing that it was probably a very good thing that they’d have to wait. Cristie needed them to go slowly, too.
“Flim now?” she asked him, indicating the pool.
“Yep, we are going to flim now. Remi, you coming to swim with us, man?” he asked the little boy.
Remi, still standing in front of Avaleigh, looked at him, then at Avaleigh. Riley reached his hand out toward Remi, and Remi shook his head, turned and to Avaleigh’s delight, took her hand and started leading her toward the pool.
Avaleigh smiled at him and allowed him to lead her toward the kiddie pool. Riley grinned, and when he and Cristie got in, he made sure to leave room for Avaleigh and Remi to climb in with them. Riley sat down, and Cristie perched herself on his thigh, laughing and squealing as she splashed the water.
Remi watched for a minute, then he looked askance at Avaleigh, before she nodded and asked, “You want to sit on my leg, too?”
Remi nodded and sat down on her thigh; then, he started playing and splashing in the water with Cristie.
Daniel stood with Kaid, watching their family once again mingling. He smiled warmly, taking a deep breath of relief as he watched the little boy, Remi, become attached to his Avaleigh.
“This what Riley called you about the other night?” Kaid asked him.
“Yeah. It was. He said the boy, Remi, Remington is his name, was being abused by his aunt. Said she basically gave him to Riley and stormed out of his life when Riley tried to intervene. He’s not equipped to raise him. He knew Avaleigh couldn't have kids, so he wanted to know if we might want to try to gain custody, raise him as ours.”
Kaid listened without interrupting.
“I told him to bring him, but not to say anything, that we’d see if they were drawn to each other. If they liked each other. I didn’t want to tell her, then have the little boy not trust her, not want her near him.”
“Looks to me like he took right to her, don’t you think?” Kaid
asked.
Daniel smiled, “Yeah, it does. I really hope this works out. I want to make all her dreams come true. This would make her so happy,” Daniel whispered.
“And Remington needs a good home, too,” Kaid said.
“Yeah, he does. His mom died having him, and his aunt fucking sucks. Riley doesn't know how to raise him; that and knowing that Avaleigh can’t have kids is why he called me. And it’s looking like I’m really glad he did.”
Daniel went over to the pool and stood there for a second waiting for them to notice him. He was no fool; he knew that Remington was aware of him and everyone else and exactly where they were located around the area. It was what his kind did. They were always aware, especially after being mistreated the way he had been. Remi stopped splashing and looked up to where Daniel stood, waiting. Daniel didn't speak to him, but he sent him a thought, one final test, “May I join?” Remi stood, took Avaleigh’s hand and pulled her a little; she moved over to where he was pulling, and Remi sat down on her thigh again. Then he looked up at Daniel and pointed at the spot they’d just vacated. Daniel stepped into the pool and sat down next to Avaleigh, both of them wearing shorts and teeshirts and not the least little bit concerned that they were still dressed. Daniel put his arm around Avaleigh, and Remi smiled at him and started playing with Cristie again.
“We good?” Riley asked Daniel.
“I think we are,” Daniel answered.
Riley took a deep breath and spoke to Avaleigh, drawing her attention from where she played in the water with the kids, “Avaleigh,” he waited for her to look at him, “his name is Remington. He’s with me because I stopped a woman from beating him.” She swallowed a quick reflexive gasp and wrapped an arm around Remi, holding him to her. He tensed and looked at her for a moment before relaxing and adjusting where he sat so that she could hug him, and he could continue to play with Cristie.
“He can’t go back there. And I can’t take care of him. So I called Daniel. I don’t know anyone else who can care for him properly. We decided that I’d bring him here today and see if the two of you hit it off,” Riley told her.
Maverik's Ashes Page 10
