At least I could keep my promise to Jaxon and really think about it before anything happened. Because with his revelation, I sure had a lot to reflect on.
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Stacia chanted as we pulled into Jason and Trevor’s driveway. She started tugging at the straps of her car-seat like they were chains keeping her imprisoned.
“Alright, alright! Patience, please!” I said as I turned off the engine.
“Let’s go! Let’s go!”
I looked at the house and willed the front door to open. What I wanted was for Jason to hurry out to the car and collect Stacia so I wouldn’t have to go in and talk about what had happened with Greer. If Jaxon had seen it, then it was safe to assume everyone else had.
“Daddy!” Stacia cried. “Please!”
I took a deep breath and tried to take my own advice to have some patience. But it was no good, no one was coming out to the car. We’d have to go in.
“Dad!”
I turned around to point at Stacia with a warning finger. She quieted down but pouted. I held back a chuckle and climbed out of the car to get her out of her restraints. Once her feet hit the ground, she immediately ran full sprint up the porch to Jason’s front door.
I was coming up behind her with her suitcase in hand when the door opened. A fragrant waft of fresh flowers rushed out, as always.
“Hello, newlyweds,” I said. I leaned over Stacia and gave them both big hugs. They said nothing, and my heart sank.
“Come along, Stacia.” Trevor took hold of her hand then hurried down the hall, wheeling her suitcase behind them.
Jason smirked, and I raised my eyebrows, trying for nonchalance. “What?” I asked, knowing full well he had an intervention brewing.
“Let’s go to the kitchen, shall we?” He swept his arm out, inviting me inside.
“Oh geez.”
The kitchen smelled like warmed-up formula, fresh cookies, and roses.
“Well?” Jason folded his arms as he leaned across the counter. “What happened?”
“Is there any point in pretending not to know what you’re talking about?”
He grinned, so wolfish I wondered how I’d ever been ignorant of what he was. “I saw you kissing Greer, so…nope. No point whatsoever. Talk.”
I shrugged. “There’s nothing to talk about. If you saw the kiss, then you saw everything that happened.”
“He took you off to a secluded spot just to kiss you one time? Please.”
“It’s true!” Actually, I asked Greer to go outside with me, but I wasn’t about to reveal that little tidbit. I raked my fingers through my hair again, trying and failing to stop from flushing. You’d think there was nothing left to be shy about between Jason and me with everything we’d been through together, but apparently not. “We just…talked. Then right before you guys went on your run, he kissed me.”
“For how long?”
“Uh…”
“Alright,” he said, laughing and waving a hand. “If you don’t know, then it’s long enough to answer that question. Man, Jaxon might kill you.”
“Jaxon already called me,” I admitted, sheepish. “He warned me not to hurt Greer.”
“He did, huh? I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“You just said he might kill me.”
“Yeah, of course he’s going to kill you, but getting together with someone you’ve been obsessed with your whole life is worth it, right?”
I just grunted.
“Any other phone calls I should know about?” he asked saucily, glancing down at my jeans pocket that was bulging with my phone.
I played dumb and blinked at him.
“Has Greer called?” he asked in a deadpan tone, obviously annoyed at my game.
I shook my head. “He doesn’t even have my number. Honestly, Jason, there’s nothing to tell you. Nothing really happened. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t mean anything; it was probably just the fact that I’m on heat that made him a little crazy.”
Jason narrowed his eyes at me. “You are? But you’re on suppressors. Right?”
I nodded, ducking my head. “I learned that lesson.” Skipping a dose had ended with us having one impossible-to-avoid one-night stand; and Stacia.
“So it isn’t your heat.”
“I think it was though, that’s what he told me.”
“Wait, wait, wait. He told you he kissed you because you’re in heat?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
I shrugged, embarrassed once more. “He just said my scent was really strong to him. Potent.”
Jason’s lips twitched a little, almost ready to smile.
“What? What’s that look for?”
“You don’t know what that means, do you?”
I fixed him with a reproachful look. “Clearly I don’t. So will you enlighten me?”
“Well, think about it, right? Who’d be able to catch your scent, even through suppressants?”
I pursed my lips. I may not know much about shifters, but I had an idea what he was implying, and it definitely didn’t make sense. “You can’t seriously be suggesting that he’s…”
“What else?” He pushed away from the counter, fingers spread as wide as his smile. “I mean, I didn’t get your scent yesterday. Not that I was looking out for it, but obviously with our past experience, I know what it’s like. I’d say if your suppressant wasn’t working properly, not only would I know about it, but so would a lot of other alphas. As we didn’t, then that means it was really faint. But if Greer picked up on it, and said it was potent, then I’d say it was because you’re his fated mate.”
It couldn’t be right. I shook my head, stunned. “But I’ve known him for years. Since I was a teenager. He would have picked up on it before now, wouldn’t he?”
“Not necessarily. Maybe you were too young before, and then after you finished high-school you didn’t hang around the homestead as much. I mean, how physically close have you gotten to Greer over the past few years? If you weren’t close enough for him to catch your scent… Or he didn’t recognize it for what it was because he wasn’t ready…” Jason grinned. “Seems as if he’s ready now though.”
Fated mates… Fuck. Actually hearing the words made my chest ache and my head spin. I swallowed, trying to comprehend this new and immense possibility. To a wolf shifter being fated mates was a level of bonding that went as deep as the soul. And Jason was seriously suggesting I could be Greer’s fated mate?
“Do you want me to pinch you?” Jason asked, much too eagerly. “Because I will.”
“Do not pinch me,” I warned. “I know I’m awake. I’m just… Wow.”
“Can I tell you with one hundred percent certainty I’m right? No, I can’t. I wasn’t there. I’m not him. I’m not you. But it would make a lot of sense, under the circumstances.”
“Circumstances plural? You’re not just basing it on the scent?”
He grinned again. “Well… I was, but you just looked like I’d hit you with one of Cupid’s arrows, so I’m taking that as additional evidence. Y’know, maybe you should sit down.”
“Me thinking he’s extremely attractive doesn’t mean we’re fated mates,” I said, stubbornly leaning against the counter to avoid having to sit down. “And you’re right about one thing—you’re not him. I’m not him. Neither of us knows anything about how he feels. And I mean, how realistic is it that he’d be into me? And don’t forget about the difference in our ages. He might think I’m too young for him.”
Jason held up a hand. “Fair warning. If you’re about to be an asshole to yourself, I will start listing off things that make you attractive.”
“I’m not saying I’m ugly. Just that there’s no way somebody like him would—”
“You’re a committed parent,” Jason said, holding up one finger. “To another parent, there’s basically nothing as appealing as that.” Another finger. “You’re a writer. You get paid for it and you’re good at it. You’re handsome, your hair i
s perfect, you’re kind, you’re patient—”
“Stop that,” I said, flapping a hand at him. “I’m not fishing for compliments.”
“No, you’re just being hard on yourself. There are plenty of reasons he’d want you. Actually, he doesn’t even need them, and your age wouldn’t be a factor, not if you’re fated mates.”
“We’re not,” I said, fixing him with a look. “You can’t just keep saying that. You suggested it as one theory that could be true. Could be, hypothetically. But in reality, there’s just… There’s no way. There has to be another explanation.”
Jason sighed, shaking his head. “Well, don’t say I didn’t try, but I’m telling you. As someone who’s been lucky enough to find my fated mate and claim the other half of my soul, I don’t want you to close yourself off to the possibility. You have no idea how happy it’ll make you if you let it. It’s like…It’s Stacia-happy, but more intense.”
We shared a smile.
“Just bear it in mind as a possibility,” he said. “Think about how many other alphas there were at that party who weren’t all over you. Real horny ones. I mean, the faintest hint you were in heat and they’d have been— Oh, hey guys!”
I turned, grateful Trevor and Stacia’s arrival had cut off the stream of filth presumably about to spring forth. I beamed at our girl, leaning down to kiss her head, and then I gave Trevor a similarly warm smile. “Hello, you two. I’m glad you came in; I was just about to come and find you. I should get going.”
“Stay, Daddy,” Stacia said, hugging my leg.
“I have to finish the edits on my manuscript, sweetie.” I gently ran my fingers through her hair.
“You’re welcome to stay,” Jason said. “Plenty more to talk about.”
“I’ve heard enough.” I shook my head. “Sorry, sweetie, I do have to go.”
“Oh-kay,” she said with a deep sigh before immediately switching gears and happily skipping out of the room.
Trevor laughed then called after her. “Don’t wake him up!”
“Silas?” I asked.
“Mm-hm, she’s very excited about having a younger brother and she keeps wanting to put toys in his cot. Not great for safety, so I better go check in on them.”
“And I really had better go.”
“Ah, c’mon. Stay for some food. Edits can wait,” Jason said.
“They can’t. I need to get that book out of my life.”
“Alright, fine.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we walked to the door. “You keep me up to date on everything that happens, alright?”
“So that means you’ll get nothing. Just silence,” I said as he pulled the door open, then I laughed as he punched my shoulder. “Alright, alright, I will. You’ll be the first to know if anything happens.”
“The first,” he insisted as we hugged.
I smiled in reply then jogged down the steps toward my car. I had a feeling it would be a long time before I’d have to relay anything.
As I drove through the beautiful wolf shifter homestead and admired the trees that were still so leafy in the summer heat, I glanced in my rear vision mirror and just about lost my mind when I saw Greer’s car pulling out onto the road behind me.
I waved instinctively. My heart rate picked up as he waved back, open-palmed with a steady hand. Even in the tiny reflection of my rear-view mirror, he was so handsome it practically hurt to look at him. What were the chances we’d be heading out to town at the same time? Maybe fate really was trying to nudge us together after all.
I shook my head and focused on the road.
Fate… Please. As if.
As we pulled out through the large gates of the homestead and into the more suburban areas of Timberwood Cove, I considered pulling over and seeing if he’d do the same. I glanced back at him and felt a tugging in my chest every time I saw his hard-set jaw.
Get yourself together.
I followed my original plan and headed to the brewery to get my editing done.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been shocked when Greer pulled into the parking lot behind me. After everything Jason told me, and after seeing him drive out of the homestead at the exact same time as I left, I probably should have added the pieces together, but the truth was that I still couldn’t rationalize a man like Greer Parsons wanting me. Wanting to spend time with me…
I climbed out of the car and swallowed nervously as I saw him follow suit. He looked up and caught me gazing at him. His lopsided, almost sheepish grin confused me. He looked as nervous as I felt.
“Fancy seeing you here,” he said.
“Unbelievable.” My heart pounded and my fingertips tingled with some strange untapped energy. It was going to be difficult to focus on speaking with all the lust and desperation swirling through my body, but I was going to have to try.
5
Greer
That morning, I was tending to the wild herbs growing in the yard of the elders’ apartment block where I lived when I heard a rustling in the woods, just beyond the edge of the garden. I sniffed sharply but couldn’t catch hold of anything—until a warm breeze blew in from the direction of Jason’s house, carrying with it Keifer’s scent. The gentle wind moved over my face and made me feel like I was receiving one hundred sweet kisses. I closed my eyes and breathed it in deeply.
“Catching scents again?”
I almost jumped. My eyes flew open and I spun around to find Maurice standing at the edge of the woods. He was wearing an oversized sun hat and carrying his hiking cane, a huge grin spread across his face.
“You smell it too?” I asked, surprised and almost relieved. If he could also smell Keifer’s unique scent, then maybe it wasn’t fate causing my obsession with his aroma.
“Oh no, certainly not.” Maurice chuckled as he came closer. “But it’s written all over your face. Fate has come to pay you a visit, hm?”
I waved off the idea and turned my attention back to the rosemary bush I was pruning.
“They say this one’s good for memory,” Maurice said as he approached. He took a sprig of rosemary from the bush and popped it into his top pocket. “Good for the aging mind.”
“Well, then…” I chuckled and yanked off a sprig of my own. The woody stem caught and snagged, but a good yank set it free. I put it in the pocket on my linen shirt and took in its woody aroma.
“Speaking of memories. I recall seeing you took my advice last night.” Maurice gave me a smug grin. Again, I waved him off and snipped off more edges of the bush with my fingers.
“My son was talking to me about how I should find some company in my older age. It just planted the seed, and I suppose it took root. The company was nice. That’s all.”
“Hm, yes. A nice young man.” Maurice nodded, and then watched as I made quick work of pruning the thinner, younger stems. “Nothing the moon has orchestrated for you?”
“Well, who knows, but I assume it’s just alpha and omega hormones coming into play.”
“Ah, so that’s it. Just a moment of full moon lust, hm?”
“I suppose so,” I said, disturbed at how sad I sounded.
“Sure?” Maurice asked, and I heard a hint of irritation in his voice. It was uncharacteristic of him, and I looked at him with surprise. His gaze was set on me, but it was more caring and concerned than I’d expected. I felt a little taken aback.
“Well, maybe I need to see him again to see if there is anything more to it.”
Once I’d proven there was nothing special about this human omega, then I might be able to fall asleep tonight without picturing his face or the curve of his ass.
Maurice held my gaze and didn’t say a word.
“He’ll be on the homestead today, I believe,” I said, not liking how nervous I’d become. “To drop his daughter off at Jason’s. Her other father. Perhaps he’s there now.”
“Yes. The wind seems to be coming from that direction,” Maurice said. He finally broke eye contact with me and looked toward Jason’s house. I followed his gaze,
and once again the wind struck up and I caught just a hint of Keifer on the breeze, just enough to make my heart beat a little faster. This was outside of Jaxon’s influence, the glow of the moon, and the flattering new information Keifer had told me. Even now, his pheromones made me want to seek him out.
Alright. I guess this is a thing after all.
I craned my neck to peer over the thickets of bushes that separated the apartments from Jason and Trevor’s home and saw Keifer’s car parked in the driveway. My stomach clenched.
“Very well,” Maurice said with finality. “Best be off, then. See you.”
By the time I dragged myself out of my scent-induced trance, he was walking slowly away. I raced inside my place then grabbed my car keys off the wall. I quickly slipped on a light jacket and formulated a plan as I moved. By the time Keifer reversed off Jason and Trevor’s driveway, I was more than ready to follow him. I drove close to him and even felt calm and collected as I met his gaze in his rear-view mirror and saw him wave at me, surprised and pleased.
I smiled back, giving him a faint wave, as casual as I could make it. In any normal situation, I’d say following an omega to wherever he planned on going was weird, if a little creepy, but judging by his expression just moments ago, maybe he wouldn’t mind the company.
He led the way, whether consciously leading or not, to the brewery. When he finally climbed out of his car and looked at me, I could see a mix of surprise and giddy desire on his face.
Good. You too, then.
“Fancy seeing you here.”
“Unbelievable,” he said.
There was a long pause as we held eye contact, and I punctuated it by closing my car door. We both started slowly walking toward the bar, and I struggled to hold my wolf back as Keifer’s scent washed over me again.
“Didn’t get enough booze last night?” I asked.
He gave a short chuckle. “I have to edit that manuscript I was telling you about, and the bar is a good place to do that.” He indicated his laptop bag.
Silver Daddy Page 5
