by Melissa Haag
“Did you like it?” I asked, turning to look at Michelle.
Her gaze met mine as she nodded, and I really hoped that meant she’d touch me on the way home.
I kept the bike steady as she got off and listened to Aden ask Jim about the water. Was it like a bathtub? Did they have to use soap? Were there toys they could use?
The questions had me doubting the kid had ever gone swimming before. And, the way Liam stared at the water, I began to suspect they’d never even seen a lake in their lives.
Michelle didn’t seem quite as awed as she walked with them to the water’s edge. Her bothers stomped in to their ankles and just stood there. She tested the water and backed away.
“We need to show them how to have fun,” Jim said.
I wholeheartedly agreed.
“Chicken?” I said.
“Oh yeah,” he said with a devilish grin.
* * * *
Liam and Aden were naturals at the game of chicken. What brothers weren’t good at pushing each other around? Jim watched me closely, waiting for me to look away so he and Aden could push their advantage. I tended to look away a lot. Michelle was on the blanket. Winifred had given her a magazine, but I could tell Michelle wasn’t reading it. She was watching us. But, was she keeping an eye on her brothers or was she looking at me?
The last few times I’d looked up and caught her gaze, she’d blushed. I was fairly certain that meant she was looking at me.
My attention wandered back to the beach and the blanket. She’d kept her shorts and shirt on but I was positive she wore her suit underneath. Maybe I could convince Liam to—
Liam’s weight shifted under Aden’s sudden attack. I braced my feet in the sand, but could feel the boy was going over. So I leaned us to the side and kept his head above the water as he fell.
“We win again!” Aden cried.
Liam scowled at me.
“Sorry, bud. Next three rounds are ours.”
I stayed focused and tied the score. After that, I forced myself to keep my mind on Liam and Aden and show them how to play like cubs. Michelle would come around on her own.
Before the sun started to set, we packed up. Michelle hadn’t strayed too far from the blanket, but the boys had enjoyed a full day at the beach like every kid should.
Once everything was in the trunk, I sat on my bike and waited for Michelle to buckle her brothers in. She seemed to take her time. Jim noticed it, too, because he winked at me and quickly claimed the front seat again.
Michelle mounted the bike the same way, but a sweet pancake smell clung to her as she gripped the back bar. Yep, she was coming around. I grinned the whole way home.
As soon as we parked by the porch, Jim announced a fireworks show and went inside for the goods. Winifred shot a look in his direction, but Michelle and the boys didn’t notice.
“I think I’ll take this stuff in and make us some dinner. You two should go rinse in the shower and change,” Winifred said, looking at the boys.
Michelle led them upstairs, and I helped Winifred unload.
“It was a good day,” she said.
“Yeah. Those boys really enjoyed the lake.”
“They seem to enjoy everything outside. Almost as if they’ve never had the chance before.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I said, setting the beach bag on her sofa.
“She was watching you,” Winifred said as she set the cooler on the floor and started unloading items into the fridge. “She was trying really hard not to, but she was.”
The seriousness in Winifred’s tone cut off my preemptive grin.
“Her scent would change from curiosity to fear in an instant. My guess is that she’s acknowledging her interest but is afraid of getting involved with you. Maybe it’s not just you. Maybe she’d afraid of getting too close to anyone.” Winifred closed the fridge and turned to me. “It’s good you brought her here. She does need us. We need to figure out what’s haunting her and put her ghosts to rest. Until we do, I don’t know that she’ll ever be ready to trust us.”
“And how will we find out about her past unless she trusts us enough to tell us?”
Winifred gave me a quick grin.
“That’s for you to figure out, boy. Now, go keep an eye on your brother before he shoots a bottle rocket through a window.”
By the time I heard the boys on the stairs, Jim was ready with two sparklers. I lit them, and he held them out just as the cubs burst out the door.
“Is it hot?” Aden asked, leaning to look at Jim’s finger.
“The glowing end is very hot. But if you hold the metal down here, you’ll be fine. And, you can write your name like this.”
The boys took their sparklers and started waving them around. I kept my eyes on the stairs as I got another two ready. Michelle didn’t disappoint me. She walked right toward me and accepted one of the sparklers. But when our hands touched, an odd look passed over her face, and I watched her pupils dilate in a very unnatural way. A second later, she was back to normal. Well, not exactly normal. She looked pale and shocked.
“Michelle?” I said.
“Sorry,” she said. “Daydreaming.”
Her heart skipped a beat with the lie, and her scent soured with worry. I didn’t push for more. Instead, I played along and moved away to help Aden light another sparkler.
Though I helped Jim with the kids, I was very aware of Michelle. When her sparkler sputtered and died, she wandered back to the porch and sat next to Winifred. She remained distant and distracted as the boys went through the sparklers then joined the women on the porch for Jim’s small fireworks show. Only her brothers’ joyful shouts seemed to penetrate Michelle’s deep thoughts.
Watching them, I realized the first step to gaining her trust was giving her a better reason to stay than fear. And, her brothers were the key.
Chapter 6
While everyone else went to bed, I sat on the couch and planned. Liam and Aden needed a home and a safe space to be cubs. Right now, they almost had both. However, from Michelle’s point of view, this wasn’t a home; it was just a place to stay. Some old-timer humans might say that home is where a person hung his hat. My kind had gone too long without hats or permanent roofs to believe that. We knew what home really meant. Home wasn’t a place but a desire to be with people who called to your soul.
In order to call to Michelle’s soul, I needed to show her I could protect and provide for her. To do that, I needed to make this the best and safest place for her brothers to grow up. Jim and I had run in the woods with Dad and Grey from as early as I could remember. Wrestling and hunting had been play for us. It would be different for Liam and Aden. They weren’t like us.
During my time away from this place, I’d learned my fair share about humans and their young. And the boys had given their answer to happiness on the first day they’d arrived. They needed a swing set.
If I built a swing set, the boys would be happy. Michelle would see them having fun in their own space in the safety of our yard. The swing set would be a good first step, but I needed to do something more. They needed their own family space, not just a borrowed apartment. With them coming down for food all the time, Michelle wouldn’t feel settled. She needed to be able to cook for the boys herself. If they were happy, and she could give them what they needed, here, then there would be no reason for her to want to leave.
And maybe, when she saw everything I was willing to do for her, the lengths I would go to keep her here, maybe she would be willing to accept me for what I was—an insanely love-struck werewolf seeking a shred of affection.
I flopped back on the couch and rubbed my face.
She was going to leave.
* * * *
The sound of Jim’s steps in the hall woke me. I kept my breathing and heartbeat even and waited. As soon as he stood next to me, I twisted and blocked the hand that was about to deliver a slap to my back.
“Did you sleep?” he asked with a grin as he moved away.
Jim laughed and started pouring himself an extra-large bowl of cereal.
“How can you eat that stuff?”
“What? It’s good.”
“No, it’s not. It smells and tastes like the chemicals and dyes it’s made with.”
Jim sniffed his bowl, and it was my turn to grin.
“Hey, I need you to take the bike to work today.”
Jim stopped eating to stare at me in surprise.
“No wheelies. No brake stands. No scratches or dents of any kind. Drive it like Mom would.”
“You just said you didn’t want scratches or dents.”
“I meant be slow and be careful.”
“Fine. You going to tell me why you’re entrusting me with your baby?”
“I’m going to ask Michelle to use the truck so I can get what we need to build a swing set.”
“No way,” Jim said with growing excitement. “Get a sturdy one.”
I could already picture Jim trying to swing with Aden.
“I doubt they come that sturdy.”
Jim quickly finished his cereal then made a big show of taking the bike keys. I shook my head and went to take a shower.
* * * *
I waited until seven then went upstairs to knock on the door. Anticipation filled me when I heard her steps within the apartment. Each night seemed to take longer and seeing her first thing in the morning only got better.
Michelle opened the door cautiously, her hair tousled from sleep. My chest tightened at the sight of her in her shorts and a tank top.
“Morning,” I said. “Could I borrow your truck?”
“Sure.” She’d kept her voice low. The husky sound of it made the ache in my chest worse. As she left the door to get the keys, I tried to rub the feeling away. When she returned, I had my hands in my pockets.
“You can drive the truck any time you want,” she said, handing the keys over. “But why the change from the motorcycle?”
“Jim took it to work.” And he better not wreck it, I thought.
She gave me a slight smile.
“Maybe tell Jim to take the truck tomorrow.”
“Yeah. I will. Thanks for the keys.”
She smiled and softly closed the door. I was half-tempted to come up with some lame reason to knock on the door one more time just to look at her again. Instead, I jogged down the steps and went out to the truck. The bed was big. I hoped it would fit a big swing set.
Several hours later, I eased down the driveway with my haul. I’d picked a neat swing set that would hopefully entertain the boys and Jim. I’d also stopped at a store and stocked up on food Michelle might need to make her apartment feel like her own home.
When I rounded the corner of the house, I caught sight of Liam and Aden tossing a ball back and forth and Michelle sitting on the steps, leaning back on her elbows with her long legs stretched out before her. I swallowed hard and eased the truck to a stop.
As I opened the door, she stood, her gaze drifting over the things in the back of the truck and the bags in the seat beside me.
“Can we help carry in your groceries?” she asked.
“Actually, they’re your groceries.”
She glanced at all the bags again and made her way to the passenger door. As she handed a plastic bag to each of the boys, I inhaled her scent.
“Why the worry?” I asked, studying her.
“The swing set is great, but I don’t know how long we can stay here.”
I hated hearing her say what I’d been fearing.
“I told you, you can stay as long as you want.”
Her worry didn’t ease up even though she nodded. In fact, a thread of sadness started to weave in with the worry.
“I’m not sure my freezer will be able to hold all of the meat,” she said, grabbing several loaded bags.
She was trying to hide what she was really feeling with her words. Why? She didn’t trust me. The lack of trust disappointed me.
“Don’t worry. We’ll put the extra in Jim’s freezer.”
I watched her walk into the house and caught Winifred studying me.
I know, give it time, I thought to her.
Good boy.
I shook my head and started to unload the materials from the back of the truck. When the boys returned, they stood off to one side, watching me curiously until I asked them to help carry the little things.
Winifred joined Michelle in her efforts to take the groceries inside.
“What is all this for?” Liam asked after inspecting one of the chains on the ground.
“A swing set,” I said with a smile. I picked up two chains and attached the seat to the ends. “See?”
Aden’s eyes lit with anticipation. Liam looked a little hesitant to believe me. Like his sister.
The boys stayed close as I worked. They helped when I asked them to, but otherwise stayed quiet and out of the way. If it would have been Jim and me at that age, we would have been all over Uncle Grey or Dad.
“How long is this going to take?” Aden asked, a hint of impatience in his voice. I laughed.
“It’ll go faster when Jim gets home in a few minutes. He’ll be able to hold the support beam in place.”
Aden bounced on his feet a little when he heard the distant rev of the motorcycle.
I turned to watch Jim drive my bike down the gravel drive. His devil smile told me he wanted to pull something, but he saw the swing set and seemed to change his mind. He parked, then came over by us.
“You need to hold the beam,” Aden said. Liam tried to shush him, but Aden gave his brother a quick scowl and moved closer to Jim.
“Liam, think you could hold these bolts for me while Jim and I lift the beam?”
Liam nodded and solemnly came forward to help.
We’d just gotten the beam in place when Winifred called us to the house for dinner.
Jim made a game out of who could take bigger bites between him and Aden. Aden giggled through most the meal. Michelle didn’t say much, just stayed focused on her food then helped clean up when she was done. She was more relaxed with us, but still so detached. I knew not to push her...yet.
After eating, Jim and I worked slowly on the swing set, spending the majority of our time teasing the kids. We even took a small break to show the two how to play catch. When Liam’s eyes rounded at a high jump I executed, Jim and I quickly went back to the swing set.
“You’re going to get us in trouble,” I said for his ears only.
“I wasn’t the one that jumped to catch the ball.”
“You threw it too high on purpose.”
“Start giving them hints now, and they won’t be so freaked out when they learn the truth.”
“I’d rather just tell them the truth.”
Jim shook his head. “They aren’t ready.”
After the kids and Michelle went upstairs to get ready for bed, I paced Jim’s living room. She didn’t trust me because someone else had given her a reason not to trust. I needed to give her a reason to trust me.
Despite Jim’s advice, I felt the truth was the key. Trusting her with my secret would show her she could trust me. One, it would be telling her the truth about me before we went any further in our relationship. Not that there was a relationship, yet. But, the truth might make that more possible because she would see that I could protect her against anything. Which would be the second reason to tell her the truth. Sure, she might freak out a little like Jim said, but Mom had learned to accept Dad. Michelle could accept me.
Nerves and anticipation kept me up most the night. When I heard the boys moving upstairs, I quickly showered and went outside to start working. It didn’t take much time before the boys joined me. Michelle came out and sat on the porch, watching.
It took me longer than it should have to put the set together. What-ifs and doubts clouded my mind. The bottom line was that not telling Michelle what I was felt like
a lie. And, I wouldn’t lie to her. I couldn’t. That didn’t mean I embraced telling her the truth. What if she ran without giving me a chance?
It was well after lunch when I finally secured the swing set to the ground and gave the boys the go-ahead to play. They raced for the tower and started climbing up.
Letting out a long breath, I turned and joined Michelle on the porch. She kept her eyes on the boys as they played. I sat next to her and watched them, too. I realized that in order to tell her about me, I needed to separate her from her brothers. I didn’t want to scare all three of them.
“I bought a movie when I went to the store,” I said.
I felt her turn to look at me. She quietly studied me for a while.
“Would you like to watch it with me?” I asked.
“I can watch the boys out here if you two want to go in,” Winifred said from her chair on the porch.
A swell of determination spiced Michelle’s scent as she stood and told her brothers that she would be right inside if they needed her. I quickly stood, too, and ignored the wink Winifred sent my way.
Michelle followed me to Jim’s apartment. Now that the time was here, I hesitated. I went to the TV and grabbed the movie I really had purchased in town. I turned and held it up with a hopeful smile.
The hope that we could sit together for a while before I broke the news to her died at her serious expression.
“Emmitt,” she said, reluctantly. “I really appreciate you letting us stay here, but I don’t know how long we’ll be here, and can’t afford any emotional distractions.”
At first, her words hurt. She was ready to leave before we’d even gotten started. Then, I realized what she’d said. Emotional distractions.
“What are we talking about, exactly?”
“The way you look at me...” she whispered with a blush.
Oh, the things she could do to me. The color in her cheeks and the shy look in her eyes made my chest tight. I wanted to touch her and have her touch me in return. My face. My hair. It didn’t matter. Just any sign of affection. I was starting to feel a little starved for it.
