by Tl Reeve
Once she reached Nico, he stood up, wrapped his arm around her before placing a soft, chaste kiss on the top of Hayden’s head. In those moments, standing there with his family, Mackenzie would’ve paid vast amounts of money to wipe the smirk off of Holly’s face.
When Holly was escorted out of the court room, Charles joined their quiet discussion. “According to Walker, Holly has pictures, which she provided to Walker at lunch, of Hayden and Nico in several inappropriate and sexual situations.” D.A. Franks turned his attention to Nico. “The Judge is going to review the new evidence, along with having a conversation with Kalkin.”
Anger burned in the young wolf’s eyes, and his entire body stiffened. “Damn it.”
“Ohmigod, her evil knows no bounds,” Hayden growled.
“What the fuck?” Royce muttered.
“There’s more.”
“Of course, there is,” Nico raged.
“Mr. Walker is demanding for his medical experts—” Franks did quotation marks with his fingers when he said experts— “to speak to Hayden or have her placed on a psych hold for seventy-two hours, so she can be evaluated by a psychologist.”
“He’s fucking nuts,” Hayden said, breaking the stunned silence. Although Hayden gave the appearance of being cool, calm, and collected, Mackenzie could see the fury flickering in the blue depths of her eyes.
“Can they do that?” Mackenzie asked.
“They can. The Judge will rule on it once he has the file. Which conveniently, Mr. Walker gave to his paralegal to make copies of before returning to the court after our lunch break. The Judge told Alexander, he has until the end of court hours today to deliver it to both the court and to me.” Charles glanced at Nico. “The moment I get the file, we’re going to have to talk.”
“We’ve got nothing to hide,” Nico stated.
The D.A. cautioned, “If the Judge rules in the defense’s favor, you could lose your job or at the very least be suspended.”
Nico shrugged, and Mackenzie spoke up, knowing what he was about to promise, Kalkin would make true. “The pack/pride will provide for them until the issue is resolved and he can return to work.”
Royce put his hand on Nico’s shoulder in support. “We all know Nico would never have done the shit he’s being accused of. Especially since Kalkin made it pretty clear he’d castrate him if he did. Plus, Nico has been a valuable member of this pack since he was a child. His word carries more weight than Holly’s ever will.”
“I didn’t need his warning, Royce,” Nico snarled. “Hayden was underage. My wolf and I were both willing to wait.”
Hayden shook her head. “This is all my fault. I should’ve just answered the question when he asked when we had sex. He would’ve stopped right there.”
Charles snorted. “No, he wouldn’t have. He would’ve gone forward with his evidence in an attempt to say you perjured yourself in court.”
“If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.” Mackenzie’s heart broke at the pain his family was being forced to go through again, because of a stupid choice he made all those years ago when he laid his crazy idea out to Holly.
Hayden untangled herself from her mate’s embrace and laid her tiny hand on Mackenzie’s chest. “That’s not true, Uncle Mac. Holly was a deceitful, manipulative bitch who set us all up. She might have said she was going to leave Window Rock, but we all know, it was a lie. She’d have found another way to stay and screw us all.”
“I brought her into the family though, kiddo,” Mackenzie said.
Hayden shook her head. “No, I did. She was an extension of me. Someway, somehow, she would’ve been around us, and we’d still be standing in this same position, either way.”
“Hayden’s right, dad. You’ve gotta stop taking all the weight of the world onto your shoulders. Not everything is your fault. Considering, having the last name of Raftery, seems to be a magnet for shit happening to you, hell all of us,” Royce said with a smile.
Mackenzie didn’t respond, because quite honestly, he didn’t know what to say. His family saw it one way, whereas he saw it another way. They could repeat themselves until they were blue in the face, deep down, though, Mackenzie knew it was all his fault.
Hayden stepped back into Nico’s arm and sighed. “Poor Emmitt. He was a mess last night, worrying about testifying today, to the point if he could have, he’d have given himself an ulcer. Now, with it pushed off to next week, he’ll be stressing about it again.”
Mackenzie looked around the courtroom. “Where is Emmitt?” Come to think of it, since they’d returned from lunch, he hadn’t seen the man.
“He didn’t want to be in the courtroom, so they sequestered him with the intent to bring him out when it was his time,” Nico answered.
“Poor kid.”
Royce snorted. “He’s not a kid, dad.”
Mackenzie cocked a brow. “Boy, don’t you realize, everyone is a kid when you’re sixty-six years old?”
“Old man,” Hayden teased.
Mackenzie smiled when the twinkle of mischief returned to her eyes. “So, I’ve been told.”
Nico pulled Hayden in closer to his body and addressed Charles Franks. “Give me a call when you get the file. Our children are waiting on us.”
“I’ll bring it by the moment I get,” Charles stated.
“Uncle Kal is going to want to see it first,” Hayden added. “You know him.”
“The Judge will be handling that,” D.A. Franks said.
“Thank fuck for small miracles,” Royce muttered. “At least with the judge, Kal can’t blow his top.”
“Might want to give Keeley a heads up. He’s liable to be in a pissy mood tonight,” Mackenzie warned.
Hayden nodded. “I’ll call her from the car on the way home.”
Mackenzie reached out to snag Hayden’s arm. “You need me, kiddo, you don’t hesitate to call me.”
“I know, uncle Mac,” she said the tightness around her mouth easing. “I know.”
Mackenzie released her arm then gave Nico a look and ordered, “Take care of her.”
“Always,” Nico replied, before escorting his niece from the courtroom.
“Got time to grab a cup of coffee?” Royce asked.
Mackenzie hoped his face didn’t show his surprise he experienced at his son’s request. Before they’d gone away to Massachusetts, their relationship had been strained, to say the least. Returning to Window Rock created a chasm between the two of them. Mackenzie had, for the most part, kept his distance, not wanting to force a relationship with his son.
Once they returned from the mission in Northeast, though, it had even been even more chilly. It’d only been more recently, since the twins were born that he had seen a noticeable thaw in his relationship with his Royce. Mackenzie knew it had everything to do with his daughter-in-law, and he’d been eternally grateful as well. Like all Raferty men, Royce included, he’d quickly became pussy whipped. Charisma was a force to be reckoned with since she had found her footing with Royce.
“Always got time for you, son,” Mackenzie said, not missing the small smile floating across his son’s lips.
“Mind walking down to YoJo?” Royce asked.
“Sounds like a good idea. I’ve been sitting most of the day, and I’m not used to being so sedentary all day,” Mackenzie said.
The short walk to the town’s only coffee house was serene. Neither of them spoke much, and, instead of dwelling on it, he focused on the coolness of the day. It wasn’t until they both had their drinks and found the only remaining empty table in the outdoor eating area that Royce began to speak.
“Listen, Dad, I know we’ve not had the greatest relationship since you got back to town. I’ve been closed off and unreceptive—”
“Listen, Royce, you—”
Royce held up his hand, stopping Mackenzie. “I need to get this out. All of it. I need you to allow me to do it without interruption. You can have your piece when I’m done, okay?”
“Okay, son,”
Mackenzie promised before taking a sip of his coffee.
Royce fiddled with the lid of his cup before he continued. “When you showed back up in town, I was an asshole. I was angry as fuck with you for leaving me with your brothers for such a long time. I also had trust issues. Both of which I held onto, and one of them almost cost me my mate.”
Even though Royce had requested his silence, Mackenzie needed his son to know the truth. “It was never my intent to leave you with your uncles for so long.”
Royce sighed. “I know, dad. I do. But I spent years feeling this,”—Royce gestured to his chest— “knot of abandonment constantly sitting in my gut, festering and growing. I allowed it to consume me to the point where I didn’t even like what I saw in the mirror. I got to the point where I couldn’t do it anymore. Fuck. I don’t want to live my life with it hanging over me anymore.” Royce rubbed his hand through his hair. “Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes shouldn’t define us, though. It’s how we recover and handle ourselves after we make them, that determines our future.”
“Son.”
Royce ignored him. “I got lucky and received my second chance with Charisma. No lie, dad, I thank God every damn day she forgave me and let me back in. Without her and our kids, I’d be a shell of a man. So, I want to give our relationship another chance. I want you in our lives. Not just the kids and Charisma, but mine also.”
“Royce,” Mackenzie said, more insistent this time in the hopes of breaking through to his son.
It didn’t work. Royce kept right on going. “No, dad. I know I’ve been blaming you for a lot of shit, and the majority of it isn’t even your fault. You had no control over it. It wasn’t fair to either of us. I want you to know I’m sorry for how I treated you when you returned and up until now. You didn’t deserve any of the bullshit I threw your way over the years.”
Mackenzie chuckled. “Maybe a little.”
Royce laughed. “Don’t make me laugh, I’m trying to be serious here and have a heart to heart conversation with you.”
“Something no Raferty has a clue how to do in the first place,” Mackenzie said, hoping to break the cloud of emotion surrounding them.
It was true.
Rafertys, well, they didn’t always deal with emotions the best. Right or wrong, they were usually handled by yelling, screaming, fighting, and fucking.
“I should’ve never left,” Mackenzie admitted. “That’s on me.”
“Dad… The woman who gave to birth to me, she wasn’t a good person. She manipulated you, and the shit she did to Caden…” Royce shook his head. “I get it. I get why he has issues with me.”
“Doesn’t make it right, son.”
“No, it doesn’t. It just explains why he was the way he was. Caden didn’t deal with his shit, either, until Dani came along and forced him to. Just like what Charisma made me do, and what Aurora will make you do,” Royce said.
How the fuck did they go from how they didn’t relate to each other, to Aurora being his mate? Mackenzie knew he’d have to stop this part of the conversation and now. “Aurora isn’t my mate.” The wolf inside of him curled his lip in distaste of the lie.
Royce snorted. “You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t lie to your family. She’s your mate, and you’re dicking around on claiming her.”
“I am not ‘dicking around’ as you so eloquently put it, Royce.”
“Then what is it? I know you’ve had sex with her. I knew when I knocked on your bedroom door to wake you up. You reeked of sex and Aurora.”
He couldn’t help himself, he growled at the knowledge of his son knowing what Aurora’s arousal smelled like on him.
“And then there’s that. The growl. Your wolf wants her.”
“My wolf has already had her,” he said without an ounce of remorse. Truth be told, his wolf wanted her again. So did the man.
Royce slapped him on the shoulder. “What the fuck are you waiting for then?”
Mackenzie looked at his son in disbelief and began to wonder if all of them were blind, dumb, and stupid. “You really need to ask that question?”
Royce nodded.
“You’ve had front row seats to the shit-show my life has become and has been for years. I’ve got no right bringing anyone else into. It’s pretty obvious, I’ve got shitty luck when it comes to the female sex.”
“Bullshit. Stuff happened, and both times, neither of the women you chose were your mates. Having one, it’s a game-changer. Trust me on this.”
Mackenzie shrugged, not sure if he was comfortable having this type of conversation with his son. Although on the flip side, having this type of conversation with his son, could be a game changer with their relationship.
“I’m not blind, Royce. I’ve seen the change in my brothers and how they are with their mates.”
“Except Kal. He’s still an asshole.”
Mackenzie chuckled. “He’s different when he’s around Keeley or their kids. The icy cold exterior he always shows, melts around her. Same with Caden. He opened himself up and was willing to take a risk with Danielle.”
“That’s the issue, isn’t it, dad. You’re not willing to take the risk?” Royce hedged.
“I could lie and say, no, not true, but we both know it’d be a lie.”
“Why, though? You spent years with Holly. Miserable as hell. Why’d you do it, exactly? What did you hope to gain keeping up this charade for all these years?”
Mackenzie sighed. Shit was about to get real. “For the family. I saw how Jace reacted when he saw Hayden—Bodhi’s reaction, too. It was like the pieces of their souls had finally healed, and I couldn’t allow Holly to fuck it up. She was planning on taking Hayden away, I knew it deep down, even if she didn’t say it—even if I didn’t say it out loud. The ugly bitch would’ve been vindictive enough to snatch happiness out of all of our hands. It would’ve broken Jace’s heart to have Hayden leave after being reunited with her. So, my unhappiness, in my mind, was payback for all the shit I’d put this family, hell, what I put you through, with your mother. Besides, both Hayden and Jace earned the right to some happiness after all the stuff they’d been through.”
Royce shook his head. “Holly was never going to leave.”
Sure, they knew the truth now, but all those years ago, he’d believed Holly. His gut told him what she’d do, and the thought of her leaving with Hayden... No, he did the right thing even if it was the wrong thing to do. He realized now; he should have called her bluff. “Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”
Royce growled. “Fucking Rafertys are so damn stubborn. News flash, dad. It’s your turn now. Hayden is an adult as am I. Both of us are mated, with children of our own. You no longer have to watch over or protect us.”
Mackenzie placed his cup on the table before leaning forward. “Let me ask you a question, son. You’re a father now, do you think you’ll ever stop protecting your children? Even when they’re adults?”
Royce was silent for a moment before he responded. “Point taken.”
Mackenzie nodded. “What I thought.”
“Hayden doesn’t blame you, dad. She never has. In her eyes, you were—and always will be—the man who kept her family together. Jace helped create Hayden, there is no denying that, but you helped raise her and loved her like she was one of your own. She wants you happy.”
“I’m happy,” he lied.
Royce snorted. “You’re miserable. We all can see you’re going through the motions. You gotta stop beating yourself up so much about shit that occurred in the past and you didn’t have a lot of control over. It’s behind us, and it no longer matters. We’ve moved on, now it’s your chance to do the same and find your happiness. Not all of them are like Marjorie or Holly nor are they your mate. Aurora is. Claim her.”
Mackenzie remained stoic, yet his son’s words hit home. He’d been taking everything on his shoulders. Did he really want to live the remainder of his life without Aurora and Abby?
“I know it’s scary as hell, dad,
but all you have to do is willingly take the first step off, and I can guarantee you’ll fall into bliss.” Royce smirked, raising his gaze to meet Mackenzie’s. His son looked so much like Kalkin when they were young, it was scary. “I don’t expect an answer, and you don’t owe me one. You owe it to Aurora. Promise me you’ll think about everything we talked about?”
Mackenzie nodded, well aware their conversation was mostly just Royce talking and him listening. “When or how did you get so damn smart?”
“Not by hanging around the uncles. I only got my smarts when Charisma came into my life,” Royce said with a content smile.
Mackenzie could see and feel the happiness radiating from his boy, and for the first time the knot in his stomach when it came to his son, eased. “She’s a good woman. You’re both lucky to have each other.”
“She’d have to be, to deal with my dumb ass,” Royce grumbled.
“This is true.”
“Ready to head back to the courthouse then home?” Royce inquired after he downed the remaining coffee from his cup.
“Sounds like a plan,” Mackenzie said before he stood and disposed of his empty cup in the trash can.
The return walk to the courthouse was silent again, and it wasn’t until they reached Royce’s car that Mackenzie spoke up. “I’m proud of you, son.” Mackenzie placed a hand on Royce’s shoulder, the regret he had with his son was deep, and although this conversation was the step in the right direction, Mackenzie knew he had to give to his son also and so he did. “You turned out to be a helluva man. It brings me great happiness to be in your life, to see you become a husband and father. Most importantly, though, I’m not the type of man who wonders about the what if’s or if I could change my past except when it comes to you.”
Royce stepped forward, putting his arms around Mackenzie in a surprise hug. “Love you, dad.”
Mackenzie was taken aback by his son’s show of affection, but not so much as to not reciprocate the embrace. Holding tight to his boy, he whispered, “Love you, too, son.”
Chapter Eleven
Thanksgiving Day – First day of the full moon...
