by Sophie Stern
And now my mother is offering to help me with anything I need. I know it’s not an empty offer, either. She’ll be there for me if I need help with laundry or babysitting or anything else. She’ll be ready at a moment’s notice to give me a ride or help out with Blake or just come over to talk.
And Landon, Mr. Amazing, was willing to take my case. I know that divorce problems aren’t cases he usually takes. I know he prefers adoptions and other family issues. Nobody likes facing divorce. The fact that he was willing to help me, though? That speaks volumes. That speaks to my heart.
And right now, as I sit with my mother and my new little boy, I don’t think my heart has ever felt more full.
I don’t think it’s ever felt more complete.
If only this feeling could last.
Chapter 6
Landon
I’m busy with current clients for the next few days. I have back-to-back meetings all day and then I volunteer after work. I help tutor kids in the community for a few hours three nights a week. A lot of kids need extra help with their homework, but their parents either don’t have the time or the skills to help them. I don’t have a family of my own, so I have plenty of free time to play the tutor.
It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding. Knowing that I’m helping the next generation makes me feel like I’m really making a difference in the world, and that’s an incredible feeling.
By the time the weekend arrives, though, I’m completely exhausted. Still, when Casa and Lara go out for dinner, I can’t help but wishing I had a date, too.
I haven’t called Tina because I don’t want to scare the hell out of her. Part of me thinks I probably already scared her away. She came to me for help, after all. She didn’t come looking for a boyfriend or a sugar daddy.
After sitting around thinking about it all day, I finally decide to ask Joyce for help. She always seems to know what to do.
I head downstairs. Joyce is in her office today, which is unusual. Typically, she takes Saturdays and Sundays off and uses that time to pursue her hobbies and interests. Sometimes she takes painting classes and sometimes she travels. She’s single, but she loves her life, and she lives it to the fullest.
Joyce is basically the most well-rounded, kindest, most adorable person I know.
She also scares the shit out of me because I know that if I hurt her friend, she’s going to kick my ass.
Still, I have to try.
I knock on the door to her office.
“Come on in, Fee,” she says.
“How’d you know it was me?” I pop my head in. She’s sitting at her desk, staring at her computer. Joyce looks up and just smirks.
“I smelled you, dumbass. Have a seat.” She motions to one of the chairs in front of her desk. Yeah, Joyce is our receptionist, but she’s much more than that. She handles all of our scheduling and client meetings. She organizes brunches and dinners and events. She handles billing and pays all of the utilities for the building itself. Hell, she even does most of our business taxes. She’s basically an essential part of what makes our law office run so efficiently, and that’s why we pay her a shitload of money.
I step inside and close the door behind me. Then I sit down in one of the softest, most comfortable chairs I’ve ever sat on in my life. What the hell?
“How come your seats are so nice?” I ask. She just looks at me. “The seats in my office aren’t this nice.”
“I special ordered them.”
“But the seats in my office are hard and uncomfortable.”
Joyce just blinks at me.
“Your seats are soft,” I repeat, sounding more than a little like a broken record.
“Your clients are typically assholes,” she says. “They don’t deserve special seats. Most of them spend their time with you on their feet, anyway. They’re always pacing and walking around, touching stuff. When they come in here, it’s because they’re going to schedule another appointment and give me money. They should be comfortable for that part of the visit.”
“I guess that makes sense.” It doesn’t, really. I make a mental note to get better chairs.
“I don’t mean to be rude, Landon, but did you need something?” Joyce looks up at me and raises a perfectly waxed eyebrow. “I’m trying to finish this paperwork up so I can go to my wine class.”
“You’re taking a wine class?”
“I am.”
“What do you do at wine class?”
“I drink wine, Landon. Now spit it out.” She sounds exasperated at this point, and she’s rubbing her forehead with both hands.
“I really like Tina and I want to ask her out,” I spit out in one breath. Joyce just looks at me, so I keep talking. “She’s beautiful and special and sweet. She’s adorable, Joyce. She’s completely, utterly cute and I want to ask her on a date.”
“You want her for your mate,” Joyce says, but doesn’t move. Her face remains emotionless.
I swallow hard because this is the tough part. I don’t believe in mates, but Joyce does. So do my fellow attorneys. Ronan Casa recently met his life-mate and partner, Lara. He loves her more than anything else in the world and I’ve never seen him happier. Lyon is single because he’s a private, secretive son-of-a-bitch who can’t let anyone in. He still believes in soul mates.
Me, though?
Life couldn’t be that easy for me.
And no, I don’t believe in soul mates.
But I do believe in Tina.
“You know I don’t believe in mates, Joyce,” I decide to go with honesty. If I’m honest with Joyce, she’ll be honest with me.
“I know you don’t. That’s why asking her out is a terrible idea, Landon. She’s your client. You’re her lawyer. You’re helping her keep her son. Nothing more.”
“I want her, Joyce.”
“And I want a glass of white zinfandel, Fee. We can’t always get what we want.” She turns back to her computer and keeps typing, but I’m not done yet. This can’t be it. This can’t be over.
I place my hands on the desk in front of me and lean forward. I’m a bear. I’m bumbly and I’m clumsy and I’m soft-hearted. I’m a little gentler than most of the shifters I know. I tend to ask questions first and fight later. I typically avoid fights altogether if I can, but I like Tina. She’s different. I like her a lot.
“You don’t understand.”
“Did you come in here to tell me what I don’t know or to ask for my advice?”
“I came to ask for your advice.”
“I gave it to you, Fee.”
“She’s perfect for me.”
Joyce sighs and pushes her chair away from her desk. She stands up and walks across the floor silently. When she rounds the desk, I notice that her shoes are off. She loves wearing those damn heels, but the second she’s alone, Joyce kicks them off and relaxes. We all know it, but no one bothers to call her out because we need her too damn much.
“Tina is going through a difficult time, Landon.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don’t. You weren’t there when he broke her heart. You weren’t there when she went into early labor. You weren’t there when she was on bed rest in the hospital. You weren’t there when she had to give birth alone because Chester is a useless piece of shit who couldn’t be bothered to show up. You weren’t there. You don’t know.”
“I’m not him, Joyce, and it seems to me that no one has ever bothered to show Tina what’s she worth. I could be that man. I could show her.”
“What would you show her, Landon? A good time? That’s not exactly what she needs right now.”
“I would show her more than that, Joyce, and you fucking know it.” I’m growling now, but I don’t care. I’m not going to let her win this one. I’m not going to let her get the best of me. “I would show her she’s special. I would show her she’s important, that she has value. I would show her that just because some piece of trash loser didn’t appreciate her, that doesn’t mean she’s worthless. She’s wort
h the stars, Joyce, and so much more. I would show her all of that. I would show her what it means to feel like a woman.”
Joyce is silent for a long moment. Then she walks over to where I’m sitting and she places her hands on my shoulders.
“Then do it, Landon.”
“What?” I must not have heard her correctly.
“Then do it. You’re right. No one has ever valued Tina. No man, anyway. I’m sure her parents love her well enough, but you and I both know that’s different.”
“But, you said-”
“I said what I said,” Joyce rolls her eyes. “Because I wanted to see if you’d be scared off. Obviously, you weren’t. Obviously, you’re not going to fuck with her. Obviously, you’re not garbage like her ex.”
“Joyce, I would never do anything to hurt her.”
She sighs and touches my cheek. It’s not a romantic or tender touch. It’s like a big sister comforting her little brother who’s nervous about asking the head cheerleader out to prom.
“Take care of her, Landon. She’s precious to me.”
Chapter 7
Tina
It’s past six when my doorbell rings. I glance up from the television show I’m watching with Blake. It’s much too late for a delivery and I’m not expecting company. One of my neighbors probably wants to borrow a cup of flour or something. Carefully, I place Blake in his swing and turn it on. Then I head over to the front door.
I don’t bother peeking before I pull open the door, but I should have, because I’m completely shocked when I see my lawyer standing there.
He’s in a suit, even.
“Mr. Fee?” I ask, surprised. My shock is followed immediately by regret when I realize that I haven’t showered all day, my hair is in a messy bun, and I’m pretty sure there’s spit-up on my shoulder.
I’m afraid to look.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as politely as I possibly can without freaking out at the unexpected visitor.
“I, um, hello,” he says nervously. I wait for a second, wondering if he’s going to keep talking. He seems anxious, which is strange because in his office, he was completely, totally put-together.
After a minute, Landon takes a deep breath. He seems to steel himself, and then he looks at me and smiles.
“I came to ask if you would like to have dinner with me.”
“You came all the way over to ask me that?” I’m completely surprised, but also completely flattered.
Landon is hot.
Super hot.
Super, totally, completely out-of-my-league hot.
“It didn’t seem appropriate to call,” he says. “I was…I was worried you’d think I was behaving inappropriately.”
And that’s when it hits me.
Landon isn’t just some classy, out-of-my-league lawyer. He’s a real person, a real man, who has real feelings and real needs. He’s just as worried and nervous about rejection as I am, but he still came over. He drove all the way to my house to ask me on a date, and it’s kind of completely romantic.
It’s old-school romance that I didn’t even know existed anymore.
“I’d love to have dinner with you,” I tell him. “When are you thinking?”
“Tonight,” he says quickly. “Now.”
I lean against the doorframe and look him over. Yeah, he’s definitely dressed for an evening out. He looks incredible. His hair is styled and his suit is perfect. He fills it out well, too. He’s hot and nice. How the hell did I catch the eye of someone like this?
“Landon, I haven’t showered since yesterday, I’m covered in baby spit-up, and I’ve got about an hour before my kid is going to want to nurse again.”
His face drops for just a second, and I can just see him starting to inwardly berate himself for asking me out on a spontaneous date, only to be shot down.
I take a deep breath. “So why don’t you come inside? I’ll order pizza and then hop in the shower. It should be here by the time I’m done. I’ve got some wine we can drink while we eat and we can throw on a movie.”
His eyes light up when I start talking, and I kind of love the way his features come alive like that. I’ve never met anyone who was as animated or as fantastic as Landon. He’s really curious. He’s something else altogether. I can’t really pinpoint exactly what it is that makes him so different except that he’s just so kind.
Landon makes a strange lawyer because I sort of think he secretly has a heart of gold. Oh, he does a pretty good job of keeping it hidden, but I’m not dumb. I know a good person when I see one, and Landon? He’s an angel.
“That sounds incredible.”
“Please come in.”
He steps inside and looks around.
“Shoes can go there,” I point to a spot by the door, and he quickly takes his shoes off. I don’t apologize for the toys thrown around the room, the baby equipment, or the stack of mail on the coffee table. This is my life now. I’m not going to feel guilty because I have a child. I’m not going to feel upset or ashamed that I don’t always keep up with everything. It would be incredible if I could be super-mom, but I’m not, and I think the sooner that’s understood, the better it will be for all of us.
Landon follows me into the living room and sits down on the couch. Blake peers at him from the swing, but doesn’t move or fuss.
“This is your little guy,” Landon says, smiling at Blake. He waves.
“Blake,” I tell him. “He’s two months old now. Getting big.”
“Hey, Blake,” Landon wiggles his fingers at Blake.
“Do you want to hold him?”
“Uh, yeah,” Landon says, looking a little shy. “Is that okay?”
“Of course,” I tell him. I pick up my son and carry him to Landon. Then I hand him over. Landon is so big, so fierce compared to my child. Blake’s little body is so tiny compared to Landon’s huge one. My son looks like a doll in his arms.
Landon is gentle when he takes Blake from me. He holds him and gently rubs his tummy with one big finger.
“Hi baby,” Landon says.
Blake just looks at him with big, wide eyes.
“We don’t get many visitors,” I explain. “Only Joyce and my parents, really.” It sounds kind of pathetic when I say it out loud, but it’s the truth. I’m going to have to go back to work very soon and part of me worries I’ve completely forgotten how to be a normal person and interact with adults.
Most of my day consists of changing diapers, feeding Blake, and singing songs. I’m not sure I’m going to have an easy time transitioning back into my professional life.
“He’s sweet,” Landon says. He looks from Blake to me and back again. “And he looks like you.”
“Thanks,” I blush. No one has said that yet and part of me was starting to worry Blake would only look like Chester, and not like me. It might be selfish, but I kind of want my son to look a little bit like me, too. “I kind of think he has my nose.”
“And your eyes,” Landon points out. He turns back to Blake and just stares at him like he’s the most beautiful, most interesting creature Landon has ever seen, and it warms my heart.
He’s looking at Blake the way a father should look at his child.
He’s looking at Blake like my child is valuable, important.
He’s looking at Blake and it makes me feel like my whole world is complete.
“What kind of pizza do you want?” I ask, trying to get things back to normal, trying to re-center myself.
“Pepperoni,” Landon answers easily. He winks at me. “Do they even make other flavors of pizza?”
“Dude, really? Just plain pepperoni? You don’t want a super meaty pizza or pineapple pizza or a vegetarian pizza?”
“Vegetables belong in gardens, Tina.”
I can’t help myself. I laugh. Landon seriously looks offended that I even suggested a different type of pizza.
“Alright,” I smile, grabbing my phone. I pull up my pizza app. Yes, I totally have an app for ordering pizza.
I’m way too lazy to bother calling. I do everything on my computer or phone if I can help it. “Look,” I turn the phone around so he can see it. “There’s a special today. When you buy two pizzas, it’s free delivery and free breadsticks.”
“Let’s do it,” he says, and I place the order.
When I’m finished, I realize Landon is still holding Blake, only now, Blake’s tiny fingers are wrapped around Landon’s thumb.
“He likes you,” I point out. Landon just shrugs.
“He’s little. He doesn’t know what he likes yet.”
“Trust me. He’s very opinionated.”
“You should go shower,” Landon smiles at me. “I’ll keep an eye on Blake.”
“You sure you don’t mind? It’s kind of crappy, you know. I invite you for dinner and then just ditch you with my kid.”
Landon stands up, still holding Blake, and walks over to me. Then he plants a gentle kiss on my forehead and looks down at me.
“You’re perfect, Tina, and I believe I was the one who invited you for dinner, carelessly forgetting you couldn’t just get a babysitter on short notice or that your baby might be too young for a sitter. Please forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” I whisper, and it’s true.
“Go shower, princess. I’ll be right here when you get back.”
Chapter 8
Landon
The minute Tina is out of the room, I start to worry. What am I going to do if the baby cries? What am I going to do if he needs something? I’m a shifter. I know how to take care of cubs, yeah, but human babies? Those are different.
This whole situation is different.
I should have thought about it before I just came over and bothered her. I really messed up just showing up and asking for an impromptu date. I just didn’t want to call and ask over the phone. I’m not sure why, but it feels impersonal. Texting would be even worse. Part of me is glad I came and asked Tina, but part of me feels bad. I didn’t mean to make her feel uncomfortable for having a little one around.
Blake makes a noise and instantly, I look at him. He’s just watching me. His hands move and he touches me. I hold him up and he coos at me.