by Chant, Zoe
Malachi watched her with a little frown of concern between his eyebrows. Elizabeth tried not to find that little worry-wrinkle charming, and failed. Everything about him was charming. Everything about him was amazing, frankly, which just made this whole thing even more unbelievable.
“I’m calm because—it seems like the right thing,” he said finally. “I was wondering, yesterday, about why I was so drawn to you. From the first moment, there in Flynn and Lila’s house, I just wanted to take you home, keep you safe, keep you close. I didn’t know why. Now I do. It all makes sense.” He shrugged minutely. “I was meant to do it.”
“But—” Elizabeth couldn’t seem to come up with a coherent objection. Which, not that she even wanted to object, really, it was just—”But doesn’t it seem—too good to be true?”
“I suppose it does,” he said, laughing a little. Happy. “Is that all that’s wrong? Elizabeth, mates are too good to be true, I’ve always thought. Your true love, bound to you forever, so that you’ll always know each other better than anyone else, always be there for each other when you need it? But it’s real.”
“But it can’t—” Someday she was going to finish a sentence. It can’t be true for me, was what that last one had been. Even she could see that that was a bit illogical, though.
“It can’t what?” Malachi asked gently.
And for some reason, that soft tone in his voice was what undid her.
Elizabeth felt something brittle inside her break, and it was like her whole everything washed out through the broken pieces. She sobbed, hard enough to hurt, hard enough to shake her whole body.
In an instant, Malachi was out of bed and at her side. His arms around her, pulling her in close, supporting her as she really began to cry.
“It doesn’t seem right,” she managed through the sobs. “It can’t be true! Because I—because I don’t—because I never get something like this! Whenever I try—it’s always wrong. The man is wrong, or the situation is wrong, or something’s wrong, and I have to leave. I have to go on by myself. I do everything by myself, don’t you see?” She pulled back from his chest, hearing the pleading tone in her voice and knowing it was completely illogical, but totally unable to stop herself.
“Honey.” His eyes were so warm, so sad. So loving. “You don’t have to do anything by yourself anymore. From now on, we do things together.”
Could this really be hers? This strong, kind man? That didn’t seem right. And, oh—“Hayley!” she yelped, pulling back. “Oh, no—she can’t want this.”
“Why not?” He seemed genuinely surprised to hear her say it.
“Well—” Elizabeth waved a hand, trying to articulate the very clear feeling she was having. “A strange woman, coming into her house and setting up as a—what, a substitute mom?” Mom. Elizabeth was going to be a mom, which meant—“And oh God, a baby—” She had to stop, overwhelmed by the realization that her baby was going to be born into all of this. She couldn’t even figure out how she felt about that.
“Hey. Hey.” His voice was firm and solid, a bedrock she could rest on, and he caught her hands, stilling them, looking her right in the eye. “It’s okay. Hayley was practically scattering rose petals and putting on Frank Sinatra for us last night.”
“What?” Elizabeth said, half-laughing.
He nodded, looking rueful. “She likes you. She noticed that I like you—teenagers are really perceptive when they want to be, you know? You get used to being able to skate all sorts of stuff past your kid, and then suddenly they’re noticing everything that used to go over their head.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Elizabeth said faintly.
Malachi squeezed her hands. “I’ll be here to remind you.”
“But you can’t—” She had to force this out, because it was so obviously true but so painful to say. “You can’t want another man’s baby.”
“I don’t care about any other man,” he said forcefully, with no hesitation whatsoever. “I care about your baby. This little baby in here,” and he let go of her hands to press his palms against her lower stomach, “is going to grow up so loved. By all of us.”
Elizabeth was still caught in the picture of the future that had dominated her mind for so long: a small, cold, sterile apartment like her one back in Leosville. Full-time childcare while she was at work. Herself, exhausted, trying to work a good job that would pay for everything the baby needed, while also being a single mom and waking up all through the night.
Hard. So hard, and so lonely. She’d known that that was how it was going to go, and she’d been determined to do the best that she possibly could, to make sure her child was as happy as they could possibly be. But she’d known that she was going to have to make a lot of sacrifices in the process.
But now—what if—what if she didn’t have to?
“You really want to be a father to my baby?” she asked, dizzy and overwhelmed. “You really—you really want that?”
She was starting to cry again. God, she had to pull herself together.
Or did she? Nothing made sense anymore. Maybe she didn’t have to, maybe she could just cry and it would be okay.
Malachi seemed to support the second idea, because he pulled her close again, one hand stroking over her hair. “Of course I want to,” he murmured. “You’re my mate. And more importantly, Elizabeth—you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I would be honored to be a part of your child’s life. And I would be proud to call that child my own.”
Elizabeth guessed it didn’t matter whether she had to pull herself together or not, because she wasn’t going to be able to. The tears overwhelmed her again, and she melted into Malachi’s arms.
Into her mate’s arms.
This didn’t seem real. But maybe she could pretend it was, just until everything started to make sense again.
Chapter 14: Malachi
As Elizabeth sobbed in his arms, Malachi’s dragon arose in his chest, hissing in fury. Who hurt our mate? Find them, make them pay.
Oh, we will, Malachi thought grimly.
He couldn’t hunt down every man who’d ever made Elizabeth think that men were unforgiving assholes who couldn’t stick around or commit to real responsibility, of course.
But he could think of one who could use a lesson.
Vigilante justice was something he’d always thought of as absolutely wrong, particularly in the shifter community, where sticking to human rules made such an important difference in how clans were run. But with Elizabeth’s shoulders shaking as she cried against his chest, he was starting to think he might make an exception.
Just this once.
“It’s okay,” he murmured into her soft, sweet-smelling hair. “It’s all okay now. I promise.”
God, he couldn’t even imagine what this all had been like for her. No wonder she was crying. All alone, pregnant, looking forward to a future without a pack—and now she had a family, a community, a father for her child, a mate—
He wanted to give all of that to her, and more.
And the baby.
Malachi had never thought he’d have another child. He and Amanda had been content with one, and then once Amanda had left, he’d pretty much assumed he’d never remarry, and it would be just him and Hayley until Hayley moved out.
But that day had been coming closer and closer. Hayley was in her junior year now, starting to think about colleges...and he’d been starting to think about how silent and empty the house was going to be, with her gone.
Just him and the job. No bright laughter, no feet thumping on the stairs, no eye-rolls and Daaaad whenever he made a lame joke. No cooking together in the evening. No need to turn the magnet over when he got home, because no one would be waiting for him there.
But now—
He blinked once or twice, realizing that his own eyes were misting a little bit as he had his own realization. It’s okay. It’s all okay now.
A mate and a baby. Another little kid growing up in the house, filli
ng it with laughter and first steps and crayon on the walls. A sibling for Hayley to teach, and learn from. Another teenager playing incomprehensible videogames and sassing him left and right.
He couldn’t wait.
And then, even beyond that—a mate. A partner. Someone to share the parenting with, who wouldn’t leave him behind to do it alone. Who would be there when the second kid was looking at colleges, who would stay behind with him to keep the house warm and happy even when there were no kids left.
He blinked harder, and kissed Elizabeth’s hair. Her crying was slowing down, her shoulders not shaking any longer.
Malachi stroked his hands down her back, drinking in the feeling of her in his arms, trying to project safety, security, and certainty. He wanted her. He loved her. He wasn’t going to leave her behind or betray her like those other men had.
He was her mate, and she could trust him implicitly.
And he hoped that she could come to know that. And that she would—that she wanted—
Elizabeth was a career woman, a capable lawyer with more smarts than Malachi had. He hoped she’d understand his desire for a life here in sleepy Oak Ridge. How many jobs were there for lawyers here? Reid’s father was the only one in the greater area, as far as Malachi knew, and he served several towns.
What if Elizabeth wanted to go back to the city? Live in a high-rise apartment building, work a glamorous job? The thought was like a fist around his heart. She was his mate, he’d support her, but could he go with her, if it came to that? Leave Oak Ridge?
They’d have to talk about this. Because if it did come to that, Malachi wasn’t sure if he could leave the home he’d been born into, that he’d sworn to protect, that was in his bones as surely as his DNA.
But it was hard to see a woman of Elizabeth’s education and abilities being happy to settle down here and build a little cozy home like Malachi had been picturing.
Whoa, there, he thought to himself. His thoughts were racing far, far ahead, outstripping the moment and the real woman in his arms. They had plenty of time to talk.
As though she were reading his mind and could see the plan he’d made for the both of them without consulting her, Elizabeth suddenly tensed up.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked her softly.
He could feel her through the mate-bond. Vibrating with anxiety, with tension, with resistance.
“I—” she said, turning away. “I just—Malachi, I can’t—I can’t process this. It’s too much. It’s too much.”
That cut like a sharp knife. “What do you need?” he asked carefully.
“I don’t know!” she said, laughing a little, half-hysterical. “Time. Time to think this over.”
To think over whether she could do this? Whether she could move in here, with him? Stay in this small town? Blend her life with a small-town sheriff’s?
He wanted to ask her all of those questions, but her shoulders were tight, her hands clenched, and he didn’t know how well she’d be able to even hear them, right now.
Time, she’d said.
“I have to go to work soon,” he said slowly. “Maybe you could take some time, and I could talk to you after I get home.”
“Probably best,” she said, with forced calm. It hurt to hear. He hid it as best he could, and she was looking for tissues, anyway, not paying attention to his expression. “I—wow, I’m a mess. I need to pull myself together.”
No you don’t, he wanted to say. If you need to fall apart, you can fall apart with me. I want to be here for you when you do.
But he wasn’t going to disrespect her wishes. “I should tell Hayley what’s happened,” he said instead, which had the benefit of being true. “And then I’ll go to work. Let me send Reid over this morning, to follow up and make sure you’re doing all right.”
With the added effect that she wouldn’t spend the morning alone in the house, which he didn’t want, not with the dangers around. He’d make sure that he or Flynn were patrolling the area today, also.
“Thank you,” she said, finding tissues in her purse and giving her face a scrub. He could watch the professional mask come down, a composure that wasn’t real. Then she turned to him, frowning. “Are you all right?”
She must be picking up on something through the mate-bond, too, Malachi realized. After all, he could feel Elizabeth’s raw uncertainty, the shakiness that she felt after everything had been turned on its head so abruptly.
So that meant she could feel his heart constricting with the knowledge that his mate was telling him to leave.
Which meant he had to lock it down. He took a long, deep breath, and called on years of experience in setting his feelings aside to deal with the situation at hand. He ached to take her in his arms again, but instead he busied himself finding his clothes and getting dressed. Not making eye contact, he said, “Just—thinking things over. You know.”
“I do know,” she said, heartfelt, and he made himself retreat to the door.
“I’ll see you when I get home from work,” he said—despite everything, enjoying the domestic nature of the words, the suggestion of a possible daily routine in them, even as his dragon howled at the idea of being separated from her for so long.
Her smile was faint. “See you.”
He made himself open the door, step out, and close it. Even that barrier between them seemed like too much.
But he shook himself, took a couple of deep breaths, and went to go find his daughter.
***
Like most teenagers, Hayley did not enjoy mornings at all. Malachi found her in her room, dressed but sleepy-eyed, wrapped around her phone and looking like she was considering just going back to bed.
“Ready for school?” he asked, and she jumped.
“Dad! What’s going on?” She frowned at him. “Did something happen with the dragons?”
He didn’t usually seek her out before school like this, not since she’d gotten old enough to get cranky and sullen if anyone talked to her before ten AM. “Nothing’s wrong,” he assured her. “Can I come in? I have some news for you.”
“Okay,” she said slowly, using one foot to tug out her desk chair so he could sit down. “What’s up? Am I going to boarding school after all?”
Malachi laughed a little at the old joke-threat he’d used to bring to bear whenever she misbehaved. “No boarding school. This is about Elizabeth.”
“What about Elizabeth?” She frowned. “You said nothing was wrong...”
“Nothing is. We figured something out last night, her and I.” There was no real way to say it except to just say it. “We’re mates.”
Hayley’s eyes went wide. Wider than they ever went, this early in the morning. “Mates, like—like mates? Like Lachlan and Cam, or Flynn and Lila? Forever mates?”
“Forever mates,” Malachi confirmed, and waited.
Hayley was thinking about it. Her brows drew in, her forehead wrinkled, as she turned it over in her mind. Malachi knew he had to wait until she was done—Hayley liked to take her time with new ideas.
“I guess that explains why you went all hearteyes after knowing her for five minutes,” Hayley said finally. “So she’s going to come move in with us. And stay forever?”
That brought the sharp cutting feeling to Malachi’s chest again. “We haven’t talked about future plans yet, kiddo,” he said, keeping his voice calm. “I don’t know where she wants to live, ultimately. She might want to go back to the city.”
“Huh,” Hayley said slowly. “That could be cool, maybe.” She focused on Malachi. “You would hate it, though, Dad, come on.”
“Well, if it’s what she wants...” Malachi had to let the rest of the sentence trail off.
“No way,” Hayley said. “The mate thing is this mystical perfect connection, right? So there’s no way she’s going to ask you to live somewhere you’d hate. That’s not how it works.”
If only he could be as confident as a teenager was, Malachi thought, amused in spite of himself. Hayley
was absolutely certain, and—well, Malachi wasn’t.
But maybe he could draw on her certainty, for the confidence that at least they’d be able to work something out, a compromise or something—rather than thinking about Elizabeth turning away from him, back in the guest room.
Did she want to move into his room? He’d have to ask her.
“We’ll see,” he said to Hayley. “We’ll have to talk about it. Maybe we can all talk about it as a family.”
Hayley wrinkled her nose. “Not if you guys are going to be all gross.”
“You basically set us up, last night,” Malachi pointed out.
“It was an absentee setup!” Hayley said vehemently. “I don’t want to see any of your crazy mushy romantic mate stuff. I don’t need to be scarred for life at such a young age.”
Unable to resist the smile tugging at his mouth now, Malachi leaned in and kissed his daughter’s temple. “We’ll try to keep the scarring to a minimum.” And then, more seriously, “You know Elizabeth’s pregnant. How do you feel about there being a baby around, in a few months?”
Hayley’s eyes widened again. “Oh, wow. Huh.” Time for her to think about it again, and Malachi waited patiently. “Okay. I—yeah, okay. A baby. I don’t have to change any diapers, do I?”
“I cannot guarantee that you won’t have to change any diapers,” Malachi said solemnly, and Hayley’s nose wrinkled. “But I promise you won’t be on primary diaper duty. We’ll be the parents, not you.”
“We’re doing the thing where we have to take care of egg babies in Health class this year,” Hayley said contemplatively. “If the baby’s born by then, maybe I could just borrow it, and get an A in Health forever for keeping it alive. No one could beat that.”
“That’s the spirit,” Malachi said, another smile threatening to break through. “You’re really okay with it, though?”
“Yeah,” Hayley said, more confidently. “I mean, I guess there’ll be a lot of crying and a lot of pooping and whatever, but babies are cute, and it would be cool to—I mean, you know.” She eyed Malachi. “I like that it’s been just you and me, that’s cool and everything, but it wouldn’t be the worst to have more than two people for Thanksgiving and stuff. Not that we’re not a real family. But like a real family.”