“A lot of maturity went into that year,” Aric argued.
Sami stuck out her tongue before focusing on me. “Why didn’t you fall for Dad right away?”
I saw no reason to lie to her. “I had another boyfriend at the time and I couldn’t decide if he was cute or creepy.”
“You had another boyfriend? A real one? I’ve heard the story but I still don’t believe it.” Sami was incredulous. “Who would date you?”
“Hey!”
“Everyone wanted to date your mother,” Aric said, squeezing my hand. “I was only one member of her fan club. Of course, I was so hot and sexy she couldn’t stay away, so those other guys lost, but your mother didn’t know if she could trust me at the beginning.”
“And you had another boyfriend?” Sami couldn’t let it go. She’d heard the story a few weeks, ago but she’d been caught up in her own sleepwalking drama at the time. I believed she merely wanted to mess with her father and this was the most passive aggressive way she could accomplish her goal. “What happened to him?”
“He died.” I pursed my lips as my mind briefly travelled to Will. He’d turned out to be weak and evil, which I still couldn’t completely believe, and in the end I fed him to a hungry vampire to save myself. It was hard to imagine a time I cared about anyone other than Aric. It felt like a different life.
“Did you know this other boyfriend?” Sami asked her father.
Aric nodded. “He was my fraternity brother.”
“Did you challenge him to a fight for Mom?” Sami was enjoying the story. “Grandpa says that wolves mark their mates and once that happens someone else has to fight if they want to change things.”
“Grandpa is smoking crack,” I said. “Your father never marked me … other than the beard burn he gives me when he wants to cuddle every morning.”
Aric smirked. “You like that beard burn.”
I honestly didn’t hate it. Still, I didn’t want to encourage him. “It’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Oh, I can feel the love,” Aric drawled, slipping his arm around my waist. “Why all the questions about your Mom’s old boyfriend, Sami? I would think that’s the last thing you’d want to hear about.”
“I don’t know,” Sami replied, her shoulders hopping. “I think it’s strange to picture Mom with anyone else. I can only picture her with you.”
“That’s good,” Aric said. “She’ll only ever be with me. When your Mom dated someone else, it was a long time ago. I dated other people, too.”
“You did?” Sami glanced at me. “Were you jealous?”
I considered lying but ultimately felt it was beneath me. “Never.” Okay, it wasn’t really beneath me. There was no way I was going to admit to being jealous. It made me look bad, and I’m always against that.
“You were so jealous,” Aric said, chuckling. “I happen to remember several times when you almost marked your territory.”
“You’re making that up.”
“No, I’m not,” Aric countered. “There was that time you saw me with that ditzy girl on the library lawn and you almost clawed her eyes out. That was long before we started dating.”
“I think you’re having memory issues.”
“And I think you’re full of crap,” Aric challenged. “You were jealous of all the women you saw me with.”
“Were you jealous of the guys you saw her with?” Sami asked. She seemed nervous about a potential argument.
“I was,” Aric conceded, his eyes softening. “I knew the moment I saw your mother that I wanted her. It was … chemical, or something. Even after knowing I wanted her, though, we had problems to work out.”
“Like what?”
“Like she didn’t trust me, and even I wasn’t sure I was trustworthy where she was concerned,” Aric replied. “She had that pesky boyfriend to get rid of, and there were always people after her.”
“And you had to get rid of your other girlfriends,” Sami teased.
Aric shook his head. “I didn’t have other girlfriends,” he said. “I never cared for anyone other than your mother. Not in that way, at least. I didn’t want any harm to come to the women I dated, don’t get me wrong, but your mother is the only person I’ve ever loved. By the time we got a chance to be together, I was long past dating anyone else.”
“But … weren’t you lonely?”
“No,” Aric replied. “I knew I would get a shot with her, and I wanted to be ready. I didn’t want to make a mistake.”
“But you made a mistake,” Sami pointed out, her expression thoughtful. “You told me that story about upsetting her and how you broke up.”
She was referring to an incident that happened at the end of my sophomore year and that almost ruined my relationship with Aric before it had a chance to flourish.
“I did make a mistake,” Aric confirmed, bobbing his head. “Your mother forgave me, though. We moved forward.”
“And you never broke up again, right?”
“Never,” Aric said, rubbing the back of my neck. “You don’t have to worry about stuff like that, Sami. Your mother and I married for life. Nothing will ever break us apart.”
“Because she’s the only woman you’ve ever loved?” Sami was infatuated with the romance of the story, and her eyes took on a dreamy quality.
“She’s definitely the only woman I’ve ever loved,” Aric said, rubbing his nose against my cheek. “I didn’t know true love really existed until I met her. Does that make you happy?”
Sami’s smile was sheepish. “Yes.”
“Good.”
In truth, the admission made me happy, too. I rested my head on Aric’s shoulder and let my gaze wander as I basked in his warmth. I was surprised when I found Claudette staring at us from a few feet away, her expression decidedly unfriendly. She’d clearly been eavesdropping.
Her gaze remained on me so long I finally got uncomfortable and lifted my head. “I’m going to throw away the paper plates and take a quick walk around to stretch my legs.”
Aric turned his eyes to me. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. You can stay with Sami and keep telling her how much you love me and how I’m the best woman in the world.”
“I think you added that last part, but okay.” Aric gave me a quick kiss. “Be safe.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I offered, gracing him with a soft smile. “I won’t be gone long.”
I SKIRTED the edge of the bonfire area, giving Claudette a wide berth as I watched her from behind. She seemed fixated on Aric and Sami – who were having a good time laughing with one another. Whatever Sami said to Aric – and I had a feeling it was about Joshua and her undying love for him – had him frowning and tickling her until she squealed.
My heart hurt looking at them. Love is something that doesn’t come easy for some people, and I’m an example of that. Looking at them, though, I knew I would never love anything more. That made Sami’s safety my utmost priority, and despite James’ words to the contrary, we were no closer to figuring out who was after our family this go around. The entire thing made me uneasy.
“You seem lost in thought.”
I sensed Tate’s presence a split second before he moved to stand beside me, the illumination from the fire giving his handsome face an appealing quality. He wasn’t as good-looking as Aric, but I could see why he seemed popular with the women. “I was just thinking about how pretty it is out here,” I lied. “I can see why you guys like visiting.”
“It’s definitely pretty,” Tate agreed, casting me a sidelong glance. “I don’t think that’s what you were thinking about, though.”
I shrugged. “I was thinking about a multitude of things.”
“Like your kid being a fire starter?”
I didn’t like his tone. “Like my child being happy and safe, along with her father,” I replied, wrinkling my nose. “Those are the most important things in my life.”
“I get that,” Tate said, seemingly u
nbothered by my tone. “You and Aric seem pretty close. It’s kind of weird for me.”
“And why is that?” I challenged. “Does it have something to do with me not being a wolf?” I was beginning to get used to the stares and whispers, but they still grated.
“I don’t care about you not being a wolf,” Tate said. “I’ve never been a pure blood freak like a lot of the other people in the pack. That doesn’t bother me. I think you love who you love and you can’t control that.”
Compared to some of the other people I’d met since arriving that was a refreshing thought. Still, that didn’t mean I completely trusted him or his motivations. “You don’t like me. That’s okay. You don’t have to like me.”
“I don’t dislike you,” Tate said. “I don’t know you. You’re … standoffish.”
Was that true? I guess in a way it was. He certainly wasn’t the first person to tell me that. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have trust issues when it comes to new people,” I explained. “When your family gets attacked as often as mine does, you learn to watch people before bonding with them. I’m of the mind that trust is earned, not freely given.”
“That makes you sound a little jaded.”
“I think it makes me sound safe,” I countered. “Like I said, you don’t have to like me. Aric likes you. That’s all that matters.”
“Aric was my best friend when we were growing up,” Tate said. “We spent a ton of time together. Even when he started attending Covenant College we spent a lot of time together on the weekends. That all changed when you entered his life.
“It didn’t stop all at once, mind you,” he continued. “He called to postpone quite a few times at first. Then, once you two officially started dating he stopped calling. Not only that, he stopped returning my calls. It was … hurtful.”
“I’m sorry that happened,” I said honestly. “I’m not sorry Aric and I found each other, though. Back then … well … we had a lot going on. We had people trying to kill us at every turn. People tried to use us as weapons against each other. We were so young we had no idea what we were doing in a relationship. It was a lot of work.”
“I figured you had to cast a spell on him or something,” Tate admitted. “That’s all that kept going through my mind. The women whispered it. They were disappointed. They thought they would get a shot to win his heart.
“Everything here is a competition,” he continued. “I’m sure you figured that out, though.”
“I have.”
“The women here never even got a chance to compete, because you won before they had a chance,” Tate explained. “They’re jealous … and curious … and frightened. You’re something new, and people fear what they don’t know.”
“I won’t apologize for the life I have or the husband that I love,” I said. “I’m sorry if we got so caught up in ourselves that you ended up hurt, though. That wasn’t our intention. Things snowballed out of hand so fast that we had to run to keep up. We left people behind when we ran.”
Tate smirked. “I get it,” he said after a beat. “I understand why he fell for you. I thought it was a spell at first, like I said, but after meeting you … well … I get it. I know why he fell in love with you.”
“I’m a wonderful person.”
“You’re not bad,” Tate said. “But that’s not it. You’re simply his match. He can’t get enough of you. He loves the way you walk … and the way you tuck your hair behind your ear … and the way you’re so sarcastic it’s almost painful. He loves every single thing about you, and you return that love without question.”
“I think that’s called marriage.”
“You have a strong marriage,” Tate said. “You have one of those marriages that everyone wants but very few people get. I see why Aric fell in love with you and changed his life trajectory. Most other people still don’t get it, but I do. You’re his … soul mate.”
I pursed my lips as I tilted my head. “I never meant to pull Aric away from all of this,” I said after a few seconds of contemplation. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“I know that.”
“It happened and we can’t take it back. When we first left college he wanted us to be hidden because he feared someone would come after me. When they found us anyway, he decided to stop hiding. By then the damage was done and going back wasn’t an option.
“We’re fairly solitary people,” I continued. “We’re happy entertaining ourselves and shutting out the rest of the world for long stretches of time. It’s not bad for us, but it’s not great for other people.
“I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t want Aric to go without friendship simply because he married me,” I said. “I’ll find a way to make sure you don’t get cut out of his life again. We didn’t mean to do it the first time, but I’ll be cognizant of both of your feelings and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“And that right there makes me like you even more,” Tate said, shaking his head. “You have something … magical … about you. Other than the obvious, I mean. People are drawn to you. Aric was certainly drawn to you.”
“We were drawn to each other.”
“Well, I hope you guys get everything you want,” Tate said, patting my shoulder. “I want you guys to be happy. Even though Aric and I lost touch, he’s still one of the best friends I’ve ever had.”
“We’re a work in progress,” I said, mustering a wan smile. “I’m sure we’ll figure everything out before it’s all said and done.”
“I’m sure you will, too.”
Seventeen
I felt Aric move behind me and wordlessly slip his arms around my waist. His presence was comforting, and I rested my head against his chest.
“You should be more careful,” I teased. “If my husband sees you … he won’t be happy.”
“Ha, ha.” Aric kissed my cheek. “You know how much I love infidelity jokes.”
“Yes, you’re a regular comedian when the subject arises,” I said, running my finger over his hands as they rested at my waist. “How many more questions did Sami ask you about our former romantic partners before you foisted her on your parents?”
“Only fifty or so,” Aric replied. I could feel his lips curve against my skin. “She wanted to know if your boyfriend before me was hot.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That he had a hunched back and nose hair so long it could be braided.”
I barked out a laugh. “That sounds about right,” I said. “Did you also tell her about your clubfooted girlfriends who had back hair?”
Now it was Aric’s turn to laugh. “I think I left that part out.”
“That figures.”
Aric nuzzled his nose against my cheek for a moment before pulling back and grabbing my hand. “Let’s take a walk.”
“Where?”
“In the trees.”
“You just want to grope me without worrying that the kid will find out and cause a scene,” I said. “It’s so … .”
“Romantic?”
“I was going to say tacky.”
“I can live with that.” Aric linked his fingers with mine before dragging me into the woods.
We didn’t go far before he pushed me against a tree and planted a hot kiss on my lips. Even after twenty years the fire burned bright between us. I didn’t know if I believed in soul mates, but I knew he was the only mate I would ever want.
“You seem like you’re feeling frisky,” I said, gasping when we came up for air. “Is it the approaching full moon or spending so much time outdoors that’s doing it for you?”
“I think it’s you.”
“I think you’re lying, but I’ll pretend you’re not,” I said, rubbing my thumb against his cheek. “For the record, you’re definitely the most handsome man I ever dated.”
“That’s nice to hear, but I already knew that.” Aric tightened his arms around my back. “I saw you talking to Tate. It looked serious. Do you want to tell me what it was about?”
“Is that a no?”
I blew out a sigh. He wasn’t going to let it go. Even though he’d relaxed quite a bit since we arrived and no one tried to rip out my throat on sight, he was still a bundle of nerves when it came to my comfort. “We talked about you.”
“Did you tell him I’m an alpha in the sack?” Aric’s eyes twinkled under the moonlight as he pulled back to stare at me.
“I told him I would make sure he wasn’t cut out of your life again because of me,” I replied. “He seemed happy with that.”
Aric stilled. “He wasn’t cut out of my life because of you.”
“He seems to feel differently.”
“I … what did he say?”
“He said that you were best friends until I came along and then you essentially became too busy for him,” I replied. “He was hurt by it and seems really excited to spend time with you now. I’m sorry that happened. I didn’t mean to cut you off from people you care about. I didn’t even realize that’s what I was doing.”
“You didn’t do that, Zoe,” Aric said, releasing his grip on me and dragging a frustrated hand through his hair. “I’m the one who isolated us.”
“To keep me safe.”
“No, to keep us safe,” Aric corrected. “I love you more than life itself, woman, but … you didn’t force me to pull away from the pack. In truth, I wanted you and went after you to make sure I got what I wanted. Once we were together, I didn’t make a conscious choice to pull away from everyone else. I did, however, make a conscious choice at some point to never put the pack before you again. I think a natural byproduct of that was distancing myself from a lot of the people I grew up with.”
“I don’t want you to regret your choice.”
“I will never regret my choice,” Aric said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I love you just the way you are. I love our life. I love the kid. I don’t miss being involved with the pack. I do miss a few of my old friends and it’s nice to catch up, but I don’t miss the politics or the regimented schedules. I don’t miss the competition.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 41