by T. S. Ryder
"Did you already know about Logan?"
The smile faded. "I knew that you had a son. When I first heard about you being pregnant, I wondered if it was mine, but you were dating somebody else. I thought that if it was my baby, you would have told me, for sure."
"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have—"
Jace shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about that right now, Amanda. Not until this tabloid mess is over."
"Okay." There was something else they needed to talk about, though… "Clarissa is really nice."
"Clarissa?"
"Yeah. I really like her. I'm glad that we could spend the day together."
She made herself continue to smile. What she was saying was the truth, even if it wasn't the full truth–that even if Clarissa was the nicest woman in the world, it only slightly helped to ease the sting that he had found himself another woman. It hurt that she wasn't his mate. But that wasn't something she was going to tell him. No need to look like the pathetic ex-girlfriend who couldn't get over him.
Jace let out a deep breath. "She likes you, too. She said that she thought you were really nice… and that you must have had a good reason for not telling me about Logan."
"I—"
"I know that you will need to explain that to me," Jace interrupted. "But right now I'd rather deal with the issues at hand. We can talk about that another time. But I'm glad you like Clarissa. It's important to me that you two get along."
Because Clarissa was going to be Amanda's son's stepmother. Amanda tried to ignore the sharp zing of pain in her heart thinking about that. "I'm glad that I like her, too. She'll make an excellent Alpha female for the pack. And I think she's going to be a great stepmom for Logan."
"She will be." Jace nodded, his smile softening. "She's told me that she wants kids, and it'll be great for Logan to have a little sister don't you think? He'd make a great big brother."
Amanda nodded. "He would. He loves babies, and has been hounding me to have another baby since he was three."
Jace threw back his head and laughed.
God, I've missed your laugh.
"Speaking of Clarissa, though, I had better get going." He stood. "She's making calls to find out who took those pictures of us at the amusement park, and I need to get the ball rolling on the lawsuit once we find out who it is."
"Of course." Amanda stuck her hands into her pockets. "I need to find a restaurant or something around here to get something to eat, anyway. Who knew hiding from the paparazzi would be such hungry work?"
Jace's smile faded. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this mess. Ever since the Banner case, the media have been all over me. Clarissa knew what she was getting herself into, but you—"
"It's not your fault. Can I walk you to your car?" That should be safe, as the paparazzi didn’t know she was staying here.
"Sure." The smile came back. "It's just down on the street."
They didn't speak as they headed down. Amanda couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in his head, if he was thinking about using the law to protect Logan from the vicious sharks of tabloid media, or if he was concerned about what sort of custody agreement the two of them would end up making. It helped that they were both going to live in the same town, and both of their parents were nearby. They could all spend time together on holidays. The regular day-to-day agreement, though, would be trickier.
Maybe I should suggest that he builds a house where we can all live together, with a separate suite for me and Logan. That way he can see him regularly, and it wouldn't be as stressful for Logan.
Maybe she would suggest that later. They were on the street by this time. Jace smiled at her as he fished his keys from his pocket. "It was good seeing you."
"And you."
Jace kissed her cheek, making her heart jump, and hugged her. She closed her eyes, letting his embrace linger a little too long before she stepped back. "I'll see you later."
"Take care of yourself."
Amanda nodded in agreement. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared wistfully after him as he drove away.
Chapter Seven
Apparently, she hadn't lost the paparazzi as she had thought. They captured pictures of Jace kissing and hugging her, and these were plastered all over the internet the next day. Now the headlines on the tabloids declared that she was trying to steal him back, or Jace was cheating on Clarissa, or that it all was an attention-seeking sham because clearly, he knew about Logan the whole time.
Amanda wanted to scream when she saw the 'news'. With all that was happening in the world, why did they have to dedicate so much attention to harassing her?
She kept the blinds closed, and didn't even order room service for breakfast. Who knew, there could be some crazed photographer waiting to pretend to be a hotel employee and burst into her room snapping pictures of their supposed 'love nest' or something. So when there was a knock on her door, she tensed.
"Amanda, it's Clarissa."
Clarissa? What was she doing here? Had she seen the pictures and decided to come fight for her man? Amanda growled. If that was the case, she would lose.
"We're going to lunch," Clarissa said firmly when the Wolf opened the door. "I don't want the media to turn this into some sort of catfight. The best way to put these stupid 'Cheater Jace' headlines to rest is by showing the world that we're BFFs."
Amanda was floored. She floundered, trying to come up with something to say in reply. "Oh. But I don't really—"
"My treat." Clarissa stepped into the hotel room. "I'll wait while you get ready."
Amanda hesitated, but asking to be alone didn't really seem like it would work. She couldn't help but smile, relieved that the human was taking it in stride. "Thanks. It's probably good for me to leave the room."
"Jace told me about what you two talked about last night," Clarissa continued as Amanda grabbed a brush and some nice clothing and stepped into the bathroom. "Are you going to be okay with him building you a house? He doesn't always realize that he might be pushing himself into people's lives a little too much."
"No, the house is great. Actually, I didn't tell him, but I was thinking maybe it would work if it was a house for the two of you with a separate suite for Logan and I. Or maybe a guesthouse." Amanda bit her lip. Would Clarissa think she was muscling her way back into Jace's life? "It would make it easier for Jace to see Logan. But it was only an idea. I'm not sure I could live that close to Jace…"
There. Clarissa wouldn't think Amanda was trying to steal him back now, would she?
Amanda stepped out of the bathroom, ready to go. Clarissa was eyeing her now, and a blush rose to her cheeks. She shouldn't have mentioned it. Ducking her head, she grabbed her purse and shoved her key card into it.
"Shall we go?"
"In a minute. Why do you think you couldn't live that close to Jace?"
"No specific reason," Amanda muttered, avoiding her eyes. "Just that, like you said, he can be a little pushy. He's already trying to replace my grandmother's car. I think if we saw each other every day he might end up buying something like a rowboat if I casually mentioned it."
Clarissa hummed. "Jace does like to buy people things. But are you sure it's that, and not that you're still in love with him?"
Amanda's head jerked up. Her eyes widened. "It's over between him and me."
"That's not what I asked." Clarissa's expression wasn't angry or judgmental. In fact, she looked sympathetic. "I'd have to be blind to not see that you still have feelings for him. I'm not an insecure girlfriend, Amanda. I don't feel threatened by you coming back into his life."
"I don't…" She sighed "I don't want to love him. But he was my first boyfriend, and I'm afraid nobody has ever matched him."
"He has big shoes to fill," Clarissa agreed, nodding. "But just so you know, I don't believe the tabloids and the junk they're spewing. People like Jace always have to deal with the press, and if I believed half of the 'possibilities' that they printed, I'd go crazy from the contradictions."
"But I do still love him."
"But you're not trying to steal him back. That's good enough for me. You have a child together, and I’m Jace's girlfriend. The three of us are connected, and I want it to be a good connection. You understand?"
Amanda let out a relieved sigh and nodded. "You are going to make a wonderful Alpha female."
Clarissa shrugged. "Well. We'll see. In the meantime, you and Logan will be moving in with Jace and I."
"Um…" Amanda was sure she had heard it wrong.
"The place we're in right now is gated. That will keep the paparazzi off your tail, so you and Logan can go about your lives as before. It's not fair to have you two separated because of those leeches. Besides, Jace has started the process of filing a lawsuit against the tabloids that published Logan's picture and the photographer that took it. This will all be over soon enough." Clarissa smiled brightly.
"Oh. Okay, I suppose that will work… Jace deserves to spend time with his son, anyway. But maybe it would be better if I—"
"You're going to stay with us, too, and that's final," Clarissa said, putting her hands on her hips. "Now, where do you want to go for lunch?"
***
The conversation turned to Clarissa's work as they headed out together, and by the time they got to the café where they would have lunch, Amanda learned that she wanted to continue her studies and research belugas in their natural habitat. How would that fit with being an Alpha's mate?
Amanda didn't ask. It was none of her business.
There were some photographers that were openly taking pictures of the two of them, but for the most part, lunch was quiet. They had a nice, isolated corner booth, and there was nobody around that could eavesdrop on them.
"So, I asked Jace this and he wouldn't answer. I hope you'll give me some insight." Clarissa daintily wiped a crumb from her lips. "Why didn't it work out between the two of you? I know you broke up right before he went to Harvard, but he never told me the full story."
"Oh."
Clarissa watched her closely. Amanda hoped that she would take back the question, but it seemed that the human wasn't going to. The Wolf almost wanted to tell her it was none of her business and to butt out, but what good would that go? She let out a pent-up sigh and shrugged.
"We were just graduating from high school. Jace needed to concentrate on his future. There wasn't room for me. I don't blame him or anything, it's just a fact. He could go to Harvard, and he needed his space and time to concentrate on his schoolwork without worrying about me. It was for the best."
"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself."
Tears pricked Amanda's eyes. This wasn't something she should be talking about with her ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend, was it? "I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about this anymore. The past is the past. It was for the best that we weren't together. He would have had to give up all his dreams and he wouldn’t be where he is now if I had been in his life."
"I'm sorry. I was being pushy."
"It's fine. I just want this to settle, and reliving the past won't help that." Amanda pushed her plate away. "It won't help anything."
Chapter Eight
Living with Jace and Clarissa was hard, but shortly after Amanda and Logan moved in with them, the tabloid stories died down. It was probably the lawsuit that frightened the paparazzi off, and for that Amanda was grateful. If Logan wasn't so thrilled to actually be living with the Alpha, his father, she would have suggested that they move out again after a week. Being around Jace only made her heartache get worse every single day. At least the tabloids had moved onto other targets.
But the damage done to her reputation was already done.
"Hey, I know you."
Amanda tensed as she tried to ignore the woman's harsh tone, quickly grabbing a jar of peanut butter and putting it into her cart. Even something as simple as grocery shopping had become a chore, with people stopping, staring, and whispering. Then there were the people like this woman, who thought it was her job to protect Jace against women like Amanda.
"You're that skank that's trying to destroy the pack."
Stay calm. I can handle being called names.
But it wasn't the names that got to her. It was the feeling of being an outcast in her own hometown. She was raised on a farm out on the packlands. She went to school here. She took her courses at the community college right in town. This was literally the only place she had ever lived, and suddenly it was like she didn't belong here anymore.
"So, what do you want, anyway? To come between our Alpha and his mate so you can be the Alpha female?" The woman followed her into another aisle, her eyes lit with what she must have thought was righteous indignation.
"Leave me alone," Amanda said, looking for tuna fish. Logan loved tuna fish.
"That's rich, you're trying to tear the pack apart and—"
"I am not trying to tear the pack apart." Amanda whirled on her, eyes narrowed. "And you're not putting much trust in the Alpha if you think he'd be deceived by some skank."
The woman's face went red. Eyes narrowed. A growl rose from her chest. Amanda abandoned the shopping cart where it was and practically ran from the store. It was just getting worse. Jace promised that he would take care of it, but it seemed as if the more he put out official statements that there was nothing between himself and Amanda, the worse the bullying became.
If I move away, how will our custody agreement with Logan work? Would it even be fair to take Logan with me, away from his home and friends and the pack? From what Jace told her about his years outside the packlands, humans could be very cruel towards Shifters. Was it really within her rights to expose Logan to that at such a young age?
When she got out to the parking lot, she froze. Words were spray painted all over her beloved grandmother's car. Whore. Slut. Skank. Other words that were far worse. Amanda clamped her lower lip between her teeth as her eyes welled with tears. Well, whatever else, she couldn’t stay here.
She got into her mutilated car, hands shaking as she turned on the ignition.
Part of her wanted to drive out to her parents' farm, fall back into her old bed and sob until everything was taken care of. She had never had that much attention in her whole life. An introvert, all she really wanted was two or three close friends that she could rely on. Now, with all the negative attention pouring in on her, the weight was so strong that she thought she just might die before it broke.
By the time she got back to Jace's house, silent tears were streaming down her face. Luckily, neither Jace nor Clarissa was around. She didn't want to face them right now.
What do I do?
Amanda tried to calm down and think. Going to the farm wasn't going to help, not really. If she moved out of Jace's house and back to hers, would that stop the people from being so nasty? Or would that just make the house a target for people unhappy with the fact that six years ago she accidently got pregnant with Jace's son? Would Betty end up getting eggs thrown at her?
It seemed like a few days out of the public eye had helped the media frenzy die down. Maybe taking a few days out of town, getting some more time off work, and heading up into the mountains where she could just be herself, and run through the woods in her Wolf's skin would help with this situation. It had been months since she and Logan went camping.
Her mind made up, Amanda quickly made the preparations. She packed a cooler full of food and filled a backpack with clothes and toiletries. Her fishing rod and tackle was back at the house, so she'd grab that before picking up Logan from school.
But what was she going to do about her car? She couldn’t drive around everywhere with those words written on it. She would need to take one of Jace's vehicles. Fishing her cell phone from her pocket, she phoned him.
"Of course," he said when she explained what she had planned. His voice was thick with concern. "There's a four-wheel drive truck in the garage. The keys are in the glovebox. Are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah. I'll just
pick up my tent and sleeping bags from the house and get Logan from school. He loves camping. He's like you." Amanda held her breath to stop a new sob from ripping from her.
"He's like you, you mean. I always hated camping. I only ever suggested it because you love it so much. Are you going to our old spot?"
Amanda couldn’t help a fresh well of emotion. That was so like him, pretending to like something so they could do something together. "Yeah. Maybe you and Clarissa can come up sometime?"
"Maybe." Jace sighed. "I'll take care of your car, and I'll find a way to get these people to listen to me and leave you alone. I'm their Alpha, they need to start respecting my word."
"They think they're on your side."
"They're not," Jace muttered. "And I'll make them see that… somehow."
Amanda wiped her face. "I should go. Logan will be out of school in half an hour."
"Yeah. Take care of yourself, okay?"
"Thanks. I—" She almost said 'I love you' but caught herself just in time. "I appreciate it."
She hung up and shouldered the pack, returning to the kitchen for the cooler. Maybe she was running away from her problems, but at this point, she didn't really care. She just had to get away from this town and figure out what her next step was.
***
Logan's tail flew in wide circles as he pounced into the stream, biting the water. He went under, yipping as he surfaced before he jumped on a floating leaf and tore it in half. Amanda grinned as she watched him play, loving the feel of the cool breeze brushing against her fur. With the dirt under her paws, she felt utterly relaxed–far more relaxed than she had been in months.
She splashed through the water towards her son, and when he saw her coming, Logan jumped onto the bank, then tried to bounce onto her back. He missed, hitting a deep spot in the stream. He went under all the way and began kicking wildly. Amanda grabbed the scruff of his neck and pulled him out of the water, setting him down on the bank. He wasn't hurt at all, just a little scared, and she licked the water off his face to comfort him.