by Anya Nowlan
“I think you’re a smart woman for choosing a guy like that,” Slate said solemnly, sharing a look with her. “And that he’ll beat your expectations by leaps and bounds.”
Slate winked and Layla could fall into her seat with a smile, her muscles willing to relax a tiny bit at that. She wasn’t sure why she’d needed to hear that, but she did—that the man she was going off to see in the wilderness of Idaho wasn’t some crazy axe murderer, or that she hadn’t just been wearing beer goggles the night they’d met and thought he was a nice guy while in all actuality, he wasn’t.
The rest of the flight passed in relative calm, with Slate sometimes expounding on some crucial bit of Shifter Grove trivia, keeping her entertained with tales of the people living there and antics that had taken place in the town. Layla had to admit, by the time the plane landed, she was sort of antsy to go see this wonderful place where even the most horrific happenings eventually turned into something worth smiling about.
But when the runway came into view, slick with rain and wetness because the winter snow had only just melted, her heart was in her throat again. Adrian woke up and Layla busied herself with keeping him shushed and happy, though the boy was far too centered, as usual, to let much get to him while he played with his stuffed dinosaurs.
The tiny airplane touched down and the full extent of the situation dawned on Layla immediately, making her grip the armrests even when Slate was already striding past her, opening up the hatch and letting down the stairs.
“Come on now, Miss Nash! Time to go meet your destiny!” Slate hollered in his happy, sing-song voice, and with a sigh mostly targeted at herself, Layla undid the clasp on her seatbelt.
She put on her jacket and helped Adrian into his, maybe taking a bit more time than she strictly had to. When she finally had all her stuff gathered and her baby on her hip, Slate had unloaded the big suitcase she’d brought with her and was waiting to help her down the steps. She accepted the assistance gratefully and when she found herself standing on the tarmac, her world seemed to come to a grinding halt all of a sudden.
There he was. Atlas. Just like she’d remembered him.
He was wearing worn jeans and work boots, a ragged dark brown leather jacket thrown over his shoulders, and a plaid shirt with a white undershirt peeking out underneath. His hair had been combed, but even then it was a little bit messy, and his eyes were so intense that when he looked at her, she thought he was staring right through her. Like it wasn’t just her standing there, but all her past deeds, her history, and her memories too.
She scarcely noticed the bouquet of roses in his hands and he seemed to have forgotten about them too as they looked at one another as if they were seeing apparitions instead of real people. Layla felt tears coming to her eyes, a shallow sob hidden away somewhere at the back of her throat. Not because she was sad, but because the moment was just… too much.
“Hey,” he finally said, his low voice sending a happy shudder through her.
“Hey,” she answered back, managing a tiny smile.
“Hey!” Adrian echoed, smiling wide as he waved at Atlas, who was standing a few feet away, looking completely dumbstruck.
“This is Adrian,” Layla said, somehow finding the words, though she thought she would just stare at him mutely and hope that the world took care of itself without her help.
“Hey Adrian,” Atlas said blankly, his gray and gold eyes locking with Adrian’s as the big cat and the little cat stared at one another.
There was something in the air, something that made Layla suck in a breath and remain still as Atlas slowly took a few steps forward. She could see the moment when he looked over her head at Slate behind her near the airplane. Maybe he got an encouraging nod, Layla didn’t know, but when Atlas got to her, he seemed to be struggling with emotions as heavily as she was. Maybe more so.
“These are for you,” he muttered, giving her the roses.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting them with her one free hand and smelling them.
They were red and pink, at least a dozen, long-stem. She could easily imagine how awkward he must have been picking them out, this big lug of a man, doing what he knew was right. Layla had to smile a little at that.
“Can I hold him?” he asked a moment later.
“Sure,” Layla said, almost breathless as she helped Adrian into Atlas’s strong arms.
The little boy clapped his arms around Atlas’s neck immediately, still holding onto his dinosaurs. Atlas grinned, one hand under Adrian’s legs and the other flat on his back, hugging him carefully, as if he worried about accidentally breaking him if he squeezed too hard.
“I didn’t know you were bringing someone else,” Atlas said, though he only had eyes for Adrian for a moment.
“I… it’s a long story,” Layla said sheepishly.
“I bet it is! But you guys have to hash it out in your truck because I’ve got people waiting!” Slate hollered nonchalantly, though Layla got the feeling that it was mostly to get her and Atlas out of their awkwardness more than it was to make them get out of his hair.
Atlas wouldn’t relinquish his hold on Adrian as he went to grab her suitcase and then showed her to his truck. It was a beat-up Chevy, dark blue, just like Layla had imagined. It was so him that she giggled when she saw it, making him cock a brow in surprise.
“Sorry. This is just… exactly what I imagined,” Layla said as he put the suitcase in the truck bed and then opened the door for her.
“Yeah? I have to say, this isn’t exactly what I imagined,” Atlas said, depositing Adrian into Layla’s lap when she’d gotten up in the seat. “But I think I’m going to like the surprise,” he added, closing the door.
Layla’s heart jumped, a tiny squeal of joy on her lips. Adrian looked at her with the same eyes as his daddy’s, so clear now once she’d seen them once more, and for the first time since seeing Atlas’s picture, Layla dared to hope. Really, really hope. That things could be okay, that they would work out.
Atlas slipped into the seat next to her and she realized that she couldn’t stop watching him as he ran past the front of the truck, a private smile on his lips that she still got to witness. He turned on the engine and revved it, the slightly weathered truck making a fearsome noise as he pulled out of the completely deserted parking lot.
I can’t believe I’m actually here!
“So… what happens now?” Layla asked, pressing her lips together in mild anticipation, her hands keeping busy as she held Adrian in her lap.
“I was thinking we go to my place and I’ll cook you dinner. Both of you. And then we can talk. How does that sound?” he asked, giving her a sideways look that was a tiny bit nervous.
She didn’t have to know him for years and years to pick up on nerves like that!
“That sounds wonderful,” Layla said with a smile, a weight lifted from her shoulders. “As long as you promise me that I can help with the cooking!”
“Oh, you betcha! I need all the help I can get with that,” he said with a chuckle.
Layla relaxed into the seat. Slate’s words rolled through her head. If this was her destiny, she was liking it so far.
Five
Atlas
Atlas couldn’t stop staring. Not at Layla. Not at Adrian. Not at either of them.
They’d been ignoring the elephant, or at least the tiger cub in the room, for the past several hours and Atlas had to wonder which one of them would break first. And by ignore, he of course meant lavish with attention and affection at every step of the way, but avoid talking about the very obvious point of the boy being Atlas’s son.
It was so obvious. The first whiff of his scent that had reached his nostrils had been the only confirmation Atlas had needed. His tiger had just about burst out of him right then and he wasn’t sure if Layla had seen it, but his eyes had turned a stark golden for a moment before the gold seeped out of them once more. His beast needed no further convincing, but the annoyingly rational human in him would have liked
a few words of confirmation.
If you want to know, you gotta ask, Atlas reminded himself for the umpteenth time as he set the table, carrying a bowl of mashed potatoes he’d just mashed after Layla had gotten done boiling them.
He almost bumped into her as Layla carried the tray of peppered beef in sauce to the tiny dining table, more of a little square with barely enough room for three chairs around it, but it would have to do. There were fresh vegetables already waiting and he’d opened a bottle of wine he’d specifically bought for her, remembering their conversation from far too long ago about the types she liked—white and not too sweet, he couldn’t remember the damn fancy names—and a glass of beer for himself.
Adrian was sleeping soundly on Atlas’s big recliner, clutching his dinosaur. The little man was tuckered out. It was the cutest thing Atlas had ever seen.
They sat down at the table and helped themselves to the food, but once their plates were filled, a sort of tense silence hung over the room that hadn’t been there before. While they’d both had something to do, they’d chatted easily enough, though not about anything supremely important.
Atlas had told her about his job at the mines, how it was exactly what he’d needed. No son of an Alpha was supposed to go into manual labor, but Atlas found it soothing and calming. Something that he could do with his hands, build and expand upon with every passing day, garnering the respect of the men he worked with as he proved himself as a diligent employee and a guy who was good to kick back a few beers with.
It had given him a sense of belonging that being primed to take over his streak never had. For a while, he’d even thought that it was all he needed to make him happy—good friends, a job he liked, and a home he could call his own. But now with Layla and Adrian in the picture, it became clear that he was still missing so much more before he could call everything perfect.
“So,” he began, not really knowing where to go with this.
“So,” Layla echoed, looking down at her food, which she was picking at a little listlessly.
“I think we need to talk,” Atlas said, flicking his eyes up to her pretty blues, which met his gaze bashfully.
“I agree,” she admitted softly.
Atlas gave her a moment to gather herself, taking a mouthful of food. It tasted divine. Apparently they made a good team, which was some sort of a relief. He already knew they were great in bed together and apparently could make a beautiful child together, but any additional bit of information was very well-received.
“I… I tried to find you when I got pregnant,” she started softly, her eyes focusing on her wine glass and a blush coming to her cheeks. “I didn’t know what to do, really.”
“So he’s mine?” Atlas asked, knowing in his heart that the only answer she could give was yes, but needing to hear it from her regardless.
“Yes,” she said, looking up at him now, her expression a tight mask of worry. “Adrian is yours.”
Atlas smiled wide, the relief evident on his features. It seemed to be infectious when Layla smiled right back, the worried lines on her face smoothing a little and her face relaxing. He reached a hand over the table to her, grabbing her tiny little palm in his big paw and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“It’s okay, Layla. Take your time. Tell me everything. Just know that I’m… I’m very happy to hear that.”
She let out a little sigh of relief that was still audible to Atlas. He noticed everything about her, really. It was like his senses were now fine-tuned to her, to catch the tiniest discomfort, or the smallest bit of joy. Like his universe had decided unanimously to start revolving around her and Adrian instead of doing anything else. He didn’t mind one bit.
“I found out about two months after I left. In Seattle. It’s so silly… I’m a midwife. Did I ever tell you that? And I missed the most obvious signs. Shifter pregnancies move fast so I was well into the ‘normal’ equivalent of the second trimester before I realized,” she said, shaking her head as she grabbed for the wine, taking a quick sip.
“I’d just started the new job at a hospital in Seattle and I thought I was just tired, and bloated, and letting the stress get to me. But then another midwife told me to make sure I wasn’t with child and she was right, of course… I don’t think I’ve ever felt so silly,” she admitted with a nervous giggle. “That’s when I started trying to find you too. I wanted to tell you. Not because I wanted anything from you, nothing like that. I just wanted you to know. I was going to keep him regardless.”
Atlas nodded, giving her hand another squeeze. “Not that it matters now, but I would have been just as happy then as I am now. I don’t think… you might not realize how important it is to me to know I have an heir… and that he’s with you. And that you came to find me.”
He had to pause, feeling himself beginning to ramble. He smiled and she nodded her head imploringly, willing him to continue.
“I’m just trying to say I’m glad you’re here, and with Adrian. I don’t want to force myself on you, but I do want to be a part of his life. And if anything more happens… well, that’ll be even better,” he said somberly, gazing into her mesmerizing blue eyes, so pure and innocent, though they’d taken on a bit of an edge to them lately.
She looked like she’d really lived now, experienced something more than the little ups and downs of life. Having a child by herself couldn’t have been easy. He felt incredibly guilty for leaving her in a situation like that alone, even if there wasn’t any way he could have known.
Or was there? You know what you felt. You should have tried harder to find her.
“I’m glad to hear that, Atlas,” she said, her eyes downcast for a moment before she looked up at him again, a shadow of tears shimmering in her eyes. “I didn’t know what would happen when I found you. I was so glad to have Adrian, and I knew you were a good man, but I couldn’t track you down. I even went back to that town, that bar, but you’d already moved. Probably here. So I gave up and figured I’d raise Adrian on my own and maybe fate one day would bring us together. And I guess here I am.”
“And is fate called Lily?” Atlas asked with a grin. “A former Lily Nash, perhaps?”
“It would appear so,” Layla said, wiping at her eyes.
“You know, I tried to find you too,” he admitted. “I moved a few days after you left, but I came back about a month later, trying to see if I could find out more about you. I remembered a partial plate on your car, but it was a rental so that didn’t get me anywhere. And you’d paid cash at the bar. The owner knows me well enough by my face that I think he would have told me had he known anything, but I guess we managed to miss one another. Funny how life works that way,” he said, his brows furrowing for a moment.
“Funny isn’t the word I’d like to use, but I think that’s as close as any other,” she said with a soft smile.
They stayed like that for a moment, Atlas holding her hand and both of them looking at one another. Something light seemed to take up residence in Atlas, something that made him feel almost weightless while grounding him at the same time. Here in front of him sat the woman he would vow to dedicate his life to. His mate. The only woman he’d ever need. And he’d found her on his own, not because of some idiotic streak deal or an arranged marriage.
Even if she would never love him the way he wanted her to, it wouldn’t matter. They’d have Adrian and he’d do his damndest to give him a good life, and to make her love him in the process, if he could.
Maybe there’s hope? She came here, after all, he thought, finally letting go of her hand.
“We better dig in. Food’s getting cold,” he said with a smile, one which she met with one of her own and a nod of her head.
I have one week with her. I better make it fantastic if this is ever going to work, he thought, taking a mouthful of food.
Good thing that an Alpha shifter was used to fighting for what he wanted, then.
Six
Layla
Time seemed to fly when Layla was with Atl
as.
He was exactly what she’d hoped him to be. Attentive, caring, loving, and funny in a way that wasn’t ostentatious, but rather endearing. She’d come from humble roots herself, her mother having worked as a registered nurse for forty-five years before retiring, and her father having worked in factories, so being together with a man who loved working with his hands was right up her alley.
How can I ever leave, she thought to herself with a small smile, watching Atlas try to convince Adrian to get out of the swing at the local daycare. Slate’s wife Teresa was standing at the door and watching them as well. Atlas had introduced them that morning when they’d come to Shifter Grove to get some more supplies and look around town a bit, the town that Atlas couldn’t stop talking about in the most cheerful of ways.
“He makes it look so easy,” Teresa said with a chuckle.
“Makes what look so easy?” Layla asked, tearing her gaze away from Atlas and her son for a moment.
“Being a dad. For some of them, it doesn’t come so easy. But I guess you two got lucky like Slate and I did,” she said, her eyes twinkling warmly.
Layla frowned slightly, turning around and walking closer to Teresa. There were some other kids in the yard playing, Teresa keeping an eye on them, and she’d allowed Atlas, Layla, and Adrian in so the little guy could have a swing and maybe play in the sandbox. Being around only grown-ups had to be getting a bit tiresome for him.
“What do you mean? I thought shifter guys were all excellent dads,” Layla said, a tiny bit embarrassed at how she was sounding.
She hadn’t done as much research on tigers as she should have, perhaps. It was hard enough being a single mother and figuring out what her kid needed from her, without piling onto that by trying to make sense of every idiosyncrasy he’d develop as he grew older. But she knew it was something that she’d have to look into soon, regardless of how things went with Atlas. Though she was currently hoping for the best!