“Jeremy? Are you okay?” Jeremy looked at the bookstore to his right, grateful for the interruption. Jamie’s head was poking from the door, his face worried as he looked from him to Deborah.
“Yeah, she was just leaving.”
Deborah’s face hardened as she stepped away. “You’ll hear from me, Jeremy. You know I have a lot of friends, and I will take back the kid. It’s just a matter of time. You won’t be able to stop me.” With that she twirled around and sashayed away, leaving a dreadful Jeremy in the middle of the sidewalk.
* * * *
Denver might have looked calm on the outside, but on the inside he was groaning and bitching like a girl. Okay, maybe not like a girl, but definitely like Keenan, and it was still way too much.
Denver was the first one to admit that he hadn’t been able to concentrate on work in the past few days. Thoughts of Jeremy consumed most of his waking moments, and more than a few of the sleeping ones. Denver’s tiger was grouchy, not understanding why the heck they hadn’t claimed their mate yet. They would have to do it soon to avoid Jeremy getting sick, but Denver wanted to give the man as much time as possible to wrap his head around what had happened in the last week and how it would affect his life.
Anyway, he knew he hadn’t been the greatest at work, but did Bryce really have to assign him to this particular client?
“Young man, you will have to make it work, because this furniture was bought by my husband before he died, and it’s going to stay there.”
Denver had been assigned the renovation of the lady’s bathroom. It should have been an easy job since it was only the one room and it was small, but it was obvious she didn’t share her son’s ideas for the renovation. From what Denver had understood, the man needed to get the house in better shape so that he could sell it, but the mother wasn’t too keen on leaving it. She was definitely making him understand that.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am, but your son decided that the old furniture has to go, and he’s the one paying us.”
The lady’s eyes narrowed. “Young man, I don’t care what that ungrateful bastard told you, this is my home and I will be the one to decided what to do in it.”
Denver briefly wondered what the woman’s face would look like if he told her he was old enough to be her father, but the fleeting amusement didn’t last long. There was no way he could start anything here if she didn’t give her consent. Luckily for him, he was only a hired hand, so Ward and Bryce would have the pleasure to talk with mother and son and try to smooth things enough so that he could start working.
“Sure, Ma’am. I’ll tell my boss about this and he’ll contact you.” That meant that Denver suddenly had a free afternoon. As he walked to his car, he wondered if Jeremy was still at work. He probably would be since it was still early, but he could go and meet him there, maybe walk together to get Adam from daycare and drive to the mansion. Denver liked the kid, really, but he longed to have a moment alone with his mate. Adam had always been there when they had seen each other this week. Besides, they had to talk. It was Friday already, and that meant nearly a week had passed since Jeremy had claimed Denver.
The phone rang and Denver thought about ignoring it since it wasn’t Jeremy’s ring tone, but he had to tell Ward about what had happened at work, so he answered in the hope it was his boss, even if he didn’t recognize the number.
“Yes?”
“Denver? It’s Jamie.” He knew something was wrong. Something about Jamie’s tone was off, as if he was unsure how to say what he had to say so that he would not make Denver angry. Geez, was everyone really afraid of him? Denver knew he was gruff, but he had never hurt anyone in the pride.
“What’s wrong?” Denver saw a parking lot and steered, stopping the car so that he could concentrate on the phone call.
“I’m at work, you know, the book store? It’s near Jeremy’s work, and I saw him talking with a woman right outside the store. Things looked heated, and Jeremy told me it was his ex. I think she wants to get Adam back or something, and Jeremy was in no shape to go back to work after that, so I tried to convince him to wait for you here, but he ran to the daycare instead. I think it’s better if you go over there too.”
Shit! Just when it seemed things were going fine, something else happened. It was the story of his life. “Thanks, Jamie. I’m going now. Could you call Ward and tell him I wasn’t able to do any of the work I was supposed to do because the lady didn’t want me to? I’ll call him later.”
Denver didn’t wait for the human to answer. He was already turning back on the street and heading for the daycare, hoping he would get there in time to catch Jeremy.
He parked outside and hesitated. He had never been inside, but the need to go and find his mate was riding him hard. He had to make sure Jeremy was fine, and Adam, too. Deciding he would just go and see if they were still inside, Denver got out of the car and pushed the door open. The scent of baby powder and kids assaulted him, and he let out a relieved sigh when he saw Jeremy was there, looking through an inside window. One of his hands was raised and flat against the glass as his eyes never moved from what he was looking at.
“Can I help you?”
A woman stopped Denver from getting to Jeremy right away. He growled a little and she took a step back, but in the meantime Jeremy had turned around. The relieved expression on his face made Denver’s heart beat faster. His mate was happy to see him.
“I, uh...” Denver gestured to Jeremy as his mate neared them and explained who he was to the woman.
“Brenda, this is my partner, Denver. I want you to add him to Adam’s file as the only other person who can take my son from here in addition to me.”
Brenda’s eyes widened as she looked from Jeremy to Denver, but she didn’t comment. Denver was quite a bit shocked that Jeremy had admitted so easily what they were to each other and even more that he trusted him with Adam that way, but it made him feel warm inside. He gave his name to Brenda before going to Jeremy, not caring about the glances she gave him. He normally would have growled at her, but he was too happy to do that right now.
His mate had taken his place back next to the window, and he was watching as Adam played with his little friends.
“How did you know?”
“Jamie called me. I don’t know what happened exactly, but I thought that you might, you know, be happy to see me.” Actually he had just wanted to be there for Jeremy if he needed him, but he didn’t know how to say it without exposing himself too much. It would show exactly how much he already cared for his mate, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for him to know that.
Jeremy smiled a soft smile. “Yeah, I’m happy you came.”
“Mr. Odell, are you going to take Adam home right now?”
“Yes, Brenda, thank you.” The woman stepped in the room to get Adam and Denver neared his mate, not really sure about what he could do. He wanted to take his man into his arms and hug him tight, he wanted to tell him that everything would be all right and that he wouldn’t let anyone take away Adam, but he couldn’t, and not because of the place in which they were, even if it did influence his decision. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it. It wasn’t him.
“Do you want me to stay at your place tonight?” Denver asked, hoping the answer would be yes. “Or maybe you want to stay at the mansion? That way Adam could play with the other kids.”
“I guess that would be better since we need to talk.” The worry in Jeremy’s eyes was too much. Denver had to do something. He hesitantly raised his hand and skimmed his fingers over his mate’s fingers. Jeremy flipped his hand, squeezing Denver’s fingers for a few seconds before letting go. “Thank you.” The words were so soft Denver nearly didn’t hear them, but they were enough to let him know he had done the right thing.
* * * *
Jeremy could finally relax. Adam was safe, tucked into bed in the room next to Denver’s. Jeremy had decided to come to the mansion rather than going home, and Adam had been h
appy to play with his new friends. He acted like he had been living around this big house all his life, and it was nice to see. Denver had stayed close to them the whole afternoon, a silent but solid presence that reassured Jeremy, leaving them only when it had been time for Adam to go to bed. They had borrowed a bed rail from one of the families with bigger kids and Adam had fallen asleep as soon as his small head had touched the pillow.
Jeremy was having a hard time relaxing, though. He had too many thoughts bouncing around his head, all of them rotating around Deborah. He had noticed the impressive security system of the mansion, so he knew Deborah wouldn’t find a way in, but the fear of losing his son was always there. He didn’t know why he was so worried about his ex, except for the obvious reason, of course.
She had signed every damn piece of paper his ex-lawyer had produced, so Jeremy was the only one with custody rights. Hell, she wasn’t even mentioned on Adam’s birth certificate! She hadn’t wanted to. She had told Jeremy she was leaving one night and he had never seen her again until today. He hadn’t been surprised when she had left, though. They had been married for only a few months when she had gotten pregnant, but he had already understood that they wouldn’t be happy together. He still wasn’t sure what he had been thinking about when he had agreed to marry her. They were so different, they had absolutely no common interests, and she didn’t want a family. He had had to work hard to make her have Adam because she had wanted an abortion, and he had known she would leave him with the kid, even if he had hoped she wouldn’t. He wanted Adam to have a family, but it had been better that way since she didn’t want him. Besides, Denver was slowly becoming part of their small family already.
So legally, she had no rights to take Adam or even just to see him if Jeremy didn’t want her to, but Jeremy had a bad feeling. Deborah was a scrappy fighter when she wanted to be, so he just knew she was going to come up with something. It was still a mystery as to why she wanted Adam, but he really didn’t think she had woken up this morning feeling all warm and motherly. Except, he couldn’t think of another reason. Maybe something had happened to her to make her realize she wanted a relationship with her son, and he was even ready to let her see him, but not to give him up.
“So, what happened?”
Jeremy looked up. He had been surprised to see Denver at daycare, but glad. The fact that he had run to him when Jeremy had been in need showed how eager he was to help when someone was in trouble, even if he hid it under his hard exterior. Sure, it might be because Jeremy was his mate, but he didn’t think so. He was slowly getting to know Denver better, and he liked what he discovered. Under the hard shell the man was just a big teddy bear.
Jeremy massaged his temples, the headache that had appeared a few hours ago still pounding deep in his skull. “My ex-wife showed up. Long story short, she told me she wants Adam to go and live with her in New York. She even told me we could get back together and give Adam a real family.”
Denver’s face paled under his tan but it didn’t last long. A few second later he closed up his expression, and even if Jeremy had been getting better at reading his mate, now his face was hard and unexpressive. Denver sat down next to Jeremy on the soft leather couch and looked down at his hands. “So, what are you going to do? Are you going to ask her to come and live here with you or do I have to follow you to New York?”
Jeremy was awed. “You would do that? You would move all the way to New York even if I decide to be with her, just to be sure I don’t die?” Denver grunted and Jeremy took it as an affirmative answer. “But why? I mean, if I wanted her and not you, why would you do that?”
Denver shrugged, his eyes never leaving his hands, so Jeremy couldn’t even try to read them. “I can’t let you die, even if you don’t want me.” He suddenly got up and started to walk away. “Tell me when you need to leave.”
“Wait, wait!” Jeremy stood up, intent on going after Denver to reassure him, but pain shot from his temples to the back of his skull. He stumbled and started to fall, his hands on his head, but Denver caught him just before he could go flat on the carpet.
“Are you okay?” Denver held him up, his hands on Jeremy’s hips, but he still wasn’t looking at him.
“I’m fine.” The pain was receding, even if it was still there, but it was easier to endure. Denver started to step away but Jeremy stopped him, grabbing his arm and holding him close while he raised his other hand to cup Denver’s cheek. “I never said I had decided to go and live with her. I was just amazed by the things you were willing to do and give up for me. I’m not going back to New York, Denver. We never had a family to begin with, and she was the one to run away when Adam was born. I’m just scared about what she is going to do to get him.”
Denver’s expression softened as he nuzzled Jeremy’s hand and his arms went back to holding him around the waist. “If you want to stay here then we’ll do anything we can to protect you and Adam. You’re going to have to tell us everything, but we’ll find a way, I swear.”
“Thank you. I...I don’t know what to say, just thank you. I’ve been on my own for a long time, even when I was married to Deborah, and it’s nice to think that I can rely on someone.”
“You can always rely on me, or on anyone in this house.”
Jeremy looked up, up into Denver’s gorgeous blue eyes, and what he saw there took his breath away. He knew Denver wouldn’t tell him, not anytime soon, or maybe never, but he could see the deep affection swimming into the blue orbs. The man hadn’t made a move toward him this week, letting him get used to the fact that they were both men, and Jeremy didn’t know if it mattered anymore. As he had said before, love is love, and even if it was so soon, he knew Denver mattered to him. The depth of what the man had been about to do for him showed him how much he meant for Denver.
Rising on his toes, Jeremy brushed their lips together. The spark that ran through his entire body at the light contact surprised him, but it didn’t stop him. The attraction between them was so obvious that he could almost touch it, and he gave in. He pressed his lips harder and sighed when Denver opened to him. The man took the lead from the very beginning, his tongue entering Jeremy’s mouth to seek his own and play with it once he found it. Jeremy stroked the slick muscle and tangled with it as Denver’s hands tightened on his hips, pulling him flush to his body. Jeremy hissed when their erections collided, separated only by thin layers of fabric.
The contact brought him back to reality, and he suddenly thought that being with Denver might be a problem. What if Deborah found out about it and used it to get Adam? Could she do it? Could he stay away from Denver? He knew it would hurt the man, and it was the last thing he wanted, but his son was more important, and he knew Denver would understand.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” his mate growled in his mouth, his tongue still playing on Jeremy’s lips.
“Do you think that Deborah could use our relationship against me?”
Denver frowned and gave one last small kiss on the corner of Jeremy’s lips. “I don’t know. I don’t think it should matter, but it doesn’t mean it won’t. Do you want to stop seeing me?”
“Oh, Denver.” Jeremy shook his head. “It’s the last thing I want.”
“But we have to be sure Adam will be okay before we decide to be together.”
“I’m sorry.”
Denver placed a soft kiss on Jeremy’s forehead. “Come on, let’s go talk with Dominic. I’m sure he knows someone who can help us with this.”
* * * *
“So you don’t know why she wants Adam back?”
“No. It doesn’t even make sense. She has never wanted him, so why now?”
Denver had listened as Jeremy had told about his situation to one of Dominic’s friends. Andrew, the lawyer, was tall and his dark skin was the color of milk chocolate, his eyes a dark brown. He would know what to do, and the best thing was that he knew about shifters, so they would have no problems explaining that they were mates. The
man seemed nice and competent, and Denver really hoped he could help them. He had seen the way Jeremy held his head when he thought no one saw him, and he knew the headaches were getting worse. More than a week had passed since he had drunk Denver’s blood, and Denver knew he would have to claim his mate as soon as possible. He had arrived to the point in which he wished he could have been anything but a tiger shifter. No one knew for sure why tigers needed to claim their mates so often, but it was a fact they did and there was nothing he could do about it.
Denver noticed Andrew look from Jeremy to him, so he wasn’t surprised when the man asked, “Can you tell me what kind of relationship you have with Mr. Boyce?”
Jeremy glanced at Denver and he nodded, silently giving him the okay to say the truth.
“Denver is my mate.”
“I see. Okay, from what you told me, and the documents you brought, I don’t think your ex-wife can legally ask to have Adam. She gave up all her parental rights and she hasn’t been present in your son’s life since he was born. I don’t think you will have any problems.”
“Could my relationship with Denver influence that?”
Andrew thought about it before answering. “I’m going to be honest. She will probably try to use it, so be prepared for it to become public knowledge, but the fact remains that she is not considered Adam’s mother. You might want to give her the right to see your son now and then, just to see if she really wants to be his mother, but it’s like if a stranger decided she wants your son. No one is going to give him to her, because she has no right to have him. I don’t think you have to worry about it. Besides, just as it might be used against you, it could also be used for you. You’re giving Adam a family, even if it’s unconventional. Have you already claimed each other?”
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