by Kit Tunstall
It was bittersweet, because she was thrilled to see the baby on the road to recovery, but also upset because it seemed like her niece didn’t need her any longer. She was certain if Kade had his way, she wouldn’t be part of Aislinn’s life. The thought filled her with dread, and she couldn’t help wanting to cry. Tears burned the back of her eyes, and she blinked several times to keep them in as Kade sat at the table beside them.
“Give me my daughter.” It wasn’t a polite request.
She shivered slightly at the menacing growl in his tone before hugging Aislinn one more time and handing her back to Kade. Tears couldn’t be denied any longer, and though she blinked rapidly again, this time they spilled from her eyes.
He made a harsh sound. “Don’t try the tear game with me, Shayla. I won’t be manipulated by that again.”
She ignored him for a moment until she had regained composure, wiping her face with one of the napkins from the stack in the center of the table. After clearing her throat to enable her to speak clearly, she asked, “What do you mean by that?”
He grimaced. “Your sister is a master manipulator, and any time things weren’t going her way, out came the waterworks. I won’t fall for the Dalton-girl trick again.”
“That trick always worked on our father, but our mother never really fell for it. I didn’t know Lila was still using tears to get her way, but I can assure you mine aren’t some way to manipulate you.”
“Why are you crying then?”
She shook her head at him, almost disbelieving his lack of sensitivity. “It should be obvious why I’m crying. I miss Aislinn, and I’m afraid you’re going to try to cut me completely out of her life.”
He busied himself repositioning Aislinn, though the baby obviously didn’t need to be shifted. “You have a lot of tears ahead of you if they’re genuine, because that’s exactly what I plan to do. I’m grateful you brought her here, but you’re off this island as soon as I can arrange transportation.”
She glared at him, crossing her arms over her bosom. “It’s not as simple as that, though you’d like it to be. You aren’t listed on the birth certificate, and I’m in the process of adopting her. At the moment, I am her foster mother, and you have no legal rights.”
She knew immediately it was the wrong thing to say. She could tell by how he seemed to grow larger in the chair that he was enraged. It was an inappropriate moment to notice that even in his anger with her, he was still gentle with Aislinn, ensuring she was comfortable and still drinking her bottle before he leaned forward slightly to glare at her.
“Don’t tell me what my rights are when it comes to my daughter. Lila has already screwed me over enough, and so have you. If you want to make this a legal battle, I can do that. There’s no need for it though. She’s mine, and she stays with me. She’ll grow up with her people, not yours.”
Things were rapidly escalating, perhaps to a point where nothing could be salvaged. Shayla took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, not speaking again until her own surge of anger had started to fade. “I understand your position, but I’m asking you to understand mine. I love Aislinn. I had intended to adopt her, and I still want to. Please don’t cut me out of her life.”
His expression didn’t soften, though his voice wasn’t quite as angry. “You were perfectly willing to cut me out of hers. Obviously, you knew who her father was all the time, but you went along with Lila’s lie by not putting my name on the birth certificate. If the baby hadn’t gotten sick, you never would have told me about her, so why should I show you any consideration when you didn’t show me any?”
It was a good question, and Shayla searched for an answer that would get through to him. Finally, with a sigh, she said, “There’s no good reason for you too. I’ll concede that, but I’m asking you to consider Aislinn too. She loves me as much as I love her. It’s going to be confusing and bewildering for her if the only mother she’s ever known is suddenly gone.”
“She’s young. She’ll adjust.”
A new wave of tears pressed against the back of her eyelids, and she refused to allow him to see them fall this time. Without another word, Shayla pushed away from her chair and strode from the kitchen, returning to the tiny bedroom at the end of the house, where she took some measure of satisfaction from slamming the door behind her before she allowed the tears to fall.
***
Kade was in the process of burping Aislinn when his grandmother joined him in the kitchen. “I’m sorry we woke you.”
She waved a hand to dismiss the notion. “It’s fine, but what isn’t fine is outright cruelty.”
He frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about, Nanna?”
She scowled at him. “You know very well what I’m talking about. You were absolutely brutal with that young woman.”
He shrugged his shoulder, refusing to feel any guilt—or at least acknowledge that he felt it. “The sooner she accepts she’s no longer needed, the easier it’ll be for her.”
His grandmother harrumphed. “That’s the silliest bit of justification I’ve ever heard. The truth is, you’re angry at Lila, and you’re angry at her sister for helping hide the baby from you, so you’re lashing out. You’re being manipulative yourself, even if you aren’t using tears.”
He glared at his grandmother, wanting to argue with her, but found he couldn’t. “You’re right. I’m angry with both the Dalton women. They schemed to keep my daughter from me. Why should I show Shayla any mercy?”
His grandmother’s expression softened, and she came to sit beside him at the table. “It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that Shayla’s a different sort than Lila.”
“You have to understand I don’t trust my own judgment at the moment. I thought Lila was my mate, and look how that turned out.” He barely suppressed a shudder as he remembered the brief, turbulent relationship with Lila. They had met when he was in San Francisco briefly for business, and his bear had prodded him, insisting she was their mate.
The sensation of needing to claim her as his hadn’t been as strongly developed as he had expected, judging from hearing others’ stories of finding their mates, but it was the first time he’d ever felt such a response, so he had assumed that was the mating instinct coming to life. Until recently, he hadn’t understood why his bear had initially thought she was their mate, but it hadn’t taken long after he brought her back to the island to realize he and his bear had both been wrong.
Since he’d spoken of forever, and assured her she was the one for him, he’d felt compelled to honor his promises and continue with the relationship. At first, Lila had seemed invested in the relationship too, but then she learned about his shifter abilities, and she had fled. She just hadn’t gone alone, and her sister had conspired to help hide his child.
A new surge of anger rushed through him, but Aislinn chose that moment to wrap her hand around his thumb, and a surge of warmth canceled it out. It was difficult, if not impossible, to feel anger or despair while looking down at the infant in his arms. She represented hope and the future, and he knew he was in trouble. This little lady already had him wrapped around her finger, and he’d known her less than a day.
“I’m not saying Lila’s sister did the right thing by helping hide Aislinn from you, Kade, but it’s obvious the girl loves your daughter. I’m sure Aislinn loves her just as much, and you’ll be hurting both if you try to separate them.”
He shrugged, letting the topic naturally expire. He wanted to maintain his stubborn stance, but his grandmother’s logical words were working insidiously against his angry response. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to consider this from a rational perspective and take into consideration what was best for everyone. It was what he naturally did as the leader of their clan, and now he had to do it on a smaller, far more personal scale.
“I’m going to have to do the right thing here, aren’t I?” he asked aloud with a resigned sigh a little later.
Tula patted his hand in a sympathe
tic manner. “I’m afraid so, Kade. You’ll survive.”
He was certain he’d survive doing the right thing, but would he survive Shayla Dalton being part of his life, even in a peripheral manner? His bear was already clamoring for things Kade refused to consider. He’d sworn to himself that he would remain unmated and focus on taking care of others in the clan. Lila had shown him he couldn’t trust his own judgment, at least when it came to women. And there was no denying Shayla Dalton was all woman, and then some.
***
Shayla was surprised at breakfast the next morning, which had passed in a mostly silent state, when Kade held out Aislinn to her as he stood up from the table. She took her niece automatically, giving him a questioning look.
“I have to work, so I thought you could watch her while I do so.”
The words were gruff, but a concession to the discussion of the night before. She knew his grandmother could have watched Aislinn just as easily as her, so she was touched by his willingness to negotiate and find a place for her in Aislinn’s life. She cleared her throat, removing a lump of moisture forming there, and nodded. Assuming a brisk, no-nonsense tone, she said, “Of course. Thank you.”
He inclined his head before reaching for his sheriff’s hat, which he placed firmly on his head before giving Tula and the baby a word of parting. Shayla tried not to be offended when he didn’t include her in it, knowing it was a silly reaction. He had no reason to wish her a good day, or tell her goodbye. She was lucky he was letting her have Aislinn for the day.
She had just finished burping Aislinn when Tula appeared with the mashed up salmon and berries. It wasn’t quite so strange this time seeing the young infant eat the food, but it still felt wrong. She knew it would be one hundred percent the wrong thing to do for a human baby, but there was a niggling suspicion in the back of her mind that Aislinn was more than a human baby. She still wasn’t ready to confront that thought, so she shut it down quickly and watched with amusement as Aislinn practically inhaled the food. “She must really like that.”
Tula nodded her agreement. “I’m sure she does. The poor thing has probably felt half-starved for the last few weeks.”
Shayla nodded her agreement, trying to suppress a wave of guilt. She had done the best she could for Aislinn, even bringing her to this island based more on instinct than any real logic. It wasn’t her fault Aislinn’s health had deteriorated, but it seemed clear the little girl was going to recover just fine. In fact, she didn’t seem quite so little, and Shayla marveled at the thought that Aislinn might have gained a few more ounces from the middle of the night.
In an effort to distract herself from thoughts of how that could be, she seized a random subject and introduced it to the older woman. “What do you do here all day, Tula?”
Tula spent a moment scraping the last of the salmon and berries from the small container before answering. “There’s always work to do, of course, and I like to have coffee with my friends. You can take a walk through the forest, or go for a swim in the Strait.”
Shayla shivered at the thought. “I never thought to pack my wetsuit.” Fortunately, she had packed a few days of clothing for both herself and the baby, and there should be enough formula to last until the next supply shipment. Shayla didn’t know if she would be on the island that long, or if Kade would reverse his position and send her packing far sooner. Either way, at least she was assured her niece had the nutrition she needed until the next supply drop. “I’m not really the nature type.”
Tula grinned at her. “If you’re going to live here, you’d better get used to it. There’s nothing but nature as far as the eye can see. We don’t have shopping malls here.”
Shayla recognized it as good-natured ribbing, so she didn’t get offended. “Do you have stores of any kind?” It was a genuine question, because she hadn’t seen signs identifying much of anything as she had walked through the town yesterday.
“Of course. There’s the general store, where you go for just about anything. There’s also a café if you don’t feel like cooking, and there’s the post office if you need to mail a package, but you have to understand it won’t go out until the next time the ship comes.”
“I guess you don’t have overnight mail options here then.” She strove to match Tula’s teasing tone.
Tula shook her head. “There’s not much in the way of overnight anything out here, but it’s a peaceful way to live, and it appeals to the folks here on the island. Some families have been here for a few generations, while other people are relative newcomers. We’re all drawn here for the same reason.”
Shayla arched a brow. “What’s that?”
“We all want to be left alone,” said Tula with a note of seriousness underscoring her words. “We don’t want to be immersed in the outside world, so we’ve created our own little world here.”
Shayla gulped. “I see. Did Lila have a hard time integrating?”
Tula snorted. “Lila never even made an attempt to ‘integrate,’ as you put it. She thought she was queen bee and expected the world to revolve around her.” A hint of remorse appeared in the older woman’s eyes as she reached across the table to pat Shayla’s hand with her own rougher, wrinkled one. “I’m sorry. I spoke more bluntly than I should have.”
Shayla shrugged. “Perhaps, but it’s nothing if not true. Lila has always been like that, acting as though she’s the center of the universe and entitled to anything she wants. Unfortunately, our father was never very good at telling her no, though Mom was far stricter. Lila learned at an early age that if she went behind our mother’s back, she could get Daddy to let her do just about anything. She’s spoiled and selfish, but I didn’t realize just how much until she turned her back on her baby without even a second glance or a moment of hesitation.”
“She might have birthed Aislinn, but it’s clear to me, even with my old, failing eyes, who that girl’s mother really is.”
Shayla cleared her throat, unable to speak for a moment as she was overwhelmed once again by the urge to cry. Rather than be Bear Island, they should call this place Tears Island, because she’d seemed to be on the verge of them from the moment she had met Kade Lassiter.
She cleared her throat again before speaking. “I do love her. I know it wasn’t right to keep Kade off the birth certificate, but I was just so desperate to adopt her before Lila could change her mind. She almost aborted the baby, but when she went in for her appointment, she was farther along than she had estimated. It was too far for her to get an abortion safely, and she couldn’t find any doctor who would sign off on giving her a late-term abortion with no good medical reason. And there was no good reason. She just didn’t want the baby, but she’s the one who must have ignored it for months before finally acknowledging she was pregnant.”
Tula let out a soft sigh, one that sounded full of relief. “I’m thankful she ignored it long to take such a course then. Fate has a way of making everything work out.”
“I don’t believe in fate.”
Tula laughed, a sound that was rich with knowledge and amusement. “You will. Just give it time.”
Shayla didn’t argue, finding no reason to. She couldn’t imagine she would ever embrace the concept that there were unseen forces orchestrating her life for her, but she was happy to allow Tula the delusion. The last thing she wanted to do was make an enemy of Kade’s grandmother when she feared she was already an enemy of the man himself.
Chapter Three
A few days later, Shayla knew she could no longer avoid learning the truth. It was simply impossible. After only a few days of the salmon and berries supplementing her formula, Aislinn had grown tremendously. A quick search on Google with her phone had revealed her niece was about the size of the average three-month-old now, and she was holding up her head completely on her own. She was also smiling and starting to babble, which, according to Dr. Google, was unusual at her age.
She was happy to see the changes in Aislinn’s state of health, but also certain there was
more to it than simple nutrition. With that in mind, she approached Tula that afternoon after Aislinn had gone down for a nap. “I need to ask you something.”
Tula stiffened slightly, but she didn’t rebuff Shayla as she took a seat at the table. “What do you want to know?” The tone was brusque, much like it had been the first day of her arrival, but there was definitely a hint of warmth underneath it. She had been kind to Shayla from almost the beginning, so she was hopeful the old woman would give her a straight answer.
“Why is Aislinn growing so quickly?”
Tula shrugged her shoulder. “She’s just getting the right amount of protein and fat now.”
Shayla sighed softly. “Okay, but why does she need a different ratio of protein and fat than a hu…typical child?”
Tula’s lips compressed, and she stared at Shayla for a moment. “You’ll have to talk to Kade.”
A surge of disappointment filled her, though she wasn’t entirely surprised to hear the words. She’d hope to have the conversation with Tula instead, because she was more approachable, but she wasn’t shocked that the old woman was sending her in Kade’s direction. “Do you mind watching Aislinn while I slip out to the sheriff’s office?”
Tula shook her head. “I’d be happy to, and she’s asleep anyway. The little thing is no trouble at all.” When she called Aislinn thing, it was with a strong note of affection versus the dismissive and disdainful way Lila had spoken the words.
Feeling reluctant, she got up from the kitchen table and left the cabin for the first time in a few days. After her cold reception at arrival, she’d been hesitant to face the townspeople, assuming they would still be cold and standoffish. Not that she could completely base the attitude of the entire town on the three men she had run into at the dock, along with Kade’s less-than-friendly reception. She just inferred the attitude was pervasive.
As she walked to the Sheriff’s office, she looked around for other residents, but ran into no one. That seemed strange for a lovely summer day, so she figured they must be doing their best to avoid her. She tried not to let it hurt, because what did it matter? The opinion of the people on this island meant nothing to her, and by the time she was back home, she’d forget all about them.