by Dena Christy
“I’m not here to talk about East Brook. I couldn’t give a shit about East Brook at the moment.” As far as concerns went, the pack merger was the least of them right now. He had a son he’d never known about, who needed his help and guidance. Logan shuddered to think of what would have happened to him if his mother hadn’t brought the boy here. She was right to be worried about him.
“What can be more important than making sure this pack survives? You’ve only been alpha for six months. Don’t tell me that you’re tired of the job already. I didn’t raise you to be a quitter when things get hard, boy.”
Logan bit his tongue. He wanted to tell the old man that by the time Logan’s mother had left, his father had stopped raising him completely. But there were other issues from the past that needed to be addressed, and now wasn’t the time to rehash this one.
“I’m not quitting the pack. I’ll do my duty by them when the time comes, but I’m not here to talk about East Brook. I’m here to talk about my son.” Logan watched his father carefully to see his reaction to that bit of news, but all he did was go back to the table and pick up his beer.
“What the hell are you talking about?” His father took a deep pull of his bottle, and set it on the table with a thunk.
“Thirteen years ago a woman showed up here looking for me, she talk to you and told you that she was pregnant with my baby and gave you her number. Why the fuck am I only learning about this now?” Logan’s fingers tightened into fists at his side as he did his best to hold his temper. There had to be some reasonable explanation for this. But as soon as his father swiveled his head to look at him Logan knew that Faith had not been lying.
“I take it she’s back? So the whelp is yours?”
Logan gritted his teeth, and took a deep breath. “There is no doubt in my mind that he is my son. Why didn’t you tell me she was here?”
“Why do you think? I knew that you had a thing for human tail back then, but I knew you were always careful. Just because some gash comes into the bar claiming you knocked her up didn’t make it true. Girls like that will spread their legs for anyone.”
Red fringed the edges of Logan’s vision as the slender threads of his temper snapped and he grabbed hold of his father’s shirt and dragged him to his feet.
“Shut your fucking mouth. It wasn’t like that, and she isn’t like that. You robbed me of twelve years with my son and I can never get that back.” Logan made a noise of disgust as he shoved the old man away and he fell back into his chair. “I’m going to do my best to keep them away from you and your poison, but if you happen to see her or my son, you will keep a respectful tongue in your head or I swear to God I’ll rip it out of your skull.”
The muscle worked in the old man’s jaw for a second, but he nodded. “I did what I thought was best. She’s a human Logan, and was never meant for you. I didn’t want to lock you in with a woman when you had your whole future ahead of you. And I had no way of knowing if the boy was yours.”
Logan rolled his shoulders back. His father’s words did little to mollify him. He’d been a man when he met Faith, and he had a right to know that she’d come to him for help. It should have been up to him to decide what he was going to do, not his father.
“There is no doubt that he’s mine. He’s hitting puberty and getting aggressive. We both know what that means.”
“Well at least she brought him to you. At least you can prepare him for becoming a wolf and losing his mother.”
Losing his mother? As far as Logan knew Faith wasn’t going anywhere, and if she did, he was certain that she would take Connor with him.
“What the hell are you talking about now?”
“You know what I’m talking about. Once she learns that the boy isn’t human, you’ll be raising him by yourself.”
Logan shook his head. Everything about Faith told him that she was a devoted mother. She’d brought her son to a man who’d hurt her in the past, when she had no assurances that he would help Connor because she was desperate to save her son.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about and you don’t know her.”
His father turned to look at him, and there was a look in his eyes that told Logan that he was thinking about another human.
“Maybe not, but you better prepare yourself in any case. You should know by now that even the most devoted mother can’t always handle having a son who's a wolf.”
Logan knew that his father was no longer talking about Faith, but about Logan’s mother. He’d been Connor’s age when she left and he’d never heard from her again. He shoved thoughts of her aside. That was in the past and better left buried.
“She’s not like that.” Logan turned away. He’d had enough of Mike Sawyer’s particular brand of bile for one day.
“Keep telling yourself that. But don’t be surprised when she leaves so fast that it makes your head spin. She’s not meant for you, boy.”
Logan didn’t bother acknowledging his father as he opened the trailer door and let it bang shut behind him. He knew that Faith wasn’t meant for him, that he had a duty to take another for his mate. He also had an obligation to his son and that meant keeping him and his mother close until he knew if there was truth in what his father said. Faith gave all appearances of being devoted to her son, but then so had his mother, right up until the day she left.
4
Faith walked in the open door of the motel office the next morning, and the man behind the counter gave her a figure a quick sweep of his eyes before giving her a big smile. He seemed nice enough, if a bit bland with his brown hair, brown eyes and pleasant features. And if she wasn’t mistaken, she was sure that he’d been trying to flirt with her when she’d checked in here the day before yesterday.
“Ms. Williams, it’s nice to see you again. Did you find Mr. Sawyer?”
“Yes I did.” He’d been the one who told her where Logan could be found, and hadn’t asked any questions about why she wanted to know. His eyes had darted to Connor when they’d checked in and she was sure that he could put two and two together.
“Are you here to check out?” He seemed a little disappointed, and she wondered what kind of business he did in a town so far off the beaten path.
“Actually no. I came here to see if I can keep the room for a little longer. I’m going to be staying here with my son for the summer, and until I find something to rent, we’ll need a place to stay.” She came forward, and gave him a smile. With Logan wanting to be involved in Connor’s life, she needed to extend her stay here for a little longer. When she’d checked in she hadn’t been sure how long she would be here. There had been every possibility in her mind that Logan would reject his son, but thank God he hadn’t.
“Well I don’t know if you’ll have much luck with rental accommodations. We don’t get many new residents here, and the ones that do move here tend to buy a piece of land and build new.”
“Well I’m sure I’ll sort something out.” Faith kept her smile on her face even though his words were a bit of a disappointment to her. She hadn’t considered that this town was so small that there wasn’t a rental market to speak of. She had no intention of buying or building a house here. Staying for the summer was one thing, but uprooting her life and moving here was quite another.
“So how long do you think you’ll need the room for then? If you wanted to stay in it for the summer, we can work out some kind of deal.”
A shadow fell across them from the door behind them, and when the motel owner looked up the smile on his face faltered for a moment.
Faith turned her head, and her body froze for a second when she saw it was Logan standing in the door. He looked rested and ready to take on the world this morning, and the contrast between him and the man behind the counter was startling. Logan was the kind of man who got noticed, with the combination of deep black hair and bright blue eyes.
“She doesn’t need the room, Bill.” Logan came forward, and he loomed beside her. Bill's face paled for a second
and Faith noticed that he didn’t look at her for confirmation.
“I’ll just get the paperwork ready and you can check out Ms. Williams.”
“Why would you do that? I have no intention of checking out.” Faith darted a glance at Logan and saw the scowl he was delivering to the hapless motel owner. “I told you that I’m staying for the summer, and need to stay somewhere. Unless you’ve changed your mind about getting to know Connor.”
That was something she hadn’t considered. If he’d changed his mind about helping her son, she didn’t know what she was going to do. Or how she was going to break it to Connor. Already this morning he’d asked her about twenty times when he was going to see Logan again.
“Bill, do you think you can excuse us?” He still hadn’t looked at her, and Faith was sure that as soon as Bill left the room he was going to drop the bomb. She should have known that this was all too good to be true. She should not have brought her son here, because it was one thing to never know your father but something entirely different to be rejected by him upon meeting him.
“Yes, of course.” Bill darted around the corner and was out the door so fast that Faith was surprised there wasn’t smoke coming out of his shoes. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, she whipped around to face Logan and glared at him.
“I can’t believe you. If you were going to reject your son, why didn’t you say something yesterday? I could have prepared him for it. I told him that you wanted to be a part of his life, so how the hell can you pull the rug out from under him now?” Her anger took hold of her and before she could think she put her hands on him and tried to shove him. It was like pushing against a brick wall, and he moved quickly to grab her wrists.
“Would you calm down. I told you I wanted to be a father to my son, and that hasn’t changed. I will be a part of Connor’s life. I came here to tell you that you are moving in with me.”
Moving in with him? That was what this was about? She hadn’t considered that. It was one thing for him to need to get to know Connor and she had been prepared to see him when he came to spend time with him, but living in the same house with him was a whole different story. Faith tugged on her hands but he wouldn’t let them go.
“I realize that you need to spend time with him, but I’m not moving in with you.” She needed to keep herself separate from him. Already, after only being in his company twice now, he made her want things. She’d spent a restless sleep dreaming about the night they’d spent together, and her body had been aching for him when she’d woken up. A repeat of that night couldn’t happen again, she couldn’t handle it.
“You are moving in with me. Connor needs me, and I need to get to know him. Besides, where else are you going to stay? As far as I know there is nothing available for rent here, and you can’t pour all your money into a motel room.” He was still holding on to her, and his hands looked huge wrapped around her slender wrists. She could feel herself weakening. She had taken a leave of absence from her job at the accounting firm the summer. She had some savings but she had no idea how much it would cost to rent a hotel room for two months. She tugged her wrists again and this time he let her go.
“There has to be some other solution beside us moving in with you. I’m not sure it will send the right message to Connor.” It was a weak argument and she knew it. But her attraction to him showed no signs of waning and she needed to protect herself. She couldn’t fall for him and have him reject her like he had the last time.
“The message it will send to Connor is that his father wants to be involved in his life and his mother is supportive of it. What are you afraid of Faith?”
“I’m not afraid of anything.” She looked away from him so he wouldn’t see the lie in her words. The truth was she was terrified of what seeing him again was stirring up inside her. Looking at him was a potent reminder of just how much she’d wanted him then and how much she wanted him now. It had devastated her when she’d woken that morning and he hadn’t been there. If she’d had more experience, maybe she would have gotten over it, but he’d been her first. The hurt over his rejection had only been compounded when he hadn’t contacted her when she’d told his father that she was pregnant.
“Then I don’t see what the problem is. You need a place to stay and I have a place for you to stay. Connor needs me and I would think that what our son needs is more important than whatever it is you’re trying to prove. Are you disagreeing with me for a legitimate reason or is this some sort of payback for me not being there for you?” He crossed his arms over his chest and the resentment that simmered just under the surface in her boiled over.
“Don't you dare play that card with me. I have done nothing but put my son first for the past twelve years and that isn’t going to change now. So don’t think you can waltz in here and I’ll jump when you snap your fingers. Maybe I wanted to be consulted before you came in here and told Bill that I was checking out. I’m glad that you want to be a part of his life, but you aren’t going to run mine.” She stepped up and glared up at him. She expected him to argue back, but he gave a little laugh and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re cute when you get mad.” A growl escaped her and he put his hands up. “Okay, I’ll be serious. I want to spend time with my son, and the best way to do that is if you are staying with me. It will save you the expense of renting a room as well. So I’m asking you, will you and Connor please come and stay with me for the summer?”
His words mollified her anger, and took the reason she had to object to them moving in with him away. Her true reason was still there, but she couldn’t very well tell him. He’d boxed her in to saying yes by being so reasonable, and if she said no now she’d look like an argumentative bitch. She’d just have to shore up her defenses against him, and remember all the reasons why she couldn’t give in to the attraction pulling her to him.
“Fine. I’ll check out and Connor and I will stay with you.”
“I’ll settle up with Bill. Go and get your stuff together. You can follow me out to the house once that’s done.”
She turned away and went to the door before she realized that he was giving her orders again. It wasn’t worth fighting over, since she needed to marshal her reserves for being in the same house with him. And that thought made her turn back and blurt out exactly what was in her head.
“I’m not going to sleep with you.” As soon as the words were out, she could have kicked herself. He turned to look at her, and the corner of his mouth kicked up.
“I don’t recall asking sweetheart, but I’ll keep it in mind.”
Logan didn’t know quite how to feel now that Faith and Connor were in his home. Seeing his son walking around his house stirred paternal feelings inside him that he had never known he had. In his head he’d known that he needed to have children to continue his blood line, but the reality of seeing his eyes in his child’s face was a completely different feeling. He had to get this right. His father had let him down when his mother left and he’d locked himself away with a bottle. Logan made a vow to himself that he wasn’t going to let anything like that happen to Connor.
“Connor do you want to go for a hike in the woods? Or maybe hang out and watch a movie?”
Connor had been quiet when they’d gotten to the house, and when he turned to look at Logan, there was hesitation there. Was he pushing the boy too hard? This was all so new to him, and he didn’t want to screw this up.
“Can I just set my room up?” Connor bit his lip and Logan knew that he had to slow down. He was a stranger to his son, even though it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t rush him. Connor wasn’t going anywhere and he had time to be the father he wanted to be for his son.
“Of course. You get settled in and maybe we can hang out later.” Logan walked out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him. Was he going to be able to handle this? He could face down a pack of angry wolves and know he would come out on top, but throw a woman and a young boy at him and
he was at a loss.
He walked into the kitchen where Faith sat at the table reading a book. She flipped it face down to save her place and looked up at him.
“Where’s Connor?” Her eyes darted behind him as if to see if her son was coming in after him, but once Connor failed to turn up she brought her eyes back up to him.
“He wants to get settled in.” He tried to put up a confident front with her, but he was out of his depth. She knew the boy, and maybe he should talk to her about how best to approach this. He came over to the table and sat across from her. “What do I need to do? I don’t want to push him, but don’t want to ignore him and make him think that I don’t want to have a relationship with him.”
She put her hand on his arm, and there was a soft look on her face.
God he thought she was sexy when she was pissed at him, but now when she looked at him like that when he was feeling vulnerable, it made him want to pull her to him. He couldn’t of course. She’d made it abundantly clear when they were in the hotel office that she wasn’t interested in getting physical with him. And he wasn’t in a place where he needed the complication. He’d just have to tamp down on the desire for her that was flowing through his veins and get on with his life.
“Change is hard for him. It always has been. Every September at the start of the new school year he’s out of sorts for about two weeks, and this is such a bigger change for him than anything he’s gone through. He’ll come to you, and sooner than you think. He was asking this morning when he was going to get to see you again. I think he just needs some time to cope with all the changes that have been thrown at him over the past few days.”
Relief went through Logan. He had to keep reminding himself that if he was feeling unsure about himself it had to be ten times worse for Connor. He just needed to be patient with him and be there for him.
Without thinking, Logan put his hand on Faith’s hand, and ran it over her skin. His intention was to thank her for helping him to understand, but she gasped and pulled her hand away as if burned. He cleared his throat.