Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Simbel
Rissa let me pilot the boat on the way back to the marina.
Well, it had been Trick’s idea, and he was the one to push me in front of the steering column. “Here, bro. You have your driver’s license, yeah? Just drive slowly.”
“Don’t I have to take a test or something?”
“I had to do a whole course, but you’re an adult.” The kid smirked. “More or less.”
Pretending to be affronted, I grabbed him around the shoulders and pulled him into a headlock, the way I would have with my brother. Still holding him, I stepped smartly up to the wheel as he laughed and tried to pummel me.
Driving the boat wasn’t too difficult, and I eventually released Trick to give me pointers. He alternated between making fun of me and talking about his band. I smiled easily, already scheming how to help him get the drum set he wanted and offered suggestions for names.
We both agreed that The Tricksters had a certain ring to it, but he wasn’t sure if the other guys would go for it.
Through most of the trip back to Eastshore Marina, Rissa was silent. She sat at the stern, her feet up on the bench, alternating between staring at the horizon and glancing at our antics.
When she did look our way, there was a small smile on her lips that didn’t quite reach her eyes. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking about, but she was definitely deep in thought.
I told myself it must not be too bad, because while we were at the sandbar, the sweet scent of her arousal had been unmistakable. She’d been thinking about what we’d done last night, I knew it…and she’d enjoyed remembering it.
Well, if she gave me another chance, I would ensure that she enjoyed it even more.
Once we reached the marina, Rissa took the wheel again. I sat back, content to watch the way this remarkable female— my remarkable female—moved so confidently. She stood, legs braced in those pink rubber boots, squinting at the boat traffic, shoulders at ease, judging distance and speed…until she slid the boat into its slip and killed the engines.
“Patrick?” she prompted .
“On it!” The kid leapt over the side—the gunwale, he’d called it—and landed on the dock next to a metal box. Lifting the lid, he flipped a switch, and the boat lift lurched into motion.
It was cool to watch them work together. It reminded me of how Memnon and I used to fit so perfectly, able to understand one another without talking. Trick and Rissa had clearly done this many times, and I felt kinda lucky to see them work together like this.
I grinned.
If Rissa was my Mate, what did that make Trick?
He was a neat kid, that was for certain. I’d never thought of myself as a father figure, but maybe I could be sorta like a big brother? The gods knew he called everyone “bro,” so maybe it would fit? At sixteen, he was already more man than boy, but maybe I could help him become the man he ought to be?
All I knew was that, thanks to the way I felt about his mother, Trick was now part of my future, and I needed to figure out what that meant. Well, I guess I should start with some communication.
“Can you two take the clamming stuff up to the car?” Rissa asked, bent over the console of the boat. “I’ll finish up here.”
Trick and I scooped up the buckets of fresh clams—which we’d washed at the lighthouse and were now sitting in salt water—and climbed out onto the dock. We walked in silence up to Rissa’s sedan, and to my surprise, Trick was the one to break it .
“You’re coming over for dinner, yeah?” he prompted, opening the trunk. “Mom makes really good linguine with these things.”
I smiled easily. “That sounds delicious. She invited me over.” I was looking forward to seeing her house and spending another few hours with them, but I knew Trick’s presence meant I couldn’t do what I really wanted to do with Rissa.
I knew that Trick would always come first in her heart. But my Kteer was strong enough for that. I could love my Mate strong enough for two.
Love ? Oh, hells yes. Rissa was mine, and I loved her.
As we finished loading in the cleaned shovels and rakes, Trick cleared his throat. “Next weekend the tides are opposite, but they’re perfect for night clamming.”
“Is that like day clamming, just darker?”
He shot a little smirk my way as he hefted one of the buckets. “You know, I don’t care what people say, you’re smarter than you look.”
“Thank— Hey !”
He burst into laughter, and I had to join in—it was a good burn—as I helped him load the buckets into the cab of the sedan, wedging them upright along the floorboards.
As we straightened, I clapped Trick’s shoulder.
“You’re a good kid, Trick. I know your mom is really proud of you, and I’m really lucky I get to know you. ”
Oh. Apparently Trick had inherited his mom’s blushing tendencies. He didn’t look away, though, just grinned hesitantly up at me. “Thanks, bro. I…uh…I’m glad to know you too.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “I’d like to stick around, if you don’t mind.”
“I wouldn’t hate that.”
A ringing endorsement from a teen boy. I grinned. “How would you feel about me dating your mom?”
Under his too-long hair, the kid’s brows rose. “Isn’t that what you’re doing? You two have tickets for the Eastshore Oyster Festival, yeah? And I just invited you night clamming.”
I was a mature adult, in the presence of a kid, and that’s the only reason I didn’t snicker at the thought of night clamming , which sounded rude.
“I guess I am.” I took a deep breath and dropped my hand. “I guess I’m asking if you’re okay with that.”
Trick’s gaze dropped to my chest, then away, as if he couldn’t look at me for a long moment. Finally, he peeked up at me. “I’d be okay…if you married her.”
Shocked, I stepped back…right into the car parked next to us. My breath was knocked out, but I was glad to lean on the vehicle and stare at Trick. “Really?” I rasped.
He was still blushing, and now he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Mom likes you a lot. And you’re good for her.”
I mean, I was determined to spend the rest of my life making her smile, but Trick couldn’t know about that. “In what way?” I managed .
He shrugged again, then peeked at me. “You…reminded her of who she really is. Like, deep inside. The part of her that she’s been covering up for years because she has these stupid ideas about what she has to be because she’s a mom. You know?”
I wasn’t sure I did. “You mean…she’s herself when she’s with me?”
“Yeah,” the kid said gratefully, finally lifting his chin and meeting my eyes. “Who she used to be, who she really is. I want her to go back to being like that. I want her to have fun again. And I think she has fun with you.”
I studied him for a long moment.
It was…humbling to hear this teenager say such a thing.
“And what about you?” I asked. “You’re really okay if I marry your mom? You wouldn’t mind if she marries an orc?”
He held my gaze, his blue eyes unwavering. I could see the man he’d one day become. The man I wanted to help him become.
“You’re a good guy, Simbel. I know that. Mom knows that. I wouldn’t hate having you around the house.”
My lips twitched. “I wouldn’t hate that either, bro.”
“So…yeah. You’re cool. You make Mom happy.” He shrugged a third time, as if this wasn’t a big deal. “So put a ring on it.”
I couldn’t help the little snort of laughter. A ring? Rissa was my Mate , which was so much stronger. Once she accepted the Mate bond, I would never leave her, would never do anything to cause her anger or frustration or to doubt my love.
Still smiling, I stuck out my hand. “Thanks, Trick.”
He eyed me for a moment, then pulled his right hand from his pocket to shake mine. “No problem, bro.”
Bro . Heh.
Unable to stop grinning, I pulled him toward me and wrapped my arms around him in a gentle hug. And after only the slightest hesitation, Trick hugged me back.
If Rissa was mine, then so was this remarkable young man. I would become his stepfather, his older brother figure. Whatever he needed.
And together, Rissa and I would ensure Trick would grow into the good human he was shaping up to be.
Together.