Chapter 29
A couple of days later Maeve was sitting out by Jack and Bonnie’s pool with Bonnie, Brinnley, Draven, Gwen, Griffin, Izzie and Bella, Beau and Beck in the early evening.
“Did you see me, Mom?” Griffin exclaimed as he swung from the top of the climbing rope attached to the side of the splash pad.
“I did! You are so strong and fast!” she exclaimed.
“See me!” Beau and Beck both immediately started calling out to Gwen, little parrots picking up and repeating anything at all they heard spoken.
“I’m watching! I see you both!” Gwen answered.
She was reclining on a lounge chair in the shade, clad in a soft over-sized teeshirt and a pair of shorts.
She wasn’t a hundred percent yet, but she was close — physically.
Emotionally she was still struggling, but so much better than she ever anticipated she would be, and that was all because of Rance.
He gave her his strength, he supported her, he stood beside her and allowed her to breakdown, all always at the right time, and he never ever expected a single thing in return.
That kind of devotion wasn’t to be taken lightly.
Both boys shrieked, held their arms up and charged at the pool, not stopping at the edge but running right over the side.
Brinnley, relaxing in the pool, dove in their direction, and Draven jumped in without hesitation to help her get both boys.
But they needn’t have worried. Beau and Beck surfaced and immediately went into what can only be called a ‘dog-paddle’ stroke that took them right to Brinnley.
Brinnley laughed, scooping them both up.
Draven was suddenly beside her, laughing as he reached for one of the kids. “And now I feel like an idiot for thinking I needed to dive in. You had it under control.”
Brinnley, still laughing at the boys and their antics, turned her face toward Draven. “I’m glad you’re here anyway.”
His laughter quieted, he just stood there watching the woman who now owned him heart and soul, and until now hadn’t given any indication that she even knew it, or cared if he was around. “You are?” he asked.
Brinnley nodded. “I know I don’t show it, but when you’re not beside me, whenever I turn around and you’re not right there, I miss you.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
She smiled at him again. “You make me feel safe.”
“And you absolutely are. I would never allow you to be harmed at all.”
“’Sim!” Beck started whining, pushing at Brinnley’s chest to get her to let him go.
“’Sim! Sim!” Beau started chanting, pushing at her as well.
“Hey! Don’t push Ms. Brinnley like that. She might drop you and you know what will happen then?” Rance asked, stepping outside to join them, and handing Gwen a Vanilla protein shake filled with vitamins and supplements to help her build up her stamina again.
Beau shook his head.
“Fish! You’ll turn into fish!” Rance teased, walking over to the edge of the pool and stepping off the edge and into the water. “Okay, who wants to hold on while I swim all the way over there?” he asked.
“Me!” Beck said, dog paddling toward Rance when Brinnley let him go.
“Meeeeee!” Beau whined, slapping the water when it became apparent that Beck was going to get to swim to the other end of the pool.
“Come on, then! I got room for both of you,” Rance said.
Beau didn’t even answer, he squealed and clapped his hands as Brinnley helped him get situated on Rance’s back beside his brother.
“See me!” Beck shouted.
“See me!” Beau yelled even louder.
“I want to ride on somebody!” Izzie informed everybody.
“Come on, Hell Cat,” Draven said, swimming over to her and turning his back to her.
Izzie climbed on Draven’s back, grinning excitedly.
“You want a ride, too, Bella?” Draven asked.
“No, thank you. I’m just going to play with my mermaid Barbie.”
“Let me know if you change your mind,” Draven said. Then he lowered himself into the water and pushed off the bottom of the pool with his feet. “Hold on, Hell Cat! We’re going to catch ‘em!”
Brinnley laughed as she swam over to the stairs and sat there, watching the kids, and Draven and Rance having the time of their lives. “He’s going to be such a good dad,” she said, to no one in particular.
“Which one?” Bonnie asked.
Brinnley turned quickly, not realizing anyone was listening to her. “Oh, well, both, but I was speaking of Draven.”
Bonnie nodded. “He’s going to be an amazing father.
And an equally amazing mate. After my first mate died, Draven was the male that made it a point to check on me and the girls every single day, every single evening.
He never let the tears scare him away. He’s one of the best males I’ve ever known. ”
“I had no idea,” Brinnley said.
“Jack and I are fated mates, but so much happened to keep us apart. I was mated to another male, and when I lost him, Jack still stayed away. We just didn’t know how to find each other again, so Draven, his best friend, stepped in.
There was never any romantic interest on either of our parts.
He’s the brother I never had. You will not find a better male.
The female he stands beside as his mate will never, ever want for anything. ”
Brinnley turned her attention to the opposite end of the pool where the kids were shrieking with laughter as Draven and Rance pretended to be sinking under the water. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“You’re welcome,” Bonnie said, realizing that Draven may have been making more progress in getting closer to his mate than he’d realized.
The sliding glass door opened and Niko stepped outside.
“I thought you were Jack! He’s supposed to be joining us,” Bonnie said.
“He said to tell you he’ll be just a few more minutes,” Niko said.
“I’m holding him to it!” Bonnie said.
Niko fidgeted a bit, watched the kids playing at the end of the pool, took a quick glance around the pool and the splash pad until he found Griffin sitting on top of the fort trying to reach Draven and Rance with the water guns mounted on the fort.
He smiled to himself, and then met Maeve’s eyes as she watched him with one eyebrow raised.
His smile fell as he walked over to her. “Hello, Maeve.”
“Niko,” she said coldly.
“I was looking for you.”
“Really?” she asked, feigning no interest at all.
“I was wondering if you’d accompany me to dinner tonight.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, I mean, I know your name, and you know mine,” Maeve said.
Niko gave a hint of a smile. “I know you do. I was just hoping for a little time to talk to you.”
“About what?”
Niko made a half-assed attempt at a shrug of one shoulder. “Me. Why I’m like I am.”
“I didn’t think you cared to let anyone get to know you. The whole point of not dating anyone who knows your name.”
Niko nodded, and took a step back. “At least I tried, right?” he asked.
“Niko! Come shoot water guns with me!” Griffin yelled excitedly.
“You know what? I have to go take care of something, but if it’s okay with your mom, maybe we can do that tomorrow.”
“Promise?”
“I do. But it’s up to your mom.”
“Alright,” Griffin said, but it was clear he didn’t think he’d be able to.
“Y’all have fun,” he said and waved before walking back inside the house.
Maeve watched him go, holding herself in check, really wanting to go with him, but knowing the outcome if she did. When she sat back in her chair and faced the pool again, she found Rance standing there in the pool right in front of her, glaring at her. “Oh! You startled me!” she said with a smile.
“I know this is none of my business, but you don’t realize what a huge step that was for him.
He’s trying. He’s never tried before, but with you he made an exception.
Niko is not shallow or selfish, or a man whore.
He’s broken. He’s never recovered from traumas that you can’t imagine.
But he’s still alive, and he’s breathing, and for the first time in his adult life he drops his mask and lets himself be seen by the female who is supposed to be his mate, and you cut him down. ”
“I… He’s always… I… How would I know that? He’s never serious!”
“I don’t know, maybe talk to him. Hear what he has to say,” Rance snapped.
Maeve looked at the sliding glass door Niko had disappeared through. “I’m afraid to be hurt,” she admitted.
“So is he. Probably more than you are.”
Maeve stood up, took a few steps toward the door, then looked back at Griffin and took a few back toward Griffin, before looking at the door again.
“We’ve got him. Go,” Bonnie said. “There’s a lot you don’t know. He’s got his reasons.”
“That’s what Alison said,” Maeve said.
“Then why are you standing here? We’ve got Griffin.”
“Griffin, be good for Reigna Bonnie.”
“Go catch Niko, Mom!” he yelled. “Hurry!”
Maeve grabbed her towel and ran through the door and into the living room. “Niko?!” she called out. “Niko?!”
Jack walked out of his and Bonnie’s bedroom with a towel in his hand. “He just left. Said he was going to work.”
“Thank you,” Maeve said.
Jack nodded, then walked out of the house to join Bonnie and their family and friends by the pool.
Maeve stood in the living room for only a few seconds before she rushed out of the house, closing the front door behind her as she hurried to Alison’s house. She didn’t stop until she reached Alison’s front door, stopping only then to knock on the door.
“Why are you knocking?” Alison asked as she opened the door. “You live here.”
“Because I didn’t want to interrupt if you were in a private moment.”
“Even if we were, which we weren’t, it wouldn’t be in the living room,” Alison said, laughing.
“I have a problem.”
“What’s wrong?” Alison asked, immediately concerned.
“Niko asked me to go to dinner with him so we could talk. I thought he was just being his usual flirt self and turned him down. He wasn’t flirting. Rance said I screwed up.”
“He said that?” Alison asked.
“Not in so many words, but more or less. I tried to catch Niko, but he’d already gone. Jack said he said he was going to work.”
“Okay.”