30. Sometimes you can’t see what’s right in front of you
30
SOMETIMES YOU CAN’T SEE WHAT’S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU
Micah
“You have to go today.” I hated being so bossy, but the fact that he was sick again only proved that he needed medical intervention. This whole I’ll go when I’m not hurling anymore concept made no sense. One of the things they had on his paperwork was to watch for puking and this was that.
Sure, he had a time of feeling good in the middle but still.
“I don’t want to get anyone in the lab sick. It’s fine. Not like before.” He pushed himself up off the floor, flushed the toilet, then went to the sink to rinse his mouth.
“You need to go today.” I was going to be a broken record until he listened.
“Move,” he barked. There was plenty of room for him to go past me, but instead of doing so he said it again with more bite. “I said move!”
There was no anger in his words. It was something else. I wasn’t sure exactly what, but anger wasn’t it.
I backed out of the bathroom to let him by and he ran into the bedroom and shut the door.
“Fuck,” I grumbled. I’d just wanted him to get medical treatment not have him freaking lock me out—literally.
The phone buzzed in my pocket and I almost ignored it. Unlocking it, I was surprised to see it was Archer. Can you leave?
I went to the door. “Let me in. Let’s talk about this. If you really don’t want to go, I’ll watch you like a hawk instead.
My phone buzzed a second time. My wolf. Please go .
“Your wolf what?” I wasn’t playing the phone game. Not when I was right here.
The door flew open and Archer’s eyes were a yellowish gold. “My wolf wants me to bite you, okay? And I’m afraid I’m not strong enough to fight him.”
I was not expecting that.
“We can’t take you to a doctor like this.” Not a human one anyways.
“Just go.”
And that was the thing. I couldn’t. I wanted him to bite me… mark me as his and I wanted to do the same back.
It didn’t make sense. He was sick. There was nothing sexy about losing your lunch in the toilet and really, I wasn’t feeling sexual about him. No. I just wanted to mark his skin for all to see.
“What does this mean?” I asked.
“Go means to leave. Please. I don’t want to do something you don’t want.” His voice cracked, a little more wolf than human.
“But what if… never mind I’ll go.” I could find one of the guys to watch him and make sure he didn’t need ER care or maybe one of them knew a doctor who happened to be a shifter. That would be the best solution all around. Get him seen by a doctor who knew his kind.
“But what if what?” He moved so quickly I didn’t even see him until his hand landed on my shoulder. “But what is what?”
“What if I feel it too?”
“You can’t. You said so. Unicorns don’t mate non-unicorns.” He shook his head as if a bee landed on it and he needed it gone. “You can’t… and it’s not even rules… you can’t make ba?—”
“Babies.” I let out in a whisper. “You're puking and tired and… could you be pregnant?”
“Fuck you.” He stomped into the bedroom, not bothering to close the door and threw himself on the bed sobbing.
I stepped into the room, unsure what to do next. So, I asked him. “What did I do? What do you need me to do?”
He rolled over onto his back. “I can’t believe you think I would cheat on you.”
I nearly lost my lunch. In all the things that had raced through my mind, that very much was not it. Not even close.
Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I reached out for him, stopping as he shook his head. “I never thought you cheated. Not. Once. Not even for a split second. It’s just what if you are? What if by some miracle we work together. The unicorn and the wolf.”
“What if I’m not pregnant?” He wiped the tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand.
“Ask your wolf.”
He closed his eyes, took in three deep breaths and when he opened them again, they were more wolf than I’d ever seen without his fur. He said three little words that changed everything. “I am pregnant.
Daire
“Thanks for picking up the Thai food.” Neil thanked me for like the third time.
He invited me over to discuss the whole Martin thing, but then decided he didn’t want to talk about it at all, which was fine. If he just needed to be around a friend, I was okay with that.
And really I couldn’t be the one to help him decide if he should or shouldn’t go any further with Martin. That was up to them. And really what had they done? Nothing. Martin freaked Neil out when they met at soccer and again when he came looking for me. Then the guy was upset at Neil—and he had good reason—for taking Toby to the park without telling him. And he now understood what Neil did for work. It was either the beginning or the end of their friendship. I couldn’t call it a relationship.
“I’m sorry you had to pay.” My freaking new debit card had been rejected on the online order. The bank assured me it would work. But it didn’t. “I really thought I had enough cash.” Like eighty bucks more than the two dollars I had in my wallet.
“That’s been happening a bunch lately.” He wasn’t giving me side eye or being judgy. No. He was being factual and he was right. This wasn’t the first time I had less cash than I thought.
But then again I was used to spending what I wanted and this new budgeting thing was not my strongest suit. “Yeah. I need to be more careful.” I let out a sigh. “But I will pay you back.”
“I wasn’t worried about that,” he said. “Seriously. I’m happy to buy if someone flies.” He got the saying wrong, but I understood. He hated going out and to him, me picking it up was worth the expense. It still wasn’t fair. And had the delivery not been backed up, we’d both have opted for that anyway.
“I need to be better. Maybe I’ll do that envelope thing on social media where all your money has a separate little plastic pocket in a… who am I kidding. That would be me losing a binder.” I did need a plan though.
“What if… and don’t be mad, but what if it’s not you being careless and buying too many lattes without thinking about it?”
“What else could it be?” I grabbed a spring roll.
“Someone might be taking it.” Shit! I hadn’t thought of that. “Maybe that new guy? Your friend Wesley?” Wesley had become more than a friend and Neil knew it.
“Wesley? No. He wouldn’t steal from me.” It couldn’t be him. “No. It’s not him. Absolutely not. ”
“When was your identity stolen?”
“A while ago. Before I met Wesley, so your argument sucks.” But fuck now I was wondering.
Neil pressed on. “When did the money go missing? And didn’t you say it felt like he sought you out at the nursery?”
“Yes, but in a good way. Not that’s the guy who’s my mark and I’m going to take him for all he’s worth type crap.” Shit, Neil could be right and I hated that I was considering the possibility. “It’s… a maybe,” I conceded.
My phone buzzed. “Speak of the devil.” I tapped it open. It was a selfie of Wesley with his hand forming a heart and the words, Thinking of you .
“No. I can’t believe I even entertained that idea.” I turned my phone toward Neil. “Does this look like someone who's trying to drain my bank account?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Remember when Kellan was charming?”
Ivor
I needed to get out of here. On any other day, visiting my parents wouldn’t feel like an escape. On the contrary, it would’ve felt like walking the freaking plank. But today I was so ready to escape from all of the chaos that was my life.
I looked at my phone. They’d be picking me up in less than half an hour. I only had to make it that long without running into Ryder or worse—Kellan.
No part of me understood Kellan’s appeal. He was trash. There was no other way to describe him. He used Ryder and would continue to use him until Ryder decided he’d had enough. And even then, given his track record, Kellan would still find a way to weasel into the stag shifter’s life.
What a fool I’d been to think Ryder would choose me. The tickets… the date plans… they’d lulled me into finally thinking we could do this—we could make something of our attraction… something potentially long term.
But no.
All it took was one text from Kellan and off he went. An “emergency” my ass. Unless he was in Ryder’s apartment having just sliced off his finger or something, Ryder did not need to be involved in any “emergency” the asshat was part of.
He probably had a hard dick and needed someone to fix it, would be my guess. Not a true emergency. He could grab lotion all by himself like the freaking rest of us.
I threw my backpack on and went out to the porch to wait for them. My parents did not like to wait. Even my walk from the porch to the street might be too long for them. If they didn’t need me for a fitting to a stupid wedding of one of their stupid friend’s stupid kid’s weddings they wouldn’t even be here. I didn’t even know the kid. But my parents preferred to keep up appearances like a freaking boss.
Shame that their what will the neighbors think attitude didn’t extend to helping me out with my college and living expenses.
I stuck an ear bud in one ear, pulled up the get-ready-for-bed app and turned it on. Please let it get me relaxed and in the right frame of mind to spend an entire weekend with my folks.
The calming music with the underlying beats thrummed on as the minutes ticked by when who should come up the path but Ryder. So much for calming down. My heart was racing a thousand beats a minute. I wanted to run up to him, envelop him in my arms and tell him I missed him. But also… I wanted to tell him how pissed I was that I’d opened my heart to someone that didn’t want in.
“Ivor… I’m sorry about—” I just held up my hand.
“I can’t. I just can’t. I wanted you. No. I want you, but you aren’t ready to give yourself to me. You’re Kellan’s. Full. Stop. And I need to accept that and you need to accept it too.”
My parents picked right then to pull to the curb.
“My ride’s here. Be happy, Ryder. You deserve to be happy.”
I jogged down the sidewalk, not risking looking behind me.
I’d done the right thing. He needed to know I wasn’t going to be an ass to him… to make his life miserable just because he didn’t pick me. And really, at the end of the day I hadn't lied. He did deserve to be happy. I just wanted that happy to be with me.