Chapter 5
Rissa
The scents of roasted chicken and garlic washed over me as Gavin and I stepped into Dad's house. It felt homey, familiar. But then I saw Mom standing there in the living room, and my whole body froze.
She wasn't supposed to be here. She had moved to Florida months ago, starting a new chapter. A life without us. Definitely without Dad. They’d been divorced since I was three, and I’d moved with Mom to Knoxville. Hell, her moving to Florida was the whole reason I’d come back here.
Beside me, Gavin stiffened. "Mom?"
Mom smiled, her big eyes crinkling at the corners like this was exactly where she belonged. "Surprise!"
Dad came over, slipping an arm around her waist. They fit together like two puzzle pieces reunited. "We've been talking for a while. One thing led to another and, well..." He glanced at her, his expression soft. Adoring. "We decided to give it another shot."
My stomach twisted into knots. This could go really well or really terribly. "Are you serious?"
They both nodded and gazed at each other, all gooey-eyed.
"We're older now. Wiser. Different people," Dad said. The way they looked at each other, like no one else existed, made an ache bloom in my chest. It was real. They were really doing this. Holy shit.
Gavin rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Wow." His tone was flat, giving nothing away. But I knew him. He was still processing, trying to make sense of it all—just like I was.
Mom's gaze softened as she looked between us. "I know this is a lot to take in."
Gavin recovered first, a smirk tugging at his mouth. Forced, but there. "Guess this is a double welcome home then."
Mom laughed, relief threading through the sound. "Exactly." She opened her arms.
I moved first, stepping into her embrace. She smelled like vanilla, achingly familiar. Tears pricked my eyes as her arms tightened around me.
"My baby girl," she whispered. "I've missed you so much."
Dad joined the hug, his solid presence enveloping us. A sob caught in my throat. I hadn't realized how much I needed this. Needed them. Together.
Gavin hung back for a beat, but Mom reached for him, and he folded into her embrace with a shuddering sigh. We stood there, wrapped up in each other, and for a moment, everything felt right in the world. We were a family again.
In the kitchen, I helped set the table while Mom stirred something on the stove, the scent of roasted garlic and herbs filling the air. Gavin leaned against the counter, arms crossed over his chest. A grin tugged at his lips.
"Remember when we were kids and Dad tried to cook?"
I laughed, the memory vivid. "The disaster with the burned spaghetti?"
Dad groaned, shaking his head. "I had one bad night, and you two never let me live it down."
Mom nudged his side, a teasing glint in her eye. "One bad night?"
Gavin's grin widened. "The fire department had to come, Dad."
"I don't know how you and Gavin survived after we left." Mom shook her head, but a smile played at her mouth.
Dad snorted. "We ate takeout. A lot."
I watched their easy banter, and something shifted inside me. I'd always thought of them as permanently apart, two separate entities. But here they were, proving that love could return, that broken pieces could be mended.
It gave me a flicker of hope. If they could find their way back to each other, maybe anything was possible. Maybe even...
Nope. I shut down that train of thought. I couldn't go there.
Dad turned to me, his eyes warm. "How's school going, kiddo?"
I brightened, pushing aside the bittersweet ache in my chest. "It's great. The kids are adorable. One of them asked me today if the moon was a giant cookie."
Mom’s face lit up. "Oh, I love that."
Gavin grinned at me. "Did you tell them it was?"
I snorted. "I said no, but they didn't believe me. Apparently, I'm not as convincing as the big brother who once told me the sun was a spaceship."
Gavin held up his hands. "Hey, you believed me for years."
Dad chuckled, shaking his head. Then his gaze settled on me, pride shining in his eyes. "You've always been great with kids. They're lucky to have you."
The compliment warmed me from the inside out. It meant more than he probably realized. After everything I'd been through, after the heartbreak and the loss, my students were my saving grace. They brought light back into my life.
I met Dad's gaze, my throat tightening with emotion. "Thanks, Dad. That means a lot."
Mom reached over and squeezed my hand; her touch was gentle and understanding. She knew the deeper meaning behind his words, the unspoken history.
The front door opened, and Nathan walked in with Elle trailing behind him. My stomach flipped at the sight of him, and I quickly looked away, busying myself with setting out the silverware.
Elle made a beeline for Gavin, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. "Hey, Uncle Gavin!"
Gavin's face split into a grin as he returned the embrace. "There's my favorite niece!"
Elle pulled back, rolling her eyes. "I'm your only niece."
Oof. That hit me right in the feels. He’d had a niece for about thirty seconds, but now, Elle would always be his only niece, even if only in his heart.
She barely spared me a glance, her voice flat. "Hey."
I forced a smile, even as my gut clenched at the coldness in her tone. "Hey, Elle."
Nathan watched the exchange, his brows slightly furrowed. I could feel him looking at me, but I kept my eyes on the table, arranging and rearranging the forks.
Gavin cleared his throat, breaking the awkward tension. "Nathan, you remember Mom. And Mom, this is Elle."
Mom beamed at them, her smile warm and inviting. "I remember you as a very young man, and then Xavier mentioned you often. He said you were always around."
Dad grinned. "Practically lived here."
Nathan chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess I did spend a lot of time here back then."
Gavin clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's eat. I'm starving."
We all settled around the table, passing dishes and filling our plates. The conversation flowed easily, catching up on old times and new happenings. But I was hyper aware of Nathan's presence, like a live wire under my skin.
I couldn't help stealing glances at him, noticing the way his shoulders tensed whenever Elle spoke to me with that subtle undercurrent of disdain. Did he see it, too? Did it bother him?
At one point, I looked up and caught Nathan watching me. Instead of turning away, he held my gaze, his brown eyes intense and unreadable. Heat prickled along my skin. What was this attraction between us?
Elle laughed at something Gavin said, breaking the moment. I blinked, looking back down at my plate. But I couldn't shake the feeling of Nathan's eyes on me.
He seemed distracted, not fully engaged in the lively chatter around the table. Like he was here, but not really here. Lost in his own thoughts.
Was he thinking about me? About us? About this unspoken thing that lingered in the space between us?
I risked another glance at him and found him staring down at his plate, his brow furrowed.
Across the table, Mom kept sneaking glances at me, a knowing look in her eye. Like she could see right through me, right into the tangled mess of emotions I was trying so hard to ignore.
I quickly looked away, focusing on my food. But I could still feel her gaze on me, silently observing, quietly understanding.
She had always been too perceptive for her own good. And right now, that was the last thing I needed.
Gavin's phone buzzed on the table, making me jump. He frowned and picked it up, glancing at the screen. "I need to take this," he muttered, already standing.
Mom watched him go, her lips pursed. "I swear, that boy is always working."
Dad shook his head. "He got that from me. I never knew when to take a break either."
Nathan smirked, but there was a fondness in his expression. "Some things never change."
Gavin stepped into the other room, his voice low but sharp. I couldn't make out the words, but the tone was unmistakable—serious, urgent.
Nathan noticed, too. His fingers tapped lightly against the table, his attention divided between his plate and whatever Gavin was dealing with.
Mom glanced between us, her brows knitting together. "Should we be worried?"
Dad shook his head. "Gavin's got it handled. Let him work."
But the tension in the room had shifted, the easy atmosphere from before evaporating like mist under the morning sun.
Gavin returned a few minutes later, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he took his seat. Nathan didn't hesitate. "What's going on?"
Gavin exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. "A tourist went missing. Woman in her twenties, staying at one of the rental cabins near the woods."
Mom frowned. "Stock Creek isn't the kind of place where people go missing, is it?"
Gavin sighed. "No, but this is the second case in a few weeks. The first one turned up, though. Just wandered too far out on a hike and got lost for a couple of days."
Nathan's expression darkened. "And you think this one is different?"
Gavin hesitated. "I don't know yet. She was supposed to pick up a takeout order from the diner, but she never showed. Her car is still parked outside."
The table fell silent. A missing person was never good news, but a missing human in a town full of shifters? That was even worse.
Dad cleared his throat. "Maybe she just ran off somewhere?"
Gavin shook his head. "Could be nothing, but I have a bad feeling."
Nathan leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "You want me to get the pack to keep an ear out?"
Gavin nodded. "Yeah. If anyone hears anything, let me know."
Mom pressed a hand to her chest. "I hope she's okay."
Dad reached for his drink. "It's a small town. If she's still here, someone will find her."
Nathan's focus sharpened on Gavin. "You're sure there's no sign of struggle?"
"Not that they found."
Gavin sighed. "Look, let's not let it ruin dinner. I'll keep you updated if anything changes."
Nathan didn't look convinced, but he let it drop. Still, I could see the wheels turning in his head, the alpha in him already strategizing, planning.
After dinner, I headed to the kitchen to grab drinks. Footsteps sounded behind me, and I stiffened. I turned too fast—
Nathan was right there, so close I nearly crashed into him. His hands came up slightly like he was debating whether to steady me.
The air between us thickened, charged with something I couldn't name. Something I wasn't sure I wanted to.
Nathan stepped back first, clearing his throat. "Sorry."
I crossed my arms, a flimsy barrier against the pull of him. "Did you need something?"
His gaze flickered toward the dining room where Gavin was. "Just making sure you're settling back in."
I arched my brow. "That's the excuse you're using?"
His lips twitched, but he looked away.
I didn't like how my pulse jumped at his proximity, at the way his scent wrapped around me, familiar and foreign all at once. This was dangerous. He was dangerous.
Gavin's voice carried from the dining room. "Riss, you need help with the drinks?"
I stepped back, breaking whatever was happening between Nathan and me. "No, I’m fine."
Nathan lingered for just a second longer before walking out. The moment he was gone, I exhaled a shaky breath.
I was in so much trouble. Because no matter how much I tried to deny it, to push it down, a part of me wanted him. Craved his touch, his presence, in a way that terrified me.
I couldn't let myself go down that road again. I couldn't survive another heartbreak, another loss.
I wasn't sure I had a choice. The pull between us was magnetic, undeniable.
How long could I resist it… How long could I resist him?