6. Sedrick
Sedrick
“Y ou,” I answered and watched Phil’s flushed face pale.
I wasn’t sure what he was thinking but figured it couldn’t be anything good.
I should have come clean yesterday. If they were still alive, my mom would swat my head, and my dad would be horribly disappointed.
I’d lied by omission. I wasn’t enough of a dick not to realize that.
“How can I do anything? I’m just—”
“A home-and-hearth pixie, or so I’ve been told.”
Phil looked crushed, but I didn’t have time to soothe his insecurities.
“You are exactly what I need. This place is a wreck, and it’s something Arie can and will use against me when he gets his day in court.”
Phil nibbled on his plush bottom lip. His gaze traveled around the living room and kitchen. I refused to be embarrassed by what he saw.
After a few moments, he softly said, “The place could use a little help.”
His answer was so politely understated that I laughed. A huge belly-shaking chuckle. I’d barely smiled since I’d gotten word of William’s death, let alone laughed.
“I think we both know it could use more than a little help .”
Phil’s blush returned, and his head tilted down, eyes trained on his feet.
Pushing away my surprising mirth, I focused back on the true issue. I needed Phil to stay. Somehow, I had to convince him that I could protect him from anything the Belviews might toss his way. It wasn’t even close to below them to go after the pixie I’d hired.
“I really need you, Phil.” I laid it on thicker than I should have, but it wasn’t nearly the lie I wished it were.
Phil’s blush deepened to a rosy red, and he nibbled harder at his bottom lip. It was far more distracting than it should have been.
“I don’t want out of the contract.” Phil’s answer was soft but confident.
I released a relieved sigh. “I’m glad to hear that,” I answered with complete honesty.
“Promise me that if anyone from the Belview pack bothers you, you’ll let me know immediately.
And that goes double for the kids. I’m not joking when I say I don’t want any of those bastards around Dillon or Ruthie. ”
Phil nodded. “That’s not a problem.”
“Good.” I didn’t think the issue with Arie Belview was nearly as neatly wrapped up and packed away as I wanted it to be. But at least for today, it was. “Now that we’ve got that squared away, I think it’s time you met the kiddos.”
Brightening, Phil’s head shot up. His grass-green eyes sparkled with warmth and curiosity. “Yes, please.”
I chuckled darkly while I walked around the counter and toward the hall. I appreciated Phil’s enthusiasm. I just hoped he still felt that way by the end of the day. Dillon could be . . . difficult. Ruthie was easier, but I worried about her more. She hadn’t spoken a word since her parents’ death.
I knocked on Ruthie’s door. It cracked open and revealed a single, deep brown eye. I had to look down to give Dillon the attention he deserved.
“Can you get Ruthie and come out into the living room? Phil’s here, and I want you to meet him before I head out to work.”
Dillon’s eyes pinched, but he pulled the door open farther.
He had Ruthie’s fingers wrapped up in his own and tugged her behind him.
“Come on, Ruthie. Let’s go meet the pixie.
” Dillon sounded stubbornly resigned. He hadn’t been any more thrilled with the idea of a pixie guardian than I’d been with the idea of hiring one.
I’d told Dillon last night that I thought this pixie was different.
Dillon had just rolled his eyes and clammed up.
The kids followed me out to the living room.
Phil stood there, twisting his hands. I could already tell it was one of his nervous gestures.
His wings stuttered as if they wanted to beat and would escape his control furiously.
Every once in a while, Phil’s heels lifted off the ground before his wings settled and he planted his feet firmly back down.
“Phil, I’d like you to meet my nephew, Dillon, and my niece, Ruthie.” I stepped aside so Dillon could sneak around me. He stomped forward, pulling his sister. Ruthie didn’t seem to mind and came willingly enough.
Dillon’s mouth dropped open when he stared up at Phil. Unfiltered, he pointed and said, “That’s supposed to be a pixie? He’s way too big, Uncle Sedrick. I think you got taken.”
I palmed my face. Phil looked momentarily crushed, but he recovered quickly. His wings fluttered, and pixie dust filled the air. Dillon sneezed.
“It’s nice to meet you, Dillon. I might be big, but I really am a pixie.
” Bless Phil’s pixie heart, he was trying.
Bending down, he got on Dillon and Ruthie’s level, a bright smile lighting his face and eyes.
“And Ruthie, you look lovely in your lavender unicorn t-shirt. A good friend of mine has lavender wings and hair.”
Dillon cocked his head to the side and threw out his hip. My nephew was barely seven but already showed dominant traits. Ruthie showed signs of being a dominant too, though currently, hers were a lot more muted, and only time would tell.
Releasing Ruthie’s hand, Dillon circled Phil. Before I could stop him, he reached out and tugged on a wing. Phil grunted, and I darted forward and caught Dillon’s fingers before he could make another grab.
“Dillon,” I scolded. “You could have damaged it.” I stared at Phil’s wing, searching and hoping I was right that Dillon hadn’t done any permanent damage.
“I was just checking, Uncle Sed. They could have been fake or something.” Dillon wasn’t about to let go of his notion that Phil wasn’t really a pixie.
Phil twisted his head. There were tears of pain in his eyes, but he smiled through them. “I assure you, Dillon, my wings are real and what you just did hurt. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do it again. Okay?”
Dillon backed off with an embarrassed shrug of his tiny shoulders. Phil hadn’t exactly scolded my nephew. He’d done the next best thing: making him feel guilty. Maybe this thing had a shot of working out after all.
Dillon’s tiny arm started to shoot out, aimed at the long braid between Phil’s gossamer-like wings. He stopped before his fingers made contact and asked, “Can I touch your hair?”
Phil beamed. “Of course, just don’t pull.”
Dillon petted Phil’s braid like it was fur instead of hair. Ruthie popped up at Dillon’s side; her smaller fingers mimicked her brother’s actions. “Why’s it all different colors?” Dillon asked innocently.
“I’m not sure,” Phil answered. “That’s just the way it grows. Pixies generally have different colored hair. Like I said earlier, my friend Posey has lavender-colored hair, and my best friend, Peaches, has sunflower-yellow hair.”
“Huh. Weird.”
“Dillon,” I scolded. “It’s not weird . It’s . . .” I floundered, mostly because I thought it was weird too.
Phil’s wings fluttered when he chuckled.
Dillon pulled his arm back when that wing beat against his skin. Ruthie’s eyes grew wide, and she went from petting Phil’s hair to running her fingers down the side of a wing. Her touch was soft, and Phil didn’t complain, so I let her explore.
“It’s okay. I’ve been called worse.” Pain laced Phil’s offhanded comment.
Admittedly, I didn’t know a lot about pixies. There hadn’t been a lot of reasons in my life to interact with them. I knew enough to know that Phil really was different, at least in appearance.
I didn’t have time for sympathies, and I sure as hell wasn’t a therapist. Whatever baggage Phil carried with him, he’d need to sort it out himself.
I had a mine to get to, a custody lawsuit to fight, and a business to run.
I couldn’t afford to care about Phil’s past. I needed him here and now to do what home-and-hearth pixies did best.
I glanced down at my watch and grimaced. I had about a dozen employees who were all seasoned enough to get started without me. That didn’t mean I liked to be late.
Introductions made, I headed for a side table and grabbed my phone and keys. The mine was close enough I didn’t need to drive, but grabbing my keys was a habit. I usually locked the door when I left. Today would be different.
“If you’re good, Phil, I need to get to work.” I shoved my phone into my back pocket and didn’t wait for an answer.
Phil stood. He wasn’t as tall as me, but it was close. He wasn’t as bulky either. He was well muscled for a pixie, but as a were, he would have been considered thin.
“We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
They were pretty words, but worrying was hardwired into my core, especially with Arie Belview gunning for custody.
“I left a list of emergency contacts on the fridge.” The list was anemic. My phone number was on top, the second was the office, and the third was an emergency clinic.
“Thank you.” Phil looked around the room again. The amount of work must have looked pretty daunting. “I’ll see you this evening.”
I was hesitant to leave. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Phil. As stupid as it sounded, I did. I trusted my wolf’s instincts. Home-and-hearth pixies weren’t known to be deceptive, and my wolf was unusually calm and content when Phil was around.
“Okay.” I looked Dillon squarely in the eyes and put a little more dominance into my voice. “Don’t give Phil a hard time. I want you to listen and do what he says. Am I understood?”
Dillon’s dominant side balked against the order, but he was still young enough to cave easily. With a reluctant nod, Dillon answered, “Yes, Uncle Sed.”
I pawed the top of Ruthie’s head and needlessly said, “That goes for you too, young lady.”
Ruthie barely gave a ghost of a smile. She’d follow Dillon’s lead—whether that led to disaster or good behavior was anyone’s guess.
I walked out the door, closing it behind me. Habit made me lock the door. I didn’t unlock it. Phil wasn’t trapped inside. He could get out. It just made me feel better, turning that key and hearing the snick of the lock settle into place.
Hands stuffed into my pants pockets, I walked toward the mine my father left William and me. Will hadn’t wanted anything to do with it. He’d said it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. Will lived long enough to regret that statement. The mine wasn’t worthless. Not by a long shot.