Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Ken
This isn’t exactly the kind of distraction I had in mind when I prayed to keep all this shit secret.
Ken sat at the gate with the baby asleep on his shoulder on a burp cloth.
There was still at least an hour before they were scheduled to board their flight.
Nami sat directly across from him with baby Tahlia also asleep on her shoulder.
Next to her sat Tamsin, with little Maisie asleep in her carrier.
Malyah and Joaquin were taking a later flight today.
Lucky for them.
Dewi and Beck had walked away from the gate area to go talk to Peyton on the phone.
The past twelve hours had passed in a blur of planning and packing and coordinating things, and Ken wasn’t exactly awake.
Their flight to Denver, where they would change planes to Spokane, was a pre-dawn flight, and Ken hadn’t grabbed any sleep.
At all.
At least arriving at the airport as early as they had meant they sailed right through check-in and the TSA security checkpoint.
Still, he couldn’t help thinking he’d missed something.
Hell, he’d even grabbed his passport and made sure Dewi had hers, not that he’d probably need it.
But sometimes, when renting a vehicle, it helped to have it as a second ID to make the process go faster.
He also floated the idea of visiting Canada while they were up there, since they’d be so close to the border.
He’d never been, and it would delay their return to Florida without having to come up with a half-assed excuse.
Dewi knew he’d talked about exploring the region.
He wouldn’t even have to fudge the truth.
If he forgot to pack anything, he figured they could buy it upon arrival in Spokane, if it wasn’t something they could pick up in the small town just outside the pack compound.
Despite his change in financial circumstances, he was still acclimating to the fact that money was no longer an issue.
The Targhee Pack wasn’t obscenely space-explorer hobbyist billionaire rich, but he no longer had to weigh every purchase based on how many days it was until payday versus how desperately he needed something.
Like food.
That had been quite the adjustment.
Maybe even more so than the whole “shifters are real” thing.
“I wish Trevor and Elizabeth could be there for this,” Tamsin softly said.
“We’ll have them on a video call,” Ken assured her. “I know it’s not the same, but it’s for everyone’s safety. We don’t know if your father has someone tracking their movements.”
“I know.” She sadly smiled. “Do you think Aisling will manage the children all right without us?”
Nami’s eyes, which had been nearly closed, snapped open. She met Ken’s gaze. They’d read Nami into the situation regarding Aisling, but she was the only other one, besides Beck, who now knew.
Ken softly cleared his throat. “Badger and Duncan will make sure everything is smoothed over. Trevor wouldn’t have recommended her if he didn’t think highly of her, right?”
“That’s true,” Tamsin said. “I barely got to meet her yesterday before she raced out again. Didn’t even shake hands with her. What’s she like?”
Nami’s gaze grew even wider, more insistent, and Ken knew she was silently willing him to shut down the conversation. They hadn’t Primed Nami to keep the secret, and he could tell she was ready to burst.
“She’s nice,” Ken said. “I haven’t spent a lot of time with her, but Peyton likes her and trusts her, and I trust him.
She has a bunch of siblings and tons of niblings, so she’s had more than adequate experience wrangling kids.
I’m certain she’ll be fine. Plus, she’ll have Carl, Brianna, Hamish, and others to help. ”
“It’s a shame Hamish isn’t going,” Tamsin said. “I do so wish he were…” She didn’t finish the thought, but Ken was pretty sure he knew her thoughts.
“He’s blood family, and you want to spend time with him,” Ken said, and Tamsin nodded.
“I think he’s flying out in a few days,” Ken added.
“He’ll use this interruption to return to St. Louis and handle a few things to arrange to be gone for a while.
At least, that’s the plan I heard. So even if he doesn’t join us out there, he’ll return to Florida soon. ”
Tamsin brightened. “That’s splendid! Do you think he’ll move to Florida?”
Ken gently shrugged so as not to disturb Lyssa. “I think that will depend on what happens when we break the news to Imani.”
“I can tell you what’s gonna happen,” Nami mumbled. “She’s gonna lose her flippin’ mind. Literally.”
“And that’s why everything’s been postponed,” Ken said.
“Badger and Duncan will Prime Bebe so she doesn’t shift while we’re gone.
Even if something happens, they’ve got Stig and Elliot.
They can step in and hit pause until Duncan or Badger return.
And with Gillian’s giving birth, Peyton will be able to schedule time to come to Florida to help us break the news. ”
Tamsin sadly smiled. “Is it horrible of me to say that part of me wishes I never have to go back to England? But I do so miss Trevor and Elizabeth. They’ve been a better mother and father to me than my own parents.
And I want them to have a relationship with the baby, obviously.
Eventually, I’d like to attend university, and they want to pay for it and help me care for her while I do.
We’ll live with them. But I will miss all of you terribly.
Quite frankly, I love Florida and Idaho. ”
Nami squeezed her eyes shut. Ken imagined there were many thoughts she currently struggled to choke back.
“We still have a ways before any of that’s in play,” Ken finally said. “As long as your father’s around…” He didn’t know where to go from there, but fortunately, he didn’t have to.
A dark shadow crossed the younger woman’s expression. “I know,” Tamsin said, venom chilling her tone. “I hope I get a chance to use that man’s head as a football.”
Ken swallowed back his revulsion over that mental image even while not blaming her in the slightest.
Because Dewi would likely join her in that game.
“There’s a scene you won’t see on Ted Lasso,” Nami snarked, and Ken clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his nervous, braying laughter.
Beck and Dewi returned, both of them smiling. “As of fifteen minutes ago, Adair Godwin Bleacke is here and screaming her head off, according to Peyton. Mother and daughter are both great, although Gillian wants to neuter Peyton.”
Nami softly snorted. “That’s natural,” she said, dropping Ken a wink. “I heard you wanted to neuter Ken, didn’t you? I know I wanted to neuter Beck.”
Beck laughed and took the seat on Nami’s other side. “Thank the Goddess you let me off the hook.”
“Of course, wolf man.” She tipped her face up to receive a kiss from him.
Dewi walked over and sat next to Ken, kissing him. “Yeah, at first I did.” As their gazes met, his heart raced, the way it always did, that primordial and yet mundane magic of love flowing through them. “But if I do that, we can’t have another baby,” she said.
He nuzzled her forehead with his. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” She rested a hand on his thigh. “And Peyton said Asia will give birth literally any time now. The doc said she’s really close to going into labor and might even have the baby before we arrive. Since she’s had several easy births, it’s likely to go very quickly.”
Ken noted Tamsin still looked…wistful.
So did Dewi. “What’s wrong, Tam?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing. As I was telling them, I almost wish I didn’t have to return to England, and that Trevor and Elizabeth would move here. You all are family to me now, and there are all these sweet little ones Maisie’s age she could grow up with.”
“Nami didn’t spill it, did she?” Dewi silently asked Ken through their mate bond.
“No, but she’s struggling.”
“Got it.” Dewi smiled at Tamsin. “Look, nothing’s settled.
You can’t go back until everything’s resolved.
They would have to divert resources and personnel they’re using to hunt Faegan to protect you.
But I bet we can arrange to bring Elizabeth over for a long visit. We’ll talk to Peyton and Trevor.”
Tamsin brightened. “Really? Oh, that would be so wonderful!”
“Can you really promise her that?” Ken silently asked.
“I sorta kinda just did, and do you see her smile?” Dewi spoke aloud. “Let’s get through this visit first, and we’ll figure something out.”
Ken strangled a thought wanting to sneak free, that maybe none of them should be leaving the country, much less going to Europe, until they had more answers.
And had Faegan Lewis’ head mounted over Trevor’s fireplace.
The flight was uneventful, and their plane change thankfully even more so.
By the time they’d loaded into the large passenger van Dewi rented for them in Spokane, Ken neared exhaustion.
It was late afternoon Florida time, and Ken felt every minute of it.
Dewi had assumed command of the keys and driving duties, and no way would Ken argue with her.
For starters, he wasn’t comfortable trying to drive a vehicle this large, and he felt too exhausted to even try.
Beck didn’t argue with her, either, and instead took the front passenger seat. Badger and Duncan would pick up two smaller rental cars upon their arrival and drive them to the compound so they’d have additional vehicles to use during their stay.
“Let’s keep the van on the road, mmkay?” Nami tensely joked from the second row, glancing back to where Ken sat in the third seat with Lyssa.
Tamsin had taken the back row with Maisie. “I can’t imagine how terrifying that must have been,” Tamsin said.
“It wasn’t fun,” Ken agreed. “I’m with Nami that I’d rather not repeat that experience. Ever.”
Beck snorted. “Yeah, well, not that I’m happy it happened, but that had to be the best driving ever, Ken. You two literally walked away from it. Not a danged thing wrong with that. I don’t know if I could have done a better job than you did.”
As they made their way out of Spokane and headed toward Idaho, Ken watched the scenery pass outside his window.
It was pretty out here, and while he’d miss Florida and their family there, if Dewi ever so much as hinted at wanting to move here, he’d immediately jump on that and pack them before she could reconsider.
And that wasn’t something he ever thought he’d say.
“I’m gonna miss Da’von and Brianna when they move here,” Nami wistfully said.
Beck looked back at her. “It won’t happen right away, honey,” he assured her. “Da’von has to finish school first. And think of it this way, it’ll give you an excuse to come visit whenever you want.”
“The pack will make sure they’re taken care of,” Dewi assured her. “And he’ll make good money working with Gillian.”
“No offense, Dewi? But my fears aren’t only because I’ll miss him and Brianna,” Nami said.
“This is Idaho. And the population skews to an overwhelmingly melanin-lacking majority with less than liberal views on diversity of various flavors. Da’von and Brianna can’t spend their entire lives living on the pack compound.
Besides, look what happened to your momma and daddy inside the pack compound.
And they were both shifters! A Prime Alpha, and wasn’t your momma an Alpha, too?
Don’t forget the Seguras came onto pack land and nearly killed people. ”
Ken watched as Dewi briefly met her gaze in the rearview mirror.
“You’re right,” Dewi said. “Those are legitimate fears, and I’m sorry that I don’t have guarantees to ease your mind.
What I can promise is that all Da’von and Brianna have to do is tell us what will make them feel safest, and the pack will take care of it. ”
Beck reached back and patted Nami’s knee. “Honey, they’re adults. You have to let them live their lives. They want to move here.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Nami grumbled. “Can’t Peyton talk them into staying in Florida? We can build them a beautiful house on that new property, right? Build us one right next door? And ones for Lu’ana and Malyah, too. We can all live there.”
Ken stayed out of it. For starters, he was too tired to think straight, much less not bungle any attempt to reassure Nami.
And he wasn’t Black, so he couldn’t put himself in Nami’s shoes and truly understand her fear. His efforts to be actively anti-racist could only take him so far before he knew when he had to shut up and listen and educate himself.
But if it was up to him, yeah, he’d move Nami and all of her family to Idaho, so they could all live here.
Her points were valid that the pack compound wasn’t impervious to threats, but at least they’d be surrounded by greater numbers of shifters in greater population concentrations, close at hand to step in if any threats materialized.
And to him, that was a comfort.
Their kids could grow up with other shifters and mostly without fear of clueless humans stumbling over their secrets.
Then, just maybe, the persistent, nagging, nameless anxiety he increasingly felt would finally shut the hell up and let him enjoy his otherwise fairytale life.