Chapter 17 - Bryce #2
Cassie beamed up at me. “The only thing I care about is having Daddy in my life. Now I get to draw the three of us, and he’s a wolf!
” Her voice chirped with the eagerness she got as she talked.
She sat up straighter in her chair and looked at us both.
“I’m right, aren’t I? You’re my mommy and daddy. ”
Finally, I looked at Mason, finding his gaze flicking to me. “If your mom agrees, then yes, Cassie. We are.”
He offered me his hand, curling his fingers inwards in a silent invitation.
I hesitated, biting my lip. After all these years, I had feared about if he would accept Cassie, if he would accept me, after acting the way he had.
Whether that was to fall into line with the pack or because it was his genuine thoughts, it had still hurt more than he would ever know.
Part of me wanted to slam my walls back; the other part of me knew I was drawn to Mason.
I took Mason’s hand, and something in me jolted.
I gasped softly, meeting his gaze.
Mason turned his attention back to our daughter.
“You know that tether you feel between us, Cassie?” She nodded.
“That was how I found you and your mom in the woods. In a way, you directed me to you when you and your mom needed me most. I think you’re incredibly brave for that, and I want you to know that I’m so proud of you. ”
“Mommy has needed you for a very long time,” Cassie said quietly, looking at me. “Right, Mommy?”
“Yeah,” I whispered, holding back my tears. “Yeah, I have.”
“Me too,” Cassie agreed.
“And I’ve needed you,” Mason told her, bringing another smile to her face. His focus turned to me. “Both of you. But, Cassie, I’d love to spend more time with you and get to know you better, if you’re up for it. You and your mom, of course.”
“Really?” Cassie asked excitedly.
“Of course,” he laughed, cutting up his food before he began to eat like a starved man. I suppose the fight really had taken everything out of him. “How about you start with trying on your gift if you’ve finished your breakfast, and then you can tell me all about your ballet?”
Cassie let out a shout of glee as she scrambled away from the table. For a second, it left us alone, and Mason glanced at me.
“I don’t deserve your forgiveness, and I’d never accept it if it was only given in front of Cassie, but I’m here before you, begging for it, Bryce.
I never should have left you in the woods that day, not after what we had done together, not after…
everything. I’m ashamed of myself, and I hope you know that I want to spend every day you’ll give me to make up for my stupid decisions, both in the past and the other day.
I want to be in your life. I want to be in Cassie’s life if you’ll truly let me. ”
“Can I have some time to think about it?” I whispered. “I trust you, I think, not to hurt her, but… the pack… what if they don’t accept her and you get swayed again?”
“They’ll accept my daughter,” he growled, suddenly fierce. The voice of the alpha already thinking about pulling rank if challenged. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“And me?”
“I’ll make sure they accept you, too. Let me talk to them again.”
I nodded. “Are you hurt?”
“By myself? By the thought of you leaving?” He laughed hollowly. “Yeah, it pretty fuckin’ hurts.”
“I meant from the ifrit fight.”
“Oh.” He grinned, more of a wince than anything. “A few cuts, bruises, burns. Nothing new when you do the job I do. I have some really good salve for burns.”
I swore under my breath right as Cassie came back into the room. She gasped dramatically. “Mommy!”
And I couldn’t help laughing at her outburst at hearing me curse.
***
“You know the first thing about walking in the woods, Cassie?”
“Yes,” she answered Mason.
“Go on, tell me.”
I walked just behind my daughter and Mason, watching as she looked up at him, listening to his advice.
We were deep in the woods, much further than where I had crashed the car.
It had been a few days since breakfast, and I had yet to see my brother.
Part of me was worried he truly was angry with me for putting him in the position I had, caught between his sister and his alpha.
Mason had reported that he hadn’t spoken to Jackson since the fight he’d told me they’d had.
It had been Jackson’s words that had struck him enough to realize his errors.
“The first thing to know is how to use a compass.”
Cassie let out a peal of laughter. “I don’t need a compass! You and Mommy said I’ll be a wolf, too!”
Mason laughed. “Yes, but what when you’re not?
It's true that your instincts will be more heightened than those of a normal human, but everyone gets lost in the woods, regardless. So, learning how to use a compass to safely get through the woods is key. The next tip is to always find a water source. As a wolf or human, you’re prone to dehydration, yes? ”
“Uh-huh. Mommy says that a lot, especially when I practice dancing.”
“That ‘cause she’s smart.” Mason threw a grin over his shoulder that had my heart thundering. I swallowed hard, feeling a flare in my gut. “What way does water run?”
“Down!” Cassie said.
“Good,” he praised. “And that’s where you should always head if you’re lost. Look for north, and if that doesn’t work, then always go down.
Finding flat ground gives you a better chance of finding a road or a hiking trail.
The worst thing is to get lost walking uphill because you’ll exhaust yourself, wolf or human. ”
I didn’t know if Cassie was able to take it all in, but I loved how she gazed up at him.
She wasn’t at the point where she wanted to hold his hand; she still walked close to him, though.
I had thought I would feel jealous, but all I felt was relief.
She had finally got the other part of her perfect family picture that she had yearned for.
As much as I had done well as a single mom, I knew she needed a father, especially as a shifter. I’d wanted her to have a father.
I kept my eye on them keenly as Mason crouched to show Cassie the differences between poison ivy and Virginia creeper. There was something mentioned about the number of leaves.
“In a panicked situation, you probably won’t remember, so here’s a trick my own dad taught me.” At the mention of a grandfather, Cassie’s smile got brighter. “Ivy has three letters. Three letters for three leaves.”
“Ohhh,” Cassie said, clapping her hands. “I get it!”
“You’re doing great.” Mason flashed her a grin before standing up straighter. I couldn’t help but watch his muscles flex as he did, from his biceps in his t-shirt, and his calf muscles bunching and stretching. I bit my lip, eyeing him up. Mason caught my eye and smirked, quirking a brow at me.
I averted my eyes.
Mason continued to tell Cassie about all the mountain trails they could go on. He showed her a point at a vantage point where Honeycreek overlooked other towns, and how they’d see the beach if we walked that far.
“Can we, Mommy?” Cassie asked. “Go that far?”
“Sure, baby,” I told her. “Tell us if you get tired, though, okay?”
“If she does, I’ll shift and carry her on my back, if that’s all right with you.”
I immediately wanted to counter the offer by saying I could do that myself, but I still hadn’t shifted in so long, scared of what my wolf would want. I knew exactly what she wanted: him, her alpha.
“Okay,” I said quietly. The two of them turned around and continued walking on.
My thoughts wandered, entertaining the thought of the three of us shifting, melting into the trees.
Words kept messing things up between us; too many truths had been said that had caused destruction.
If we got rid of them and reduced ourselves to our base instincts, if I could let myself do that, how would it feel?
If the three of us were just a proper family, if I could have that dream I had thought of since I was younger…
It meant trusting Mason again, and I still couldn’t let down my walls with him.
What if something else pushed him away? I had no other secrets, but I didn’t want to risk him walking away from me over anything at all.
I swore to never, ever go through that again.
There was no way I could let myself be vulnerable, only to get hurt all over again.
But the terror of that was now only matched by how it felt to not even think of giving us a chance. Giving Cassie a chance, at the very least, to bond with her dad.
“Can I go and pick some berries?” Cassie asked. “Maybe we can bake something with Aunt June when I see her!”
It made me smile how she had pretty much already decided we were staying in Honeycreek again. For how furious I had felt at leaving, Mason’s fight for me had largely reduced that. The exhaustion in my heart and bones just demanded I let myself be supported, finally.
“I’m sure June would love that,” Mason told her.
“She’s part of the family, too.”
“Too?” Mason asked.
“Well, yes,” Cassie said, stomping through a thick blanket of moss. “You, me, and Mommy. We’re all a family now. I hope.” Her wide eyes looked to me. “Right, Mommy?”
The question left me speechless momentarily. I could feel Mason trying to look anywhere but me, likely trying to avoid me accusing him of using her as a guilt bait. But this was different. These were Cassie’s own thoughts, her own wants.
“How about this,” Mason spoke up. “How about, for now, just know that your mom and I
will always protect you, no matter what.”
“What about Mommy?” she asked, her voice soft and quiet. “Will you protect her, too?”
“I will.”
“And hold her when she cries like the other day?”
Mason’s throat bobbed. “I’ll always do my best.”
“And you’ll cook us breakfast every morning?”
At that, Mason sniggered. “I’ll do my best for that, too.”
“I really like your French toast. Mommy always burns mine.”