Chapter Ten #2
“Try not to start a fight with them.” Tabian arched his eyebrows.
Bay left and slammed the door behind him.
Whooo, they did not like each other at all.
Tru’s heart felt like it was breaking. She couldn’t put Tabian above Bay. This wouldn’t work.
She had been hopeful and felt alive for a few days. It was going to be so lonely going back to her quiet life revolving around this strange monotony she and Bay had settled into.
Tabian took the towel he’d been using to put pressure on the cut on his face and settled his hands on his hips. For a loaded moment, they just stared at each other. It was Tabian who broke first. He huffed a laugh and shook his head. “You’re raising a werewolf.”
She pursed her lips and traced the woodgrain in the floor with the toe of her flipflop. “Sometimes I wanted to tell you.”
“Sometimes?”
“Well, we’ve got a little system going. He’s trying to fit into the human world—”
“Why?”
“Because his dad got them kicked out of a bunch of Packs and he’s…well…”
“That kid is full of hurt.”
“Yeah.”
“He loves you.”
Her face fell instantly and her lip trembled. God, it felt good to hear that, even if it was a lie.
“I don’t think so,” she whispered.
“He’s got a lot going on, but part of his attitude is being protective and not wanting me around or to mess with you.
If he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t care if you hung out with new people.
He’s probably scared to death you’ll leave him too, like his dad, and you know, I have a lot more questions about all of that now. ”
“Like what?”
“Like, you’ve been paired with a werewolf before. I’m not your first. You understand more about all of my werewolf shit than I realized.”
“Are you mad?”
“Not mad but I feel…I feel…” He frowned.
“You feel what?”
“Like I want to kill your ex. Now I know he’s a werewolf and that’s fair game.
From what you’ve told me, I already can’t stand him, and now I know it’s a werewolf who abandoned his kid?
” he said, jamming his finger at the door.
“That boy is dealing with abandonment issues at a really important age for a male werewolf and that shit is on his dad. Your ex. You’re ex werewolf boyfriend. ”
“Fiancé,” she corrected somberly. “I was the stupidest girl with that one.”
“He fumbled you, Tru. He did that. It’s on him. You’re a catch.”
His eyes were glowing brightly, and he was getting ramped up again.
“I feel like we are fighting.”
“We aren’t even arguing.” He blew out a breath. “I’m riled up a little. That’s on me. Post-fight Tabian is a little on edge.”
“Did you just refer to yourself in the third person?”
Honk!
Tru startled at the sound of her car horn outside. Freaking Bay.
She let off a very human-sounding growl, and Tabian hung his head. Slowly, he approached, arms out, and Tru leaned into the hug. Tabian’s tightening arms around her loosened something inside of her that she hadn’t realized had been so wound up.
She blew out a breath and relaxed against him, closing her eyes tightly. “I know it’s a lot.”
“You’re in pretty deep, Tru. Do you understand the risk with raising him?”
“I don’t care. He needs someone to step up. If not me, then who?”
His heartbeat drummed against her cheek, and she hugged him tighter for a moment before she released him. “I wish everything was simpler.”
“I don’t even know what simple means,” he murmured.
He had grabbed her hand as she’d eased out of the hug, and she stared at his big hand around hers. He made her look so small. She liked it. She rocked her head back and looked up at him. “I like feeling safe.”
“You are.”
“Yeah,” she said noncommittally, because she knew what would come next. He’d seen her real life. There was no hiding the complications that her life was drowning in now. This was too much for anyone.
She was too much. Tru slid her hand out of his.
“Text me when you get home,” Tabian said, following her to the door.
“Sure.”
“Hey,” he rumbled on the front porch. “We’re good.”
But she knew. She knew.
Tru forced a smile and convinced her tears to stay put. Just one more minute. Keep it together for a little while longer. “Sure.”
He leaned down and kissed her gently, but there was another deafening honk! She tensed and flinched away from him.
Tabian’s eyes glowed with anger as he looked up at her car.
“I’ve got to go,” she mumbled, feeling so many regrets in this moment. The biggest regret was bringing Bay here.
He was becoming chaos, just like his father, and no amount of her effort was stopping that from happening. She could have a heart-to-heart with him every day and he would still stay on this path of destruction.
She wanted better for him, but what she wanted didn’t matter. She couldn’t control a sixteen-year-old werewolf.
He only saw and felt what he wanted to see and feel.
Tru forced a smile, but her lip trembled, so she looked away fast and made her way down the porch stairs and to the car. As she put the car in reverse and backed away, she dared a glance up at Tabian. She couldn’t help it.
He was leaning on the railing of his new porch, watching her with a troubled expression in his glowing eyes.
Bay was holding his hurt arm and glaring at Tabian.
“Boy, he didn’t do anything to you. You have no reason to be looking at him like that.”
“I don’t like him.”
“You don’t like him? Or your wolf doesn’t like his wolf?”
Bay didn’t answer. He looked uncertain for a moment before he looked away from her and out the window.
“Do you want me to get some bandages from the store?”
“It’s already healing,” he ground out.
“Fine.”
“You don’t have to be so nice to everyone, you know.”
“Bay—”
“I’m serious. You don’t have to take in every stray you see.”
“Bay—”
“You aren’t listening—”
“I love you, kid.”
He glanced over at her and back to the window. To her, then back to the window. To her…his eyes were getting softer. Then back to the window.
He didn’t say it back. He never did. But he stopped looking for a fight. He let her have peace for the rest of the drive home.
They pulled up to the house, and she turned off the car, and they sat there in silence for a full minute. She was waiting for him to get out and go inside so she could have a good cry out here by herself.
He was hesitating though, as if he didn’t want to go inside yet.
Bay was still holding his hurt arm and just staring at the glove box by his knees.
Bay’s eyes met hers, and he said it quickly. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.” His heart was in his eyes. In a rush, he shoved the door open and got out, then strode right for the front door.
And with Bay, that was the closest she would ever get to seeing his heart. It wasn’t ‘I love you too’, but for him, it was close enough.
That boy.
She watched him disappear inside of the house, and the light in the living room illuminated the front window.
He was a pill most of the time, but then in some moments he would let her past the walls he’d built up. And those were the moments that made it doable to stay in this for him.
Tears blurring her eyes, Tru pulled her phone from the cupholder and opened the text thread to Tabian.
I’m home safe. Thank you for all the kindness you have shown me.
I’ve really appreciated it more than you know.
This isn’t working, but you have been so fun to talk to and get to know. I think it’s best if we let this go.
The dots showed up immediately, signifying that he was typing, but they stopped. Started back up again…stopped. Started. Stopped.
They didn’t start back up again.
Tru nodded. It was understandable.
If a guy showed up with a volatile teenager spitting hate at her, and unable to date like a normal person, unable to kiss without interruption, unable to speak freely…she would probably be out with no argument too.
The goodbye via text would have to be enough.
Tru wiped her damp cheeks and shoved open her door.
Chin up, girl. There was a kid inside watching her every move, and she didn’t want this to be another traumatic story for him.
God, she just wanted steady. She had no idea what she was doing as a stepmom, but she just had this instinct that the steadier she made this foundation, the better it would be for Bayen.
This entire foundation was up to her.
Her eyes burned more at the thought, but she blinked back tears. Stupid loneliness. She’d gotten herself here, and she was going to have to sit in this for a while until she could figure out how to get her and Bay to a better place.
Simple as that.
But…God…for a minute?
For a minute, she’d wanted someone to sit with her while she figured it all out.