Chapter 2 #3
“Because of their age difference. Because she’s still in high school.
Because he didn’t want to take her freedom, or make her feel like she had no choice in her future, so he left.
He said that she had the right to grow and dream and live and experience, and if he took that from her, what kind of a dick would that make him.
He said he couldn’t live with himself if he did that to her, not to mention that Lucas would probably kill him if he tried to even reach out.
And he didn’t even think that she was aware that he was her mate. ”
“She’s aware,” Cristie said.
Both Remi’s brows went up in surprise. “Hmpf.”
“Did he say anything else?” Cristie asked.
“Yes. We talked about a lot of things that night. I told him how much I admired him for removing himself from her until she was ready. He told me that it didn’t really matter if she ever chose him or not. What mattered was that she was happy. What he felt didn’t matter.”
“Wow,” Cristie said, as she lay there across the foot of their bed, looking up at the ceiling as she thought about everything Remi had shared with her.
“So, how do you know she knows it’s Kaiser that’s her mate?”
“She started crying when I tried to find out why she was so distant and quiet today. I grabbed her and pulled her in here so no one else would get all in her business. She told me that she was afraid to tell me because she thought she’d be in trouble if anyone found out.
I don’t know what was said at her house, other than Lucas trying to talk to her awkwardly about mates not always working out when they first meet each other, but if they’re supposed to be together they’ll eventually find their way back to each other. ”
“Why would he tell her that?” Remi asked.
“She said she was in her bedroom, feeling like her heart was being torn out of her chest after watching Kaiser on TV, and Tia going on and on about him and she knew he wanted her because he watched her all the time, so she really just wanted to punch her sister, but instead, she went to bed. She said seeing him on television just confirmed that he was her mate. She went to her room and curled up in bed. Lucas insisted on talking to her and ended up just stumbling through some hazy explanation, and apologized for Tia and promised that he’d take care of it. ”
“That’s not confusing at all,” Remi said.
“Lucas is known for his huge heart, not his expertise in the case of teenage girls.”
“Despite the fact that he has two.”
“Exactly. Keegan said that she kind of thinks that her father knew that Kaiser was going to leave. Maybe even was the reason for it, but she doesn’t know for sure because she can’t make herself talk about it.
So, basically, she figured out on her own that Kaiser is hers.
” Cristie paused and thought about it. “And that she is supposed to be his. And then she was upset because he left and didn’t even say anything about it and she was sure that it was because she’s so much younger and that now she’ll never have a mate because hers left.
But also because she’s not ready to take a mate.
She’s got things she wants to do and accomplish, and she doesn’t want to be somebody’s wife and be locked down to that unable to live her life and figure out what she wants before she’s even out of school.
Basically. I’m paraphrasing here, but you get the picture. ”
Remi nodded. “Okay, so when she left she didn’t look that upset anymore.”
“I fixed it. I told her that I was pretty sure that he knew, and that’s why he left and that I think he wants her too, based on what he was telling me about how I was behaving with you and what I’d miss out on.
And then I told her that no matter who her mate was, she didn’t have to mate him — ever.
And that if she wanted to go to school, or get a degree, or whatever she wanted, no mate was going to stop her.
It’s her life, she can do whatever she wants to do, or not do.
Basically. Paraphrasing again. And that made her very happy. ”
“So, you just gave her permission to never have to consider Kaiser again as long as she lives.”
“No! Well, yes. But only kind of. I don’t think she wants to ignore Kaiser forever. I think she cares about him. She just wants time.”
“She said she cares about him?”
“No, she said that she’s felt so lonely since he left. I told her that’s because the mate bond snapped into place despite the fact that they’ve not even acknowledged it yet.”
Remi sat there, looking at Cristie.
Cristie lay there, looking at the ceiling.
“Do you think I told her the wrong thing? I mean, I only told her the truth.”
“You didn’t tell her the wrong thing. But you didn’t exactly encourage their mating either.”
“So? Obviously they’re not going to be mating any time soon. Your conversation with him says as much. He’s taken the high road and cares enough to step back. That’s speaking volumes.”
“True.”
“So, do you think I should call him?”
Remi thought about it for a few minutes. “No. No, I think I should call him. I think you should go talk to Keegan and let her know what I told you.”
“No, I think he should talk to her.”
“I think we should get out of the middle of the two of them.”
“We’re not! And if we are, they put us here.”
Remi sat quietly for a little longer. “Let’s both call him.”