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“Yes, Maddie is his daughter. She is two and a half. Thank you for standing up for us.”
Her eyes fill with tears as she gazes at Maddie and plays a little with her penguin.
“She is beautiful, Quinn. I never expected to be a Mimi so soon.”
“Mimi?” I ask.
“Means grandma, that’s what I used to call mine, and I always liked it. Is that OK? If Maddie calls me Mimi?” She is being so kind, and asking permission makes me respect her.
“Of course, that’s OK.”
“Maddie, I have something for you.”
“For me?” Maddie perks up and nearly crawls off my lap to get to Darlene.
“Yes, your daddy told me a special little girl was coming, and I wanted you to have something special.”
She pulls out a little gift bag I hadn’t seen earlier and hands it to Maddie. She pulls the tissue paper out and throws it on the floor. I try to grab it so it doesn’t make too much of a mess. Maddie pulls out a sweet little baby doll with a lovely pink dress. She squeals excitedly, talking about how she has a baby now and that she and Pengy are its parents. Children are so sweet and innocent and can turn a sour situation into a wonderful one, because Maddie isn’t alone anymore; now she has a grandmother who wants to love her. If nothing else comes of this, I'm happy Maddie has more people in her life.
Eli kneels beside me as Maddie climbs onto Darlene’s lap.
“I’m so sorry, Quinn. My dad was out of line.”
“Maybe it was a mistake to come here, Eli.”
“No, it wasn’t. Listen, I need to see how much of the pack heard Dad’s ramblings and check in on some business. Would it be OK if you hung out here for a bit?”
“I can take them back to your house, Eli. I think it would be best to get out of this situation for a bit, and I want to spend some one-on-one time with my grandbaby and her mommy. If that’s alright with you, Quinn.”
“I would appreciate that, Darlene; thank you. I would prefer to go somewhere else.”
Eli brushes the hair out of my face, warming my insides.
“OK, I’ll bring pizza back to the house for supper; there is this great pizza place in town. Want anything specific on it?”
“No mushrooms. They taste funny.”
He winks at me. “You got it.”
We all stand and start to head out of the office. The house's main area has far more people than it did when we first arrived. I can feel the stares and glares coming from the group, especially the she-wolves. We make it into a red SUV with Darlene and set off.
“Don’t worry about the pack. Eli will take care of it. He’s a good Alpha. Everyone respects him.”
I nod because I need to digest all of this. The ride back to the house is quiet, which I am grateful for.
Chapter 7 - Eli
After Quinn had left, I had to check on a site just outside of town. The Anderson project is an overhaul of this quaint little cottage on the lake. The Andersons are big money from the city, which has been an experience to deal with; small-town life is very different from the hustle of the city, but we try to treat everyone with respect even if their city manners put us all off. Eric called and said there were some structural issues in the kitchen. The owners want an open concept, but the team isn’t sure it can be accomplished safely.
The drive from the pack house to the site is about twenty minutes, which has given me time to think about this whole mess of a situation I have found myself in. I am beyond overjoyed to have Maddie in my life. I’ve always wanted to have a big family, being an only child myself, and she is the beginning of that, but Quinn. What have I done? I genuinely thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was protecting her and maybe myself too. Just thinking about her makes the bond pull in my chest, my wolf whines in my head. I want to be with her; she is the mother of my child and my true mate. Of course, I want to be with her. Somehow, I will make this right; she is meant to be with me. Seluna has planned it that way.
The drive around the lake is beautiful; the sun hangs high in the air and reflects rainbows off the water. The area is saturated with wealthy cottagers; if it weren’t, it would be a nice place to live. I prefer a bit more isolation and far more wooded areas, but maybe that’s my wolf having way more influence than I am letting on. The cottage comes into view around the corner with vans and trucks, and my company label decorates the sides. Several guys wander around outside, with a few guys starting on roofing with the new shingles that had been dropped off a few days earlier. It’s an excellent day to roof; the sun is out and not too cold today. Pulling behind one of our vans, I climb out to see what’s happening. Typical banter between the guys fills the outside; it’s nice to be onsite and not locked away in the office. I miss joking around and hanging out with the guys; now my only company is contracts and complaints, but I guess that’s the price you pay for making money.
“Hey, guys. How’s it going today?”
“Good, Alpha. Just started on the roof today.” One of the younger shifters pipes up.
“Good job. Keep up the good work. Is Eric inside?”
