"Well, you wanted to know how he got his memory back," I said before blinking. "What don't you know after these years? Little Wyatt grew up, became pack leader—"
"—and left. My Alpha's leader now." She said the last part with pride. Mary was the first female pack leader in Whispering Hills' history.
"You know about our other two pups," offered Todd.
"I think," said Penny carefully, "y'all are avoiding a question." She shrugged as if to say it was okay. She wasn't nosy, but most Omegas needed to help people. Todd's far-off look suggested memories of Donna.
I exhaled slowly. "Okay. Me first." My throat tightened. "Let's talk about a little girl who isn't so little anymore."
***
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Spring 1987
Todd
Once we hit the two-lane country road, I flipped on the black Corvette's cruise control. I got it for the horsepower, and Mike said it reminded him ofKnight Rider. Other viewers watched a crime-fighting Trans Am, but our attention was on David Hasselhoff and his oh so sexy chest hair.
The stereo winced with a bit of static as a heavy metal song ended. "That's Bon Jovi withLivin' on a Prayer, coming in at the number two spot onAmerica's Top 40. I'm Casey Kasem and—"
I turned off the radio, muttering, "Modern music isn't music anymore," half-expecting Mike to fire back, but he didn't.
Soon, we'd be in Dallas at a fast-food restaurant of all places. A meet-up after ten years should have some decorum, but father and daughter both picked a cheap place.
"Do you think shelikesthe city?" asked Mike. "I mean, LA didn't really bother me, but I had a general unease, you know?"
"No, I don't know. My town in Vermont was small and still is." I had visited my father's grave, figuring he deserved that much. Like before, we met with silence, and I never returned.
"I wonder about everything with Angel. If we'd been around, maybe we wouldn't have to wonder."
"We walked away so she could have a life. Four other girls too."
"Yeah, but you didn't have to give up—"
"A child who was mine?"
"I didn't mean it like that, but she wasinsideme for three months, then beside me for five years, then gone."
"We both lost someone," we said together before staring at each other.
"A teenage girl can change a lot in a year. What if she doesn't like the same things?"
"That's why we got a giftanyonewould like." I jerked a thumb to a small, gift-wrapped present. "You'll see her, get the answers, and find out how much ofourworld she knows. Angel won't have the confusion we did."
"And everything will be taken care of, just like that?"
"Why do you have to twist my words all the time? We're going to see our daughter after ten years. Not just be shadows at a birthday party. Really see her."
"Our daughter?" He grinned.
"Sure. Someone's got to teach her how to make it in life. Obviously, it'll fall to me."
"Obviously," he said before playfully poking me in the side.
My voice softened. "I would have liked a baby girl growing up, someone who could have been an older sister to Penny and Mary's kids, but she's got two brothers. We may add something missing in her life."
"Like you in mine." Mike's hand rested on my lap. Soon, he'd go into a not-quite-sleep where he'd lay against me with open eyes.
