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SEVEN
ELLIOT
Evan wokeup screaming for more “mick” before 6 AM. Since I knew what it was that time, I had the straw in the damn bottle before he gave me the glarey stink-eye that made me feel like an absolute fucker.
I watched him like a hawk, and when his drinking slowed down, I stole the milk away and distracted him with a toy I found inside the plastic bin by the door. Though I had hoped he’d go back to sleep after he’d chugged chocolate milk, the kid didn’t even look a little tired anymore.
My mind was a lot clearer, since it was morning. And while I didn’t know shit about being a dad or having a toddler, I decided I would figure it out as I went.
Sabrina had offered to teach me Lizzy’s routine with the kid. But, considering her idea of his routine had consisted of water and snuggling when all he’d wanted was to guzzle chocolate milk like he’d die without it, I wasn’t convinced she really knew what she was talking about.
Sure, she definitely knew the kid a hell of a lot better than I did. But human Lizzy was clearly pretty damn independent, and from what I could tell, refused to let anyone else raise her kid, no matter how much they cared about him.
So I was going to figure out my own schedule with him. Human Lizzy would probably be pissed at me when she was back in the saddle, but if I was going to keep Evan alive and retain my sanity, I wasn’t going to do it trapped in that little room with him. And I sure as hell wasn’t sleeping in that short bed again, unless Lizzy was back in her human form and inviting me to hold her in it.
We were mates; that was permanent.
There was no changing it, for either of us. Even if human Lizzy tried to get me to take a hike, I wasn’t going anywhere. She was mine, I was hers, and I’d do whatever the hell it took to prove to her that I was nowhere near the asshole her first mate had been.
Her wolf wasn’t going to reject me. She was going to wait until I proved myself as a dad, so I was going to be the best fucking dad she could ever imagine.
And then I was going to win my woman’s heart.
“Alright, Ev. We’re going back to my place,” I told the kid, tugging my crusty, milk-covered shirt over my head. “You liked it there, remember? Lots of room to explore. I’ll make sure to hide all my shoes, in case your furry counterpart gets hungry.” I rubbed his fuzzy blond hair, and he gave me a massive grin.
“Mick?”
“Oh, yeah. All the weird chocolate milk you want. I’ll buy it in gallons,” I promised.
He pinched my leg, and I shook my head at him, carefully prying that chubby fist off my calf. “You’ve got to figure out a nicer way to communicate, man. Maybe I’ll buy you a guitar or something.”
I scooped him up off the ground. Lizzy’s wolf licked my leg, so I scratched her head. “We’ll wait and see if your human is okay with it before moving her stuff over,” I promised her. “I don’t want to offend her, or push her too far. She’ll probably be pissed enough that I’m taking this squirt to my place.”
I tickled Evan’s belly, and he giggled and squealed as he wiggled around and pushed at my hand playfully.
Unable to help it, I rubbed a hand over that soft, fuzzy hair again. “Alright, dude. Let’s hit the road.”
I found Charly and Sabrina both in the kitchen. Charly was sitting at the table, her face planted on the thick wood, and Sabrina was putting bread in the toaster.
“Hey, sorry if we woke you up,” I apologized, feeling a bit guilty. Not guilty enough to change my mind about my win-my-mate’s-heart plan, but a little guilty all the same.
“Sss okay,” Charly groaned into the table.
“Lizzy usually leaves before Evan cries,” Sabrina explained, her eyes barely open at all as she turned to face me. Her gaze flicked to my dirty shirt, and she frowned.
Lizzy’s wolf growled at her.
“Ev and Lizzy are going to stay at my place until we’ve got the mate thing figured out. I don’t fit in that room, or that bed,” I said, flashing them a grin.
Sabrina’s forehead wrinkled. “Are you sure? We can help you here.” Lizzy’s wolf growled at her again, and she grimaced. “Or not.”
“It’s alright. I’ll win her over soon enough.” I shot Sabrina a quick smile. “Char has my phone number, she can give it to you, and you can text me if you have any questions or get worried about Evan. I can send you my address, too, in case you want to come by and see him.”
She still didn’t look certain about it, but nodded. “Alright. He’s not allergic to anything, and eats everything. Make sure you keep your doors locked; he’s figured out how to open them, and now he’s a flight risk.”
“Got it. Thanks.” Giving them both a quick wave, I headed out to Lizzy’s car. Evan was babbling about something, and I couldn’t understand a damn word he was saying, but he kept pointing enthusiastically at a tree, so I nodded as I buckled him in. “That’s a pretty cool tree,” I agreed. “It probably wouldn’t taste good. Has your wolf tried to eat a tree yet? They can be pretty crazy.”
He grinned at me, and I could tell he didn’t understand most of what I said.
