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She was actually very thirsty, probably nerves and all the excitement, “Yes please. What do you have?”
He smiled, “Pretty much anything. Soda, lemonade, iced tea, alcohol, water, you name it.”
“Okay. If you have it, can I have a ginger ale, please?” Her stomach was a little funky with her nerves going haywire. Maybe the ginger ale would help.
Grabbing a bottle from the fridge, he hands it to her, then sits in the chair across from her and Christopher. As he sat, she glanced at Aiden, wondering if he was going to join them.
She still felt drawn to him. Maybe it was just because he was handsome, and she hadn’t dated in a while. He had the tall, dark and handsome thing going for him, and who wouldn’t be attracted to all that? She shook her head, like it would make those thoughts go away, and glanced toward Marshall.
When she looked at him, she noticed he had a surprised look on his face and was watching Aiden. Kenzie tried again not to glance at him, but it was hard.
Every time she looked at Aiden her stomach would start doing somersaults and her heart rate sped up. She didn’t get it. Yes, he was beyond gorgeous, but she didn’t know him. She’d barely said more than a few words to him, and she did not get all fluttery over men, ever.
She’d stopped trying to date because she never felt any attraction to any of the men who asked her out. But this instant heat she felt for Aiden, almost felt like a hot flash, which she was definitely too young for! She didn’t understand the feelings she was having.
Kenzie wasn’t ready to know. She had just met her father and brother for the first time, and she wanted to focus on getting to know them. Some crazy attraction was not a priority right now, so she chose to block him out.
Marshall nodded at Aiden, then Aiden turned toward her. “It was so great meeting you. I have to go take care of a few things, but I look forward to seeing you around.” Then he nodded to Marshall and Christopher and headed out the door.
It was weird, she wanted to call out to him.
When she looked back, she noticed both men were watching her. Clasping her hands together on her lap, she fidgeted a bit on the couch, “So uh… You were going to tell me why you thought I was in danger?”
Christopher nodded, then took a deep breath as if to prepare himself, then began to tell his story, “I guess I should begin by telling you about your grandfather on your mother’s side, Andre Beaumont. He is a very cold man, not physically abusive, but emotionally abusive and just unfeeling toward pretty much anyone. No one really seems to know why, not even Rhiannon or her sisters ever knew. When I met Rhiannon, I knew immediately that she was my mate and I wanted to whisk her away. But Andre and my father did not get along, so Andre tried to convince her to reject me. He was doing it out of spite though, not any feelings toward her happiness or well-being, so she ignored him.”
Christopher stood up and began to pace in front of the couch. He kept running his hands through his hair, like it was a nervous tick, or he was taking a minute to decide how to say the next part of his story.
Beginning again, he spoke a bit softer, as if this topic hurt to talk about, “Rhiannon had a bit of trouble conceiving after we were mated. She always said her childhood sucked, so she wanted to try right away to build the large family she had always wanted. About six months after we mated, she got pregnant but then had a miscarriage. We were both devastated, so we took some time before trying again. But it just didn’t seem to be in the cards for us after that. By some miracle, about ten years later Rhiannon got pregnant again. We were so excited, and the whole pack celebrated for days.”
Christopher stopped pacing to stand in front of the window, looking out as if seeing a memory, “Then Andre showed up at our celebration. It was weird because we hadn’t spoken to him since our mating ceremony. We let him stay because we had no real reason not to. Plus, Rhiannon was hopeful that we could mend fences. I was more skeptical but, for the two days that he stayed, nothing happened. We spoke a few times while I showed him around the property, other than that he just enjoyed the party. Then he left and that was it. The next time we heard from him was when Rhiannon called to tell him the babies had been born. He seemed happy for us and even asked for pictures. He and Rhiannon’s mother Lila even sent us a baby gift.”
He started pacing the room again, “I asked Rhiannon not to send him the pictures. I don’t even know why, but I had this feeling. I increased border patrols for weeks to make myself feel better, but nothing happened so eventually we went back to normal.”
Pausing to walk over to the fridge, Christopher bent down to grab a bottle of water, then took a few sips before continuing, “For six months after you were born, we were perfectly happy. Then one night, somewhere around three am, when everyone was asleep except patrols, we were woken up by a loud warning howl. But it was too late. We got out of bed and ran straight to the nursery; we each grabbed a baby and ran back into the hallways where we ran into Rhiannon’s sisters and their mates. I was being bombarded with mind links telling me what was happening and yelling for help. I handed Marshall to Rylee and started leading everyone to the back stairs.”
“That’s when we heard the front door crash open. We ran faster, and just before we reached the door I smelled multiple foreign scents, but I was too late. Rhiannon was in front. She rushed out of the door and was immediately attacked by a wolf. I shifted and jumped onto the wolf, but she was hurt badly. I told her and Rylee to run, to get to Megan’s. They ran while the rest of us stayed to keep the wolves from following them. Rylee later told me that they were separated, and she hid out in the back cellar, but Rhiannon made it to Megan’s cabin. Thankfully, we won the fight, but with many casualties on both sides, including your mother. I was badly injured and unconscious for a few days. When I woke up, I went straight to Megan’s, but she was gone and so were you, and we found a stone with Rhiannon’s name on it.”
Christopher was crying. She couldn’t take seeing a man that strong crying. Getting up from the couch, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He pulled her in tight, almost too tight, but she didn’t mind. They just held each other for a moment, then Christopher pulled back, but kept hold of her hand as he led her back to the couch.
“I felt like I failed. The love of my life was dead, and my baby girl was gone. I wanted to bring you home, but what we found in the house made me pause. Nothing was touched in the house, except the nursery. Yours and Marshall’s cribs were shredded, the walls ripped apart by claws, every picture shattered. It was a mess. But it made me, everyone, believe that for some reason they wanted the two of you. So, I decided that keeping you hidden, and separated was the safest option. But I did find you, and occasionally checked in now and then. I didn’t contact Megan, but I just needed to know you were safe and happy.”
He touched Kenzie’s cheek gently, and she felt him wipe away moisture. She must have started crying without realizing it and quickly wiped her face with her free hand.
“I was so sorry to hear about Megan’s passing. She was an amazing woman, and I wish I would have had the chance to thank her. I wish you could have been with us, but since you couldn’t, I am glad it was her. You became a beautiful young woman.”
Sniffling, she gave him a small smile, “Thank you. That means a lot to me. She was the best mom. I was always happy and taken care of. But I wish I had been able to know you and Rhiannon too.” She looked at Marshall, “You know, I used to dream I had a brother. I actually made one up when I was about seven years old.”
Marshall’s face lit up, like she had just given him a present, “Really? Was he ruggedly handsome and did he win all the games?”
Laughing, she shook her head, “Absolutely not! He was very humble and always let me win! He also played tea party with me.”
Marshall gave her a truly scandalized look and shook his head, “Ya know, I’m not very good at humble, but I would totally play tea party with you. I make a mean cup of earl grey.”
That made her and Christopher both laugh. It felt nice, lightening the mood a little bit.
Kenzie looked back at Christopher, “Thank you for protecting me. And for telling me the story. I know that wasn’t easy, but it helps me understand. Now I think I would really like to just get to know both of you, spend some time together, if that’s okay?”
“Of course!”
