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Grinning, I said, “No, they took me out on the yacht to celebrate.”
Tori’s worry vanished and she did exactly what I had hoped. She laughed. “You were spoiled rotten.”
I pushed her hair over her shoulder, stroking a finger along her neck as I did. “True, I was, until my parents died in a private plane crash. My aunt and uncle raised me for most of my life.”
A gasp escaped her lips, her laughter dying from her eyes. I didn’t want to lose the lightheartedness, but she gave me so much that I wanted to give her something back. So, I’d happily give her a piece of my story, even though I didn’t like reliving the loss of my parents.
“I’m so sorry,” Tori whispered, hugging me.
“Thank you.”
Tori pulled back so we could look at each other, and I instantly missed her warmth. “My parents were wonderful, loving, and, yes, very indulgent. I wanted for nothing. I had everything I needed, and they made sure I was cared for, but they were very materialistic and proud of the Blackwood name. They romanticized it, I think.
“On the other hand, Uncle Vincent saw the failures of our family’s past. He helped me see past the money and power to all the problems shifters around the world were facing. He taught me hard work, how to build my own business, and to get an education. He pushed me to overcome the selfish ways of the past and to always put others first. I couldn’t have asked for a better father figure.”
Tori’s soft hand cupped my cheek. I dropped my head further into her palm, sorrow flowing from me.
“What happened to your uncle?”
I turned my head and kissed her palm before our fingers intertwined.
“I don’t know.” I took a heavy breath. I was about to tell her something I had never told anyone else, but if there was anything I was certain about, it was Tori. Even though she was still keeping things from me, I knew I was safe to share with her.
“A few years ago, my uncle and his wife disappeared. I searched for them tirelessly. I put investigators on it. I traveled to places and questioned people myself. I’d begun to lose hope, then one day, Aunt Lucille resurfaced near Blackwood Creek. I rushed back here and realized she wasn’t fit to be moved, so I moved here to be closer to her. And to be in the town I felt responsible for.
“Given my family’s hand in the town’s establishment and welfare since the 1800s, I needed to follow through on my uncle’s vision for the shifter community as well as the people of this town. Everyone deserves to have a safe place to live and raise a family. My aunt deserves a safe place to receive care and treatments without being hunted down.”
Our hands played around with each other, the warm flares from her skin making me content even with the heavy conversation we were exchanging. I’d never been this way with anybody before. I didn’t want this peacefulness to end.
“You’re a very busy man,” Tori remarked. “Or at least it seems that way to me. Do you get many opportunities to visit your aunt?”
Her body was now facing me fully. I kept my arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she linked the fingers of her free hand with mine. I didn’t know how to say this to her without worrying her because I wanted her to stay open and not shut down on me.
“When my aunt came back, she wasn’t my aunt in the same way she’d been before she disappeared those years before. She was almost completely feral. She’s rarely in her right mind, but I make a point of visiting her once or twice a week. I never skip on that. I’d like to see her every day, maybe get more opportunities for her to be in her right mind so I can talk to her and let her know she’s not alone, but it’s not feasible. Plus, it’s rare for her to be lucid. No matter how often I show up, my presence doesn’t make that kind of difference.”
My throat went dry. When I thought about what my aunt had gone through and was still going through, all I could think was that I’d failed her. That I was a failure.
“That’s also how I recognized some of your panic attacks as you going feral. I’ve dealt with them more than enough to recognize the signs. I want to make sure no one else has to face that. Especially you. It’s scary and can do serious damage. If my aunt wasn’t in a care facility, I can’t think about what she could do or what would happen to her.” I dropped her hand to brush my thumb over her cheek. “That’s why I keep encouraging you to balance things out with your wolf. It’s not worth the repercussions. It’s not worth your life.”
Chapter23
Tori
Ridge telling me about his childhood had softened the wall I’d solidly built around myself. He was vulnerable and genuine. I couldn’t help but feel that from him. This man, a stranger only until recently, was trying hard to help me. He wasn’t trying to get anything from me, had no agenda. Ridge was an open book. Like me, he’d been through a lot, except I didn’t have to endure and balance all the responsibilities he had. It was ridiculous to keep being suspicious of him. He’d done nothing but repeatedly proven he had my best interests at heart, that he cared about me.
That didn’t mean I trusted him fully yet. We hadn’t known each other long enough for my guard to come down completely, but he had proven that he was making Blackwood Creek safe for shifters and humans. He wasn’t blowing smoke and angling for people to be on his side. He worked hard to listen to people and spent his downtime worrying and caring for me.
His scent wrapped around me. For a moment, I imagined what it’d be like to stay here and live among others like me since I’d started to verify for myself that they were not monstrous creatures. I felt genuine warmth toward three shifters in particular.
Shifters were like ordinary people, with regular drama and loved ones. If I stayed, I’d get closer to Margo, and we could quickly become best friends. I’d have that maternal influence from Diana. I could help the shy and reserved Lola come out of her shell.
With Ridge, I could let myself fall harder than I’d already started to. We could explore the chemistry that had us both tangled up tight.
Sniffing his scent, I let my mind wander and play out all the possibilities of staying in such a picturesque town most would envy. My mind sent out warning bells as the comfort of the idea started to take root. My ex’s petrified face flashed in my mind. What if I did that to someone else but couldn’t control myself then? If I lost control and hurt someone, I’d be shattered.
That wasn’t all of it, though. I’d had nobody for so long that relying on others was no longer easy. They’d only hurt me in the end; experience had proven that over and over again. Keeping my distance was the only way to shield myself while on the run. How could I accept help from others now?
Ridge’s hold on me was true and strong, making me fantasize that he’d never let me go without a fight. Perhaps I mattered to him like I hadn’t mattered to anyone else.
