“Why are you laughing? I’m serious!”
He wiped his tears away with the heel of his hand. “What would I do with myself in Paris? I can’t even navigate through our cities.” After a minute, he sat up and collected the dice, dropping them into the cup one at a time. “Is that what you want to do with your life? Save up enough money to travel to distant lands?”
“Not really. Unfamiliar places make me skittish.”
“So that’s why you didn’t go with Lakota and Melody?”
I turned so my back was against the couch. “I’ve been to Cognito before. I don’t understand that city, and I’d never walk in it alone without Lakota by my side. But that’s not the reason I didn’t go. Someone had to stay and manage the store.”
Tak scooted over and sat beside me, his arm around my shoulders. “I saw another woman working in your store today. Couldn’t you have hired her for the week?”
“No way! Naya is a busy woman with a full-time job and family. Plus I can’t close the store for that long. We’re new, and it’s important to keep the momentum going. That’ll change someday.”
“You’re smart. You could have figured something out. Isn’t family more important?”
I drew my knees up and flicked a small piece of lint off the blue fabric of my pants. “Are you trying to make me feel guilty, or do you just want to get rid of me?”
The warm touch of his fingers on my shoulder made me shiver. “I’m just trying to figure you out.”
“Lakota’s adoptive parents live up north. I don’t know if he told you about that part of his life, but they’re not Shifters. This trip was important to them because it’s the first time he’s presenting Melody as his mate. I’ve gone up there many times over the years, so it wasn’t essential that I be there for this occasion. They really wanted all the parents to come together and celebrate.”
Tak looked down. “So Lakota is not your brother?”
“He’s my half brother. We have the same mother, but another couple raised him. It’s a long story, and it’s his to tell.”
“Ah. That explains a lot.”
“Please don’t mention it unless he brings it up. His family history is that of a delicate nature, and—”
“I know about such things,” Tak said, giving my shoulder a light squeeze. “You have no other siblings?”
“Lakota’s all I have. I’m sure my parents have tried, but since I’m their firstborn, they’ll probably never have an alpha. That’s not to say it could never happen, but the odds diminish with each child. Maybe that’s why they don’t talk about it, and it’s really not my business to ask. Sometimes you have to accept what the fates give you.”
“And what they don’t give you.” He held my hand.
That one gesture made my heart squeeze tight. A flutter tickled my belly—the kind I usually got before getting on a roller coaster ride. Tak’s rough hands revealed that he wasn’t afraid of a hard day’s work. His dark skin glowed, carrying the light of the summer sun and a scent that was both foreign and familiar.
“What about you?” I asked. “Tell me about your family.”
He let go and sat back. “I have five sisters—all mated. No blood brothers. I was my father’s only hope to lead the tribe, but that responsibility will go to one of my cousins.”
“And your mother?”
He drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it go. “She died in childbirth. Pregnancy is a vulnerable time since the women don’t shift. My little sister almost didn’t make it. They had to cut her out. It was a painful decision for my father. Save his mate or save the child. In the end, I think my mother let go of this world so that she could give her baby life.”
I shook my head. “I’m so sorry. That must have been incredibly difficult for you all.”
“She was a good woman. Kind, always laughing, always in a good mood. She listened. We could talk to her about anything. The house was quiet when her spirit left.”
Melody had told me all about Shikoba’s serious demeanor. Tak must have favored his mother’s personality. I wondered if her absence had wounded him just as much as losing the woman he loved. He had no mother to guide him through his pain and give him unconditional support.
I glanced at my phone.
“Expecting a call?” he asked. “That’s the tenth time you’ve looked at it.”
“Asia is supposed to call about our arrangement. I don’t have a backup plan, and not many people in the avian community trust wolves enough to do business with them. If she doesn’t sign, my feather earrings will just have to be a limited edition. I had a friend draw up a short-term and a long-term contract for her to review. She promised me an answer tonight.”
“Give her until tomorrow. She might have asked someone to look over the paperwork. It’s better to give a person a full night to review everything. Otherwise they’ll feel pressured and back out. My father doesn’t handle negotiations lightly and reads all the fine print. If someone tries to rush him, he’ll rip up the paperwork and send it back in pieces.”
