“Who’s having a baby?”
“One of the local wolves.”
“Who?”
I looked over my shoulder but couldn’t see him for the TV.“Nobody you know.Her name is Hope, and since she’s the Packmaster’s mate, I couldn’t get out of it.But we had fun.There were a lot of silly games you would’ve gotten a kick out of.One of them was bobbing for pacifiers.In another, we had to guess her weird pregnancy cravings—kind of like charades.Nobody guessed lobster, but we were laughing so hard.”
“I once knew a pregnant lady who ate dirt.”
After finishing the glass, I peered inside the microwave to make sure nothing had exploded into a sticky mess.
“When can I live upstairs again?”he asked.
Racked with guilt, I turned and stood next to the enormous television at the foot of the bed.“You know I can’t leave you upstairs.You’re safer down here while I’m at work.There’re too many crazy fools in this town, and some of them don’t like me.They might get a dumb idea and come out here again to instigate something.”
“Then I’ll pop them with a shotgun and see how they like that.”He cackled and wheezed.
“Mm-hmm.”I tied up his trash and set it by the elevator.“Do you want me to shave you tonight or tomorrow?”
“A beard might look good on me since I don’t have much hair on top.”He laughed again.
“Someone’s in a good mood tonight with all the jokes.”
Nothing had changed about his sense of humor.
My father didn’t like electric razors and only wanted a full barber treatment with the straight razor.I didn’t trust his unsteady hands to do it himself, so I always carved out time to pamper him with a hot towel and fresh cut.
“It’s late, so we’ll fix you up tomorrow.”I checked the long table by the door where his pills were organized in containers.When I noticed he’d missed his evening pill, I brought it to him with a glass of water.“Here, you forgot to take your vitamins.”
He grumbled before reluctantly swallowing it.“They taste like mud.”
“And how would you know what mud tastes like?”I gave him a teasing smile.“The Relic says it’s helping with your muscle mass.We’ll have you looking like Superman in no time.I want you to walk around the room after breakfast and then pedal a little on that bicycle over there.”
“That seat hurts my ass.”
“Would a wheelchair be more comfortable?The more exercise you get, the better.The Relic said as long as you keep using your leg muscles and boosting your protein, you can stay strong enough to walk.”
“If I were upstairs, I could walk around outside.”
“You might fall down.The stationary bike is safer.”
He glowered and returned the empty glass.“Maybe you should do what my ancestors did.”
“And what’s that?”
His voice grew serious, and he gave me a solemn look.“Let me go.When the elders reached their final days, they took their last walk.They said goodbye to their family, shifted, and their animal led them on their last adventure.It’s the dignified way to go.”
I hugged him so tight that tears sprang from my eyes.“You’re not dying—you’re just getting old.I’m here to take care of you.”
He patted my back.“If you had a mate, you’d have something better to do than keep me alive.How am I supposed to leave this world knowing you’re alone?”
When I leaned back, I feigned a smile.“I take care of myself.”
He pinched my chin with a shaky hand.“Don’t let this beauty fade before finding someone who can appreciate it.”
My father was the reason I was dating again, and I didn’t want this to be an argument between us.I loved him more than life itself, and he’d shaped me into the strong woman I’d become.Without knowing how much time he had left, I didn’t want him worrying about my future.Family was important to him.He always impressed upon me the value of a suitable partner and having someone who could take care of me, which never made sense until I became his caregiver.I still had plenty of centuries to worry about love, but if this was the one thing I could do to bring my father happiness before he died, I would do it.
“You look tired,” he said.“Go on and get to bed.”
