I flinch a little at that compliment, because I have done my share of stupid things in the past. But one thing is certain: I know exactly what kind of fate might be waiting for Jared if those people ever get in touch with him again, and I doubt they are the kind who let go of things easily, which is why I want to keep him out of trouble at all costs.
"If there is even the smallest chance that Storm will find your fated mate, then I want you to stay here and wait for him calmly in a place that is safe for Tommy."
"I’ll chip in for all the expenses," he mutters, but I only shrug.
"Everything will work out, Jared, just stay patient and keep your hopes up."
???
The first week passes as we try to adjust to everything.
The very next day we put up a small wooden gate at the stairs so Tommy won’t wander upstairs, and of course Jared has no idea that the downstairs room once served as the scene of a murder, but I don’t have spare rooms to offer him anything else. There are two rooms upstairs, but one is incredibly small and the other is mine, so we have to make do with what we have.
Jared makes one trip to his old home and brings back more clothes and things that belong to Tommy, but he does it witha trace of fear, because he knows the house is no longer a safe place.
Tommy is generally a well-behaved child, he doesn’t cause trouble, and he has always been close to Jared, who is a good and caring dad and has given him a sense of safety even when his father was not present. He adjusts easily now because the most important person in his world, Jared, is still right here with him.
It helps as well that barely a month ago they both stayed with me for some time, so this house does not feel entirely foreign to Tommy.
In the next week I again decide to take a higher dose of Compatron, but once more Bay sends Winter, saying he has important obligations, a big interview and he absolutely can’t get out of.
I start to suspect he might simply be avoiding me, but I do not give up. Another week passes, I take a larger dose again and feel even worse, and this time Winter can’t come, so Bay sends Skye, his younger brother!
Damn.
It is very discouraging and I finally conclude that Bay is simply keeping his distance. I feel so awful about it that I decide I will not call him the following week. I tell myself I will ask Jared to come get me with Tommy. Before, I wanted to avoid that, because it means taking the child out of the house during his afternoon nap, but I feel I have no choice. I do not text Bay either, and yet this time he surprises me.
When I am already in the middle of the test I get a message from him.
"Hey Alex, I’m sorry I kept sending my brothers recently, but I really couldn’t come, I already had commitments. This time I can come though. Do you need help?"
I admit I am stunned reading that text. My first instinct is to refuse, but I have not been with him for nine years. Is it fair toexpect that nothing has changed? Maybe his life really is so busy that his schedule is packed. He’s a star after all. Either way I text Jared to let him know he should not wake Tommy unnecessarily because I will have a ride.
I wait for Bay’s arrival in nervous anticipation. Before I didn’t think he would actually come, so I dressed comfortably with no makeup at all, and after the test I must look even worse, like a wobbly, exhausted zombie.
So when Bay walks into the room the nurse actually gapes at the sight of such a handsome, tall, beautifully dressed alpha arriving for a pale, pathetic, washed-out thing like me curled up on the cot with messy hair. Next to him I feel tiny and sick and ugly, shrinking even more, staring at his flawless face. But I would be wrong to assume his reaction will be negative in any way, because when he sees me balled up and deathly pale, something flickers across his face, something that looks very much like guilt and deep concern.
"My goodness, Alex, I didn’t know you were suffering this much, that this whole process was that hard," he whispers as he comes closer, sitting down on the chair and leaning toward me. My heart clenches because I see warmth and genuine care in his eyes instead of disgust or rejection.
Then I notice the thick black knitted gloves on his hands and I immediately understand why he wears them, to prevent direct skin contact between us.
Though I must admit, the sight of those gloves kinda makes me zone out.
Slowly he extends his hand and I immediately reach out with mine. I grip him tightly, my heart trembling. That moment feels strangely significant, the first time in so many years that I hold his hand like this.
I see him lean slightly forward, his eyes dropping to our intertwined fingers, and I watch the moment he looks at them,his breath catching for a second before he clears his throat and straightens, speaking in a surprisingly calm tone.
"Let’s get going, Alex, traffic is getting worse."
And then it happens. His other arm slides under my back and with absolute ease he lifts me into the air, ignoring the wheelchair the nurse has kindly pushed closer.
Being carried in his arms makes my head spin. He still has his jacket on so I am not pressed directly against his body, but the simple fact that we are so close, I’m surrounded by his shower gel scent, lifted so easily and almost romantically by him, nearly takes my breath away. My heart races, and his heartbeat quickens too, matching mine.
I look up at his face. From that angle he seems to be fairly composed, but a faint blush touches his cheeks.
The fact that my closeness still affects him means more to me than anything else, that sweet magic between us, that spark, obvious in his reaction, subtle for now but definitely there, buzzing beneath the surface.
Bay carries me down the stairs and through the building, then steps outside into the parking lot with me safely snuggled in his arms. The wind and a bit of rain hit us. At one point our eyes meet for a brief second, and his gaze drops to my lips just as a few raindrops land on them.
