“I want to take you somewhere,” he said. “That was… a lot in there, and I know you don’t want to eat in front of me, so you can take your pastry back home, but at least let Cassie—Cassandra—have hers. It's a nice day, so why not?”
I mustered a smile, trying to resist the growling of my stomach when I caught the scent of the pastries. “You really got them for us?”
“I was going to surprise you at Jackson’s place, but you beat me to it.”
“I guess I did.” I glanced down at the bags clutched in his hand. “I… I’ll eat with you, but not somewhere so public.”
“There’s one place I know,” he said quietly, his eyes meeting mine. “But…” It seemed strange to see him look so unsure.
“Where?”
“Honey Meadows.”
The name of the town’s large meadow of wildflowers struck me. Situated right on the edge of town, near the exit, I had gone there almost daily as a teenager. Being right there, overlooking the sign—you are now leaving Honeycreek… don’t stay away too long!—that should have been friendly but only felt threatening; I had felt as though my dream of escaping had been within touching distance.
People rarely left Honeycreek, and if they did, then, like me now, they somehow always ended up coming back. I could go there, have it be proof that Ihadmade it out; I’d escaped my bullies, and now that I was back, I could remake my life on my own terms.
And that included deciding what to do about the alpha next to me.
“What’s Honey Meadows?” Cassie piped up.
“It's this pretty great place your mom used to like,” Mason told her, offering her the pastry bag. Cassie snatched it happily. Mason went to offer me mine, but I shook my head.Not yet. “You want to check it out?”
“Don’t use my daughter as a way to get what you want,” I said sharply, my defenses rising. “Askme, not her.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“You’re counting on her young curiosity to want to go, so I’ll feel guilty if I don’t want to go, and then it’ll bec’mon, your daughter really wants to go, don’t you, Cassandra?”
“Bryce.” His voice was quick, snappish, and it made me realize how spiraled I was about to become. “I asked her because it matters that a child goes where they want to instead of being forced to go where their parents want to.”
There was a flicker of vulnerability, there and then gone, painted across his face.
I hadn’t considered that at all, and eventually, I nodded. “Sure. Let’s go there. For argument’s sake, though, if I disagreed, how would you handle her excitement thatyoustarted?”
Maybe it was a test; maybe it was just a challenge, trying to find another lie in his words to do better than what I expected of him.
“Then I’d have probably asked you if I could explain to her that her mom wasn’t up for it, and we could always go another day.”
“Young kids are stubborn and persistent.”
He grinned at me. “So are adults.”
***
Honey Meadows covered a great expanse of ground, far from anything, except it wasn’t so secret anymore. I didn’t know when Mason had figured out it was my favorite spot—or at least a place I had found comfort in—but the fact that he had reminded me of it made me feel somewhat grateful.
Cassie looked brighter, and part of me did battle the guilt inside of keeping her cooped up in Jackson’s house out of my own fear.The pack has nothing to do with her, I reminded myself.At least not yet.
Not until they found out their alpha was Cassie’s father.
I reminded myself of that again as I looked at the two of them. Cassie was sure she had found a four-leaf clover, and Mason was being… kind of sweet in helping her look for it. I could hear Cassie chatting away, trusting, and yet there was a certain guardedness to her face. I knew that look from my ownweariness. It was anI’ll endure your company as long as it benefits me, but I still don’t fully know or trust you.
“And if you find it, what will you wish for?” Mason asked, combing through the grass.
“Hmm.” Cassie sat back into a crouch, tapping her chin. “For Mommy and me to be safe.”
“Well, let me tell you a secret.” Mason glanced back at Bryce. “With me and your uncle around, you won’t need a lucky clover for that.”
