Traffic is heavy as we pull off the highway, heading toward a large shopping district. Crowds don’t seem like the best choice when you’re trying to hide from someone, but according to Shep, they will help hide us if anyone pays attention to who we are or where we are going. I trust my Alpha to keep us safe, so I don’t argue, even though the last place I want to be when I’m so on edge is a busy area like this.
The lines of exhaustion on Hannah’s face are driving me insane. My skin crawls with the urge to build a nest and drag her into it so I can ensure she gets a full night of sleep. But I can’t. Not in the car, and not when we get to the safe house. I won’t be properly nesting until we’re sure the threats against her are taken care of. Mini nests on safe house beds will be enough until then.
As we pull into a parking spot, I frown, noting there isn’t an agent waiting to meet us.
“We’re going to grab dinner, then get the supplies we need to take to the safe house with us. Our new ride will be here in an hour.” Shepherd explains as he climbs out of the car and quickly checks our surroundings. After ensuring we’re clear, he opens the back door and helps Kaitlin climb down. She’s slowly getting more comfortable with us. Offering shy smiles and telling us about her favorite places to play.
“What are we hungry for this time?” I ask when she meets us at the front of the car, a smile on my face to hide my concern for her mother. Being in a car for this long can’t be good for Hannah. The way she groaned, hand rubbing her lower back as she stepped out of the car, worries me.
“I don’t know,” she whispers, looking around nervously. Stepping behind her, I rest my hands on her shoulders, letting her tiny body lean against my legs. If she needs a shield from the crowds, I can be that for her.
Scanning the different stores and restaurants in this part of the shopping center, I see a sushi bar, a soup shop, and a taqueria. I quickly cancel the latter as an option as I watch people leave the winery next door and carry their still-full glasses into the taqueria. I don’t want to pull Hannah into an environment like that when I don’t know her history with alcohol. If her husband drank often, it might be a trigger for her.
Glancing to the other end of the building, my eyes light up when I spy a frozen yogurt shop.I betKaitlin would love to build her own dessert! And there is a farm-to-table restaurant next door that sounds perfect for dinner!
“How about we go see what we can find to eat there? And after dinner, we can stop next door to get some ice cream.”
Sparkling hazel eyes glance back at me, bright and full of excitement despite the caution I can see in her stiff posture. “Yes, please,” Kaitlin says.
Grinning, I stand back up and offer her my hand. I would carry her across the lot, but I know she needs to stretch her legs after so many hours in the car.
Shepherd steps to her side when she slips one hand in mine, offering her his as well. She eyes his hand for a moment, glancing at Hannah for confirmation before she accepts. I can feel the awe in my Alpha’s bond as he grasps her tiny fingers in his grip. We’ve talked about eventually being parents. Dreams we thought were still years away from becoming reality.
Life apparently has other plans for us, and the wide-eyed princess between us is the best twist of Fate we could have asked for.
Once we make it through the parking lot, we reach a massive outdoor seating area. A fountain sits off to one side, lights making the water sparkle a brilliant blue. There are outdoor games set up around it, and a band plays on a stage across the way. It’s cute and fun, giving small-town vibes without the chaos of a city looming around it. One day we should move somewhere like this. If Hannah wants to do.
Walking down a wide gap between the seating areas, I look down at Kaitlin, tapping her wrist with my finger to get her attention. “Can you hold on really tight?” Her little head tilts to one side, but she nods, tightening her grip on my fingers.
Meeting Shepherd’s eyes over her head, I hope he can read my intention through our bond. My Alpha doesn’t disappoint. On our next step forward, we carefully swing Kaitlin over the pavement, keeping her low to the ground in case she lets go or panics. Her eyes pop wide, lips parting before a soft giggle slips through them. When her feet are back on solid ground, I check in with her. “Again?”
“Again!” she cheers.
We swing her between us until we reach the entrance of the restaurant, reveling in her laughter and bright smile. It’s like that small bit of fun has taken a tremendous weight off her shoulders. Tears well in my eyes seeing her so carefree, but I quickly blink them back. Now isn’t the time to melt down over all that these two have suffered.
Inside the restaurant, I am delighted by the airy, bright interior. Large windows in white barn-style panels cover two walls, and wood-grain tabletops scatter throughout the large space. Best yet is the myriad of smells that reach my nose as a server leads us to a table at the back. The food overpowers personal scents, filling the air with the aroma of home-cooked comfort.
My cheeks burn as my stomach rumbles loudly, but my embarrassment quickly fades when both Hannah and Kaitlin emit similar sounds. Shepherd laughs at us, his husky voice sending flutters through my stomach. “It sounds like we need to order an appetizer. What sounds good? Fried mozzarella wheels, chips and salsa, pickle sticks, bruschetta...”
“Pickles?”
“Pickle sticks,” Hannah explains to Kaitlin. “They’re pickle spears dredged in flour and seasonings, and then they’re deep-fried. Like a chicken nugget but with a pickle instead of chicken.”
I have to bite back a laugh at the serious expression on Kait’s face as she nods. “Can we gets that, please?” She looks at Shepherd, who sits straighter in his seat, swelling with pride when she turns to him for an answer instead of her mother.
“We absolutely can,” he promises as our server appears and takes our drink order.
Dinner is peacefully quiet. Now that we are several states away from Whitlan, Hannah seems to relax ever so slightly. Sheenjoys watching her daughter try a fried pickle and doesn’t rush through her own food as she had earlier in the day.
The real highlight is watching both of their eyes light up when we step into the frozen yogurt place next door. Bright colors, funky-shaped chairs, and a multitude of options seem to shock them both into silence.
The long bar of toppings has Kaitlin bouncing on her toes as we explain the different flavors to her. “Can I has cotton candy, please?” She looks up at her mother. Hannah nods, reaching out to grab one of the child-size bowls, but Shepherd takes it before she can. He pours an obnoxious amount into the tiny bowl, and I chuckle as I watch Hannah scold him for the oversized portion.
Grabbing two medium-sized bowls, I slide to her side and distract her. “What flavor are you going to get?”
Her nose wrinkles as she glances along the wall of options. “I think this might be too much sugar for me.”
“They have no sugar options,” I point out. “I don’t know about here, but at the frozen yogurt places in New York, those options taste as good as the sugary stuff.”
