He considered it. He was in that foul a mood. But Tonya had only so much obedience in her, even when given direct orders. A good leader knew when to call in his markers and this wasn’t one of those times. So instead of answering, he looked out the window at the rapidly warming landscape. Michigan was hitting one of those hopeful spring moments. The smart ones knew it could change in five minutes, so they took the time to appreciate the weather now. He chose to stare at the landscape and pray that Theo wasn’t out in it somewhere.
“That’s not going to work either,” Tonya said with a huff.
He turned and hit her with a hard glare. She stared at him for a moment, and then turned back to the road.
“Okay. So I guess that will work. So I’m going to do something radical here. I’m going to offer something I never do. Are you ready?”
He snorted rather than answer.
“I’m going to listen without judgment. Whether you realize it or not, you need to talk to someone. So talk. I’ll listen. And I won’t tell either, but you know that already.”
Yes, that part was true. She was as close a confidant as he’d ever had. Except for his brother, she was the one person he trusted with his secrets. Which meant, after a time, he finally started speaking.
“Becca wanted to meet my bear last night.”
Tonya frowned. “She already met your bear. When you tore apart Nick.”
He winced at the memory. “Not like that. Unshifted. Just…you know, the bear.”
“Jesus, you are the bear. Unless we’re talking fur and claws, you were being you.”
He snorted. “That’s what she said.”
“So she’s smarter than she looks.”
“Stop that!” he snapped. “She’s brilliant. She understands a lot more than you do, that’s for damn sure. She’s gentle and kind. She’s been raising a kid by herself, running a business, and you should see her cakes. They’re works of art. She’s amazing, and you show yourself as an idiot when you trash-talk her.”
If his earlier silence had her staring, this little explosion had her gaping in shock. Bad news when they were speeding down a country road at seventy miles per hour.
“Pay attention to the road!” he snapped.
She did. Her gaze ripped back to the road and her mouth clenched in a tight line. But she didn’t speak. Instead, she slowly blew out a breath. And then after he’d turned back to glare out the window, she finally ventured a couple sentences, albeit in a small, quiet voice that she never, ever used.
“So she met your bear last night and told you that you and the bear are the same people. What happened next?”
He sighed. “She may be pregnant.”
She snorted. “Been there, done that.” He glared at her again, but she held up a hand. “Not judging. Just saying.”
He didn’t respond. Nothing to say. Except apparently, Tonya had plenty on her mind.
“Okay, since you’re not talking, let me be the one to say the things you’re brooding about. We’ll just get them out in the open and you can tell me to go shove it or not.” He opened his mouth to tell her to shove it, but she rushed her words. “You’ve fallen for Becca. That much is clear from your tirade a moment ago.”
He didn’t argue. That much he’d already figured out.
“Maybe you even think you love her.”
He hadn’t gone to that word yet. Worship. Adore. Thank God for her every moment of the day. Those words he’d used, at least in his own head. Love? His bear certainly loved her. Maybe he could admit that the human Carl loved her, too. But crap, that was a problem. The woman hadn’t even been able to look at him this morning.
“So you’re moody,” Tonya continued, “because you know it’s a doomed relationship.”
“What?” The word came out with a sharp bite.
“Don’t snap at me for saying what you’re already thinking. Look, she’s fully human. She may be the adopted mother of a shifter boy, but she’s not one of us and she never will be. Anyone else in the community, that’s not a problem. But you’re the Max. And worse than that, you like being the Max and you’re pretty good at it.”
“So maybe you should let me pick the woman I want and leave it alone.”
“I will, but that doesn’t help Becca. She’s the one who’ll suffer, not you.”
