No one ever needed Slade. He’d been too undependable back in the day. Folks who’d known him for years kept a certain bygone image of him in their heads: strung out, one more crime away from doing time.
Noah saw none of the horror of Slade’s past. Instead, Noah looked at Slade like he’d hung the moon.
Slade fingered his wolf pendant. It took ten years for the charm to work, bring him to someone he might want to keep. Was there significance in the charm being of a wolf?
He shook himself out of his thoughts. Noah must be wondering why Slade stayed outside. He hopped out of the SUV, trotted across the yard and up the steps, then hid the helmet behind his back before opening the door.
Noah straightened on the couch. A book sat on the coffee table. “Hi.”
Slade couldn’t help smiling. “Hi, yourself. I’ve got something for you.”
Noah rose, uncertainty on his face. Thirty years of hiding might take years to overcome. Slade pulled the helmet out from behind his back.Please let Noah like it.
Noah stared, then pressed his hands to his mouth. “For me? It’s beautiful!” He reached out his fingers, not quite touching, and pulled them back. Tears shimmered in his eyes. “Nobody’s ever… nobody’s ever given me a gift like this before.”
Oh, shit. Tears.
Slade put the helmet on the coffee table and took Noah into his arms. “Shh… Don’t cry… I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
With a decisive sniff, Noah pulled back, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Now, sit here and take a good look. Tell me what you think.” Slade sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him.
Noah sat. Slade lifted the helmet, turning it to show the back. “This is the starry sky the night I found you.” He slowly rotated the artwork. “Here’s the full moon.”
Noah ran his fingers over the high gloss finish that made the stars seem to twinkle in the light.
“I know you can’t see so many stars on the full moon, so I took creative license.” Somehow, Slade needed to fill the awkward silence. He turned the helmet to the front, where a blue-eyed wolf drowsed, eyes barely open, head on his paws, at peace.
“Is that… is that me?” Noah whispered, voice low and reverent.
“Sure is. Based on the pictures I took and some sketches I did while you were asleep. I know, I know. Creepy as hell.” Slade poured on the drama and spoke in a fake French accent. “I am an artiste! Sacrifices must be made for my work!”
“This is beautiful,” Noah said, running his fingers over the wolf’s fur. “Are you sure you don’t want to sell this? I’m sure people would pay—”
“No, I made this for you. I picked up a few commissions on the channel for something similar. I’ll never paint another one like yours. One of a kind.” Pride. Something Slade seldom felt. People handing over money for his work paled in comparison to the sheer wonder on Noah’s face.
Beneath the wolf, barely visible, Slade had written initials.
“MW? Who is MW?” Noah asked.
Slade put the helmet down and wrapped an arm around Noah. “You told me sometimes you run and change your name, so I couldn’t use your current initials. They might change.”
“Then what does MW mean?”
“My wolf." Slade pressed a kiss to Noah’s temple.
Judith said Noah was important. Yes, he was.
Important to Slade.
Maybe a little too important.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Inalittleovera week, they’d have to move on. For now, Noah enjoyed lying by the river, wearing his new jacket—a gift from Slade.
Slade lay on the ground next to him, hands behind his head, eyelids closed.
