Page 67 of Father of the Wolf

“I understand. And things are pretty calm for now, even if the house is packed with Sandulfr and Athair’s clans.”

Steve stepped out and started to close the door behind him but hesitated and looked back at Hope. “I like Athair. He’s good for you.”

“I’m glad you like him. He’s special in so many ways.” Steve’s acceptance of Athair was important to her. If she was lucky, they would both be part of her life from now on. Life would certainly be easier if the two men could get along.

“Is it like that?”

“Yes, I think it is. He makes me feel whole again.” He’d done more than heal her physical injuries. Athair truly felt like the part of her she hadn’t known was missing. Now that she could feel him and the connection between them within her mind, she felt complete.

“I’m happy for you.” Steve hugged her one last time, and then headed for his car.

Hope watched as he left. The pizza delivery car was on its way up the driveway, so she grabbed her purse to pay for it. The boy carried a stack of boxes up to the door.

“Come in. Please set them on the table.” She dug out a handful of bills to cover the cost.

“Sure thing, Ms. Carter. You have quite an order tonight.”

“Oh my, Jimmy?” Jimmy was the eldest son of James Jordan, who lived down the road a few miles. “I hardly recognized you. You’ve gotten so tall.”

“Dad says that if I want to buy my own car, I had to get a job.”

“How long have you been delivering pizza?” It was hard to believe that James had a son old enough to drive. He was only about her age.

“This is my second week. I really like it so far. Some of my friends said people are mean to delivery guys, but I haven’t seen that. I get great tips.” He said the last with an outrageous grin, which made Hope laugh at his antics.

Hope paid Jimmy and tipped him well, then carried the pizza into the large formal dining room. Athair had hinted at the territorial nature of their kind when two clans came together. So, half the boxes went to one end of the table, and half to the other. She’d already set out plates.

Next, she went in search of her guests. Granny declined pizza. She said she had some preparation to do for the meeting. Most of the younger members were in the den watching television. They had already smelled the food and were more than ready to dig in.

She checked the porch where she’d last seen Athair and found Dàn and Maura deep in conversation.

Maura looked up as Hope opened the door. “Do I smell pizza?”

“It just arrived.” Maura and Dàn sat close, reminding Hope of teenagers on a date. She was glad to see Dàn finally relaxing and healed. Even his white scar lines were nearly gone.

“What’s pizza?” he asked.

“It’s the best. Come on. You’ll see.” Maura held onto Dàn’s hand, and he looked content to follow where she led him.

“It’s in the dining room. Help yourselves.” Hope watched them go, while wondering where she might find Athair. She suddenly felt silly chasing all over the house looking for him. It would take some time to get used to her new skills. Athair? she called out mentally.

Yes, Hope? he answered immediately.

I just wanted to let you know dinner is ready. Hope smiled as she felt Athair’s answer. He was carrying on multiple conversations, and she heard an echo of his comments to Sandulfr as he relayed the information about dinner.

Thanks, love. I hope you ordered plenty. Sandulfr said they didn’t stop for lunch today. His group is starving. Athair paired the comments with a mental caress.

Where are you? She tried to send a similar show of affection back to him and was rewarded with his feeling of pleasure.

I was showing Sandulfr your clinic. Is that okay?

Of course. She smiled at his use of “okay.” He was adjusting well to her more relaxed language.

He thought it was amusing that you locked me up in the dog kennel. She shared his amusement over the memory.

Did he, now? So, what do you think of him?

He is a man of honor. He has fought hard to get to where he is, and he deserves the leadership position he holds.

---