Page 7 of Betrayed By the Wolf

“And you’re the only one that replied.” He shushed the child as they started to squirm. “Please. Even if you can only help for a few days, I’ll keep looking for someone else. I just can’t do this alone.”

“Maybe you deserve to suffer a bit,” she spat, eyes flashing.

“Maybe,” he said, shrugging hopelessly, “but she doesn’t.”

He held the child out toward Vera. She was delicate, her skin the same soft brown shade as Rami’s, and honey-colored eyes. The child was unmistakably his. Betrayal was a white-hot lance, spearing through all her other emotions.

Even through it, Vera knew he was right. Whatever sins Rami had committed, the girl didn’t deserve to pay for them, and a tired, exhausted parent with no relief was the kind that made mistakes. Potentially deadly ones. When the baby girl started crying, Vera reached for her and Rami gently placed her in Vera’s arms.

“Her name is Jessa,” he said, reaching out to stroke a finger down the girl’s puffy cheek. “And yes, she’s mine. It was a one-night stand before we got together. Yes, I’m an asshole.”

“Don’t do that,” Vera said with a growl, looking up from Jessa. He was standing so close still, and she had to crane her head back to look in his face. “Don’t shit talk yourself and expect me to say, ‘Oh no, Rami, you’re not an asshole.’ Because I won’t play that role. I’ll just agree with you. Who was she anyway? Jessa’s mother?”

He blew out a long breath. “Fair enough. She was just a woman I met on a night out. She said she was on the pill but I should’ve been more careful.”

“You think?” It stung. Even if the mother was just a one-night stand, even though Rami and Vera hadn’t been together when he’d slept with her, they’d made a baby together.

“Look, she’s not coming back. I’m not looking for her. Can you help me or not? I’ve got a room for you to stay in, and we can just pretend to be roommates, nothing more. Any and all conversation will be in regards to Jessa.”

Jessa. The baby girl had settled in Vera’s arms, her eyes blinking sleepily. Something bloomed inside of Vera, something that the sharpness of her anger couldn’t frighten. Something good and gentle.

“Yes,” she said weakly, wondering how quickly she’d regret those words but powerless to stop them from coming out when Jesse’s little fingers wrapped around her own. “Yes, I’ll help you. But just for Jessa’s sake.”

Chapter 4 - Rami

The house was a mess. Rami pushed a pile of unopened mail to the side of the table and nudged a pair of pants out of sight with his foot, hoping Vera hadn’t noticed it. Dirty dishes were scattered over the countertops, and a pile of milk bottles sat beside the sink, waiting to be washed. Ever since Jessa had arrived, Rami felt like he hadn’t had a second to think, never mind clean.

Every second he was awake was spent taking care of Jessa, learning the ropes of childcare. He’d pulled every book on parenting from his shelves and pored over them when she napped, compiling it into a list that he could refer to in difficult moments. When something worked, like taking her for a walk in the stroller when she wouldn’t sleep, he circled it. When something failed, like the time he’d burped her over his shoulder and received an astonishing amount of milk vomit, he crossed it off. The crosses far outnumbered the circles.

“Wow,” Vera said, standing in the front doorway. “Did a tornado come through here?”

“Yeah,” Rami replied, unbuckling Jessa from her carrier, “its name was Jessa. It’s impossible to get anything done with a baby around. I step away for a second, and she starts crying.”

He knew some people managed to do it, to keep the house clean and watch a baby at the same time; he just had no idea how they did it. A home-cooked meal was out of the question after he’d burnt a pan of pasta the second night he had Jessa. Takeout boxes were piled up in the trash can.

She stepped inside gingerly, like she suspected one of the piles of mess might gain sentience and attack her. “Right. Well, what’s her usual schedule?”

Having Vera in his space again brought the memories back, poking holes in the careful dam he’d created against them. The wolf inside of him still demanded that he hold her, claim her as his mate, remove the walls he’d put up between them. Rami ignored it. That part of him couldn’t see the risks involved in a long-term relationship and how they devolved.

“Schedule?” He glanced at the sheet on the table with its scribbled notes. Developing a consistent schedule was there with a big, black line through it. “She doesn’t really seem interested in one of those. Tried it, though. She’s got her own ideas.”

Vera sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “She’s a baby, Rami. She doesn’t get to rule the house. It’s like a puppy; you need to have a consistent schedule so they know what to expect.”

“Look, you can try. I’m just saying it didn’t work for me and the things that have worked, I’ve circled on here.” He moved Jessa into the crook of his arm and pushed the sheet of notes toward Vera. She picked it up and scanned it. “She’s ready for a bottle now. Why don’t I show you how to mix one up, and then you can give feeding her a go while I pick up a little?”

There was an art involved in getting the formula mixed and at the right temperature, not too hot and not too cold. Vera clucked her tongue when he tested it on the skin of his forearm.

“Don’t you have a thermometer? It’d be more precise and repeatable.” She was tapping notes on her phone into a carefully formatted spreadsheet.

He fought the urge to smile, knowing she’d take it for mockery, but her analytical approach to everything was one of the reasons he’d fallen for her in the first place. Something about how her nose crinkled when she was thinking hard madehim want to kiss her. Rami cleared his throat, realizing he was staring and she was waiting for an answer.

“No, I don’t think I have a thermometer. Except the one that came in her first aid kit, and I’m guessing we don’t want to use that one.”

“Definitely not. I’ll bring one tomorrow.” Vera watched carefully while he demonstrated Jessa’s preferred feeding arrangement, nestled in his arm while he sat on the couch. “Looks easy enough. I think I’ve got it.”

Rami motioned for her to sit, and she took the space beside him, leaving a space between them to ensure they wouldn’t accidentally touch. Before, she would have draped her legs across his body, and he would have run his palms up the soft, smooth skin of her thighs. Now, he took care not to move closer as he passed Jessa to her and helped her arrange a pillow beneath her elbow for support.

“Like this?” Vera asked, glancing up at him. Jessa drank eagerly from the bottle, unconcerned by the move from Rami’s arms to Vera’s.

---