Page 14 of Stone

It was nearly totally dark out when they arrived home. He carried Hailey into their home and put her in one of the bedrooms close to their room. Well, it was Sage’s room, but he’d been close by in the event that she needed him. Hailey was nearly asleep when she changed herself into pjs and rolled over to sleep. Stone was still laughing when he made his way down to the bedroom that he’d been using.

The stress of the last week was starting to weigh on him. He’d been fired and found himself a home, a mate, and a daughter. He’d been keeping an eye on Sage in the event that her mother turned out to be some sort of demon. He didn’t really expect her to be a demon, but with this family and their outside families causing trouble, he honestly didn’t know what to expect. He was glad that Leslie had turned out to be all right.

He found Leslie in the kitchen and asked her if she wanted anything. “I would love something to snack on. The time difference is catching up with me. I usually have dinner about now.” He asked her if she wanted something big or small. “Small. Just something to tied me over until breakfast. Do you all eat together?”

“It’s the first time that Hailey has spent the night here, so I don’t know what the plans are. I know that I was supposed to go with my brother to an auction he wants to go to. You can go too ifyou’d like. It’ll be a nice, fun day for us.” She said she’d never been to an auction before. “They can be a blast if you don’t mind not getting everything that you want. And you should tell yourself that, too. That its all right to not get everything. I usually set myself a budget for the things that I want, and when it goes past that, I’m all right with it, too. Not to say that I sometimes get caught up in the moment and buy something that I didn’t really want, but that’s all right.”

“I’d like to go, but I won’t bid on anything. I don’t have any money anyway. Sage told me that it didn’t matter; she’d make sure that I didn’t have to do without, but I’m betting she didn’t mean me going out and spending a great deal of her money either.” The two of them laughed, and he told her what he’d told Sage. Whatever was his is hers, and hers is for her. “That sort of sounds one-sided. I’m sure you don’t mean that.”

“But I do. I love her very much and now that you’re my mother-in-law, that includes you as well in my family.” She blushed brightly but didn’t say anything more. “There is leftover meatloaf if you’d like some of that. I love cold meatloaf sandwiches very much. With bread and butter pickles on them.”

There was just enough for him to have two thick sandwiches and for Leslie to have one. There were chips to go with it and he noticed that she didn’t eat any of them but did enjoy some carrots instead of chips.

“I know so very little about my daughter. Does she still love Mexican food? Does she douse everything down with hot sauce? She used to do that as a child. I don’t know what her favorite color is or even if she went to college.”

“I don’t know that much about her either. You were told that we’re all wolves, weren’t you?” She told him that she’d been told that several times. “Good, then you’ll know that when we find our other half, our mates, it’s forever. And quick. I fell in love with her before I even knew what she was to me. We were just a couple of people who were looking through a house together, this one, and ended up being mates. I would do anything for her.”

“I would as well if I knew what she needed.” Leslie put the dish that she’d been using on the sink. “I’m a little afraid that Albert is going to show up. He will know where she lives, in Ohio, but maybe not…I couldn’t read then, so I couldn’t tell you if the city was put in the ad announcing that you were off the market. I guess you’re a big deal, aren’t you?”

“I’m just a former kindergarten teacher who just decided that I’d rather be home than going to a job every day. I don’t know that I’ll always feel that way but that’s the way I feel right now. Summer is coming up and I find that I want to go on a long vacation with my little family—that would include you as well and have a blast.” She blushed again. “I’ve been all over this world when it was just starting out. I’d like to see things again that I had some help in making.”

“I don’t have a driver’s license, much less something that will allow me to go on long trips like you’re talking about.” She looked at him again. “You’re a nice man, Stone. I’m so glad that my daughter has someone in her life like you. I want her to be happy.”

“I do as well. And you happy as well.” The two of them started for the stairs, and he heard someone closing a door above them. “That would be Sage, going to check on Hailey again. She’s been a mom for less than a day and already acting like she’s been at it forever.”

“Unlike me.” He said that he’d not meant that. “I know you didn’t. But I know that I was a terrible mother and want to make it up to her if she’ll allow it. If not, then as I said, I’ll be her friend. I think that’s what we’ll end up doing anyway. It’s much too late for me to expect her to call on me for motherly advice.”

Stone didn’t get into the bed that he’d been sleeping in the last couple of nights. He wanted to go on a quick run and then take a nice dip in the pool. As he was sneaking out of the house to do just that, someone cleared their throat. It was Sage.

“I couldn’t sleep. I thought that I’d come down here and mellow out.” He said he’d been thinking of going on a run and then a dip in the pool. “Go ahead and go on your run. I will more than likely go upstairs before you return. Storm was telling me that you and your brothers get together about twice a week to go running. I have to admit, I’m sort of jealous that I can’t do that as well.”

“I don’t know if I can change you or not. We’re still looking into that around our family. My parents weren’t shifters when they first met. In fact, my mom was a wolf and my dad a human.” He told her how they’d met and how his dad had saved the pack when he’d sent his mom back to warn the others that poachers were coming. “It turned out well for them and when we were born, we were the first shifters of wolves ever made. The mother of all the earth, Grace, she keeps tabs on us as well. You’ll have to meet her sometime soon.”

“Of course I will.” He told her he was serious. “If it’s all right with you, I’m still boggled about how much money you have. Let’s just let that settle in for a couple of days before we touch on that again.” He laughed and let his wolf take him.

Stone wanted to hang out with Sage and just talk about things, but he wanted her, too, and thought that if he had this run, like the one he’d had before leaving to get her tonight, he’d be able to stave off his need for her again. As it was now, the pool was getting more use than he’d thought it would with her being around him all the time. He was glad now that the heater hadn’t been turned on, and he could enjoy the quick cold sensations when he needed to.

Not only did he find a couple of the pack out on a run but he was able to join them when they were checking out the properties. They had been hired by Edwin and were being paid good money to keep them all safe. With all the money they had, it would be just like some fool to try and kidnap one of them to get his sorry ass killed. And they would die, too.

The sun was coming up when he went back to the house. Almost thinking that the cold dip would pull him from exhaustion, he did get in and swam laps. After getting out, leaving his towel hanging on one of the many hooks that were there, he dressed himself, just in case someone was awake this time in the morning, and he came in through the back door. The kitchen was alive with laughter, and he thought that it was a sound he could get used to.

Even as tired as he was, he still had pancakes with the women in his family. While Leslie made them, by reading her first ingredients to make something, he thought that they were a little light on the sugar. But he was happy with the results as she was an that made his day that it took so little to bring joy to her face.

After taking a shower, he was ready to meet the day. While he had no idea what was in store for him, he was about as ready as he could be when Edwin asked him to testify at the courthouse in the principal case.

“They don’t need you as a witness as the police were able to apprehend him when he shot at you and Sage, but it might be helpful to his state of mind to tell them what had happened before that. And that you quit. He’s telling everyone that he fired you and that you’d forced his hand in having to shoot at you.” He told him that he’d be glad to do that. “However, the auction is the first thing. I heard from Sage and she and Hailey and her mom were going. This will be a good one for them to get their feet wet in because most of it is box lots.”

Box lots, just junked-up boxes, were things that the auctioneer didn’t find of any value and knew that he’d not make a great deal on. Once, when he’d been looking for some glasses for his home, he’d gotten eleven other boxes when all he’d wanted was the one. He’d sold off most of the things to other collectors of junk and was happy that he’d gotten a nice dozen glass glasses for his condo.

They usually showed up early for these things. About half an hour before the bidding was to begin. Since they were all going in separate cars, he was happy when they arrived first. Hailey and her grandma, he supposed, went to look at the box lots of dolls that were being auctioned off.

“You think she’ll be safe on her own?” Stone laughed and said if she wasn’t they’d learn a great lesson in letting a newbie go by themselves. “She and Hailey have a budget for the things that they want. I’m so glad that you sent them that link so that they could go over some of the things before we got here.”

There weren’t many people there when they arrived. He saw the usual people, ones that had shops that they’d buy junk for. There were also collectables that they’d spend a great deal of money at. He’d never been in any of their shops, but they had to be doing good if they were able to spend asmuch as it seemed they were buying.

He had to remind himself that he didn’t need anything for his classroom. A few of the parents that were at the auction talked to him about being fired. After explaining what had happened, about the shooting, too, they were applauded by the things that had transpired. It was different than the other man was telling anyone who came to see him.

When the bidding was ready to start, Hailey and Leslie came to join them. He had his eye on a couple of things for the back yard, and he thought that the things that were for swimming, life jackets, and the such would be perfect to have around if the other kids joined them in the pool.

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