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“Your parents didn’t react at all. Just sat there, pretending everything was normal. I did my best to not react, either. I didn’t want to make Taylor feel bad about what she’d done—she can’t help what she is, after all—but Nathan can’t get over it. He’s been asking all these questions.”
“Do you think he’s going to try to expose the existence of shifters?” asked Lucas.
“No, no, he promised he won’t tell anyone, because who would believe him?” She gave a ragged little laugh. “Thank God he was too shocked to pull out his phone and film her!”
“Oh, Christ, that would have been a fucking nightmare,” Lucas agreed. “Look, Emily, I’m sorry this happened. But I’m working undercover on the other side of the state, and can’t leave right now.”
“Of course, you can’t!” She blew her nose. “You never made time for us while we were married, why would that change now, when we’re divorced?”
Ouch.He sighed. “Look, I promise that I’ll come home as soon as I can. I’m really close to wrapping up this investigation, so it shouldn’t be more than a couple of days. In the meanwhile, get my dad to help you talk Nathan off the ledge, okay?”
“O-okay. Dave’s good with people. And Nathan likes him.”
Lucas relaxed. Crisis over…for now, anyway.
“Oh, there’s one more thing I wanted to ask you. A big favor.” Emily hesitated.
Lucas braced himself. “What kind of favor?”
“You know I’m trying to make partner in the firm, and well, my workload has gone up like crazy this summer,” Emily began. “Can I change my time with the girls from every second weekend to every fourth weekend? Please?”
How can Emily be so selfish?Lucas felt a flash of protective anger. The girls loved their mom, and eagerly looked forward to their weekends with her. There would be tears, that was for sure.
Then Lucas realized that he had an opening here.
“Actually,” he answered, “I wanted to talk to you about formally updating our parenting plan with the court. I’ve met someone. It’s serious, and I want to relocate to be closer to her.”
“Are you planning to move out of state?” Emily asked warily.
“Nope,” Lucas assured her. “I’ll be living in Bearpaw Ridge, a small town in Lemhi County. Thing is, it’s a shifter town. I thought it might do Taylor and Savannah a world of good if they could grow up with other kids like them.”
“Oh.” There was a lengthy silence. Lucas tried not to fret. Finally, she said, “I don’t see why not. As long as I can see them once in a while.”
He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “You can see them as often as you like,” he told her. “The girls really enjoy their weekends with you.”
“And this someone,” Emily asked. “Is she a shifter?”
“Yeah,” he said. “We’re engaged.” It was easier than trying to explain a mating bond to his ex-wife. She had never wanted to talk about his shifter side, so he’d never explained much about the ways that shifters differed from Ordinary humans.
“Congratulations, Lucas. I’m happy that you finally found someone.” Emily sounded sincere. “I was worried that you weren’t dating, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Thanks. Was there anything else? I’m supposed to be reading the girls their bedtime story right now.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I already took care of it,” Emily assured him. “Since Nathan and I were here, anyway. I put them both to bed and read them that story about the baby bear.”
“Can I say goodnight to them?”
“They’re already asleep.” Emily’s voice took on a pleading note. “It took me forever to get Taylor calmed down after she changed back to human, and Savannah was crying, too, by that time, so it was all pretty chaotic for a while.” She sighed. “Please come home, Lucas. The girls miss you like crazy, and I can’t handle stuff like this alone.”
You never could, he thought with a pang.
“I’ll do my best,” he promised. “In the meantime, if you don’t feel comfortable having Nathan and Taylor in the same room, ask my parents if they can babysit for another few days. Call me if anything else happens.”
He ended the call feeling stressed about this new complication, and resentful about not being able to talk to Taylor and Savannah tonight.
He brushed his teeth, got his things together for tomorrow’s hunting trip, then went over Malia’s cabin.
As promised, his mate was waiting for him in bed. Naked.
