Page 77 of Married into the Mob
“Glad we’re past all that, and we’re not going back.”
TWENTY-NINE
HUNTER
“Considering Stan has lost his wife, and his relationship with you is shaky at best, he's living a pretty good life out here.”
I turned onto the property that belonged to the pack. Small cabins were scattered around the extensive piece of land, and it was where we did our full-moon runs, pack members could vacation in the cabins, Lottie was born here, and blood had been spilled.
Now it was where Stan had been banished.
But unlike if my banishment hadn’t been repealed, Odell’s uncle was free from the pressures of modern life. His medical needs were taken care of, and despite his missing fingers and walking with a cane, he’d created a small garden and spent his days pottering outside, reading, or watching TV.
He’d never completely restore the relationship he had with Odell, and Louisa had filed for divorce. I’d only seen him a couple of times, but he seemed okay other than being burdened with guilt about what he’d done to my mate.
“Uncle must like it here,” Odell observed.
As he got out of the car, the breeze picked up. He’d started wearing paternity shirts, and the wind accentuated his tinybump. Now that he was pregnant, he didn’t come with me on retrievals. We both agreed on that. He was in our company head office during the day and still helped out at the club in the evenings, though late nights were out of the question.
Mixed emotions stirred in me when I thought about becoming a father.
I adored my mate and was overjoyed at him carrying our child. But I thought back to Papa whose life had been cut short and wondered whether it was irresponsible bringing a child into the world when my life was fraught with danger.
“I can hear you thinking, Hunter,” he sing-songed.
“No, you can’t,” I replied in the same tone.
“Parenting 101 states that dads and mums and anyone who assumes the role of a parent will always question themselves and carry guilt about whether they will do or are doing a good job.”
“How come you have this all figured out?”
“I don’t, far from it. But this baby inside me says I’m doing okay and so will you.”
Stan gave us a hesitant wave from his porch, his eyes on Odell. After greeting him, I removed a box from the car and placed it near the door.
The guards had taken Stan back to the old apartment in the days after we captured Stefan. He’d gathered his clothes and little else. Louisa and Odell had returned just before our wedding, keeping paperwork and a few mementos. But there was a file folder of Stan’s he had forgotten, so it’d been placed in a box and stored in our garage.
We’d never gotten around to giving it to him until now. Not that he appeared to have missed it.
“Thanks. They’re the letters from my former company, the insurance people and lawyers. Ugh.” He shook his head as if he didn’t want to be reminded of the past. “Look at you. You’re blossoming.”
Odell outstretched his hand, but as their fingers touched, he pulled back. They were still cautious around one another. They reminded me of boxers “circling out,” involving fancy footwork and keeping a distance before trying to pound the other guy’s face.
“I have orange juice if you’d like some.”
I waited for Odell. This was his decision, and we’d only planned a short visit.
“Sure.”
Neither my mate nor his uncle had spoken of what happened with Draven and Stefan other than muttered apologies. It didn’t matter to the pack, as we’d found out what we needed from Stefan himself and filled in a few blanks.
But for Odell’s sake, he needed to hear from Stan about his actions that led to Draven dragging my mate to City Hall. But if it was going to happen, they should be alone. I’d offered to go and chat to the guards, but Odell, who'd just recovered from morning sickness, asked me to stay, saying he wasn’t ready.
Pregnancy hormones had Odell, my Dellie, crying when we watched rom-coms, howling at dog food and baby diaper advertisements, and weeping when reading and rereading his favorite authors. I figured when he and Stan did have a heart-to-heart, I should be nearby.
So I wasn’t expecting my mate to bring up the subject. Not today.
“Uncle, what you did hurts me so bad,” Odell blurted out. “And I need to understand why. Maybe after the baby comes. Being pregnant, my emotions see-saw from one minute to another.”
