Page 48 of Cruel Alpha Beast
I want to tell him that I didn’tgetSawyer to do anything—quite the opposite, actually—but there are more important things to say right now.
“Sir, my daughter, Shea,” I start, looking down at the sweet little girl I would lay my life down for, “is your granddaughter.”
Right before my eyes, Lucas’s look of annoyance softens into one of complete shock. “Sorry, what did you say?”
I lean over and pick Shea up, resting her on my hip. “Lucas, meet your grandchild.”
Shea holds tight to me, feeling shy in the face of this new stranger. I give her an encouraging smile, and she finally looks at Lucas.
The older man’s eyebrows drift further up his forehead, his mouth slowly hanging open. Tears brim in his eyes as he recognizes just how familiar Shea is to him. He leans forward, giving her a friendly smile as soon as his initial surprise starts to wear off.
“Hi, Shea,” Lucas says in a kind voice.
“Hi,” she echoes back to him.
“I’m your grandfather,” he says, as if he’s trying to get used to a new word.
I set Shea back on the ground and crouched down before her. “Okay, sweetheart, I need you to show me how brave you are.”
Shea immediately puts her fists on her hips, like a superhero, and puffs out her chest.
“Perfect,” I tell her. “I want you to be brave and play with Grandpa today while Mommy and Daddy are out…doing errands.”
Shea looks at Lucas, a little less afraid of him now.
“I promise he’sverynice,” I say, although that wasn’t my experience, necessarily. “And he’s going to take very good care of you, okay?”
“Okay,” she warbles back.
“I’ll come to pick you up as soon as I can, okay?”
Shea nods.
“I bet you’re going to have so much fun. You’re not even going to want me to bring you home,” I challenge her.
“I don’t have any T-O-Y-S,” Lucas says under his breath.
“That’s alright,” I assure him. “She loves to be read to, and she loves coloring. Trust me, once she warms up to you a little more, she’ll be entertainingyou.”
Lucas nods his head.
“Okay, sweetie, Mommy loves you,” I tell Shea, giving her the biggest hug of my life.
“Shea loves you, Mommy,” she replies.
“You be good for Grandpa,” I tell her.
“I will!” she chirps.
I stand up and gently coax her through the doorway, then I go to turn around, but before I can do that, Lucas puts his hand on my shoulder. I look him in the face, not expecting him to look quite as emotional as he does.
It’s like his eyes are saying he’s sorry.
I nod back to him, his half-hearted apology half-heartedly accepted, and then I hurry toward the outskirts of town.
***
When I reach the lakeside, Danielle and Monroe are whispering to each other while Sawyer, Jasper, and Ellis do the same. Greg, in the meantime, is sitting on the ground, staring out at the water.
