Page 6 of Daddy Wolf’s Secret Baby (Fated To The Wolf #10)

5

Zahra

“ T ime for bed,” Zahra said.

“Mom, do I have to? I’m still wide awake.”

“Yes, you have to. We’re going to get you registered for school tomorrow.”

“Yay! I love school.” Then, he frowned. “All my friends are in St. Theresa. I don’t know anyone here.”

“I’m sure you’ll make a lot of friends here. Maybe even on the first day.”

“I hope so,” he said.

They read a couple chapters out of the Rick Riordan book, House of Hades , and then she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“I really like…Dad.”

“I’m glad. He’s a good man, and he really likes you, too.”

“Are we going to live together as a family?”

Zahra smiled wryly and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. “I’m sorry, Son, but that’s not in the cards. Your father doesn’t love me like that. However, we will make sure that you can see him whenever you want to.”

“Will I be able to spend the night with him?”

“Absolutely. We just have to make sure the time works for both of you.”

Jace was quiet for a second, and she could see his gears turning. “Would I be able to stay with him on a school night?”

“As long as he made sure that you were in bed on time and up and fed on time in the morning.” She grinned at him. “Don’t think that you’re going to be able to stay up all night and then be tired for school.”

“Why would I think that?” His eyes were wide and he was trying to pull the innocent act on her.

“Because I know you. You are a little booger sometimes.”

“Who me? I don’t know what you mean.”

She laughed. “Get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.”

Isobel was waiting on the couch for her with a glass of wine.

“Thanks. I needed this. I feel like this week has been a whirlwind, and I haven’t had a second to catch my breath.”

“You’re doing a great job with all of this. I’m proud of you.”

“I think it’s easier for both me and Josiah because neither of us is expected to go through a mating ceremony like we would if I just found out I was pregnant. There’s no point in closing the barn door after the horses get out. Just because we aren’t a couple doesn’t mean that we can work together to give Jace the best life and show him how much we both love him.”

“You still love him, don’t you? I heard you tell Jace that you couldn’t live together because Josiah doesn’t love you that way.”

Zahra shrugged. “I’ve never stopped loving him, but I haven’t been around him for eleven years. He’s not the same man he was and I’m different, too. What I do know is that his scent has haunted me since that night.”

“Fated mates.”

“That’s what they say, but who knows? Maybe something will happen between us and Jace will bring us together and maybe not. I’m not going to count on it. I’ll just keep on keeping on.”

“You’ve done a good job of that so far. Even though your father and I didn’t approve of your decision at the time, we’re still proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

The alarm rang way too early the next morning. Jace was already awake and was sitting in the kitchen with a book, calmly waiting for someone to make him breakfast.

“I was excited. I couldn’t sleep.”

She tousled his hair. “I understand. I loved school, too.”

They were in the office registering Jace when a young man walked in. He looked at Jace speculatively and said, “You’re the Alpha’s nephew. I’m Sam.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam.”

The receptionist smiled. “Jace, you are going to be in Sam’s class. Sam is an awesome student, and I’m sure that he’ll be happy to show you around.”

Zahra bent down and whispered in Jace’s ear, “I told you so.”

He grinned and the two boys walked to their classroom.

Checking her watch, she winced. She had a job interview with Watson’s and William’s Accounting to get to and she would be late if she didn’t hurry. She breathed a sigh of relief when she pulled into the parking lot with eight minutes to spare.

Jeff Watson and Corinne Williams seemed to be very nice. They asked her why she came back to Angel’s Creek, which she explained. They asked her all of the routine questions and mentioned that she came very highly recommended from her last employer.

“We understand that you’ll want to go with your mother when she gets her treatments. We’re happy to work around your schedule with her and your son. You can even do a large part of this job remotely. You’d just have to come in for company and client meetings,” Watson said. “As you noted, this position starts off at sixty-five a year with full benes, starting after the first thirty days.”

“That sounds perfect,” Zahra said, beaming.

That was a little more than what she had been making in Missouri, even though she had been with that company for six years.

“When can you start?”

“Tomorrow.”

They shook hands on it. She headed to a local diner to meet her mother’s best friend. They had a small, two-bedroom house for rent that was two doors down from her parents’ place. She signed the papers, gave them the deposit, first month’s rent, and last month’s rent.

Zahra returned to her parents’ place just as the movers came.

“Can you take it to that house?” she asked, pointing.

“Sure, thing, ma’am.”

“What’s going on?” Isobel asked, hurrying out of the house.

“I just rented that place a couple of houses down.”

“You know we want you and Jace to stay here.”

“I do know that, but as much as I love you and Dad, I can’t live with you. We would end up getting on each other’s nerves and driving each other crazy – especially Dad and me.”

Isobel sighed. “True enough.”

She hugged her mother. “Don’t worry. I imagine we’ll see each other every day.”

Smiling, her mother seemed to brighten up.

Zahra left her car in her parents’ driveway and ran to her new place. She quickly toured the quaint house. Although she had rented it sight unseen, she had been confident that it would be a nice home because her mother’s friend was a very fastidious woman and everything had to be perfect. Zahra’s confidence was well-placed.

She showed the men where they could unload the boxes and furniture. They finished just in time for her to pick up Jace.

“We have our own place.”

“Why can’t we live with Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Because I’m all grown up, and you and I need to have our own place. Besides, you just want to stay with them because they spoil you.”

“Maybe.” He smirked.

They spent the rest of the evening moving their belongings from Isobel’s and John’s house to their own and unpacking. Jace talked nonstop about all the new friends he made, his terrific teacher, and how much he really liked the school.

“I miss my friends in St. Theresa, but I’m glad I have new ones.”

She hugged him. “Me, too.”

Isobel and John took them out for Mexican food. Zahra was grateful. The day had been crazy. She had been running since her feet hit the ground that morning.

That evening, after Jace was snug in bed, Zahra called Emma.

Emma asked her how her mother and Jace were and how she was adjusting to life back home.

“Is it true that you can’t go back home?” Emma asked.

“Yes and no. Nothing has changed here. The people are the same and the stores are the same. I’ve changed some, though. I left when I was still basically a child. Now, I have a child of my own, which makes me see the place in a new light.”

“What about Josiah?”

Zahra sighed. “That hasn’t changed a whole lot. The little girl in me is still in love with him. He’s a bit miffed with me for not telling him about Jace, but once he gets over that, we’ll do well co-parenting.”

“Is that all you want? Will you be satisfied with that?” Emma asked.

“Honestly, no. However, my pragmatic brain tells me that I have to get to know who he is before I can say I love him. Unfortunately, the romantic side of my brain says that he’s my fated mate because, even after all these years, I can still smell his scent.”

“The world doesn’t always make sense,” Emma said. “Two people can be fated mates and not be able to stand the sight of each other. Eventually, though, everything works out. Keep the faith.”

“I’m afraid to. I don’t want to have false hope. Anyway, how are things going there?”

“Okay. I think Mom is having withdrawals from you and Jace. You know she helped you raise him so far, so she thinks of him as her baby, too.”

“I know. You guys can come visit any time. Maybe we can come that way. Jace misses his old friends.”

Emma groaned. “I wouldn’t for a while. Elias has been asking everyone if they know where you went. He came to my and Mom’s house personally and grilled us. We told him that you simply disappeared in the middle of the night and didn’t even say goodbye.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your place to be sorry. This isn’t on you. He’s the one being the ass. I suggest that you get a different phone, though, so he can’t track yours, even though I’m pretty sure it won’t take him long to find you. Elias doesn’t like to be told ‘no.’ I’m pretty sure that Gentry spoiled him way too much.”

“I think so, too. You’re right that it won’t take him long to find us, though. He knows what wolf shifter pack I belong to. I’ll change phones anyway and text you my number.”

“Sounds good. Hug and kiss my baby boy for me. Take care of yourself.”

“I will. Be safe. Love ya.”

Zahra leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes for a minute. She hated the fact that Elias was harassing Emma and Ruthie. She was certain that Emma had understated how much Elias harassed her.

The next morning, after she dropped Jace off at school and before she reported to work, she went to the ceremonial hall to talk to Zac about the problem. He was her big brother and Alpha of the pack.

“I’m sorry to cause trouble here. I don’t think it’s a matter of if Elias, or at least his goons, are going to show up. It’s a matter of when. I haven’t said anything to Mom and Dad, because I don’t want to worry them.”

“This isn’t your fault. Olivia had a similar problem when she first came to Angel’s Creek. Her ex-fiancé wanted to kill her because of some stupid prophecy from a witch. We protect our own.”

They ran out and he bought her a new phone with the number listed under his name. Both of them knew that this might only delay the inevitable, but it was worth the chance that maybe Elias would give up and chase someone else if Zahra proved to be a little bit of a challenge.

She sent her new number to her parents, Jace’s school, her work, Josiah, and Emma.

Her first day at work was mostly paperwork, catching up on the company’s policies, and learning their software. Everyone was exceedingly kind, and she was happy when she left to pick up Jace from school.

He just slid into the car when Josiah texted her, inviting them over to his place for grilled hamburgers, mac and cheese, and baked beans.

“Can we, Mom?”

“Of course. I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner, anyway.”

They went home so Jace could change and they could pick up some Uno cards.

The evening was terrific. Josiah won the first game, which made Jace even more determined to beat his father. The competition was fierce, and Zahra watched the competition play out with a grin. She sat back and played her cards while the two males hashed it out.

Jace won the next two games and was very satisfied when Josiah declared him the king of the cards.

Josiah showed them the room he was making into Jace’s bedroom. Jace gave him some pointers, which Josiah took very seriously.

The young man was bouncing with energy and excitement as they drove home.

“Did your father slip you some sugar or caffeine without me noticing?”

“Nope. I’m just really happy. Moving here was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I’m so glad, Honey.”

When she lay down, she smiled when she thought of their evening. Josiah and Jace were quickly forming a tight bond. She was able to spend time with Josiah and was happy to see that he was an amazing man and father.

There was still a little ache in her heart. She had always told herself that she should be happy because she had a little piece of Josiah in her heart because of Jace. Now, it just wasn’t enough. She wanted the man.