COLE

T he knife slipped in my grasp, my sweaty palms making it hard to dice the onions for the baked potatoes.

According to Avery, it was Ashton’s favorite, and by God, I was going to make sure this dinner was perfect.

I’d already gotten the cheese, sour cream, and butter dished out in small serving bowls, and bacon was frying in the pan to crumble over the potatoes.

I couldn’t think of anything else someone might like on them.

“I’m back,” Trent said as he entered the kitchen, hauling in a few grocery bags.

“Did you get everything?” I asked, and even I could hear the stress and worry in my voice.

Trent put the bags down and looked at me. “Dude, chill.” He nodded at the cutting board. “Before you cut your fingers off.”

I set the knife down and nodded to myself. I was a nervous wreck. He was right. The last thing I needed was for me to be some neurotic mess when Avery and Ashton showed up.

I took a breath. “Sorry. I’m good. Did you get everything, though?”

Trent pulled out a few vacuum-sealed meat packages. “Biggest filets they had. They’re like twelve ounces each. Shit was expensive, so I hope you’re cool with it. Your card’s gonna have a fat-ass charge on it.”

“What about the shrimp? Did they have fresh, or did you have to get frozen?” I’d decided to splurge and add a second protein to the meal, hoping it would impress them.

He pulled out another bag. “Fresh jumbo tiger shrimp. Did Avery say how the kid likes them? Sautéed? Fried? Boiled?”

I stared at Trent, sudden and overwhelming panic filling me again. “Fuck. I never asked. This was a surprise, so we never discussed the shrimp.”

“Text her and find out,” he said, handing me my credit card.

“I can’t do that,” I said, gaping at him like he’d gone mad.

Trent stared back at me. “Why?”

Chewing my bottom lip, I thought about that. There wasn’t a good reason, but somehow it felt like I’d have already failed if I started firing off texts to her about a dish she hadn’t even asked for, bugging her before they even got here.

“I just can’t, okay?” I said. “Screw it. We’ll sauté them. Everyone likes stuff cooked in butter, garlic, and wine, right?”

“I do,” Trent said with a shrug. “When are they gonna be here, anyway? You’ve been freaking out all day.”

A quick glance at the clock above the stove sent another tremor of worry through me. “Five. We’ve got about an hour to go.”

“Plenty of time,” Trent said, and tossed the meat into the fridge.

“Grab the stuff for the salad, can you?” I asked.

He nodded and pulled out the items.

I’d decided we needed something green to eat, too. Part of me thought it may have been some sort of test from Avery. She hadn’t said anything about it, but maybe she was trying to see if I knew kids needed a balanced meal. Maybe ? Either way, a salad couldn’t hurt.

“How do you feel, bro? I mean really ?” Trent asked as he started chopping lettuce.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know how to describe all this. What should I say to Ashton? When I first meet him, I mean.”

“What would you say to any kid you meet?”

“He’s not really a kid, though. He’s fourteen. Not only that, he’s not any kid—he’s my kid. All he knows is that his mom has raised him on her own. For all he knows, I’m some fucking deadbeat who wants to horn in now that most of the hard stuff is over.”

Trent put his knife down and cocked an eyebrow. “You think this kid’s gonna be pissed you didn’t change any of his diapers or potty-train him?”

I sighed. “You know what I mean, dammit.”

“Look,” Trent said, turning around to lean on the counter. “Avery said Ashton wanted to stay and get to know you. That sounds to me like he hasn’t made up his mind about you yet. If he thought you were some dickhead, he’d have chosen to leave. You gotta look on the bright side.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I said. “Still, I can’t imagine what’s going through his head. So much going on all at once.”

“Has he shifted yet?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “From the way Avery talked, he’s hitting puberty, but he’s not fully through it yet. He’s got to be close, though. That’s awful. You know what those years are like leading up to your first shift.”

Trent let out a whistle. “Shit. I didn’t think about that. He had no one to really guide him through that, did he?”

“No. Not that Avery said. Of course, she didn’t say a lot,” I admitted. “Maybe I can get more information tonight.”

“Is he an alpha?” Trent asked.

“Pretty sure,” I said. “It was hard to really catch his scent with Avery right there. My wolf was going crazy seeing her again, so I couldn’t dial my senses in. But he has the look. Big kid, strong-looking. Sort of had that aura about him, you know.”

“Then it’s gonna be even more rough,” Trent said. “Remember what your unruly ass was like at that age? Before you shifted?”

Alphas were known to be more of a handful as they approached their first shift. I’d been no exception. My parents had gone through hell with me, and they’d known what to expect. I could only imagine what Avery was going through.

“Yeah,” I muttered. “It’s gotta be hard on her.”

For a few seconds, I stared into space while Trent tossed the salad in a large bowl. In a low voice, I asked, “Do you think he’s gonna like me?”

My best friend stopped and glanced at me. “I mean, you’re ugly as shit, but you’re not a bad guy. Hopefully, the kid can look past that.”

A laugh burst out of my mouth. “You asshole. For that, you get to cook the steaks.”

“Fuck off. Of course I’m cooking the steaks. I’ve seen the shoe leather you make when you’re in charge of the grill.”

The doorbell rang, the dull electric bong making me tense up. Trent’s eyes went wide.

“I thought you said we had an hour?” he hissed.

“They’re early,” I growled.

Trent snorted. “She is testing you.”

“Shut the fuck up and go turn the grill on, dammit.”

“I gotta season the steaks first,” he replied. “It’s fine. We can all chat and reacquaint ourselves.”

“Come on.” I sighed and headed for the door.

The first thing I noticed when I opened it was how gorgeous Avery was. Unlike yesterday, her hair was done, and she’d applied a little makeup. It accentuated her natural beauty without overshadowing it. She was amazing.

The second thing I noticed was Ashton standing awkwardly behind his mother. He was definitely an alpha. I could sense it now. I smiled at him, and he averted his gaze, glancing down at his shoes.

My wolf was thrashing about in glee. Being this close to my fated mate and my child sent him into giddy hysterics. It was all I could do to concentrate.

“We came a little early,” Avery said. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Totally fine,” I lied. “Come on in. Uh, there’s actually an old friend here who wants to see you.”

Avery stiffened, and I kicked myself. She probably thought I was talking about Farrah, that I hadn’t kept my word. Thankfully, Trent stepped around the door and grinned at her.

“Hey, Avery. Long time no see,” he said.

Her eyes went wide, a smile spreading across her lips at the sight of him. He’d been away doing some sort of special forces/black ops shit when all the bad stuff between us happened, so the only memories she had of Trent were good ones.

“Trenton?” She gasped in delight. “I haven’t seen you in, what, seventeen years?”

“Eighteen, but who’s counting?”

She stepped in and gave Trent a quick hug. I waved Ashton inside.

“Come on in, buddy,” I said, putting my hand out. “I’m Cole Garrett.”

“Hey,” he mumbled, giving my hand a firm shake. “Ashton Carlisle. You can, uh, you can call me Ash if you want.”

Unable to help myself, a goofy grin spread across my lips. “Ash. Okay, then. I hope you guys are hungry.”

“Starving,” Avery said.

“Trent was getting ready to put the steaks on the grill,” I said. “I invited him over for dinner. I thought it might, uh—” I glanced between Ashton and Avery “—make it a little less awkward with someone else here for conversation.”

“That’s great,” Avery said, though her smile seemed a bit forced. “We can all get to know each other again.”

“You guys can have a seat in the living room if you want while me and my trusty assistant here finish dinner,” I said. “There’s a ball game on the TV to watch if you want.”

Ashton’s eyes lit up a bit. “Basketball?”

“Yeah, actually,” I said. “Do you like basketball?”

He grinned. “I do. I play. Well, I used to. Back home. I mean, our old home, I guess.” The grin faded as fast as it had appeared, and he looked away from me.

He had his guard up. I would be the same way in his position. He’d been uprooted from wherever they’d lived before, leaving behind friends and a school, and now he was meeting his father for the first time. Who wouldn’t have their guard up?

“I’ll go season the steaks and throw them on the grill,” Trent said, walking to the kitchen counter.

I pointed out the salad bowl and the mounds of bacon for the baked potatoes. “Potatoes are already in the oven, should be ready any minute. How’s it look?”

Avery nodded and gave me a vague smile. “Looks great.”

“You guys have a seat, and I’ll start sautéing the shrimp,” I said. “I got those special to add a little something to the meal.”

“Shrimp?” Avery and Ashton said in unison. They both looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

Trent froze, a salt shaker in his hand over the steaks.

“Yeah,” I said. “I thought it would be nice to have some more protein.” I swallowed. “For the growing boy. You know?” I nodded toward Ashton, suddenly worried by the tone in Avery’s voice.

“Cole, Ashton has a shellfish allergy. He can’t have that.”

“Uh, I’m gonna get the steaks on the grill,” Trent said, and scurried away with the plate of raw steaks.

Shit .

“Avery, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” I said, feeling like I was sinking in quicksand. “I’m an idiot. I should have asked if there were any allergies to worry about. I’m sorry.”