Page 18

AVERY

I didn’t know what exactly Cole and Ashton had been doing together the last few days, but the change in Ash’s demeanor was undeniable.

As I sat at the kitchen table, reading the news on my laptop, Ashton pulled a pack of Pop-Tarts out of the pantry.

He had a different bounce to his step. He seemed more alive, more excited by life, than he had the last several months.

The only thing that could be causing it was Cole.

“What’s the plan for today?” I asked.

He glanced back at me as he poured himself a glass of milk. “Not sure. I think we’re gonna do some more training.” He shrugged. “Not sure how to explain it. It’s like getting your mind ready to be a shifter, I guess?” He grinned. “It’s really cool.”

I smiled. “That’s great. When are you guys leaving?”

“Cole’s picking me up in an hour, I think.”

“Okay, that’s fine. I’m leaving now. Stormy and I are having breakfast at Hattie’s, the restaurant near downtown.”

“I saw it when Cole gave me a tour the other day,” he said. “Let me know if it’s good, and we can go sometime.”

“Are you offering to take your old maid of a mother on a date, mister?”

“Oh my gosh.” He rolled his eyes. “No. Besides, you’ve got the money, so technically you would be taking me on a date.”

“Fair enough. It was great back when I was younger, so fingers crossed it’s still good.” I stood and grabbed my purse. “You’re good if I go?”

He took a massive bite of his Pop-Tart. “Yeah. I’m not some little kid. I’ll be fine.”

Ashton picked up his phone and started as he stuffed more of the Pop-Tart in his mouth.

He didn’t see my smile slowly vanishing.

He was right. He wasn’t a little boy anymore.

He was growing into a man. Yet, I could still remember his tiny legs wobbling as he toddled toward me for his first steps, the tears in his eyes when he’d pulled out his first tooth, then the excitement in those same eyes when I told him about the tooth fairy.

Those years from baby to toddler to preschooler always felt like centuries.

A constant uphill battle toward Ashton’s self-dependence, with small victories I always looked forward to—sleeping through the night, eating solid food, walking, potty-training.

In some ways, it had seemed like it would never end, yet here I was, staring at this huge, beautiful kid who wouldn’t need me much longer.

I yearned for one more day when he was small enough to cradle in my arms and sleep against me.

Tears stung my eyes, and I turned around in case Ashton saw.

“Have fun,” I managed as I opened the mudroom door.

“Okay,” he said. “Bring back leftovers if you have any.”

“Sure thing.” I stepped into the mudroom and pulled the door closed behind me, then leaned against it, letting myself wallow in nostalgia for a moment before getting into my car.

You couldn’t look back in time—it was pointless. The only thing it was good for was reliving old memories. The future was what was most important, and Ashton’s future was even more important than mine.

At Hattie’s, Stormy had reserved us a two-top by one of the windows overlooking Harbor Lake.

The place was exactly as I remembered it.

As soon as I stepped in, the smell of breakfast assaulted my senses.

Honestly, the walls and ceiling probably had a thin layer of bacon grease after the thousands of pounds of food that had been cooked here over the years.

Stormy waved me over as I stepped through the entryway. Joining her, I noticed Shiloh was nowhere to be seen.

“Your mom watching the baby?” I asked as I sat.

Stormy smiled and raised a glass. “Indeed. We get to have a little grown-up lady time. Want a mimosa?”

I chuckled and nodded. “Sure.”

After flagging down the waiter and putting in my drink order, I perused the menu.

It was almost exactly the same as it had been back in high school, though I did notice a small section of low-carb and keto-friendly items in the bottom corner, as well as a few vegan options that had never been there before.

It appeared the outside world was able to penetrate Harbor Mills after all.

“Well?” Stormy said, peering at me over her mimosa.

“Well, what?”

“How’s it going with Ashton and Cole?”

“Oh.” I put the menu down and leaned back in the chair. “I think it’s actually going really well, honestly.”

“So, Cole is really taking to the whole Dad thing?”

I smiled a little. “I don’t think we’d go so far as calling him a dad yet, but since he’s been mentoring Ash, there’s been a day and night change.

Ashton has always been a happy-go-lucky kid, you know?

But things have been different since he hit puberty.

He’s sullen and quiet a lot of the time.

Sometimes there’d be flashes of his old self, but for the most part, I could see how lost he was. ”

Stormy set her glass down. “I know it’s been rough, but he’s a really good kid. Maybe he needed a change of scenery.”

“That’s it, too. I think coming back to Harbor Mills was the best thing I could have done for him.

Even without Cole, being near his pack—his actual pack—has calmed him.

I’m sure getting to meet some of the kids has helped.

Cole took him to the park the other day, and he played ball with some of the other pack kids. ”

The server came to take our food order, and although I tried to talk myself into a vegetarian egg-white omelet, I decided to go for broke and ordered a plate of biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon and scrambled eggs.

“So, back to Mr. Tall, Dark, and Runs Away?” Stormy said when the server left.

I chuckled. It was funny and not funny at the same time. “Cole’s been great,” I said. “I already said that.”

“I’m not talking about how he’s doing with Ashton,” Stormy said. “I mean, how has it been interacting with him again?”

“Oh.” That was a more interesting question.

“I’m thankful he’s taking such good care of Ashton, so that’s helped us have a cordial relationship.

It’s like he really cares about doing the right thing, which is a nice change based on the past.” I thought for a moment.

“He’s polite and respectful and always asks for my opinion on things.

We’ve had a few short conversations while Ashton was getting ready.

Cole’s really nice, same as back in the day, but that’s all it’s been.

A few words here and there, nothing more. ”

“Uh-huh,” Stormy said, eyeing me speculatively.

“What’s that mean?”

Stormy leaned forward. “I see that look you get in your eye when you talk about him.”

“What look?” I frowned. “There’s no look. I’d know if I had a look.”

“Sure.” She smirked. “All I’m saying is, you need to be careful. Don’t get too close. I don’t want you getting hurt again.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “We barely speak. He’s not trying to get back in my good graces or anything. He’s solely focused on Ashton.”

I conveniently left out Cole telling me he still cared for me. I didn’t want to see that I told you so look on Stormy’s face.

“Actually,” I added, “the longest conversation we had was about Ashton. He told me about the training they were doing to get him ready to shift. The full moon is in a few weeks, and Cole thinks that’s most likely when Ashton’s first shift will happen.

He didn’t flirt or compliment me or anything—it was all business.

He told me to prepare myself for some more mood changes as the full moon gets closer.

Said I would know what to look for since I’d been there for his first shift all those years ago. ”

“What was that like?” Stormy asked as she cut into her pancakes. “Cole’s first shift? I’ve never seen a first shift happen before.”

I swallowed a bite. “It was kind of rough, to be honest, so I’m not entirely looking forward to it with Ashton.

Cole was moody. Easy to anger and lash out.

You know those stories you hear about bodybuilders having ’roid rage?

That’s what it reminded me of. Worse than that, he seemed uncomfortable in his skin, like he literally wanted to rip out of his body, which I suppose is kind of true, really.

“It’s good that I have that experience. I won’t be shocked when it happens to Ashton. There’s no way of knowing when the first shift will happen—it could happen the night of the full moon, the afternoon before, or even a few days after. I’ll be ready to help him whenever it begins.”

Stormy reached across the table and put her hand on mine.

“Avery, you’re still circling back to Ashton.

I love that little shithead like he’s my own, but I’m trying to see what’s going on in your head about Cole.

Have you changed how you think of him since you’ve been back?

And please, for the love of God, don’t say something about how much fun Ashton has with him.

I’m a parent, too—I know your life takes a backseat to your kid’s, I really do—but how do you feel about him? ”

Did I tell her that being around him had stirred up some old feelings?

Did I want that out in the open? Part of me thought if I didn’t mention it or think about it for too long, then I could eventually forget about it.

Maybe shove my emotions into some dark corner of my mind, never to be seen again.

“It is a bit surreal,” I finally said. “Kinda like I’ve gone back in time. That’s been the weirdest thing about being around him after all this time. It’s like I’m twenty again.”

Stormy cocked her eyebrow. “Real talk. Is he still hot?”

I almost choked on my bacon. “Are you serious right now?”

“Of course,” Stormy said. “If he’s still all broody handsome and six-pack abs like back in the day, it’s gonna be harder for you to keep your pants on around him.”