Page 3 of Wolves’ Midlife Reunion (Shifter Nation: Enchanted Over Forty #3)

I was happy to see her. It’d been a long time.

Almost twenty-five years, to be exact. Having a child made time speed by, but getting the invitation to the reunion had made him realize that it’d already been flying by.

How could it have been that long since he’d graduated?

How could it have been so many years since…

well, he didn’t want to think about all of that.

But you went to school with Hayden, and you don’t smile at him like that, Sage persisted. She paused, letting Dex go ahead of her so she could nip at the tip of his tail.

He yanked it out of her grasp, flicking it aside as she tried once again. I never lost touch with Hayden, he justified. He and I have kept our friendship going even though we’re out of school. It was different with Tina.

She leaped up, missed his tail, and slammed her paws into his rump. When Sage hit the ground, her feet didn’t quite land, and she stumbled. None of this slowed her down, though. Because she’s pretty?

Sage didn’t understand what a difficult conversation this was for him.

Yes, because Tina was pretty. Yes, because it’d been a very long time since he’d seen her.

And yes, for some other reasons that Sage wasn’t really quite old enough to understand.

Tina had made Dex’s wolf react so harshly inside him that he’d barely been able to keep control of himself.

He hadn’t felt that way in such a long time, and for a moment, it’d made him think there was some sort of imminent danger around them. But no, it was just Tina.

That wasn’t right. It was never ‘just’ Tina. He couldn’t possibly explain all of that to Sage, though. Not yet.

In fact, Dex had been so dazzled by seeing her again that he’d nearly forgotten why he’d gone into The Crystal Cauldron in the first place.

The display of necklaces he’d initially asked about had disappeared when he saw the way her dark hair fell against the side of her face or the way she moved her hands.

Tina had done something different with her makeup, too, making her eyes look dark and smoky. If Sage hadn’t been with him…

That didn’t matter because Sage had been with him. Even if she hadn’t been physically present, she was his daughter. He had to consider her at every turn.

She seemed nice, too.

Thank goodness. That was a much safer thing to talk about. Yes, she’s always been very nice. She has a neat shop, too. There are a lot of cool things in there.

Sage had now found a version of skipping that applied to four legs, bounding forward in hops and leaps.

Are we going to go back to her shop? Sage asked. Do you want to see her again?

Again, Sage didn’t understand exactly what she was asking. The girl was young, but nothing slipped past her. This conversation had quickly convinced him that he’d been right to stay single for the last three years. If he couldn’t even smile at a woman unnoticed, then he sure couldn’t date.

You know, I’ve got one last birthday present for you.

Sage stopped, her little ears perky and alert. You do? I thought I got all my presents at the party!

Most of them, but I found one more special thing I wanted to give you, he explained.

There had been plenty of gifts from the rest of the pack, and Dex had made sure to pick a couple of special things he knew Sage wanted.

Then he’d seen those necklaces in the display case at The Crystal Cauldron and knew he needed one final gift to top it all off.

Sage was alternately lifting and setting down her front paws, trotting in place. And I can have it now?

As soon as we get back to the car, he confirmed.

Okay! Sage dashed off through the woods ahead of him.

She had a good enough start that it took him a moment to catch up. Dex listened carefully. They were getting closer to the parking lot. One slip and both of them could be in serious danger. I think we should probably—

The pup in front of him instantly flashed back into a little girl.

She tripped a little as her center of gravity shifted and she went from four legs to two, but she quickly recovered.

Sage lifted her knees high as she ran, reaching out with her hand every now and then to touch the leaves of low-hanging branches.

Dex was starting to think she was getting better than him at shifting back and forth.

As he watched her, it was hard to believe that he’d ever been worried about it.

Guiding a child through their shifts, and especially in learning how to control them, had been a challenge. All that hard work was paying off now.

He let his wolf go. The animal regretfully slipped back inside to be hidden away for a time. The sound of the woods around him changed as his ears reverted to his human ones. He felt his feet pound the ground, and all the intriguing scents of the woods melded into the general smell of damp earth.

Sage continued to dash forward, not stopping until she slapped both her hands onto the wet hood of the car. “I won!”

He jogged up next to her. “I’d say you did! All that running at soccer practice has been doing you some good, hasn’t it?”

“Coach said I’m really fast!” she agreed enthusiastically. “Where’s my present?”

“Hop in the front seat.” Dex went around to the driver’s side and got in. “Why don’t you open the glove box and see if there’s anything in there?”

“In here?” She pushed herself forward on the seat so she could reach the latch. Sage gasped when she saw the purple wrapping paper and white, glittery bow. “How pretty!”

Sage held the box in her left hand. She tentatively swirled her right pointer finger in the air, just above the bow.

The ribbon relaxed, falling through the loops that Tina had so deftly tied, and then fell away from the package entirely.

“Yes! It worked! I’ve been practicing this with my shoe laces. ”

Dex cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He glanced around, but the few other cars in the lot were empty. Those little magic tricks had come so easily to Sage that he couldn’t stop them, yet he wasn’t sure he could encourage them, either.

She ripped off the wrapping paper, opened the box, and gasped again. “Daddy! It’s so pretty!”

“You like it!”

“I love it! Can I wear it right now?” Sage carefully pulled the delicate necklace out of the box.

“Sure. Turn around.” Dex carefully fastened it around her neck and then pulled her hair free of the chain. “What do you think?”

“I love it! And it’s going to match my favorite dress! And my favorite pants!”

Of course it would, because almost her entire wardrobe was pink, but Dex wasn’t going to burst her bubble by pointing that out to her. “You know, that’s pink moonstone. Your mom’s favorite earrings were also pink moonstone.”

“Really?” With her thumb and finger, she carefully picked up the pendant. Even on this gloomy day, it flashed in the light.

“Yes, ma’am.” He hadn’t thought about it in the moment, not until after they’d gotten back from their shopping trip.

Dex still had Marie’s earrings in a little box, tucked away to be given to Sage when she was old enough not to lose them.

It felt like fate that Tina happened to pick out something so perfect, so relevant.

But he had to stop thinking about fate.

“Thank you, Daddy.” On her knees in the car seat, Sage launched herself at Dex. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck.

He rubbed her back and held her close, enjoying this moment. There was no better feeling in the world than a hug from a child who loves you. “You’re welcome, baby.”

She sniffled, and something warm dampened his shoulder.

“Sage? What’s wrong, honey?” Dex pushed back a little so he could see her face. “I thought you liked the necklace.”

“I do,” she assured him with hiccupping breaths. “It’s just that what you said made me think of Mommy, and I miss her.”

“I know, sweetheart.” He pulled her back against his chest with one hand, reaching for some leftover fast-food napkins to dry her tears with the other hand. “It’s hard not having your Mommy around, huh?”

She nodded against him, no longer caring if she messed up her braid.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m really sorry.” He held her tight as rain began to fall in earnest against the windshield. “I miss her, too.”