Roman
Roman had a great time with both of them. He was happier than he had been in years. He didn't want to leave and go back home. He ended up staying for weeks, and he took Everleigh out on a date nearly every single day. Most evenings, he took Everleigh and Eliza out on a date.
But he had to leave. He also needed to come up with an excuse for why he would immediately be leaving the pack again. He wanted to be with Everleigh, even if it meant losing his place in the pack because they could not accept his choice.
"Can I ask you something really personal?" he asked Everleigh. He didn’t have much time left before his flight, and he needed to know what he was up against.
"That sounds ominous."
"It might be offensive."
"Now I'm curious. Go ahead and ask me. If I don't like it, I don't have to answer."
"Who's the baby's father?" he asked.
She stared at him for a moment. Had he crossed the line? He knew it was an inappropriate question to ask most people, but they'd been dating and he wanted to know if he had any competition.
"You really can't tell?" she asked.
Was he supposed to know? Was Eliza's father someone he knew?
A deep growl rumbled in his chest. If it was one of his friends, he wasn't sure he could ever be around him again. He would not handle the competition well at all.
"Who is he?" The question came out a lot harsher than he had planned.
"Roman. When she's awake again, look at Eliza. Look at her face, listen to her voice, watch her mannerisms. It's obvious who her father is."
"Not to me, it isn't. I can't fucking stand thinking about it." He got up and paced. Losing his temper was the wrong thing to do. He didn't want her to think that he had a problem with her sleeping with someone else. He didn't like it, but he was the one who had broken up with her. It had been his choice, he caused it.
Everleigh huffed. "She's your daughter. You're her father."
Roman just stood there. He wasn't able to process the information. "Eliza is my daughter? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought about it. I even decided to tell you if you called me again or if you came looking for me. But when you didn't, I decided you probably weren’t interested. It was a very dark time for me. I couldn't stand to even be in Anchorage anymore and I moved. You know, to get away from the memories."
He would like to go back in time and kick himself in the ass. "I wish I had been there for you. I wish I had been there to support you and to help you. I missed the beginning of Eliza's life." He wasn’t going to make his flight. And that was okay. He would just reschedule. There was no way he was leaving right then.
"I know. I do regret that. I just couldn't bear the thought of you rejecting her."
"I would never have rejected her."
She gave him a long hard stare.
"Okay. I can see why you would have thought that.”
He had been such a piece of shit to end things with her so quickly. Now he was reeling. He had a five-year-old daughter, and he knew very little about her.
"When she shifts, she’s a bear," he said.
Everleigh smiled. "She can do both."
Wow. He'd heard of that but never seen it.
He moved toward Everleigh. He needed to hold her. He wrapped her in his arms. He inhaled, smelling all three of their scents mixed together.
"Thank you. Thank you for giving me a daughter."
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