"I absolutely want to get to know my daughter. I would prefer it if you would give me a chance too. To prove myself. But right now, I will be happy to concentrate on her.
"Tell me about her. Tell me what she likes, tell me all the funny things she does."
A tiny seed of hope blossomed in Violet's chest. Her father never cared what she liked or didn't like. He didn't care about anyone but himself. The fact that Tristan was asking about what Arabella liked instead of making demands on her time was a good sign. It was very encouraging. She didn't want to get her hopes up that any of this could work out, but she had to try to meet him halfway. He would be more inclined to work with her if she could at least be civil.
All the conflicting emotions were wearing her out.
She was still attracted to him, and she still cared about him. In a perfect world, she would want to be with him in some way or another. But this wasn't a perfect world and she spent so long trying to avoid him, and now he had jumped right into the middle of her life.
But she took a deep breath and told him all about Arabella. She told him about the funny parts of her personality, the quirky parts, and the parts that were stubborn.
"She loves surprises. One time she gathered up change from a park and bought a cake mix. We were living in a house at that time, and she surprised us all with a cake on Valentine's Day. We were so impressed. She had a little help from one of the other adults but basically did it by herself. When she was only five years old,” Violet said fondly. “She doesn't throw fits or tantrums, but she can try to negotiate her way out of anything. It's exhausting at times. She just does not give up."
“I was like that as a boy."
"I think you’re like that as an adult too. You haven't given up on me even after all these years.”
He inclined his head in concession. "No. And I won't. That's what being mates means.”
She ignored that. She just wasn't ready to discuss the relationship between the two of them. But he did seem genuinely delighted to hear stories about Arabella. Even though she wasn't sure how she felt about him referring to her as ‘my daughter.’ Or ‘my pup.’ Technically, it was true though. And he had not been able to participate in Arabella’s life because of Violet's choices.
She continued to tell him all the little stories she had saved up in her head about Arabella.
"Where are you guys living right now?" he asked.
"We’re camping."
"I'm going to rent a cabin. How many members are in your group?”
"There are fifteen of us. But I can’t accept that."
"Please. It would give Arabella a place to stay so that she can go to camp this summer. Somewhere she can store clothes and take showers, if you're willing. I know you don't need my help. I know you don't want to rely on me. But you guys had a home at the boarding house and it was destroyed by fire, through no fault of your own. I know you work hard. But I have money I never spend. The pack takes care of everything for me, and I have my salary as a smoke jumper. Just think of it as being for Arabella."
"Okay.” She was reluctant, but at the same time it would be nice to have a permanent structure to live in for the summer. Arabella liked to bake and some of the other pack members, especially the magic-users, liked to cook. They would be happy to move in. They didn't shift and even though their magic helped, it was harder for them to live in the wild.
"Will the rest of your pack be open to it?" he asked.
"Yes, I think so. Most of them will be more than happy to accept your generosity. If some aren't, then they'll just keep camping."
He stood up. “Let me tell her bye, and then I'll go make arrangements."
She watched as he went over and waved at Arabella who came running. He lifted her into his arms and swung her around. Arabella squealed. Her braids flew. They looked happy together. They matched.
On impulse she pulled her phone from her pocket and snapped a photo. Anyone who saw them together would know exactly who Arabella belonged to. It was really quite stunning.
When he walked back over she held up her phone, showing him the photo.
“Will you send that to me?” he asked, voice full of wonder.
"Yes. I will.” And she did, still surprised that she’d taken it to begin with.