Tristan
He was grinning, but inside he was an emotional wreck.
Arabella had just called him dad. He didn't have to ask Violet if she'd told her. The proof was right there. And it had obviously gone well. Far better than he'd ever expected. He looked over at Violet and he saw her wiping her eyes.
Sometimes he just couldn't figure her out. They'd made love and he thought maybe he had a chance. And then the next day she pulled away and became cold again. She was so up and down. It was like dealing with a seesaw.
But he definitely couldn't complain to his brothers. He did not want them to turn against her even more. Roman had been pretty understanding, especially in light of the artifact.
"You can call me dad whenever you want,” he said. “And yes, I did go to camp.” He bent down and whispered in her ear. “But it was when I was older. And it was just a camp for shifters. I didn’t go to a human camp.”
“You didn't?”
“No. But now I work with humans all the time.”
“And you like it?” she asked with wide eyes.
“Yes, I love my job.”
“What is your job?”
He bent down in front of her so they were at eye-level. “I'm a firefighter.”
“Oh!” she said with interest. “Do you have a uniform?”
“Yes, I do,” he said.
“I want to see it!”
He loved how easy it was to please a young pup. “I’ll wear it one day when I visit you, okay?”
“Yes!” She launched herself at him, and he managed to catch her. He stood up, holding her on his hip. Violet was watching them, but he could not read her expression. He really hoped that he could find a way to assure her that everything would be fine.
Over the next few weeks, they settled into a routine.
Violet, and every single one of her pack mates moved into the cabin. And he made sure they had what they needed. He stopped by and he met all of her pack mates. He was careful to stay on the front porch and not go into her space. Even when one of them invited him in, he still stayed out on the front porch.
He had not asked again for Arabella to meet his family. He knew that Violet needed some time. They usually scheduled something neutral, like the woods, the park, a playground, and one night they even went bowling.
"Can you shift with me?” Arabella asked. “Since you're a wolf too?”
“I would love to.” He looked at Violet.
She nodded. “Yes, we can do that.”
The three of them went off into the woods and spent several hours hunting and swimming as wolves. This was the happiest he'd ever been.
* * *
Another week went by,and Tristan took Violet aside. He was dying to ask her out again. He’d tried to hold off, but it was eating him up inside. “Would you like to go out on a date again? Just the two of us?”
He was really careful. He waited four weeks. He was respectful of her space, and he didn't push. But he was ready to move their relationship forward. She gave him just enough encouragement that he thought maybe he had a chance. But if he had no chance at all, he would like to know that.
“Yes,” she said simply.
He was shocked, and then elated.
He took her to a sushi restaurant. He treated it like a date. Opening the door for her, pulling out her chair, telling her how nice she looked. Which was true. She had on a fitted blue dress, and her hair was swept up on top of her head.