Shit. She hadn't even considered that. She hadn't thought of all the little details. All the nuances of this relationship. She had been looking at it as black and white – either Arabella was all hers, or Tristan tried to take her. She hadn’t thought about grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or friends. All the things a pack could offer Arabella that she would otherwise never have.
All of it was disconcerting. She needed to get Arabella out of this arcade and home. So that she could speak to the group about the cabin and then tell her daughter the truth about who her father was.
She’d known coming back to Alaska was going to be a problem. Already she was overwhelmed.
She told Tristan goodbye and found her daughter vigorously playing a round of Skee-ball. "Come on, Arabella. We have to go."
"Can I stay here?"
"No. We have to go back. I'm leaving."
"Can I stay with Mr. Tristan? Please?” she whined.
Oh God. It had already started. She hadn't even told Arabella that Tristan was her father and she already wanted to stay with him. Tristan had told her that he felt connected to Arabella. She could only imagine that her daughter felt the same instant connection but didn't have the words to describe it.
Her daughter must've been able to tell that Violet was not playing around. She finally let go of the ball and trailed after her mother.
"Will we see Mr. Tristan again?” she asked.
"Yes, we will.”
“When? Will we go back to the arcade? Will we go back to the park?" Her daughter bounced along beside her as they walked hand-in-hand down the street.
"I don't know yet, but it won't be too long. First, we have to go home.” She managed to go around and tell all twelve of the adults in the pack that she needed to talk to them as soon as the kids were asleep.
An hour later,they zipped the kids’ tent closed and then made a bonfire. One of the witches had gotten some ribs, and they roasted those on a slow fire.
"What's going on?” Onyx asked.
"Tristan knows now that Arabella is his daughter.”
Linden moved to sit next to her. “Oh my God. Are you freaking out? How did he take it?”
“All things considered, he took it very well. But he's already wanting to play an active role in her life. She mentioned that she wants to go to school and camp in front of him, and he's already making that happen.”
"Well, that's awesome,” Onyx said.
“He also offered camp for your children. So if you're interested, that's on the table too. They can attend the same one Arabella goes to or they can choose a different one.”
“Wow. So he’s your sugar daddy now!” Austin said with a laugh.
She moved over and whacked him on the arm. "No. Not a sugar daddy. He just works as a firefighter, and all of his expenses are paid in the pack."
"Sounds like a nice gig. Maybe we should check out this pack," Austin said.
The pack laughed, and Violet's stomach turned over. That was what she'd been afraid of. That Tristan’s offers would be so enticing that no one could resist them.
They all noticed her expression and sobered. “Hey. I’m sorry,” Austin said. “I’m kidding.”
Violet only made a humming sound. She wasn’t in the mood for joking.
She held out the papers from the real estate office. “He has leased a cabin for all of us. All fifteen of us. There are no strings attached, or so he says. He just wants Arabella to have a permanent place here where she can stay. A home.”
“Well. That's…” Onyx trailed off. “I'm speechless.”
Austin clapped his hands together. “This is amazing. I would love to have a hot shower right about now. I’ll think of some way we can repay him.”
“When can we move in?” Angelina asked. “I’m ready.”