Page 11 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“I wanted to let you know our man has everything going. He’s double-checking the meter to make sure it’s in working order, but he needs you to sign off on everything.”

“Ugh, is that really necessary? I’m visiting friends.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, it’s protocol. That way, we can ensure the reconnection was ordered by the actual occupant of the residence, and the job can be signed off.”

“Fine,” I said in a clipped tone. “Tell him he can wait. We had to wait days, he can wait for an hour.”

“That makes total sense, ma’am. I’ll let him know to sit tight until you get there.”

“Thank you,” I said. “We’ll be home in an hour.”

“I’ll tell him. You have a good day.”

I hung up and went back to the kitchen, enjoying the familial and comforting nature of the group. Shiloh was eating small pieces of ham, turkey, and cheese that Ashton had torn up for her. My son kept glancing over at me, an unasked question in his eyes. Forty minutes later, I told him we needed to go home and see if the water was on.

“Can we come back tomorrow?” Ashton asked as he tried to get Shiloh to let go of his finger.

“Maybe. We basically live next door, so we’ll see everyone a lot.”

“Make sure you remind him about my famous chocolate chip cookies,” Liz said. “They’remuchbetter than Stormy’s. You come by any time, and I’ll make you a batch.”

Stormy rolled her eyes. “Wow, thanks, Mom.”

Liz shrugged. “Sorry, but you know it’s true. I tried teaching you for years, but you just don’t have the magic touch.”

We said our goodbyes and got in the car. Ashton didn’t even wait until we were out of the driveway to jump into questions again.

“I know you said to wait until tomorrow,” he said. “But I have a question.”

“Of course you do.” I sighed. Would this day ever end? “What is it?”

“Um.” He winced in embarrassment. “Uh, I got up to get Shiloh’s sippy cup earlier, and, uh, I might have heard you all talking.”

An icy ball of lead seemed to slip into my stomach. “You heard what we said?”

“Yeah. So, that Farrah woman, she’s my aunt, and my grandfather is dead?” He looked sad at the prospect.

“She is. And yes, it sounds like your grandfather passed away a couple months ago.”

I knew what was coming next, and nothing I could do would stop the question from coming.

“Do you think my dad’s back in town? Do you think I’ll get to meet him?”

After nearly fifteen years, I’d never had the heart to tell Ashton the truth. I didn’t tell him that his father didn’t want anything to do with him, that he’d refused to come home even after he’d been told I was pregnant. The only story Ashton knew was the one I’d crafted to spare him the heartache of not being wanted. I’d told him that Cole left town before I got the chance to tell him I was pregnant, and I had no way of contacting him. In Ashton’s mind, his father had no clue he had a son. I bet he had fantasies of meeting the man and reuniting in some weird, joyous moment.

My own heart shuddered in terror at what might happen if Cole really was here and saw the son he hadn’t claimed. Would he be aloof? Totally uncaring? Would he sneer at Ashton like he was some unclean half-breed? Every situation I imagined ended with heartbreak and misery for my boy. It was so awful to think about, I even contemplated going straight back to the house, packing up, and leaving again. We could always find a different town where we could set down roots.

“Mom?” Ashton prodded. “Hello, are you there? Earth to Mom.”

I blinked. We were nearly back to the house, and I hadn’t heard a word he said while I was going over worst-case scenarios in my head. As I turned onto our street, I said, “We’ll have to see.”

It was a lame response, but it did enough to placate Ashton. That was good because I needed to think. With Lance dead, and Cole,hopefully, still out of the picture, the only contact I had with the pack was Farrah. Ashton still needed to be introduced to everyone, and he needed some sort of mentor to guide him through the changes.

As we pulled up the drive, I noticed, with great relief, a work truck parked on the street. A big man hunched over a clipboard, his head turned to the passenger seat.

I’d give this asshole a piece of my mind in a minute. Not bothering to get out in the driveway, I pulled into the garage and closed the door behind us.

“Can I watch TV?” Ashton asked.

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