Page 95 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

Avery didn’t meet my eye as she pulled plates out of a cabinet.

“Early.”

A single word. Short and clipped. I’d really stepped in it. If Ashton realized something was amiss, he was either hiding it or hadn’t noticed as he shoveled food into his mouth.

“Mom made a big breakfast to celebrate my first shift,” Ashton said.

“Awesome,” I said, then looked at Avery again. “So, I’m going to take that money to Kyle today. Get this all over with. That should help a lot,” I said, hoping to draw her into a conversation.

“That would be good,” she said, still not looking at me.

I hated this distance between us, but it was well-deserved. We’d barely begun to get back on good footing, and I’d spent all of yesterday acting like a dick. I’d pushed her away when I should have been bringing her closer. She wasn’t giving me any shit over my attitude, but she wasn’t being overly loving, either. I felt like I was a guest rather than a part of the family like I wanted to be.

I hoped to God paying Kyle would get him off my back. This situation was draining me, and if I could get him out of the picture, maybe I could focus on my relationship with Avery. Though, there was still that nagging worry at the back of my mind that something else was going on with Kyle. Something I hadn’t figured out yet. That worried me, but not as much as the thought that I was screwing up any chance I might have of being in a real relationship with Avery.

We ate, mostly in silence, which was only broken when Ashton happily told us about his shift. The kid was on cloud nine.When I’d met him, he was somewhat reserved, which was to be expected. He’d come to a new place, met the father he’d never known, all while going through his first shift. Now, it was like a weight had been lifted off his chest.

“Mom, it’s so cool,” he said through a mouth full of biscuit. “Running on four legs was kinda weird, but I figured it out fast.”

“I’m glad you had fun,” Avery said.

“I’m going to head out,” I said, rising from the table and putting my plate in the sink.

“How long will you be gone?” Ashton asked.

“Not sure. I’ll see you guys later, though,” I said.

I bent to kiss Avery on the lips, but she turned her head at the last second, presenting her cheek instead. I kissed her, but felt the disappointment in her rebuke.

Disappointment, but not surprise. I had no one to blame but myself.

Once I was in the truck, I dialed the number I’d gotten from when Kyle called Avery, hoping it wasn’t a burner phone. Thankfully, it turned out to be his real number. He answered after only a couple rings.

“This is Kyle Alexander, and if I’m not mistaken, I bet this is Cole Garrett. How did I do?”

“Good fucking guess,” I growled. “Where the hell are you? I’ve got your money. I want to be rid of you.”

“Such anger, Cole. Is that any way to talk to a friend?”

“I’m not a friend of yours. Now where thehellcan we meet to make this exchange?”

Kyle sighed as though I’d ruined a fun game. “Fine. I can meet you within the hour. There’s an old, abandoned house right outside Harbor Mills, on Highway Three. You know the spot?”

The old Headrick place. It had been ancient when I was a kid, and was in even worse shape now.

“I do. I’ll see you. You’ll have your money, and then I don’t want to see your face in Harbor Mills again.”

“Question, Cole? Are you gonna bring that tight little piece of ass of yours to the meet-up? I enjoy having a good view when I do business.”

Ignoring him, I hung up and dialed Trent. There was no way in hell I was going to meet that piece of shit alone. Not without backup.

“What’s up?” Trent asked.

“Get ready. I’m meeting Kyle in half an hour with the money. I’ll pick you up in a minute.”

Trent’s voice was dangerously calm. “See you soon.”

I shot Farrah a quick text telling her what was going down, then put the truck into reverse. Casting one final look at Avery’s house, I backed out of the driveway. It enraged me that I had to go and do this when I’d rather be in there with Avery and my son. I could be spending this morning trying to repair my fuckup with Avery. I could be talking about shifting, comic books, and basketball with my son. Instead, I was driving out to the middle of nowhere to pay a loan shark money I couldn’t afford to lose. Itall pissed me off, and I hadn’t calmed down by the time I got to Trent’s.

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