Page 78 of Married into the Mob
“My darling Odell. There is no excuse for what I did.” His eyes glazed over. “I’m so sorry.” A tear escaped and trickled over his cheek.
Now my mate offered Stan his hand, and the older man took it, squeezing it gently.
“You made mistakes, but I met both Draven and Stefan and they were terrifying. I can see how they were able to bend your will.”
Stan nodded. “Stefan, yes, and the other one, I...” Another tear spilled over his cheek, followed by a third. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” His thin shoulders shook, and he sobbed.
Neither my mate nor Stan said anything else, and Odell rested his head on his uncle’s and closed his eyes. Two people in pain, one looking for answers, the other unable to provide a satisfactory explanation.
My mate blinked and gave me a look, giving me the impression I had to talk about something else.
I pulled out the baby's sonogram and pointed out the baby’s head, spine, and limbs. Stan wiped away his tears and kissed the thermal paper.
“If you are as fine a person as your dad, you’ll have a good life.”
That brought on a flood of tears from my mate, and Stan cried more. I also sniffed.
He did a bad thing. So bad, but he seems like a kind man. My wolf couldn’t match the person with what he’d done.
Maybe Odell would never reconcile the two sides of his uncle.
“Are you happy, Uncle?”
He thought for a moment. “I’m content.” He heaved himself up. “But I have a gift for the baby. I made it myself, so please forgive the imperfections.”
He brought out something carved in wood, saying it was a crib mobile to entertain the baby. He pointed out the objects: a bear, a cat, a bird, a bunny, and a wolf. “And a wolf,” he repeated a couple of times.
Oh, he’d definitely witnessed something during the full-moon run, even though the guards were supposed to have taken him off the property. Or maybe a pack member staying in one of the other cabins had accidentally shown him his wolf.
“Thank you, Uncle.” Odell kissed the top of his head, and he clung to my mate.
One of the guards approached and cleared his throat. He nodded at me before speaking to Stan. “Should we cancel the fishing?”
My mate smiled through his tears. “We’re going shopping for all things baby, so go fish, Uncle. You always enjoyed it when I was a kid.”
After promising to keep him updated on the pregnancy and saying we’d be back soon, we watched as Stan got in the guard’s car, loaded with fishing gear.
“The man who brought me up and who took me fishing isn’t the same person who handed me over to Draven.” My mate leaned over and kissed me, the saltiness from his tears coating his lips. “I know Draven scared the crap out of him, but I can’t reconcile him giving me away.”
Me neither. Maybe there wasn't an answer that would satisfy Odell and that was why he was putting off having an in-depth conversation.
“Where do we start?”
We’d arrived at the Dads, Moms, and Baby Store. My mate had a long list, and Flint often recounted his and Tony’s shopping trips. I was ready and had brought a dolly in with me to load our purchases. Dad was meeting us, but he was running late.
“Are onesies for kids who are one or under?” I studied the sign in the baby store while Odell ran through the list on his tablet with the sales assistant. “And are there twosies and threesies?”
The sales assistant giggled. “Those names are so cute, but kids aged two and older don’t usually need onesies.”
I had a lot to learn, and I picked up a headband with a stuffed animal dangling off it. After putting it on, I tossed my head from side to side. Maybe it was for punching practice. I pictured our baby wearing boxing gloves, trying to whack the stuffed animal.
“Hunter!” I froze. That was his “What are you doing?” voice.
“Dad.”
He grabbed my chin. “I love you, but you are this baby’s father too. Don’t leave the decisions to Odell. Step up!”
Damn. Had I been doing my “younger brother gets away with stuff” routine?
