Page 5 of Wolves' Midlife Reunion
In fact, Dex had been so dazzled by seeing her again that he’d nearly forgotten why he’d gone into The Crystal Cauldron in the first place. The display of necklaces he’d initially asked about had disappeared when he saw the way her dark hair fell against the side of her face or the way she moved her hands. Tina had done something different with her makeup, too, making her eyes look dark and smoky. If Sage hadn’t been with him…
That didn’t matter because Sagehadbeen with him. Even if she hadn’t been physically present, she was his daughter. He had to consider her at every turn.
She seemed nice, too.
Thank goodness. That was a much safer thing to talk about.Yes, she’s always been very nice. She has a neat shop, too. There are a lot of cool things in there.
Sage had now found a version of skipping that applied to four legs, bounding forward in hops and leaps.
Are we going to go back to her shop?Sage asked.Do you want to see her again?
Again, Sage didn’t understand exactly what she was asking. The girl was young, but nothing slipped past her. This conversation had quickly convinced him that he’d been right to stay single for the last three years. If he couldn’t even smile at a woman unnoticed, then he sure couldn’t date.
You know, I’ve got one last birthday present for you.
Sage stopped, her little ears perky and alert.You do? I thought I got all my presents at the party!
Most of them, but I found one more special thing I wanted to give you,he explained. There had been plenty of gifts from the rest of the pack, and Dex had made sure to pick a couple of special things he knew Sage wanted. Then he’d seen those necklaces in the display case at The Crystal Cauldron and knew he needed one final gift to top it all off.
Sage was alternately lifting and setting down her front paws, trotting in place.And I can have it now?
As soon as we get back to the car,he confirmed.
Okay!Sage dashed off through the woods ahead of him.
She had a good enough start that it took him a moment to catch up. Dex listened carefully. They were getting closer to the parking lot. One slip and both of them could be in serious danger.I think we should probably?—
The pup in front of him instantly flashed back into a little girl. She tripped a little as her center of gravity shifted and she went from four legs to two, but she quickly recovered. Sage lifted her knees high as she ran, reaching out with her hand every now and then to touch the leaves of low-hanging branches.
Dex was starting to think she was getting better than him at shifting back and forth. As he watched her, it was hard to believe that he’d ever been worried about it. Guiding a child throughtheir shifts, and especially in learning how to control them, had been a challenge. All that hard work was paying off now.
He let his wolf go. The animal regretfully slipped back inside to be hidden away for a time. The sound of the woods around him changed as his ears reverted to his human ones. He felt his feet pound the ground, and all the intriguing scents of the woods melded into the general smell of damp earth.
Sage continued to dash forward, not stopping until she slapped both her hands onto the wet hood of the car. “I won!”
He jogged up next to her. “I’d say you did! All that running at soccer practice has been doing you some good, hasn’t it?”
“Coach said I’m really fast!” she agreed enthusiastically. “Where’s my present?”
“Hop in the front seat.” Dex went around to the driver’s side and got in. “Why don’t you open the glove box and see if there’s anything in there?”
“In here?” She pushed herself forward on the seat so she could reach the latch. Sage gasped when she saw the purple wrapping paper and white, glittery bow. “How pretty!”
Sage held the box in her left hand. She tentatively swirled her right pointer finger in the air, just above the bow. The ribbon relaxed, falling through the loops that Tina had so deftly tied, and then fell away from the package entirely. “Yes! It worked! I’ve been practicing this with my shoe laces.”
Dex cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He glanced around, but the few other cars in the lot were empty. Those little magic tricks had come so easily to Sage that he couldn’t stop them, yet he wasn’t sure he could encourage them, either.
She ripped off the wrapping paper, opened the box, and gasped again. “Daddy! It’s so pretty!”
“You like it!”
“I love it! Can I wear it right now?” Sage carefully pulled the delicate necklace out of the box.
“Sure. Turn around.” Dex carefully fastened it around her neck and then pulled her hair free of the chain. “What do you think?”
“I love it! And it’s going to match my favorite dress! And my favorite pants!”
Of course it would, because almost her entire wardrobe was pink, but Dex wasn’t going to burst her bubble by pointing that out to her. “You know, that’s pink moonstone. Your mom’s favorite earrings were also pink moonstone.”
