Busying herself with the drinks, the others in the room ventured to the seating area, Mathew in John’s lap, his gaze fearful as he watched everyone else in the room. It was awkward and awful, and Eva couldn’t wait for it to be over. Mathew wasn’t stupid. He knew what was coming, even as John kept whispering it was going to be okay.
“Well, maybe we should see if he has clothes in here,” Bass said after a while, dragging the bag toward him. “It’s getting late.” He rifled through the contents and pulled out a few garments of clothing that looked as filthy as Mathew had when he’d arrived.
“He can’t wear those,” Eva and Melody said at the same time.
“We’ll borrow some after we’ve got you settled in.” Melody beamed. “Are you ready to see your new home, Mathew?”
He shrunk back, shook his head, and Eva’s heart lurched.
“It’s going to be okay, Matty. You’ll be close by. I’ll come see you in the morning,” John assured.
Bass got to his feet after stuffing the dirty clothes back inside the bag. “Might as well hand him over, John. No amount of time is going to make this easier.”
Melody held out her arms as Mathew’s high-pitched wail cut through the air. Eva watched in dazed horror as John’s face crumpled with pain, and he pulled the screaming, struggling toddler from around his neck and into Melody’s arms.
“He’ll be all right, John.” Owen patted him on the shoulder. “Kids cry sometimes.”
They all moved to the door, but Eva was routed to the spot. Mathew’s cries of pain cutt right to her heart.
“We’ll bring you your T-shirt back.” Melody laughed nervously as Mathew wiggled and kicked in her arms.
“Come on now, bud. It’s all right,” Owen soothed.
“I’ll come visit tomorrow,” John promised.
Bass was opening the door; he gave her a strange half-smile she couldn’t quite make out as if maybe he knew this was her fault too. That she was a chicken who wasn’t ready for what life had thrown at her feet.
She hadn’t been ready for her mother to die too, or to leave college and pick up the pieces of her broken family or lock her brother in a cage, and every minute since she’d been trying to catch up.
“John,” Mathew wailed, the sound rough and full of pain only someone who’d lost a parent could understand.
Bass met her gaze knowingly as everything inside of her stilled. “Stop!” she shouted. “Stop!”
Every pair of eyes in the room zeroed in on her. Even Mathew’s wails quietened to whimpers.
“What?” Melody gasped.
Rushing forward, Eva reached out her arms for Mathew, who returned the act, and more or less ripped him from Melody’s grip.
“But—” Melody began, reaching for the little boy.
Eva turned him away, cradling her arms around him as she looked back. “He can stay,” she said, glancing at them all. “He can stay.”
Walking away, Eva dashed into John’s room and kicked the door closed behind her, sinking onto the bed as she rocked Mathew backward and forward, shushing him as she did. Her heart pounded in her head, her body trembling as it tried and failed to understand what she’d done.
She had no idea what she was doing or how to take care of a child. All she’d really known was listening to Mathew cry out John’s name—his first word since his parents had been killed—hearing such desperation and anguish, and seeing those emotions shining in Mathew’s blue eyes, had been enough to silence all her fears and insecurities and follow what she knew in her heart was right.
Mathew was meant to be hers—hers and Johns—even if the idea of it frightened her more than anything else had in her life.
Chapter 30
John
He wasn’t sure what had just happened, only that Mathew crying his name had torn apart his heart.
“You’re keeping him?” Melody demanded, hands on hips.
Owen placed a hand on her shoulder. “He’s had a big ordeal, Mel. Give the boy time.”
“You’re not even mated, John. How are you going to look after a child?”
John stared from Melody to Bass, unsure what to do. What he wanted to do was shut the door on them and find Eva and ask her what was going through her head.
“I think,” Bass said, stepping forward, “Mathew attached himself to John, and we all need time to give him a chance to settle. He’s clearly scared. There’s no rush, is there?”
“She’s human, Bass, she won’t know how to look after a shifter child.”
Anger flared in John’s gut, his grip on the door tightening. Both Bass and Owen met his gaze with a slight shake of their heads.
“Let’s go, Mel, before you insult John further.”
“I’ll take your night patrol, John,” Bass offered. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
John closed the door, his eyes sliding shut as he leaned back on the locked door and pulled in a deep breath. Eva thought he was ready for a family, but the truth was, he hadn’t even thought about having a mate until he’d laid eyes on her, and even after that, he’d ignored the pull toward her for a long time.
It was true there was a part of him that yearned for kids and a mate waiting at home, but it wasn’t a yearning that overtook his entire mind. John was quite happy slowly coaxing Eva into his bed and deeper into his heart. He was in no rush, but it seemed life had pushed him forward anyway—roughly from behind.
It was in his nature to protect the innocent. Turning away from Mathew would have been
