“So, Saturday?” Bastian asked, also standing up.
Rachel nodded. She handed Bastian her cell phone.
“Put your number in and I’ll text you the address,” she said.
“On Saturday morning?” Bastian grinned as he entered his number into Rachel’s cell phone.
She had enjoyed their time together and it was clear to her that Bastian was no monster. She took her cell phone back from Bastian and quickly typed out a text to him with her address in it. She hit send.
“See you Saturday,” she said as she left.
12
Thursday night and all day and night Friday had dragged like mad for Bastian. He had tried to concentrate on getting some work done just to pass the time, but he couldn’t concentrate on it for more than five minutes, and each little block of five minutes felt like five hours. He wasn’t sure what he was more excited about—reconnecting with Rachel, or meeting Stephanie.
He had managed to convince himself over the last two years that his feelings for Rachel had been imagined, that he’d built it up into something it wasn’t in his head, but seeing her again, it had all come rushing back to him, and he had found himself fantasizing about being with her. It wasn’t like he was putting her in danger now. She was a bear anyway, and he figured if anything, she would be safer with him than she would be going at it alone.
He knew he had to fight the feeling, though. Rachel had made it clear she wanted no part of being a member of the pack, and by extension, that meant she wouldn’t want to be around the members. He couldn’t just walk away from the pack—they were his life, his family. He also thought that if he and Rachel started anything, it could complicate things for him having a relationship with Stephanie, and more than anything, he wanted to be able to bond with his baby.
Bastian pushed aside all of his thoughts and stood up. It was finally time for him to leave the hotel he was staying in and drive over to Rachel’s place. He left the hotel and went to the parking lot and got into his rental car. He had already worked out his route and he knew it was about a fifteen-minute drive. Rachel had texted him earlier, asking him to come at around ten a.m., and it was just after half past nine now. He wasn’t willing to risk being late. It was better to be early and wait in the car until the right time. He didn’t think Rachel would be upset if he hit traffic and was five or ten minutes late because of it, but he wasn’t willing to risk her calling the whole thing off for it.
He drove across the city and slowed down as he pulled onto Rachel’s block. It seemed like a nice enough place to live. The houses were fairly small, but they all looked clean and in good repair and Bastian relaxed a little bit. He didn’t like the thought of his daughter living anywhere that felt dangerous, not when he had enough money to house them anywhere Rachel wanted to go. He made a mental note to talk to her about setting up some sort of monthly payment for Stephanie.
The voice on his GPS told him he had arrived at his destination and he pulled up outside of the house. It was much like all of the others—white-fronted with a porch and a neat little garden. Bastian could feel the nerves swirling inside of him as he sat in the car, waiting for the minutes to pass. It was ten to ten and he decided to wait until five to ten to get out of the car and knock on Rachel’s front door.
A man walked toward the car, walking a small white dog. He kept glancing at Bastian and Bastian realized he was probably trying to work out who he was and why he was sitting in the street here. He leaned over and began to dig around in the glove compartment as though he was looking for something. The man walked past without stopping and Bastian looked at him in the rearview mirror. He glanced back once. Bastian told himself to relax. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, and the man was probably more curious than suspicious. And besides, if he did call the police or anything, surely Rachel would tell them she knew him and he had her permission to come to the house.
At exactly five to ten, Bastian took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car. He locked it and walked up to the little white wooden gate. He pushed it open and walked up Rachel’s path. His stomach was rolling with nerves and excitement. This was it. He was finally going to meet his daughter. He knocked on Rachel’s door and waited, suddenly nervous that she wouldn’t be here, that she had left town and kept in touch with him to keep him from getting suspicious. Her car wasn’t in the driveway and that made Bastian even more nervous. He told himself to calm down; it was probably in the garage that was attached to the house.
The door opened and Bastian relaxed when Rachel smiled out at him.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” Bastian replied.
For a moment, that was all they said. Rachel stood on the doorstep, peering out at Bastian, and he couldn’t help but notice how good she looked in her short, white sundress, her legs and feet bare. He imagined himself running his hand over her smooth legs, pushing her dress up around her hips and making love to her. He shook his head, shaking away the thought as quickly as it had come. He wasn’t here for Rachel. He was here for Stephanie.
“I’m sorry,” Rachel said after a moment, stepping back from the
