Bastian stepped inside, realizing that Rachel was as nervous as he was. He thought it was probably for a different reason, though. Or was she also undressing him with her eyes? His bear stirred as he moved past her, smelling the lust coming off her as he almost touched her. It certainly seemed possible that the way he felt about Rachel wasn’t as one-sided as he had first assumed it was.
“Go on through to the living room,” Rachel said, closing the front door and pointing to a white door leading off the hallway they were standing in.
Bastian smiled and headed through the door. He found himself in a light and airy room that was furnished with two cream sofas and a large TV. A coffee table sat between the sofas and the TV and beside it, Stephanie sat gurgling away in a bouncy chair. Bastian felt the surge of protective love he had felt in the park engulf him again at the sight of the baby.
Rachel followed him into the room and nodded at one of the couches. Bastian sat down and Rachel went to the bouncy chair and scooped Stephanie up. She smiled at her and walked toward Bastian.
“Someone is here to see you,” Rachel said to the baby. “Say hi.”
Stephanie didn’t say anything, but she flashed Bastian a gummy grin that made his heart melt.
“Hi, Stephanie,” Bastian said, his voice barely above a whisper as emotion clogged his throat. “You’re beautiful.” He looked up at Rachel. “May I?”
Rachel nodded and Bastian held up his arms. Rachel bent slightly and deposited Stephanie onto his lap. She sat there, content in his arms. Rachel took a step back.
“Do you want some tea or coffee or anything?” she asked.
Bastian shook his head, transfixed by Stephanie as she pulled on one of the buttons on his shirt and babbled away happily. Rachel smiled and sat down on the other couch.
“She likes you,” Rachel said.
Bastian couldn’t decide from Rachel’s tone whether she was happy about that or not, but he was happy about it and he glanced up at Rachel and smiled.
“The feeling is mutual,” he said.
He turned his focus back to Stephanie. He bounced his leg gently, bouncing Stephanie up and down, and she giggled. She reached up with her chubby little fingers and pulled on Bastian’s chin. He laughed.
“What does she like to do?” Bastian asked.
It hurt him not to automatically know what his daughter liked, but he reasoned it wasn’t his fault—it wasn’t like he had known where to find her and purposely shunned her—and he would get to know all of this stuff.
“Her favorite thing right now is her swing in the back garden. We can go out there if you want to,” Rachel said.
Bastian nodded eagerly. He stood up holding Stephanie and she instantly wriggled to get down. His heart sank, but Rachel smiled at him.
“Don’t be offended. Since she found her feet, she likes to be little miss independent and walk everywhere,” she said.
Bastian nodded and set Stephanie down on her feet. She wobbled a little, found her balance, and toddled off ahead of him, glancing back to make sure he was following her. Bastian smiled when he watched Stephanie’s clumsy walk. The three of them moved through the kitchen and Rachel opened the back door. Stephanie ran straight to the swing Rachel had mentioned and Bastian followed her. Rachel stayed on the step, watching them and smiling. Stephanie reached her arms up to Bastian and while he knew it was only because she wanted him to lift her into the swing, his heart melted again all the same. He scooped her up and put her into the swing. He stood in front of her and pushed the swing gently, whooping and laughing with her as she swung.
“I’m going to make Stephanie some juice,” Rachel called from the doorway. “Can you watch her for a minute, please?”
“Of course,” Bastian smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”
He kept pushing the swing and smiling down at Stephanie.
“I’m your daddy,” he said to her. “And I’m not going to ever let anyone or anything hurt you. I hope you sense that, but even if you don’t, you’ll see it for yourself as you grow up.”
Bastian didn’t really know what would happen in the future or how any of this would work, but he knew that whatever happened, he would keep that promise he had made to Stephanie.
Rachel came back outside and handed a pink sippy cup to Stephanie. She took it and drank some of the juice. Rachel stayed beside Bastian, almost close enough to him for their arms to be touching. As they stood, both smiling down at Stephanie, Bastian realized something.
The feelings of love and protection he felt weren’t just for Stephanie. They extended to Rachel too. And he vowed to himself in that moment that he would find a way to make this work. He was finally willing to accept what he had spent two years telling himself couldn’t be true—Rachel was meant to be his mate. If she didn’t want anything to do with the pack, then he would leave the pack. It would kill him to walk away from them, but if it meant he got to have a family of his own, then he would do it.
He looked at Rachel and caught her looking at him. She blushed when he caught her eye, but when he smiled at her, she smiled back at him. He reached out for her hand, knowing she might freak out, but needing to touch her, needing to find a way to let her know that she was meant to be his. He took her hand in his and she made no effort to squirm her hand away from his and she didn’t tell him to get off her as he had feared she would. Instead, she gently squeezed his hand and then left her hand in his.
Bastian felt tingles spreading through his hand from where they were touching
