Bastian nodded.
“And I can’t talk you out of it?” she asked.
“No. This has gone on for too long already,” Bastian said. He smiled. “But I’ll be back later on tonight and I’d love to come over again tomorrow. Maybe we can take Stephanie to that park?”
“That sounds good,” Rachel said.
She went into the kitchen, leaving Bastian and Stephanie sitting on the floor, playing with some of Stephanie’s toys. She made some sandwiches and came back into the living room. She gave Stephanie hers and then Bastian came to sit on the couch beside her while they ate theirs.
“Listen, Bastian,” Rachel said. “I know things between us are hardly traditional, and I can make my peace with that. But I was serious earlier. I don’t want Stephanie to get attached to you if you’re not planning on sticking around.”
Bastian tried to interrupt her, but Rachel went on.
“I know right now you think this is what you want, and I really hope it is. But I need you to be certain. So don’t answer me now. Take the night to think about it. I can never be a part of your pack and if that means that you can’t be certain that you want to be a part of Stephanie’s life forever, then don’t come tomorrow. If you don’t come, I won’t judge you and I will understand. How’s that?”
“It’s a deal,” Bastian said. He paused for a moment and then he looked into Rachel’s eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
14
The last thing Bastian had wanted to do after they had all eaten their lunch together was leave Rachel’s place, especially after what she had said about needing to know he was sure about this. He knew that if he had let go of the idea of going after Lewis, not only would he have proven to Rachel how important Stephanie was to him, it also would have shown Rachel that although she was right about them coming from different worlds, he could let go of his bear side and be with her too. He wanted that more than anything, but he had a duty, not just to Rachel and Stephanie, but to his pack too.
He was still willing to walk away from the pack if that was what it took to be with Rachel, but he couldn’t do that without tying up this loose end first. And he didn’t think he could ever be entirely happy with his family if he didn’t seek out Lewis and teach him a lesson for hurting Rachel. It would always be a black cloud hanging over his head and he couldn’t live his whole life that way. Eternity was far too long to have something eating away at you.
As he drove through Houston, he wondered if all of this was just a dream. Even though he had decided he would walk away from the pack if it came to it to be a family with Rachel and Stephanie, he didn’t even know if that was really what she wanted. Sure, they had a connection neither of them could deny, and Rachel was willing to let him be a father to his daughter, but did she want to be with him for all of eternity? Because if they did this, it would be an all-or-nothing decision. The only thing worse than never being with Rachel would be to have her be his for so long and then lose her. If they were going to do this, he needed to know that Rachel was sure, that she felt the connection between them as strongly as he did. He needed to know that she saw herself as his mate for life.
He knew they would have to have a long talk about this once he got back to Dallas. He had debated talking to her about it today, but he was afraid to bring it up in case she told him she didn’t want him. He was still afraid of that being the outcome of their conversation, but he knew he had to find out one way or the other and soon, before the not knowing drove him crazy.
He just had to hope that him going back there tomorrow like he had promised her would be enough to show Rachel that he really was serious, not just about being a good father, but about being a good mate too. And then he had to hope that she felt the same way he did. It was a lot to hope for and Bastian tried not to let himself get his hopes up, but it was hard not to after the sex he and Rachel had just had. He knew she wanted him, he just didn’t know how much.
As Bastian turned off the main road and down the dirt road that led to the Bellevue Hotel, the disused building that Lewis used as his base, he told himself that until this thing with Lewis was over, he needed to put Rachel out of his mind. He needed to concentrate only on what came next for now. Lewis was a lot older than he was, meaning he was a lot stronger, and he was cunning too. Bastian knew he would have to play this just right if he stood any chance of taking Lewis down, and to do that, he couldn’t afford to be distracted by thoughts of Rachel.
He pulled the car up outside of the hotel and got out. He walked up to the door of the hotel and tried it. It was locked, like he had known it would be. It didn’t much matter. His plan wasn’t to sneak in and try to take Lewis by surprise. He knew Lewis would have security cameras around the place and Bastian was clever enough to have a real plan. He knocked on the door and waited.
After a few minutes, the door swung open and Lewis stood on the step, peering out at him. He frowned when
