Chapter 206
Ethan
“Daddy!” Paisley’s sweet voice whispers in my ear, as one of her sharp little fingers jabs my side.
“Daddy, are you awakes?”
My eyes are still closed, and it feels as though I just fell asleep a moment ago. I’m not sure what time it
is, but I know something must be up if Paisley is trying to wake me. Normally she climbs right into bed
with me and snuggles up without a word, perfectly content to snooze until I’m ready to get up – even if
her tummy is growling with hunger, she’ll happily choose cuddles over food.
“Daddy,” she whispers again, giving me another prod.
“No.” I moan, throwing an arm over my eyes dramatically. “I’m asleep.”
“Daddy!” Paisley giggles, the sweet sound lifting my sleepy spirits. “I’m serious.”
“So am I” I grumble, pulling the covers up over my head to hide from the adorable creature.
A momentter the duvet is yanked back down, and Paisley is sitting on my chest, determined to
interrupt my rest. “Daddy I needs to talk to you.”
Begrudgingly I peek one eye open, assessing the serious pup and the low light filtering in through the
windows. The sun must barely be rising, but my daughter’s beautiful green eyes arepletely alert.
What’s wrong princess?” I ask, encouraging her to lie down agáin. She happily agrees, sprawling on
my broad chest and resting her cheek against my shoulder.
“I’ve been thinking.” She says.
“Mhmm, about what?” I encourage, petting her tiny limbs.
“Well, your surgry’s in two weeks.” She reminds me, as if I could forget. “And I know everything’s gonna
be okay,” Paisley pauses, betraying her fear that this isn’t actually true. “But just in case it isn’ I was
thinking that you should go see Mommy and Ryder, Riley and Parker onest time… in case it’s
goodbye forever.”
To be honest I’d been thinking about this idea myself, but every time the notion rose in my mind I forced
it back down, telling myself I was being selfish, putting my needs above theirs. When I don’t respond,
Paisley presses on. “You could take me for a visits, see everyone again, and then leave me ’til after the
surgry’s done with. That way…”
She trails off, unable to finish the grim sentence. Still, I know where she was headed. That way if I don’t
survive, she’ll already be with Jane and her siblings when they get the news. Nina won’t have to bear
the burden of taking my daughter back to her mother, and Paisley will be with the best support system
possible.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I know.” I confirm, stroking her dark hair. With her perspective in mind, I can’t
think of any reason to say no. Paisley is giving me the perfect excuse to see my beloved family before I
go under the knife, and this truly will be the best thing for her if the worst happens.
“I agree.” I breathe, hugging her a bit more tightly. “We should go for a visit – as soon as possible.”
When I tell Matthew my decision, he heartily agrees, but Nina is another matter entirely. I tell her my
decision over breakfast, waiting until Paisley left for school before sharing the idea with my fated mate.
Nina puts down the piece of toast bnced between her perfectly manicured fingers, “Are you sure
that’s a good idea?”
“Listen,” I begin, exhaling heavily. “Paisley might be young, but she was absolutely right. If I’m.. If I die
on the operating table, I don’t want my family’sst memory of me to be that day at the rest stop –
when I took Paisley away. I want to make sure they know how much I love them, and I want to see
them onest time for myself.”
“Ethan, you can’t tell Jane how much you love her. It will undo everything you’ve been working for
thesest few months.” Nina objects, shifting restlessly in her chair.
“I know. I’m going to right a letter for Paisley to give her if I don’t make it, but I still need to see her one
last time, even if I can’t tell her how I feel. And I can tell the other pups.” I insist. “Besides, this way
Paisley will be with Jane and her brothers and sister already. You won’t have to worry about taking her
to the dark moon pack if I die.”
“Forgive me, Ethan, but it almost sounds like you’re expecting the worst to happen.” Nina frowns. “Are
you nning on dying?”
“Of course not.” I rumble, annoyed by the question even though I know it’s well-intentioned. “I”m just
trying to be realistic, Nina. I have a fifty-fifty chance. I don’t want to leave this earth with things
unfinished. I need my children to know I love them. I need Paisley to be with her mother if she loses
me.’
“Okay, I’m sorry.” Nina concedes. “You’re right. But if you’re going to do this, then I’ming with you.”
“Now I’m not sure if that’sa good idea.” I sigh. “I’m not Sure how Jane or the pups would handle that,
and I don’t want to hurt them worse than they already are.”
Owned by N?velDrama.Org.
“The way I see it, you need someone to watch your back.” Nina argues, “and besides, how would it
look if you went off to see your ex and left me behind. If you do survive the surgery, we have to look like
we’repletely united, otherwise the pack will never support our marriage.”
Of course, I think. Our marriage. The one you’re determined to make happen and that I’m going along
with because I owe you for screwing up your life n.
The one neither of us will be happy in, but we’re agreeing to for convenience and status.
“Alright.” I agree. “But there may be times I want to be alone with them, and I’m going to need you to
respect that.”
“Of course.” Nina smiles gently. “We’re a team, Ethan.
And I’m determined for us to be a strong team. This trip can be a good thing for us, as long as we y
it right.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” I allow, unable to push away the intrusive thoughts banging on the door to my
consciousness. Thoughts about how calcting Nina is, how determined she seems to be Luna,
and how little she seems to care for anything else. I know that isn’t entirely fair of me – there’s nothing
inherently wrong with ambition and Nina exined why it was so important to her when we struck this
deal. I just worry about how far she’s willing to go to protect this dream.
Either way, by the next morning Nina, Paisley and I are piling into the car to travel to the Dark Moon
pack, for better or worse. We drive all day long and into the evening, Nina and I taking turns at the
wheel. Paisley slept most of the way, but she perked up the nearer we drew to the capital city.
We pull up outside Jane’s apartment around eight o’clock at night, and though I debated the idea of
going straight to our hotel and approaching the family the next morning, Paisley convinced me that we
should go see them first. We take the elevator up to the top floor, and Paisley skips down the hallway
towards the apartment, obviously overjoyed to see her Mother and siblings. I’m beaming as I watch her,
thrilled to see her so happy for once.
I don’t regret agreeing to let her stay with me, since I know she would have kept endangering herself in
order toe back to me, but I do feel guilty. I hate knowing that she feels responsibility for my
wellbeing, that she thinks she has to take care of me. No five year old should bear that burden, even if
they want to.
The apartment door opens before Paisley can reach it, pulling me out of my thoughts and into the
present.
Riley, Ryder and Parker pour out of the house, tackling their sister and immediately mbering onto
her in a puppy pile. They’re squealing andughing with joy, and I find myselfughing along with them.
As soon as they hear my voice, the pups’ dark heads pop up, and then they’re racing towards me.
“Daddy!”
They cry, astonishing me as they pile into my arms. I can’t believe they’re so happy to see me after
everything I did, but ‘Il be damned if I’m going to question it. I hug them tightly, tears burning in my eyes
as their excited sounds and sweet kisses rain over me.
I swear to the Goddess, if it weren’t for the fact that I haven’t seen Jane yet, this moment would be
enough to let me die a happy man.
“I’ve missed you all so much!” I tell them honestly, unable to hold back my feelings.
“We missed you too, Daddy.” Riley shares, nuzzling my chest and breathing in my scent. “You’ve been
gone too long.”
“Yeah, we’re sorry we were so grumpy before.” Parker adds, Ryder nodding in agreement.
I clench my eyes shut, fighting back a fresh wave of tears and dropping kisses to their heads. There’s
only a split second between when I hear the elevator ding behind us, then smell Jane’s perfect scent,
and hear her voice. “Ethan?”
I turn around with the pups still in my arms, and there she is – as beautiful as the day I met her. And by
her side is Devon, with a possessive arm wrapped around her waist.
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