Chapter Five
Harrison
Holy shit. Penelope was here. Not only was she here, but she was here with my baby. My son. Camden.
Every time I moaned about the fact that I was lonely, the guys had poked at me, said that she was the one that I let get away. But I wasn't going to keep her captive; I had always thought it was my bear that had scared off. I felt sorry that she didn't realize that our son was half shifter until now. Until some asshat in a suit came to tell her that they wanted to take him away.
She looked incredible, just as beautiful as I remembered her. She had that soft auburn hair and light blue eyes that struck me deep in my soul. She was angelic looking. My bear rumbled just beneath the surface clawing to get to her. It was like the moment he saw her again, he knew. She would have to be my mate. He paced back and forth just under the surface waiting for her to make a move. Neither of us wanted to scare her off again. Maybe we should take it slow.
I felt his surge of anger—not slow, apparently. He wanted her now. But as much as he wanted her, he also wanted that baby.
I'd always wanted a family. I hardly wanted to live by myself anymore. And here was my opportunity. Not only that, but it was my duty to keep her safe, as she was the mother of my child, my mate. There was no way I was letting anyone get close to them.
She picked him up out of the car seat and handed him to me. I'd never felt anything so fragile in my entire life. This tiny little bundle in my hands was my flesh and blood. I couldn't believe my eyes. Especially when he let out a small yawn, and his fists balled up, and his eyes opened. It was like looking in the mirror. How did she look at those eyes, my eyes, for the past eight weeks and not feel like she should tell me? That wasn't fair. But I’d have to get over that. I had to move forward, but I had to figure out what was going on.
“So you got out of your apartment?” I said as the little boy wrapped his hand around my finger. He squeezed, and I felt how strong he was. It was the bear inside of him. Even though he was only half, he would still carry my traits. I felt pride swell in my chest knowing that one day he would be just like me. Or maybe even better.
“Yeah, I felt like I had to. It was kind of a shithole anyway, but it was home.” The first time since she arrived she looked truly afraid. She'd been so strong.
“How did you find me?”
She looked sheepish. “I went to your job. I know that's like totally illegal and everything but the sergeant there told me where you lived, as it was really important that I talk to you. I think he saw Camden and kind of assumed…”
Great, I would never live this down. “No it's fine, they would have found out anyway. I'm really close with the guys on my squad. They’re like me.”
“Shifters? All of them?”
“You really don't know anything about us, do you?”
“Not really. I mean I knew that you existed. But nobody really talks about it, not since the pro-shifter legislation passed. I know that we’re not supposed to treat you guys any different. Which honestly is fine by me. I just wish that other people wouldn’t, especially now that my son belongs to this world. I want you to know that the only reason I came here is because I’d do anything to protect him. This isn't about me or anything that I want.”
That one hurt. I didn't make eye contact with her, to avoid her figuring that a piece of me hoped that she had come to me not just because I was Camden's father, but because she still had some feelings for me. Whatever feelings could be based on one night for a human, I wasn't sure. I knew how much of my feelings were based on it, though.
“No, I totally understand. So without an apartment and without a job you're kind of shit out of luck? Am I right?”
She nodded again, this time looking desperate. She didn't need to look that way; I would take care of her. “I hope you’ve got your stuff. There's a guest room that you and Camden can sleep in. I obviously have no baby items, but I’ll get anything you need. The house isn’t much but it’ll work. This is obviously the kitchen and living room is right through there.” I pointed off to my left. “There's no dining room, as I eat in the living room in front of the TV most nights. I don't cook, so don't expect that. But I'll pay all the bills and you can stay here as long as you need to. Definitely until we get all this figured out.”
“I’ll work! I'm not expecting a hand out.”
“That's not what this is about. If you're outside this house, someone is going to find you. Staying here is about your safety. Yours and Camden's. So I can bring home whatever and you’re to stay here at all times. You can't trust anyone.”
She bit her lip, which was cute. I could tell she was thinking it over. She didn’t seem like the type of girl to just take anything given to her. I appreciated that. A hard working woman—it was a trait I admired. “Okay, I can cook. I have to go grocery shopping though—I can’t be a total prisoner in here—and I can cook for you every night. You'll never have to eat in front of the television alone again. We could eat here at the table, like a family or something.”
Like proper family. She had no idea how good that sounded. “That would be nice. But send out for grocery service. I was serious that you can't leave the house. I’ll have to ditch your car, in case they’re tracking it. I’ll run it out into one of the state parks around here and just leave it there, they won’t think anything of it until they try to track it again. I can put surveillance on it to figure out who's been following you.”
“You can do all that? Because you’re a cop?”
“I can do all that because I'm going to. But yes, being a cop certainly has its benefits when it comes to a situation like this. But I need to inform the rest of my squad what's going on. We had our suspicions about the killings, but you're the first person to confirm it. I can't believe they offered you money, like they thought you would take it. It's your kid we’re talking about here, did they get that?”
“I think they did when I told him no. That’s when he told me that they would make me sorry. And that's when I knew I had to get away, that they wouldn’t leave me alone. Is this what your life has been like? People constantly chasing you?”
Camden started to doze off again as I rocked him in my arms. I couldn't believe how natural it felt. Within seconds, he fell back to sleep. “No. It's never been like this for me. All of this is brand-new. I don't know what's going on, Penelope, but I'm going to find out. You don't need to worry anymore.”
The first time since she had walked in, I saw her shoulders slump, and she finally relaxed. I wondered if she felt like she been holding her breath the entire time since she had been propositioned to give up Camden. I wondered what it felt like to finally let go.