Chapter Three – Rose
Do I go in or do I quit?
Rose sat in her car, hands clenched in her lap. If she only knew what Devon's intentions were, then the choice would be easy. If he was telling the truth and wanted things to be platonic-professional, then it was fine. But unfortunately, she wasn't a mind-reader. If she was, she never would have gotten involved with Percy for five years.
Devon didn't seem to be the same kind of guy as Percy was. He was just paranoid about leaving his daughter for the first time. And his invitation to dinner could be much more benign than she had taken it as. Making food wasn't necessarily a prepayment expecting sex in return. Was it?
Closing her eyes, Rose sucked in a deep breath. Hadn't she made excuses for Percy, too? Hadn't she ignored her own feelings on the matter and continued to give him everything that she was while receiving nothing back?
It's not the same situation, she told herself and took another deep breath.
It had been a long time since she had the confidence to trust her own instinct, but in this case, they weren't going crazy like they had with Percy.
Devon's actions gave her a knee-jerk reaction, but when she really considered how she felt, there wasn't any of the fear that she'd deliberately ignored with Percy; if she had believed that fear rather than giving him a chance, the last five years wouldn't have happened. But she didn't feel the same wariness around Devon.
Well, in any case, she hadn't gotten any more job offers. She needed the work. But if she did start getting more red flags or gut warnings, she'd quit. As much as she hated the thought of leaving Jamie, having already bonded with the infant, she wasn't going back down that rabbit hole.
I wish I'd met Devon before Percy ruined my life.
The thought caught her by surprise. Rose physically jolted, her face heating. Where had that come from? Yes, Devon was a protecting, worrying father, but that didn't mean he'd be good boyfriend material. And he was hot, and he was well-off, but there were far more important things to know about… and knowing a man more than one day was also quite necessary before deciding that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him!
Rose reached for her bag. She'd at least keep going until the end of the week. By then she would have more information to make a decision with.
Her cell phone rang. Distractedly she pulled it from her pocket and glanced at the number. It was Marta, one of her old friends. Odd. She hadn't heard from Marta in nearly four months, not since she moved to Toronto.
Rose answered the phone. "Hey girl, how are you?"
"Rose."
Cold dread flooded her. Rose froze, every muscle in her body freezing. Her heart lurched and her mouth went dry. It was a voice she never wanted to hear again. Percy. "Why do you have Marta's cell phone?"
"She let me borrow her phone so I could talk to you. She's just in the other room, making some tea."
"I want to talk to her."
"Look, I know what happened between us was bad, but I'm sorry. I miss you. I didn't realize how much I actually do love you until I lost you, Rose. I love you, even though you drive me crazy. But I can be better, I can put up with your—"
Rose hung up. Her hands clenched around her phone as she stared at it. Sure enough, moments later 'Marta' was phoning again. Why would she give Percy her phone? He could be a real charmer, she knew that… He'd probably spun the line about being broken hearted and how much he loved Rose that had made her roommate back in New York tell him where she had moved to in Chicago. That was why she had come out all the way to Seattle.
Her hands shaking, Rose pulled the battery out of her phone and dropped it onto the seat. She'd have to get her number changed. And maybe cut off whatever contact she had with a few friends she still had back east…
She combed her fingers through her hair and rushed to the house. A nice, calm day with Jamie was exactly what she needed right now. The door opened before she got to it, revealing a sleepy-eyed Devon. He held Jamie in his arms. The baby grizzled, squirming.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "I forgot to call you. I'm going in late today, I didn't need you to come until noon. Jamie was fussy all night."
"My cell phone's broken anyway," she said quickly. "But while I'm here, do you need groceries or something? Or I could watch Jamie while you take a nap. You look like you need it."
Should she be going out of her way to be friendly when she wasn't sure about him? But he did make her feel relaxed… and when he smiled, her heart actually fluttered. Rose quickly looked away. She was not going to let her heart get the best of her! It was probably only acting this way because she was still rattled by Percy's call and Devon was so big and strong and protective…
"I am getting low on groceries. I was actually just going to go shopping. It would be great if you could come and help with Jamie."
Rose felt the tension slip from her body as she nodded. She hadn't made any friends in the city yet, and why not start with Devon? She hadn't thought about it before, but when it came to relationships, he must have just broken up with Jamie's mother. Or maybe she had been his mate and she died. Didn't shifters just have the one major love in their lives? He couldn't be looking for anything.
As they headed out into the city, Devon driving, Rose gazed out the window, feeling more relaxed being alone with a man than she had in a long time. "So you're a vet, right?"
"Yep."
"How did you get into that line of work? I was under the impression that shifters scared animals. Like, dogs attack werewolves and stuff." Devon's lips thinned, and Rose knew she had said something wrong. Her hands twisted as she tensed again. "I'm sorry, I didn’t mean—"
"You haven't had much contact with shifters, have you?"
Rose shook her head.
Devon was silent for a moment before he shrugged. "There is a lot of misinformation out there about us. There is also this insidious insistence that we're nothing more than animals with human bodies. That's where the whole 'animals hate shifters' myth comes from. The truth is that I can read animal's body language much better than most humans can. They love me, and I love them."
"But you don't have any pets yourself," Rose continued cautiously. "Are you against humans owning animals?"
Devon pulled into the parking lot and smiled at her. "You just called me human. I'm not."
"Oh." Rose twisted her seatbelt in her hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"It's okay. And you don't have to apologize for everything."
Rose opened her mouth to apologize for apologizing too much before she caught herself and just nodded silently. Internally, she was kicking herself. Why was it that every time she opened her mouth she put her foot in it?
No. Don't think like that. That's Percy's voice in your head. I can do a lot of great things, and I don't always put my foot in my mouth. I might be socially awkward, but I'm great with kids.
"I'm not against owning animals, as long as they're treated right. I don't think that most dogs should be owned in the city, though. Dogs need space to run and have freedom. Cats are a little different. But they need space, and they need to be played with and socialized. Too often cats are treated like throwaway pets, and that needs to change." He shot her a quick glance. "And I'm not saying that just because I can turn into a Panther."
"I always wanted pets," Rose sighed. "But my dad hated animals. He would never even let me have fish."
"Well, maybe now that I have Jamie and a nanny, I can get a dog or a cat… I've wanted to for a while, but it's not fair to animals to leave them alone at home all day with nobody to play with them. Well… I suppose I could have gotten fish. They're more interactive than people give them credit for. But I guess—"
"If you didn't have time for a pet, why did you have a child?" Rose blurted. She instantly slapped both hands over her mouth as Devon tensed. "I am so sorry! That's none of my business. I don’t know what's wrong with me, I never think before I speak—"
She sucked in a deep breath as Devon parked the car. She watched him anxiously for any signs of anger. His hands clenched on the wheels. She couldn't imagine what he was going to say in response to this. No, she did know. He was going to fire her. Asking something so personal?
I'm a stupid—NO! Rose closed her eyes, forcing the words that Percy would have told her aside. I am not stupid. I am very smart, I just don't always pick up on social cues before I speak.
She let out a shuddering breath. "I didn't mean to upset you. Obviously, you don't have to answer."
Devon turned towards her. "Jamie was the result of a one-night stand. I didn't even know her mother's name. She gave me a fake one. I didn't know she was pregnant, either, until I got a phone call saying that she had died in childbirth and I had a daughter."
Rose gasped. "That's awful." She didn't know what else to say. "So… she came completely out of the blue?"
"Yeah. She turned my life upside down. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I was happy with my life before, but now that I have Jaime… Well, I think it must be like if somebody from the twenties suddenly got an HD TV. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But it is a lot to get used to." Devon patted her shoulder. "So that's why you can be assured that I'm not looking for anything other than a friend and someone to look after my daughter when I'm at work. I need to provide a stable situation for my little girl, and dating can get really messy."
"Of course." Rose smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "If it helps… you're a good father. You overcompensate a little, but you're a good father."
"Thanks." Devon glanced in the back. "Looks like Jamie is sleeping. Do you mind staying out here with her while I go in?"
"Of course not." Rose pulled a book from her bag. "I'll keep myself entertained."
He slipped out of the van, and she stared after him. Her heart ached for his story, but there was also a deep warmth in her chest. Many men wouldn't have stepped up and taken on the responsibility to look after an unexpected daughter like he did. He was a good man. A good, very attractive man…
Rose looked down at her book, shaking her head. A good man not looking for anything. Just like she wasn't looking for anything. That was all there was to it.