That night Stix manned the bar as Satia again helped him wait tables. Customers had picked up with Deacon's semi-nightly appearances to play, just like he'd known they would. The idea of turning the restaurant into a nightclub played in his mind once more. Changes he would make to the place and the costs to do everything added up in his head as he served drinks and watched Satia take an order and then head past him with a wink back into the kitchen.

She was amazing. When he'd told her they needed to go to the restaurant instead of going out to dinner, she'd not even balked for a moment.

Deacon's gaze followed her. "So I take it things went well up at your parents."

Stix turned to Deacon. "It did."

Deacon nodded. "Did you bite her yet? Seal the deal?"

Stix slammed his fist on the bar, and Deacon's smug smile fell from his face.

"I'm sorry," Deacon said. "I shouldn't be so disrespectful. It's new for me to see you like this."

"Get in line."

Deacon opened his mouth but then sniffed the air and turned. "Holy balls. Look what the wolf dragged in."

Stix's gaze went to the door. Andrea. He swallowed hard. What the hell was she doing there?

She glanced around the place and then spotted Stix and sauntered over. She wore a low-cut, skintight, red dress that showed off her curvy, tan figure. The bottom hem was so high he did not doubt that if she bent over, he'd see everything.

"Well, hells bells," said Deacon. "I thought you crawled off and died somewhere."

Andrea flashed him a bright smile. "Nice to see you too Dick-on."

Deacon chuckled, but Stix saw his jaw working hard. He'd always hated it when Andrea called him that.

"What are you doing here?" Stix asked. "We weren't supposed to meet until tomorrow."

"I felt bad about how we left things today, so I didn't want to wait."

"Where's Andre?"

She glanced at Deacon and then back to Stix.

"With a friend."

Deacon's eyebrows wiggled. "Who's Andre? Your newest lap dance buddy?"

Stix growled, and Deacon's gaze slid his direction. "You know I think I'll go sit over there and have some dinner." He grabbed a beer before heading to a table in Satia's section. She walked out of the back with a tray full of food for the table next to him and set the food down.

Stix watched Satia for a moment and then turned his gaze back to Andrea. "What do you want?"

"To talk. That's all."

Stix's ursa paced in his chest. "In the back."

She nodded and headed around the bar to the back office. Stix popped his head into the kitchen and spotted the other bartender.

"I'm taking a meeting for a few minutes."

"No problem. My break's over anyway."

Stix walked to his office where Andrea stood holding an old photo of his family.

"How's your sister?" She put the photo down.

Stix closed the door and sat in the chair behind the desk. "What do you want to talk about?"

She sauntered toward him and gave her best seductive smile. "Us." She sat down on the corner of his desk and crossed her long, lean legs. "I know we didn't leave things in a good place, but we had something special before. We can have that again. Like back before the partying got out of hand." She ran her fingers up his thigh. "We had fun before, right?"

Stix grabbed her hand and placed it on the desk. "That was a long time ago Andrea."

"Not long enough that I don't remember the feel of your-"

"All right, cut the crap. I'm not buying the whole seductress routine. It was never your forte. Tell me what you want."

She stared at him for a moment and then her shoulders slumped and he blew out a breath. She stomped to a chair and plopped into it.

"Stix, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?"

"Yes. I went about this all the wrong way. I should have told you I was pregnant but I just... I didn't know what to do. I was scared."

"I would have taken care of you."

"I didn't want to put you in that kind of position. You know how my family is."

"Your dad is a piece of work."

"My dad's dead." She dropped her gaze.

Stix's gut clenched. "I'm sorry. I hadn't heard that."

"My brother Ajax is the Alpha now."

"I'm even sorrier to hear that." Ajax was known for two things, his hot head and his hatred of all other species of shifter besides wolves. "If that's true then neither you nor Andre is safe there."

"It's why I came to you. Andre needs you more than ever. And I do as well."

No matter Andrea's betrayal he wouldn't leave her and Andre to fend for themselves.

"You can come stay with me."

"I don't need that. I have my own place and a decent job as a receptionist. I just want you to spend time with Andre. Get to know him."

Stix shook his head. "That doesn't work for me. I'm in this now. I'm not going to be just a 'sometimes-when-you-need-me' dad. I want joint custody."

"Stix-"

"I'm his father. You owe me that. You wanted me in this you can't now dictate the terms of how that happens."

"Okay."

"I can take him during the day when you work, and you can take him when you're done. It'll save you on daycare anyway. Do you need anything for him? Diapers, milk, food?"

"He's been out of diapers for a while. I didn't come to you for your money."

"Good to know. But if you need something for him I'll take care of it."

She nodded.

"Andrea. I know I don't have the right to say you can't see your family. But you are as aware as anyone how they feel about mixed breeds. I won't allow Andre to be harmed mentally or physically by their beliefs. If I think for one second that he's being bullied or mistreated, I'm going to step in."

She gave him a sad smile. "And this is why I came to you. I knew you'd be a wonderful dad."

She'd changed since the last time he'd seen her. Not a physical change but a soulful change. Though her face still held the joy of youthfulness her eyes belied wisdom won only through harsh realities. Not unlike Satia.

"So are we still doing lunch tomorrow?" she asked.

"Do we need to?"

She gave him a sheepish grin and looked up at him from under her lashes like he'd seen her do a million times when she wanted something from him. "I thought maybe we could... you know... talk, catch up..."

A pit grew in Stix stomach. "I don't think that's such a good idea. I want to be reasonable about this, and I want to make this co-parenting thing work but... right now... I just can't with you."

She nodded, and her façade fell. "I understand." She got to her feet. "I'll bring him around eight-thirty tomorrow morning."

He nodded. "I'll be there."

Andrea walked to the door. She stopped and turned back. "That girl who was at your place, Satia, is she your..."

"I'll see you in the morning."

"Night."

She left without another word. Stix hung his head in his hands. What the hell was he going to do all day with a two-year-old kid?

A quiet knock rapped on the door. "Come in."

Deacon peeked his face around the door a broad smile planted there. He closed the door and crossed to the desk. "So, what'd she want? Money? Sex? A job?"

Stix wanted to tell Deacon to buzz off. But it was no use. He was going to find out sooner or later anyway. "She wanted to work out the details of our new situation."

Deacon sat in the chair across from him. "New situation? What, like you and her hooking up or-"

"My kid. Andre."

Deacon chuckled. "Right. Okay. Don't tell me. It's fine. I'm not hurt."

"When she split she was pregnant. I have a son. He's two."

Deacon stared wide-eyed at Stix for a moment and his expression grew serious. "You aren't kidding."

"She showed up at my house today with a kid who looked like me."

"Are you sure he's yours?"

"The second I smelled him it was obvious he was mine. There's no mistaking it."

Deacon sat back in his chair. "Well, damn man. That's a total crock of horse shit for her to keep him from you all this time."

Stix waved him off. "What matters is my relationship with him moving forward. Jeb is dead. Ajax is the new alpha of their clan. You know how her father felt about not being a pureblood wolf? Well, Ajax is a thousand times worse."

"Has the kid shifted yet?"

Stix shook his head. "She said no, but I wonder."

"Why is that?"

"Because she's scared. I smelled it on her. She kept him a secret this long and now all of a sudden she comes to me for help? It doesn't sit right. Either he's already shifted, and she isn't talking, or she knows something that she isn't sharing. Either way, I don't care. The boy is mine, and I intend to take care of him."

"Even if it means having to deal with her brother?"

"Even if it means I have to deal with her whole damn family."

Deacon nodded and stood. He leaned across Stix's desk and held out his arm. "Whatever you need brother, I've got your back."

Stix grasped Deacon's forearm. "Thanks. I might need that."