Sonia’s step-mom, Wanda, was a chef. She had worked as a chef before she left Aspen Valley, and when they got settled down in Cincinnati, she found a job as a sous chef at one of the most popular restaurants in the downtown area. She taught her son well. Or maybe the talent ran in their blood. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a steak cooked to perfection. Not since she'd moved out of her dad's home, anyway. The delicious steak wasn't the only thing that intrigued her.

Sonia's attention roamed to Andre's hands. They were big, talented…and calloused. Based on her observations of him in the past, it didn't surprise her that he chose a profession that required the use of his hands.

"Before we left the state, you were working for…what's the name…Justice Enterprises, right? Now you work for Remly. Why'd you quit?" she asked.

He grinned. "Who said I quit?"

Sonia cocked her head to one side and narrowed her gaze.

"Remly Engineering is owned by Justice Enterprises," he said.

"Oh. I'm not as educated about Aspen Valley as I thought I was."

"You were still young when you left. It took me a while to figure out who owned what and all that too."

"So, you got your job right back?"

"Not right away. Mom was trying to get me to come with you guys, remember? I just couldn't. I wanted both of you to stay, but everything I knew was here. I guess I thought my mom would change her mind and stick around, but when both of you left, that was it. I just couldn't get back in the swing of things, you know. Didn't help that I had a rap sheet with the cops either," he said. "I did a few short road trips with a biker club, but that wasn't me. I don't favor moving from place to place. Thanks to my brother I had a wake-up call where he told me to stop mulling around looking like I'd lost something. So, that's what I did. By the time I called about getting my old job back at the big company, it was already taken. So, I applied for something else and got hired by the engineering division."

She smiled. "Sweet. I'm glad you stopped mulling around too."

"Yeah, I'm pretty lucky," he said. "I love the job, and there's plenty of room to move up if I work at it. And if I stay out of trouble."

"Unless you've had run-ins with the law after I left, you said that was the longest you'd ever spent in jail. Two months for trespassing and disorderly conduct, right?"

He scratched his head. "Sounds about right. I haven't been arrested since then."

"Do you regret what you did?" she asked.

"Protesting for the rights of shifters…? No, I don't regret that at all. I'd do it again if needed. I might have to. That battle isn't over quite yet. And if I have to go to jail again for it, I'll do it."

"The issues are close to your heart then?"

In the town of Aspen Valley, both shifters and humans fought for shifter rights, but she suspected he was fighting it on a personal level. Not just because he had risked his neck and further tarnished his record to do so. She suspected Andre was a shifter. Had guessed it all along even without the rumors. And Andre had yet to deny or confirm anything. Not all shifters made it public knowledge that they were, in fact…shifters.

Sonia saw Andre as a normal guy. Just like every other guy out there trying to make a living and a name for himself. She saw no immediate difference in the men she knew to be wolf shifters and the men she knew were humans. It didn't matter one way or the other if he was human or not. Not to her anyway.

He leveled his gaze with hers. "Yes, the issue is very close to my heart."

"When your mom invited you to move to Cincinnati with us, why didn't you come?" she asked.

"Seriously? Your dad thought I was a common criminal. His exact words were that my mom was so sweet that he didn't know how on earth she could give birth to a total reject like me."

Sonia shook her head. "My dad would never say that."

"I heard him. He was talking on the phone and I happened to be in earshot. He made it clear to me that he didn't like me…at all." Andre shrugged. "I didn't really care. I didn't need to earn his trust or his respect or anything like that. As long as he didn't do anything to hurt my mom, I stayed clear of him."

"I wish he had given you a chance to see the real you," Sonia said.

Andre chuckled. "Trust me. He doesn't want to see the real me."

"Yeah, well what does that mean?"

"It means that maybe it's best that he just sees me as his lover's son and that's about it," he stated.

"How's your brother?" she asked out of the blue.

Andre and his older brother were only two years apart. They resembled each other so much, despite having different dads.

"He's good," he replied.

"Jacob once told me that he lived for two things: hunting with his Pack and hunting women? Does he still hunt both?"

"He still hunts."

I held his gaze and asked, "Well don't you hunt with him?"

Andre paused as he contemplated her question. He looked serious for a moment, and then a small grin spread across his lips.

"What are you really asking, Sonia?"

I pressed my lips together and smiled playfully. "I think you know. Your mom broke it off with my dad," Sonia said, effectively changing the subject.

As much as she wanted to talk about him, talking about him made her think of other things. Even with the limited amount of time they'd spent together in the past before Sonia moved on, she remembered how connected she felt to him in more ways than one. For the past four years, she had reminisced about him.

Andre arched an eyebrow. "Do you know why my mom decided to split from your dad?"

"I have my suspicions, but my dad says she told him she wasn't cut out for the life he wanted. When we got to Cincinnati, it didn't take him long to become acquainted with his neighbors and the big corporate and political heads in the city. He got involved in politics just like he did in Aspen Valley. He's led several political campaigns in our region back home and wants to run for governor one day. Wanda's not really the outgoing type. She hated going to all the fundraising functions."

"That's kinda what she told me," Andre confirmed.

"I hated attending them too, but not as much as she did."

Andre leaned back in his chair. "I'm sorry it came to that, but my mom isn't back in town yet."

"Maybe she's still packing," Sonia said.

"Maybe. Interview, huh?" Andre commented.

"Yes. At Concord Greenhouse and Nursery. I'm planning to study agricultural science and they have an eight-month long internship with the director there that I really want."

"But what happened to college?" he asked.

"I'm going to take a year off before I start. I was searching for volunteering opportunities initially, but while I was looking I came across a paid position in Aspen Valley. I know the region and I wouldn't feel out of place there. I couldn't pass it up. If I get this internship, it would be like killing two birds with one stone."

"Did your daddy approve of you not enrolling in college right away?"

"He didn't at first. It took some convincing and we agreed that I'd start applying for next fall. I did. I've already been accepted to two of five colleges I've applied to so far."

"Well congrats to you. I always knew you were going to do something good with that brain of yours," he said.

She shrugged. "Let's be honest. The work's not that hard."

"Give yourself some credit. Not everyone can make a garden grow. The other day, I was looking at the garden box your dad built for you to plant in when the three of you first moved out here. I think the carrots and potatoes are still growing. Not sure who's coming around to dig them up when we're not here, but they're still thriving."

She chuckled. "At least you know we've got carrots and potatoes if we're snowed in tomorrow."

He leaned forward in the chair, placing his crossed arms on the table. "If we're going to be honest, I have to admit that I'm looking forward to being snowed in with you."

Sonia swallowed. "After four years, I think we have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yes, we do."