The following weeks were quiet. Tyler’s father had come in to do the scheduled tasting to decide on which cake to have made for their calibration. Tyler had not come with them to the tasting, and she found herself wanting to ask about him and how he was healing, but she knew it was better if she didn’t. Cutting all ties with Tyler was best, and as soon as she concluded, her dealings with his father would bring an end to all her connections to the sinfully good-looking Detective. The celebration was in two days, and she and Katelyn were working hard to finish the order.
The bell from the shop door rang, alerting them to a customer. Aster was deep into frosting the tears, and she didn’t have the time to deal with a customer. Katelyn hoped off the tall stool she sat on while doing her work. Because she was so very pregnant, it was too hard for her to stand all day. Katelyn had been working on modelling chocolate figures for the topper. “I got it.” She said, waddling off to the front of the shop. Aster snickered as she watched it. She found it hilarious how much pregnant women in their third trimester resembled penguins.
It wasn’t long before Katelyn came waddling back in. “They want to talk to you.”
Aster groaned. She was busy enough. She hated being interrupted when she was in a productive groove. Aster put down her tools and wiped her hands, then she brushed a stray lock of golden hair out of her eyes and went out front. Aster stopped in the doorway when she saw Tyler on the other side of the counter. Their eyes met, and he smiled at her.
Aster came to the counter, assuming he must be there about his father’s order. “Is there a problem with the order?” She asked, wondering why he would come here.
“None that I know of.” He said. “You look good.”
“Thank you.”
“You look like you are recovering.”
“I get the stitches out tomorrow.”
“Why are you here, Tyler?”
“Well, my dad’s wedding is in two days, and I need a date. I was hoping you might be interested in dusting off your dancing shoes.”
“Are you insane?” It just slipped out. Did this man have a death wish? “What the hell is wrong with you? Is there a medical diagnosis for what is wrong with you?”
Tyler stepped back, shocked. “Not exactly the response I was looking for.”
“I almost killed you. You will forever be maimed because of me. Why in the world would you want to date me? I am a danger to you. The next time it happens, I might kill you.”
“You didn’t do it on purpose. I know that.”
“It doesn’t matter. On purpose or not, dead is dead.”
“Ok, how about this? We go out on our date, and I promise to carry my taser. If you get uppity, I’ll zap you again.”
“It’s dangerous, Tyler.”
“Aster, look at me. I’m a cop. I do danger every day. Every time I strap this gun to my hip and hang that badge from my neck, I know that when I walk out my door, I might die. Death doesn’t scare me. Not living my life to the fullest while I have it, that scares me. So when you drop the cake off on Saturday, make sure you are in a nice dress and shoes you can dance in.” He smiled.
“You are really stubborn.”
“Yes, I am.” He grinned as he walked out of the shop. Aster knew it was a bad idea, but she smiled anyway, excited about the date she couldn’t get out of.
***
when all he was doing had been trying to protect his lover and unborn child. Once in the room, the inmates were lined up against a wall, and each one had
was a badass, and it was clear that he had been flexing his power intimidating the other inmates into behaving around him. There was no question to anyone in the room. Gordon ruled prison, and everyone
timid to make eye contact with him. As her father reached the table, Aster stood
friends again.” She teased
bite to keep the omegas in line.” He whispered. “What’s wrong, baby?” He asked,
think anything is
my cub. I always
her mother would come after Aster as a child, her father would step in and take her mother’s wrath sparing her. Her mother had been so abusive, and even though her father was stronger than her mother. Gordon did not believe in hitting women even if they hit first. That led to many years of abuse. The day
She said, trying to control
happened?” He
up about it. “When I wake up, I find that I’ve hurt someone while I was sleep-walking.
ear. “Your mother was a psychotic bitch who didn’t care who she hurt. You are nothing like her baby. What is happening to you is her fault. Good mothers do not traumatize their cubs.” Then he sighed. “I must bear some blame for this too. I should have put a stop to the abuse long before I did. It wasn’t right for you to see that, to be forced
wants to
suspicious. “Human?” She nodded. “How
and a clawed open his chest.”
She nodded. Normally this would be the part where Gordon would tell her Tyler needed to be executed to protect the pack, but since he had taken a human bride himself, he had become far more lenient. “Is
least Aster trusted Tyler. He had never given her any reason not
I trust your judgment.” He held her hands once more. “I love you, baby, and I promise the nightmares will end. I know things are hard right now with me in here. But it
are you even in here?” She snapped. “You could break those chains like dry pasta. You could rip the cell door off with little effort. You could walk
“To protect the pack.”
does you being in prison
leave, they would come for me. Bounty hunters, state troopers, the full weight of the Colorado justice department would come down on Feral
me to go with him. I haven’t decided if I am going to
he know about your
knows I have them
you really
“I do.”
his interest in you seem
does.” He had put up with a lot and hadn’t so much as earned a kiss
only tell their family shame but to a human was so uncharacteristic for him. “Sometimes, you just have to trust people. Sometimes the silence is
took hopped into her car. Tyler never had the chance to remove the boot, but Aster didn’t need him. She simply removed the booted tire and replaced it with a new one. Aster
have just taken them from her anyway had she brought them in with her. She held her phone in her hand, staring
She decided to call.
***
hell out of his wife and kids when his black neighbour called the cops because of the screaming coming from his house. The neighbour had made the mistake of standing on his porch when the cops came to this man’s door. When the Uniform tried to deal with the
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