completely unwanted by my father.
“ I tossed and turned so much that night. When I finally found enough strength later on the next afternoon to crawl out of bed, I found an envelope with my name scrolled across the front resting on top of my broken dining room table. Inside was a piece of paper folded around a stack of money. I can remember to this day exactly what that letter said:
Here’s some money to take care of that problem. You should have enough left over for a fresh start somewhere else.
It had been signed Kale Hunter .”
We sat in silence for a little while—me processing and mom recuperating. I knew I really should say something, anything, but no words would come.
“ A week later I found myself here, in North Carolina, feeling better than ever about my decision to keep you and the wad of money in my pocket. It had been ten grand to be exact. Looking back now, part of me thinks that was Kale’s way of saying he was sorry and part of me thinks it may have just been his way of paying me to keep his secret.
“ By the time I was five months pregnant with you I was already opening up my own little florist shop and doing just fine all by myself. The only thing I needed help with was building all of the shelves in the front of the room for displays and some storage areas for in the back. The company I hired sent a handsome man with a great smile, a cute southern accent, and the hospitality of a gentleman.” She paused to wink at me, and I knew who she was talking about without her having to say his name—Bill, my dad.
“ We spent the next few months together as strictly friends and nothing more. At least that was what I told myself, because I knew I wasn’t ready for a relationship again just yet. But somewhere between the time that we met and the time of your birth Bill became more to me than just a friend, he became my best friend and so much more.” Mom looked at me with the first real smile I’d seen on her face since she began talking. It reached up and touched the corners of her eyes. I curled my body into her and rested my head on her shoulder.
“ I never told him everything from my past. I left out the werewolf part for obvious reasons. Tessa…” she cut herself off and sighed. “I hope knowing all of this doesn’t make you think any less of me.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “No, it doesn’t. Thanks for finally telling me.”
She patted my forearm. “I’m glad it’s finally out there, and I’m so sorry I never told you sooner. Maybe if I had, everything you’re going through right now could have been avoided,” she said, guilt lacing her words.
“ I probably wouldn’t have believed you anyway,” I said, my throat feeling thick. “So why did you choose Breckwater, North Carolina? How did you even find this place?” I asked, attempting to lighten the mood.
“ There was a tattered map of the United States left in my apartment by the previous tenants. I closed my eyes, spun my finger around, and North Carolina was where it had landed. I figured since there were no wolves here it was as good a place as any. I got myself a map of North Carolina that afternoon and did the same thing. My finger landed on Breckwater. Now I can see, though, that all of my strategic planning did me no good.”
I avoided her eyes for as long as I could, thinking that this would be the moment she would tell me I should have listened to her and stayed away from Jace. When those words never came, I raised my eyes to meet hers and the amount of sympathy and guilt I saw mixed within them was enough to make me tear up once more.
“ Now, tell me what’s been going on with you,” she said in a soft tone, sniffling.
And I did, I told her everything starting from the night of the Halloween party and ending with the news I’d just gotten about Jace being betrothed to Shelby.
“ Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” she whispered into my hair after pulling me into a big hug.
“ I’m scared,
“ I tossed and turned so much that night. When I finally found enough strength later on the next afternoon to crawl out of bed, I found an envelope with my name scrolled across the front resting on top of my broken dining room table. Inside was a piece of paper folded around a stack of money. I can remember to this day exactly what that letter said:
Here’s some money to take care of that problem. You should have enough left over for a fresh start somewhere else.
It had been signed Kale Hunter .”
We sat in silence for a little while—me processing and mom recuperating. I knew I really should say something, anything, but no words would come.
“ A week later I found myself here, in North Carolina, feeling better than ever about my decision to keep you and the wad of money in my pocket. It had been ten grand to be exact. Looking back now, part of me thinks that was Kale’s way of saying he was sorry and part of me thinks it may have just been his way of paying me to keep his secret.
“ By the time I was five months pregnant with you I was already opening up my own little florist shop and doing just fine all by myself. The only thing I needed help with was building all of the shelves in the front of the room for displays and some storage areas for in the back. The company I hired sent a handsome man with a great smile, a cute southern accent, and the hospitality of a gentleman.” She paused to wink at me, and I knew who she was talking about without her having to say his name—Bill, my dad.
“ We spent the next few months together as strictly friends and nothing more. At least that was what I told myself, because I knew I wasn’t ready for a relationship again just yet. But somewhere between the time that we met and the time of your birth Bill became more to me than just a friend, he became my best friend and so much more.” Mom looked at me with the first real smile I’d seen on her face since she began talking. It reached up and touched the corners of her eyes. I curled my body into her and rested my head on her shoulder.
“ I never told him everything from my past. I left out the werewolf part for obvious reasons. Tessa…” she cut herself off and sighed. “I hope knowing all of this doesn’t make you think any less of me.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “No, it doesn’t. Thanks for finally telling me.”
She patted my forearm. “I’m glad it’s finally out there, and I’m so sorry I never told you sooner. Maybe if I had, everything you’re going through right now could have been avoided,” she said, guilt lacing her words.
“ I probably wouldn’t have believed you anyway,” I said, my throat feeling thick. “So why did you choose Breckwater, North Carolina? How did you even find this place?” I asked, attempting to lighten the mood.
“ There was a tattered map of the United States left in my apartment by the previous tenants. I closed my eyes, spun my finger around, and North Carolina was where it had landed. I figured since there were no wolves here it was as good a place as any. I got myself a map of North Carolina that afternoon and did the same thing. My finger landed on Breckwater. Now I can see, though, that all of my strategic planning did me no good.”
I avoided her eyes for as long as I could, thinking that this would be the moment she would tell me I should have listened to her and stayed away from Jace. When those words never came, I raised my eyes to meet hers and the amount of sympathy and guilt I saw mixed within them was enough to make me tear up once more.
“ Now, tell me what’s been going on with you,” she said in a soft tone, sniffling.
And I did, I told her everything starting from the night of the Halloween party and ending with the news I’d just gotten about Jace being betrothed to Shelby.
“ Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” she whispered into my hair after pulling me into a big hug.
“ I’m scared,
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