Chapter Twenty-One Josh

The next morning I was up bright and early before Andy had even though about getting out of bed. I needed to run back to the hotel for a change of clothes and a shower before work. Today was a big baking day for us since we needed to restock everything we'd sold at the market the day before. That meant at least eight hours of work in the shop, if not more. And, considering I stank of sex and cum, it was probably best to get some fresh clothing.

Although, if I was being honest with myself, I just planned to bring my entire duffel bag back with me. I wanted to spend as much time with Andy as possible. As long as he was okay with me being there, I'd be at his side. Leaving my mate wasn't an option now that I'd found him. I loved him after all.

I borrowed the van since my car was still parked at the hotel and made the quick trip back. I didn't stop for a chat with Sam, merely waved and said hello as I went up to my room. Inside I stripped down, hopped in the shower, and turned it to hot, letting the heat seep into my tired muscles.

Baking didn't seem like a physical job, but it really was. Not only was I hefting heavy pans all day long but also kneading gallons upon gallons of dough. It was a never-ending cycle until all the work was done. And then, at the end of the day, I took Andy upstairs and fucked his brains out. Sometimes twice. Needless to say, I wasn't having to worry about those extra cinnamon rolls I was eating. I burned more calories having a needy bottom boyfriend than I ever had with sports or working out. In fact, I might need to look into eating more. Maybe I could introduce a new set of savory pies at the shop so I could up my protein intake. I was cumming enough that I was starting to get worried I'd need more.

However, I'd only been in the shower for a few minutes when I heard a knock at my door. I thought maybe Andy had come to the hotel for some reason, possibly to surprise me with more sex. But, just in case it was someone else, I quickly turned off the water and hopped out, wrapping a towel around my waist.

"Just a minute!" I called.

In a rush I dried and pulled on a pair of clean jeans and a shirt. I didn't even bother to glance through the peephole before I opened the door.

My heart nearly stopped in my chest and my jaw hung loose. There, standing framed in my doorway, was the last person I ever expected to see outside my hotel room. In fact, the last person I thought I'd see ever again.

My father.

We stared at one another for a long moment.

"Can I come in?" he asked at last.

I'm not sure what possessed me to do it, but I stepped to the side, allowing him into my hotel room. He walked through the room to the window and stared out at the small town beyond.

"Not a bad little place to end up," he said, giving me a sort of half smile. "It's kinda quaint. And right on the lake, so I'm sure you feel right at home."

I pushed the door closed, a surge of anger filling my chest. "Except I can't go home, can I?" I scoffed. "Why the hell are you here?"

He opened his mouth as if to argue, an angry expression crossing his face. He never liked it when people called him out on his bullshit and he especially didn't like it from me. But I didn't fucking care. He was in my hotel room and invading my life.

"Aren't you going to offer me a chair or something?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "No actually, I'm not. Because I don't want you here."

"I thought you would've been happy to see your old man."

"I don't see him," I stated plainly. "All I see is the man that kicked me out of my home and my pack because I dared to be something other than what he wanted."

My father took a deep breath and blew out a long sigh. "I know," he replied, shaking his head. "And I don't blame you."

I already had my mouth open to retort, but as his words sunk in, my irritation wavered. Instead I just asked him, "Why are you here?"

"I came back to ask you to come home."

It felt like I'd been suddenly punched in the chest. My father was asking me to come home? This was the man who told me to never darken his doorway again.

"I made a mistake sending you away," he continued. "I can see that now." He stepped over to the bed, sinking down on the edge of it as he rubbed his face against his palms. "When you told me you didn't want to be Gamma, I felt like you were doing it just to hurt me. It's not secret you and I haven't gotten along that well since… since…"

"Since mom died?" I asked, saying what he couldn't bring himself to utter.

He nodded. "I tried to convince myself you were being defiant. That you were spitting in the face of everything I'd worked so hard to accomplish. I didn't become Gamma to please my own ego… I did it for you mother and for you, so I could pass a legacy onto you that you could be proud of. One that would take care of you." He sighed again. "But I was being prideful. I was so caught up in my own plans that I didn't stop to consider yours and that you might want something different out of this life than I do. I didn't even know you wanted to be a cook until you went to college."

"You might have," I retorted. "If you'd paid any attention to me or listened to a word I said after mom died."

I could see the tears welling up in his eyes as he stared up at me. "I… I was lost," he said at last. "That day she died, it felt like I died with her."

"And do you think that's a good excuse for leaving me to fend for myself for years?" I snapped back, tears welling up in my eyes too. "You left a thirteen-year-old child to raise himself while you went and played friends with the pack leader. I had my own grief too, you know. And I had to get through all of it by myself!"

"I'm sorry, Josh," he said softly, the tone of his voice nearly breaking my heart. "I know it won't fix any of it, but I am sorry. Truly."

A rush of emotion washed over me. There was definitely anger and most of it I'd given up on resolving years ago. But there was also a fresh surge of grief, both for Mom's early demise and the sadness that came from realizing my father could no longer look at me. I'd lost both parents that day. He only lost his wife.

"You're right," I growled, holding back tears as I pointed a threatening finger at him. "It's not going to fucking fix it! You abandoned me when Mom died and you did it again when I didn't want to be Gamma. How can I trust you? What if I tell you in a month that I want to go join the circus, are you going to just abandon me then too?!"

"You have every right to be angry." I hated how calm he was. It made me even more irate. "And I know there's nothing I can do to convince you right this moment that I mean what I say. I… I suppose I'll have to prove it to you."

"How the fuck are you gonna do that?"

"Come home with me."

All the air rushed out of my lungs.

"Come home with me and let me prove to you that I can be a good father. I owe that to you and to your mother. I want you to live in the house where she raised you if that's what you want. I want you to follow your dreams and finish culinary school. Hell, maybe you'll even become a famous chef or start a big restaurant in town. Either way, I want you home. You're my son and it's my duty to support you in life. It's what your mother would've wanted, and it's what I want."

I was speechless. After uprooting my entire life and moving to Shifter Grove where I had absolutely nothing, my father was offering my old life back to me on a silver platter. He'd been the cause of all my woes and now he was willing to fix them once more.

"I've already arranged it with the Alpha so you can rejoin the pack and all your friends." He gave me a small smile. "And your room is just the way you left it. I even called up the culinary school and took care of all your withdrawals from classes for this semester. They're ready and expecting you in the spring to finish out your schooling."

A new problem suddenly emerged in front of me. Dad thought I was living in a hotel room with nothing in a nowhere place. He didn't know I had a job, friends, and a mate now. And, worst of all, he didn't know my mate was another man. His apology was great, but I wasn't sure it would hold up the moment I told him the truth. In fact, I was almost certain it would be the final crack to burst an already damaged dam.

"Dad… I… I don't know," I started. "I have a good job at the bakery here…"

"So quit," he said simply. "I'll get you any kind of job you want back in Traverse City. The pack has connections all over. If you want to bake, I'll get you in. Anything you want, just name it and I'll make sure it happens."

"I–"

"You know what," he said, holding up a hand to cut me off. "Maybe this is all a little too much too fast. You've been through a lot and I have no doubt you've started to settle in here thinking you'd never be able to come back home." He pushed himself up from the bed and walked over to me, placing both his hands on my shoulders. "You don't have to answer right now. Take some time to think it over. I'm staying here in the hotel for the next couple of days and I'll keep out of your way while you get things settled." He reached up, holding my chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I'm really proud of you, son. Even with all the odds stacked against you, you made it work anyway. You've become a very capable man and I know your mother would be proud too."

I allowed him to pull me into a hug, returning the gesture out of habit more than anything. My mind was racing as I watched him leave. The moment the door closed behind him, I collapsed into the desk chair and buried my face in my hands. What was I going to tell everyone? I didn't want to leave them all behind, but the idea of getting everything back was pretty enticing.

What was I going to tell Andy? Obviously I wasn't going to leave my mate behind, but how would I break that news to my father? I didn't really want to have another confrontation with him, but it seemed impossible to avoid now. He wasn't going to leave until he got an answer from me.

I shook my head, knowing I had no other choice. I had to tell him about Andy, but I was going to do it in my own way in my own time. And considering Andy already had a business to run, I didn't want him to worry. For now, I'd keep my father's arrival to myself. When the time was right, I'd let Andy know what was going on. With any luck, he'd be thrilled to come with me back to Traverse City where we could build a life together. He could start a new cafe and I could finish culinary school. Within a few years we could be the highlight of the restaurant scene in all of northern Michigan.

It was a beautiful dream. But for now I needed to plan how to break the news to both of them.

And I was late to work.