Chapter 15

Like the day before,Teddy gave me a choice on what I wanted to do for the morning. Knowing the crew was there was terrifying, but having Teddy with me helped a lot. He made me feel safe, and I didn't want Leo to miss school because I was being a coward. When I told Teddy I wanted to try, he gave me a proud smile and kissed my temple before going to look for his boots.

I was shaking by the time we pulled into Blackridge Haven. The concrete pad they used for parking was so full, Teddy had to park in the grass next to it. They were all there. Panic crawled up my throat and when I whimpered, Teddy took my hand. He didn't make me get out of the truck, rubbing his thumb against my knuckles to soothe me.

"Deep breaths. No one"s gonna hurt you. I won't let ‘em. Leo won't either. We got you."

Leo scrambled over the center console, joining us in the front, and sat on my lap. He didn't get angry this time. His jaw was tight, but his eyes filled with determination as he petted my hair.

"You get to choose. Teddy said choosing is good. What do you wanna do?"

I huffed out a watery laugh, a few tears slipping over my cheeks. Teddy wasn't just helping me. He was helping Leo too. Normally, at this point, if I was this scared, Leo would be throwing a fit and demanding we head home. He was trying so hard to be patient with me.

Teddy released my hand to brush the tears off my cheeks. "You already met the women. You know they're okay. And you don't gotta meet anyone else if you don't want to. I can bring you straight into Malcolm's place. No one will stop you."

Biting my lip, I looked over my shoulder out the windows. I couldn't see the crew from here, and they didn't hover like the last time. They were giving me space.

"I… I don't know…" I shot a pleading look at Teddy. I wanted to be brave, but I was terrified all the same. He nodded like he understood.

"Okay. Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna go together. We can say hello. Then, when it"s too hard, we'll go inside. Alright?"

It sounded terrifying, but I nodded quickly. Teddy wouldn't suggest it if he thought I wasn't ready. I trusted him.

He got out of the truck first and came around the front, opening my door for me. Leo slid out next, standing protectively between me and the path between the cars to where the crew was as Teddy helped me out. My legs felt weighted down, and I was shaking so hard I thought I might fall to pieces. But then Teddy tucked me under his arm, his free hand holding mine. Leo took my other hand, and surrounded by them, I felt safer.

Teddy didn't push to get me to move forward. He approached the crew at my pace and hugged me closer if I stumbled. I couldn't lift my eyes off my feet, but I could feel the crew watching us. Teddy stopped, and I could hear the easy smile in his voice as he greeted them.

"Mornin'."

"Uh… Derek? Since when do you have a brother?"

That surprised me enough to look up. I recognized the woman from the night before. The panther shifter with the purple hair. She was gaping at Teddy, her eyes darting between him and another male who… looked a lot like him. My brow furrowed a little. They were built the same way, tall and wide, and they had similar facial features. The biggest difference between them was the color of their eyes and hair.

Teddy looked confused, staring at the man, who stared right back.

"Who are you?" the male asked.

"Uh… Name's Titus. Everyone calls me Teddy, though."

The male shot the woman another confused look, and she smirked.

"You look like brothers. I don't think I've met anyone who got that close to your height. Your mom only had the one kid, right?"

"I don't have any siblings," Teddy answered first. "Mama said I ruined her body, and she didn't want no more giant babies."

That made Liv snort, and the male chuckled as he wrapped himself around her. "My mom said something similar once. I think she was more afraid of another dominant than another big baby, though."

The woman's face softened, and she rubbed his arm, giving him a sympathetic look.

With all the attention on Teddy and the other male, I felt myself breathe a little easier. My eyes trailed over the crew, inspecting them for the first time. A few made me uncomfortable, and the dominance in the air was disconcerting, but no one looked angry or ready to hurt me. And all the females looked happy, with no bruises or flinching behavior. Their chins were up and smiles were on their faces. Nothing at all like the pride.

"I can ask my mama. I gotta call her anyway. I promised I'd call every day. She gets worried if I don't," Teddy said.

When I looked up at him again, Teddy's brow was furrowed tightly and he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. He didn't seem uncomfortable with the questioning, just confused.

Leo tugged my hand, his glare locked on the crew. "Mom. It's time for school."

Nodding, I let him lead me past the crew and into the trailer where school was held. Teddy stayed beside me, and when I sagged against him inside the trailer, he cupped my face and smiled down at me.

"I'm proud of you. That was hard, but you still did it."

"Me too," Leo muttered, squeezing my hand. "Good job."

It meant a lot to hear from the both of him, but Leo especially. He was uncomfortable with me pushing myself and facing my fears, but he was trying. I leaned, hugging him against my side.

"Thank you."

After the cubsgot settled with their schooling, Teddy fished his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. "She should be free right now," he murmured. Looking up at me from his spot on the floor, he tipped his head. "Wanna meet her?"

My eyebrows drew up fast. "Oh, um… Okay."

He looked around before turning to the cubs. "Javi? Can I use your room? I gotta call my mama."

Javi's head popped up, and he nodded quickly. "I got a race car bed. It's fun. Don't touch the model, though. Papa and I are workin' on it together."

Teddy nodded seriously. "I won't touch. Thanks, little bear."

He pushed to his feet, offering me his hand. When I stood, I made sure to check on Leo first. When he woke up this morning and found me right next to him, he'd cried. I felt awful for upsetting him and vowed to be more considerate of his feelings. He looked up from his work book and his eyes darted between me and Teddy, but he dipped his chin once to let me know he was okay. We weren't going far. And he trusted Teddy a lot more since he got me home safe, like he promised.

Teddy led the way down the hall to Javi's room. It was messy, which was probably normal for little boys. Leo was an exception, he kept his room tidy because the pride demanded it. It wasn't a habit I thought he needed to break. There was nothing wrong with a clean room. A little card table in the corner had the model car Javi mentioned, organized pieces set out around the table. Teddy steered clear of it and sat on the floor with his back up against the side of Javi's bed. He patted the mattress next to his shoulder and smiled at me.

"Here. You should be comfortable. I'm afraid I'll break it."

The car frame around the bed was plastic, but Teddy was much heavier than a little bear. Instead of sitting alone on the bed, I got comfortable next to him, tucking my legs to the side. The choice made Teddy smile, and he paused to brush his lips over mine in a chaste kiss before calling his mom. It made me blush and from the pink on his cheeks, he wasn't any better.

Nerves picked up as the phone rang. I'd never met a male's mother before. And with the way Teddy talked about her, he loved her very much. I wanted her to like me. Teddy was important to me, and I didn"t want her to convince him to leave. I didn't want to imagine my life without him. He made me feel safe.

She answered on the third ring, the video popping up to reveal a woman with dirty blonde hair streaked with white and brown eyes. Just like Teddy. Her hair was short, stopping at her chin. She smiled brightly when she saw her son, but she didn't hesitate to scold him.

"I've been waiting for you to call. Were you planning on scaring me again?"

"Mama…" Teddy groaned, letting his head flop backwards. His whining made his mother snicker. This was the woman that Teddy said was treated poorly by her husband. The one that Teddy learned to care for broken women from. But she didn't look broken to me. She was smiling and teasing and she didn't flinch once. Maybe she wasn't as bad off as Teddy said.

"Mama, this is Talia, the woman I told you about. She got close to the crew today. I'm real proud of her."

My face flushed, and I ducked my head, frowning at my hands. It felt a little embarrassing to be praised for something so simple in front of his mother. I loved it whenever he said he was proud, but I didn't want his mother seeing the broken parts of me.

"I remember those days. The first time is always the hardest. Hello Talia. I'm Adaline. My family calls me Ada. I'm glad Teddy found you. He's good at helpin' people get back on their feet. I know from experience."

Biting my lip, I looked up at her. I didn't see disappointment or annoyance like I'd expected. Her expression was soft and understanding. It helped a little, and I let out a shaky breath.

Teddy put his arm around my shoulders, rubbing soothingly. "She's got a cub. He's a smart little lion. Real serious too. He's doin' schoolin' with the other cubs right now."

"Oh, that's good. Gettin' Teddy to do his school work was like pullin' teeth. He hated every minute," she teased.

Teddy groaned again, dropping his chin to his chest. "You're feisty today. Why you gotta pick on me?"

"Consider it payback for not calling me. Not that I blame you, Talia. It's entirely on him for forgetting about his own mother."

Teddy's groans got more dramatic, and he leaned his head on my shoulder, hiding his face from his mother. He was cute when he was embarrassed and I couldn't help but snicker. I felt him turn enough to glance up at me, and he smiled for a second.

"Hush, you. You gotta be on my side. All mama's friends are on her side."

I hummed, listening to him and his mother as they caught up. I hoped one day Leo and I could interact like this. Comfortable and relaxed. I wanted that for my son. And if anyone could help us get there, it was the man beside me.