Chapter Fifty-Seven

Damon

I organized someone to come to East Whiteland and drive Finley’s car back to St Albans. She was quiet as we drove away from the house and I promised her that someone would pack it up and bring it in a truck back to St Albans.

“I think we should move into your house,” I said to her.

“You mean your house,” she said as she looked out of the window.

“I meant our house,” I said to her.

“Will you be sleeping in the basement?” she asked me and I grinned at her.

“How big a house do you want?” I asked her.

“Four bedrooms at least,” she said.

“Why?” I asked.

“My room, Griffin’s room, your room and an office, I still write Damon,” she said to me sounding somewhat bitter.

“Finley, this is only going to work if you really give it a chance, I’m willing to do that for Griffin, aren’t you?” he asked me.

“You know I’ve had just about enough of your insults and making me feel like I’m not good enough to be his mother. I did all of this alone, without any of your help,” she said angrily.

“Can you stop yelling at me?” I asked her. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean exactly, what am I not willing to do for Griffin?” she asked.

“I don’t want us to fight, I want Griffin to have parents that love him, that love each other, I want us to raise him together and share in his accomplishments like when he starts to crawl or says his first word. I never thought I’d have a child, Finley, I’m not saying you’re a bad mother, you’re not, I just also want to be a part of his life,” I said to her.

“Okay,” she said and turned to look out the window again.

“Are you hungry?” I asked her two hours later and she just nodded.

Griffin woke up as I slowed the car down and pulled into a parking space in front of the diner. I took the whole car seat out and carried Griffin as Finley followed me with his diaper bag. She went to the restroom to change him while I ordered for us.

“I ordered you tea so long,” I said when she sat back down and I took Griffin from her.

“Thank you,” she said and picked up the menu to browse it.

“Hi there, ready to order?” the waitress asked Damon as she cooed over Griffin like I didn’t exist.

“I’ll have the mixed grill please,” he said and looked at me.

“Just a toasted sandwich and a side salad please,” Finley said as the waitress took our menus and I put Griffin back in his car seat next to me in the booth.

“Is that all you’re going to eat?” I asked her.

“Is that a problem?” she asked me.

“No Finley, I just think you need more food, you lost a lot of weight,” I said to her.

“I’m fine as I am,” she said.

“Okay, I’m not fighting with you, it was just a remark, one I won’t make again,” I said.

We ate in silence when the food came and Finley was finished first so she fed Griffin while I finished eating. I paid the bill and followed Finley to the car as she carried Griffin and by the time we reached the car he was fast asleep.

“You can sleep if you’re tired,” I said to her as we started driving again.

“I’m okay,” she said.

“Why didn’t you put me on the birth certificate?” I asked her.

“They said you’d never remember, so what was the point of doing that?” she stated.

“Can we change it, please?” I asked her.

“Sure, you are his father,” she said and I smiled at her.

“Thank you, I appreciate that,” I said.

“Guess you’ll be wanting to change his name while we’re at it,” she said and looked at me.

“Is it wrong for me to want him to have my surname?” I asked her.

“I guess not, I just did all the heavy lifting,” she said sarcastically.

“And you got to name him and had him all to yourself for three weeks,” I said not missing a beat.

“Griffin Blake Woods?” she asked me.

“I’m happy with that,” I said to her and she nodded.

“How did you come up with Griffin?” I asked her after half an hour of silence from her.

“It just came to me, I liked how it sounded,” she said.

“It means warrior,” I said to her.

“That’s ironic,” she said and smiled slightly.

“Yours mean fair-haired hero,” I said and she laughed.

“I’m no hero,” she whispered.

“There was a time Finley when you saved me,” I said to her and she turned to look at me.

“What does your name mean?” she asked me.

“To subdue,” I said and she laughed.

“That’s funny, you being an Enforcer,” she said and I smiled at her.

“What do you write about now?” I asked her knowing the oath would bind her about us and wolves.

“Mermaids,” she said and I started laughing.

“Seriously?” I asked her.

“Please just don’t tell me mermaids are real because then I’m never going to the beach because I won’t survive being kidnapped by them,” she said with a smile.

“No, mermaids don’t exist,” he said.

“At least that’s something,” she said and then stared out of the window again.

It was late by the time we drove into St Albans and I parked the car in front of her house, my house, our house, whatever house you wanted to call it. Finley had fallen asleep two hours ago and Griffin had remained asleep. I had asked Kat to furnish the house because she knew me the best and I tentatively opened the front door and released the breath I’d been holding.

“Finley, we’re here,” I said lightly, shaking her shoulder.

I got Griffin with his diaper bag and went inside the house and placed him in his crib after changing his diaper. Finley hadn’t come inside yet and I walked outside to find her struggling with the suitcases in the boot.

“I’ll get that,” I said to her, picking the first two suitcases up.

“Thanks,” she said softly and grabbed the smaller suitcase and walked into the house.

“I asked Kat to furnish it, if there’s something you don’t like we’ll change it,” I said to her as she looked around.

“It’s different,” she said and went upstairs to check on Griffin.

When I went upstairs the master bedroom door was closed and Finley didn’t answer when I knocked so I left her suitcases in the hallway and went to the last room in the hall. I could see Kat thought that we’d share a bedroom and I had no idea how things could’ve gone so wrong so quickly.

Finley was up before me and Griffin was in his travel seat on the kitchen floor when I finally got up at nine am. I made coffee for myself as Finley tried her hardest to ignore me and I braced myself for the next conversation.

“We should just get married,” I said and she almost dropped the plate in her hand.

“What?” she asked as she turned around to face me.

“What happened, Finley? The six months I was away, what happened?” I asked her.

“What do you mean what happened?” she asked me.

“Did you meet someone else?” I asked her.

“Are you jealous?” she asked me.

“It’s just that I remember how things were and I don’t understand how we got to this point, barely talking to each other, you opted to remember me, there must’ve been a reason for that, why does it feel like you hate me now?” I said.

“I don’t hate you Damon, but the only reason you’re here is Griffin. There’s no bond and if you hadn’t remembered anything you wouldn’t be here at all. You threatened to take my son away from me,” she said angrily.

“You did take my son away from me,” I said, raising my voice.

“And you think getting married will miraculously fix things?” she asked me.

“You can’t raise him alone and I don’t mean that you’re not capable, but at the age of ten his destiny will be revealed and he’ll need to start training for it. He’s half of me and half of you, but feline genes are always dominant and he’ll have more abilities than you’ll know how to deal with,” I said to her.

“I don’t want that for him,” she said.

“It’s not your choice, no matter where you go with him, when it’s time the Oracle will find him,” I said with finality.

“I’m not marrying you. I won’t ever be in a position where a man has any kind of hold over me and you put me right back there. You’re no different than Jackson, he just used his fists, you’re using Griffin,” she said to me.

“I’m nothing like Jackson, don’t you ever compare me to him again!” I yelled at her.

“Don’t yell at me, Damon. You’ve got me here, I’m complying. What more do you want? You can’t have it both ways, now you expect me to live with you to raise Griffin and be happy about it?” she asked me.

“I don’t get why you’re being so difficult!” I said feeling very frustrated.

“You won’t get it because you’re so used to always getting what you want. I’ll live here and I’ll raise my son with you but don’t expect me to like it or like you!” she said and walked out of the kitchen.

“That went well,” Axel mused.

“Shut up,” I said as he laughed at me.

“You should mark her again, that’ll snap the bond in place again and she’ll never leave,” Axel said.

“You really are an idiot Axel, if you do that we go right back to Brightwater,” I said to him.

“So then be nice to her, stop acting like you’re the Alpha of this house,” he said.

“I’m trying but she’s being fucking difficult,” I said to him.

“So are you, asshole,” he said.

For the first time in my life I really had no idea what to do and that scared the shit out of me.