Marilu Mann - Changing Focus

Jane opened the car door, hesitated, then looked up at him. The slight lift of her chin let him know she’d been carefully considering her words and how he might react to them.

“Micah, don’t foster her again. Her spirit may be broken if you do.” Her voice caught and she shook her head, taking a deep breath. “She’s so much like Shelly, but she’s just a child. She’s not ready for any more upheaval.”

With that warning ringing in his ears, he watched her drive away. Locating Talia curled up on one of the couches, he studied her sleeping form. He could only see her mother in her, no trace of her father. Shelly hadn’t told anyone who Talia’s father was. In fact, she’d left the Pack shortly after Talia’s birth and had refused all overtures from any of the males there to come back.

Picking up the sleeping child, he took the stairs to the third floor, straight to the smaller bedroom. Once he made sure she was tucked into bed and still sound asleep, he returned to Olivia’s room. The hallway stretched out before him like some endless corridor as he realized he’d been gone for an over an hour.

He reached her door but paused. His ears detected no movement. The only sounds he heard were the slow, even breathing of a very sound-asleep woman. He rested his forehead on the door. “Sleep well, Olivia. ‘To sleep, perchance to dream-ay, there’s the rub.’”

Turning quietly, he returned to the first floor to make sure everything would be ready for the morning. Explaining Talia’s presence to Olivia would be interesting, especially given the way their relationship had progressed. Then again, this might give him the perfect opening to discuss shifter culture with Olivia. If he could convince her that she was a shifter, she might be willing to discuss staying at Wild Haven on a more permanent basis…as his mate.

Olivia woke, stretching and yawning. The silky gown she’d changed into when Micah left felt good against her skin, but since she still wore it, she felt safe in assuming he hadn’t returned to her room. Olivia allowed herself a momentary pout.

Having seen the way his eyes lit up from within at the sight of her lingerie, she’d been looking forward to his reaction to the gown. But he hadn’t returned. She didn’t hear any movement above her, but that didn’t mean anything, she had no idea what time it was.

Getting out of bed, she scanned the closet. She wanted to wear something sexy but not too sexy. If there were other guests in the lodge she didn’t want to give them the wrong impression, but she definitely wanted Micah to know what he’d missed out on last night.

Thoughts of Micah led to the discussion they’d had the night before about her past. Olivia couldn’t believe she’d opened up to him the way she had. He’d been so understanding, so concerned, and later, so passionate. Her skin still tingled and her mind kept wandering to Micah with his hair loose and his body covering hers.

Suppressing a shiver, Olivia dressed quickly, tugged her fingers through her hair and ignored her makeup. She practically skipped down the stairs, hearing voices in the kitchen. Remembering Micah’s request that she take her meals with him in the kitchen, she pushed the door open and stopped at the sight before her.

A little girl, no more than five or six sat on the counter by the sink, swinging her legs against the cabinet as she sucked milk up through a straw. She didn’t look up as Olivia entered the room, but Micah did. He turned from the stove to smile at her. Four strides brought him to her side and his warm hand cupped her jaw.

“Good morning. ‘O, beauty, ‘til now I never knew thee.’”

“Good morning yourself. I see you have a helper this morning.” Olivia glanced at the child again, noticing her dark blonde hair and brown eyes. A quick look back at Micah showed an odd expression on his face. “Did a family check in last night?”

“Not exactly.” Micah kissed her cheek then took her hand. “Olivia Decatur, I’d like you to meet Talia Genaro. Talia, this is my friend, Olivia. Can you say hello?”

The child pulled the straw out of her mouth to smile at Olivia. “Hello.”

“Hello, Talia, it’s very nice to meet you.” Olivia took the little girl’s hand, smiling when she giggled at their handshake. “Micah, she’s adorable.”

“Yes she is, and hungry too. Why don’t you help yourself to the coffee? Talia, did you want to go find your books? I think they’re in one of the boxes in the living room.”

“Okay.” The child hopped down from the counter and raced from the room. Micah watched the doorway for a moment before focusing his attention to Olivia.

“Talia is one of my goddaughters. The family she was staying with brought her to me last night because the placement wasn’t working.”

“They brought her to you?” Olivia paused with her coffee cup raised halfway to her mouth. “I don’t understand.”

“Talia’s mother was…” He paused long enough to raise any number of questions as to his relationship with the child’s mother. Olivia narrowed her eyes at him. Could he be Talia’s father? If so, why had he placed the child with someone else? Why hadn’t he taken responsibility for her from birth?

“Her mother was a friend of mine, a good friend. And, no, Talia isn’t my daughter. Shelly never told us the father’s name. Since Shelly’s death, Talia has been my responsibility. I thought putting her with relatives would work, but it didn’t. The next step was a foster family. Apparently that didn’t work either, so now she’s here, with me.”

“You’re not related to her?” Olivia sipped at her coffee and moved toward the kitchen door. Pushing it open, she glanced toward the main room.

“No. I’m her guardian and godfather, that’s all.” Micah turned his attention back to the stove, pulling a tray of hot biscuits out of the oven. “I wanted to apologize for last night.”

“Apologize?” Olivia turned her attention back to Micah.

“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to your room before you fell asleep.” He moved toward her again, smiling slightly as he reached her side. “I’m sorry we didn’t finish what we’d started.”

His hands cupped her shoulders as he drew her closer to his body. Bending forward, he kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry I couldn’t spend what was left of the night making love to you.”

Olivia closed her eyes as she tilted her head back to meet his kiss. Gentle, sweet, it was the perfect morning kiss. “So am I.”

She stepped out of his arms. “What now?”

“What do you mean?” Micah turned and she felt his gaze as she crossed the kitchen toward the back door.

“Well, we obviously can’t pick up where we left off with a child in the house.”

“We’ll figure it out. After all, Talia has to sleep sometime.”

Hearing the humor in Micah’s voice, Olivia glanced at him. “You’re incorrigible.”

“No, I’m intrigued and enthralled. And we will figure this out.” Micah winked and moved to the fridge. He pulled eggs and ham out and had started the makings for an omelet when Talia came back into the kitchen, both arms full of picture books. She brought one over to Olivia and smiled.

“Will you read to me?”

“Of course.” They sat at the kitchen table while Talia picked out her favorite book, explaining in great detail why it was her favorite.

Micah watched them together-Olivia with her bright blonde hair and Talia with her darker locks. Both had delicate features, but he knew that Talia would inherit her mother’s height. He wondered if she’d inherit the shifter gene as well. Since no one in the Pack knew who her father was-he could have been human. In that case, the chances of Talia being a shifter were fifty-fifty.