Logan took a deep breath and then nodded, moving back to the others with much more measured steps. I went to follow behind, not able to leave him unescorted with our daughter, but Ryan shook his head, gesturing with his head for me to join him.
“Watch,” he instructed.
The pack stopped when he rejoined them and Evie sucked in frantic little breaths. Logan dropped down to his knees and then put his hands up in front of his face, talking her through the process. He obviously instructed her to take a swipe at him, which she did after consulting with the rest of the pack. He was able to deflect the punches easily, but then he dropped his hands. Evie’s fist jerked back, but not before she’d smacked it into his nose and part of me cheered like a maniac inside my head at that. Logan blinked at the impact of the hit and for a moment, I stiffened.
“He’ll be fine,” Ryan assured me.
And he was. Logan recovered quickly and then grinned like Evie had won a goddamn Nobel Prize or something. He swept in and grabbed her around the waist, hugging her close and while her hands fluttered in the air for a second, she slumped into his hug for a moment before bouncing back, ready to have another go.
“They’re doing well,” Ryan said finally and that’s when I turned around to face him.
“Giving us useful, positive feedback?”
He grinned sheepishly, then winked. “That kind of thing works well for adults just like it does kids.”
Chapter 57
And so, that’s the way things stayed for a week or two, as we waited for the day of mediation to come.
“So, I’m not sure why it matters, but the negotiations with the school seem to be progressing due to the reports coming from Crowe Corp.” Carmen looked irritated as she stood on the other side of my counter at the shop. She looked across to where Evie was curled up in a chair with a book. “I’m not sure what they think will happen, that your pack will rush in and control Evie or something.”
She let out a little huff of breath.
“The principal is coming around though.”
“Do we want to send Evie to a school with a dickhead like that running it?” I asked. “And those kids…” My fingers clawed at the paperwork beneath them, and it took a conscious effort to uncurl them. “Honestly, she might be better somewhere else.”
“We can’t run from prejudice, Lily.” Carmen’s gaze was steady, though not unsympathetic. She reached across and squeezed my hand. “Bullies like this exist everywhere, trying to protect their perfect little beta worlds. I wouldn’t have wished this on either of you, but you’ll be forced to deal with… bloody dickheads who don’t, won’t, understand who and what Evie is, throughout her life. We have to fight the good fight, for her.”
I nodded sharply, sucking in a breath, right as the bells on the door rang. I tried to school my face into my usual polite shop assistant expression, turning around to greet the customer when I saw it was Grace.
“Hi Lily,” she said, lifting a hand and waving. “I thought—”
“Mum, where are you dragging me to now? … Oh, right.”
Logan stood in the doorway, pulling his eyes up from his phone, but all his frustrated bluster just leached out when he realised where he was. He took in the shop, his mum, Carmen and then me and that’s where his eyes stayed.
“Hello,” Carmen said, stepping forward. “I’m Carmen, Evie’s grandmother.”
“Grace,” she replied. “I’m Evie’s… other grandmother.”
“I thought as much. She’s just over here. Are you up in the city for the day?”
Carmen led Grace away with all of her usual aplomb, but neither Logan nor I had a quarter of her grace. He shut the door belatedly, stepping in and then raking his eyes up and down the shelves before taking one single step forward and that’s where he stayed when Jasper wandered in.
“One cup of steaming hot heart attack material,” he said, setting the mug in front of me, then slotting his body in behind mine, enfolding me in a hug. Usually, hot fresh coffee and Jasper was a sure way to settle me, but not right now. He felt my stiffness and then looked up, spying his brother.
“I’ll go,” Logan said. “Gimme a ring when Mum wants to leave.”
“Don’t.”
Logan froze at Jasper’s command, then just stared at the two of us like a deer in the headlights. He’d grown much more confident with Evie and the pack, but not with me.
“Lils has just got a massive shipment of a red-hot new release. Saucy shit, so the women are gonna come streaming through the door in about… two hours,” Jasper said, consulting his watch. “Gimme a hand to get the boxes out here?”
“Yeah, righto,” Logan said with a sharp nod.
I felt the loss of the warmth behind me as Jasper pulled away, showing Logan where to go, the two of them bringing the boxes out like a pair of workhorses, setting up quite an impressive looking display for me as I bent my head to get some paperwork done.