“What?” I gasped.
“Not now—she’s much too young. I think the attack on our home a few years ago really made my mom think twice about the influence we were having on Maizy. She wants to send her off to a boarding school when she’s a teen so she can also be around other kids her age. Affluent people do this all the time, and Austin has the money. It’s an opportunity for her to get a better education than she is with the homeschooling, and Mom wants to prepare her to live in the human world, not ours. I suggested we just send her to public school, but Maizy’s so smart, and Austin thinks it’ll do more harm than good. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about it when the time comes, but I know how I feel about it now. It’s not right. She should stay with us until—”
“Until when? She’s not a wolf, Lexi. She’s not going to grow up, mate with a wolf, and move in with his pack. What if she wants to be a doctor or a lawyer? What kind of education can you give her at home that’s going to prepare her for that dream? At some point, you’re going to have to let her go. She needs to be with her own kind and go to college, get married, have children, and move away. That’s what humans do, and no matter how much you want her to live in this world, this isn’t where she belongs. You almost gave me a heart attack. I thought you meant she was leaving any day now.”
“It might as well be,” Lexi grumbled, picking at her breadstick. “Mom is afraid if Maizy stays with us too long, we’ll make an impression that can never be undone.”
“Lynn is making plenty of money for herself freelancing as an interior designer. Why doesn’t she just move out with the little one and buy a nice house in the suburbs?”
That seemed like the logical thing to do, but by the look in Lexi’s eyes, I could see she wanted her family close. Pack instinct.
“Mom had no idea what she was getting into with a pack of wolves—especially the men. It’s gotten easier with Izzy and April around, and we’re a growing family. Mom loves it, and I think part of it is she doesn’t feel alone anymore like she did when she lived at home with Maizy. She knew someday Maizy would move away and she’d end up the little old lady living in my father’s house by herself. We love having her; she keeps the boat afloat. But my mom’s afraid that Maizy will get too comfortable with our way of life. She wants her to fall in love with a regular guy and have a normal life. She accepts me for who I am and realizes this is where I need to be, but I guess I can see her point of view.”
I finished my meal and lifted a piece of ice from my water glass, sucking on it while getting lost in my thoughts. “How are you going to handle watching her grow old? And your mama…”
She tapped her fingernails on the edge of her plate. “I try not to think about it, but it’s always in the back of my mind. Every time Maizy reads that Peter Pan book, certain scenes just make me cry thinking about how they’re going to grow old one day and leave me. I once asked Reno how he feels being with April since she’s a human, and he told me that life doesn’t make promises. Just because he’s biologically supposed to outlive her doesn’t mean he will. He has a dangerous job, and there’s always a chance he might not come home.” Lexi glanced at an elderly couple at a nearby table. “I’ve never taken him for a poet, but he once called her his shooting star. He said you’ll never enjoy the moments unless you learn to let go of the fears. I can’t argue with that logic because it applies for humans too. You never know when it’ll be your time, and maybe that’s why I worry. It’s not so much watching her grow old, but what if something were to happen and I didn’t get all those years with Maizy promised to me? Life just isn’t fair.”
No, it isn’t, I thought to myself. “I’ll be at the little one’s party tomorrow with bells on.”
“Knowing you, you’ll literally have bells on.”
“Just on my lady parts.”
Lexi broke out in her silly laugh that Austin dubbed “the Beaker.” After she wrapped it up with a snort and a blush on her cheeks, we decided to order dessert.
“Naya, do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“No drama. I mean with Wheeler. He always bails whenever you show up. I don’t know why you two hate each other so much, but I don’t want anything to spoil Maizy’s party. It’s not every day she turns eleven, and I feel like we’re losing that little girl.”
“You have nothing to worry your pretty little head about. This is her special day, and I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it. I’m going to bring balloons, presents, and her favorite treat.”
Lexi arched her brow. “What’s that?”
“Auntie Naya’s famous bag of pretzels. I’ll leave it to her big sister to bake the most fantastic birthday cake in the entire world. Now how about we order another bottle of red and do a little gossiping before I go to work? I want to hear all about this heat house.”
Chapter 2