Page 118 of Dreams of Magic
“I’m sorry Will. I don’t know how deep her involvement is, but this is enough to suspect her. We at least need to find out.” Chris sounded resigned.
She heard William sigh, “We’ll be back in the morning. Just us. We don’t need the witches and vampires weighing in on this until we know what it is.”
“Alright. We’ll see you then.”
William grunted, then the phone disconnected. Chris’ face looked worn, lines of stress creasing his brow. There hadn’t been a whole lot of time to relax since she’d been here. It was one thing after another, and she could see it was all taking its toll on her father.
Kenzie smiled a little at that thought. Her father. She had been thinking of him like that more often lately, like she was warming up to the idea.
Aiden stood up, “We need to tell Marshall. I think he’s had enough time now to speak with Sorcha. If you two don’t mind, I think I’ll find him and fill him in.”
Chris waved him off, busy with his own thoughts.
Aiden turned to Kenzie, “Do you want to come with me?”
She thought about it for a second, then shook her head, “Actually, I need to call my uncle. Then I think I’m going to grab some food and take a shower. I feel gross after the accident.”
“Okay, I’ll see you later than.” He placed a kiss on her cheek, “We’ll talk more later too.”
She nodded then watched him leave.
“Contrary to my threat, he would never hurt you.” She had thought Chris was absorbed in his thoughts, too busy to pay attention to their exchange, but apparently not.
She shrugged, “I think I know that. He really did push her away and tell her to never touch him again. I think I’m just feeling a little insecure these days.”
“I can understand that. He won’t pressure you, but still. Move at your own pace.”
She smiled, “I told myself I would take things slow with him, but that didn’t really work out. And honestly, now I think I’m just scared of the intensity of my feelings for him. It’s hard to know if they are because I really do like him, or if it’s because the mate bond is telling me that I do.”
“Ah.” He nodded, “I see. Well, let me tell you a little about the mate bond. True mates means that you are basically soul mates, blessed by the goddess. However, the bond only gives you physical feelings for the other person to draw you to them. It does not affect your emotions. Those are your own. And like with Aiden’s parents, if you reject the bond, that physical draw goes away.”
Kenzie thought about it for a minute, remembering how the sweet intoxicating combination of Aiden’s scent had drawn her in. That first time it had almost felt like a compulsion. But the first emotion she’d felt towards him was admiration when she saw his drawings. She thought about all the times he made her smile or laugh, and the way he held her hand all the time and the many interests they shared, like their taste in music and art.
Her feelings had started out slowly and had built stronger and stronger with every minute she spent with him.
She smiled at Chris, “Okay, I see what you’re saying. He really is a very good man, isn’t he?”
Chris nodded, “One of the best I’ve ever met.”
“I’ve met a few great men since I’ve gotten here.” She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist for a tight hug, “I didn’t thank you properly for today. You were amazing and I am so proud that you are my dad.”
He hugged her tighter, “Ah Kenz, you don’t have to thank me. There was no way in hell I would let anything happen to you or Marshall. I just got you back and I refuse to lose you again.”
“You won’t.” She pulled back, “I actually wanted to ask you. How would you feel about me moving here permanently? I was thinking of putting my house up for sale whenever things settle down.”
Chris’ face split into a huge grin then he picked her up and spun her around, “I would love that, and I know Marshall would too.”
When he put her back on her feet, they were both smiling and laughing. She gave him one last squeeze, then pulled away, “Okay great. Well, I need to go call Uncle Jake and give him an update. I’m going to tell him about moving. And I still need to tell him about Mom.”
He gently touched her cheek, “I know that won’t be easy, but your uncle will understand. And I know you’ve been blaming yourself, but don’t. Nothing is your fault, and I know your uncle will agree.”
She sighed, “I’m trying. I’ll let you know how it goes. I might just crash after my shower, so if I don’t see you again tonight, have a good night.”
“Goodnight Kenzie, sleep well.”
Kenzie sat on her bed with Fiona beside her, her hair still damp from the shower, and stared at her phone. She was being a coward. Uncle Jake had been the only father figure in her life. He taught her how to ride a bike and how to swim, how to play baseball and self-defense. He taught her how to stand up to bullies and when to walk away.
When she was mad at her mom for something stupid, he would always set her straight. He taught her how to parallel park and showed her the proper way to grill a steak. And no matter what, he always made time for her.