Amaris Rejected! Stone Mountain Shifters, Book 2

Chapter 14 - Trust Once Lost

Amaris POV

Present Day

I open my apartment door to find Devon. He is dressed nice but casually in jeans and a white henley. I grin to myself wondering how long his nice white shirt will stay clean once Devi gets ahold of him. I step back and motion for him to enter.  "Come in."

He has a small stuffed toy in his hands for Devi, I assume. Thankfully, he is not stupid or cliche enough to bring me flowers or a gift. That would just serve to anger me if he thought I could be bought so easily.

"If you want to go sit in the living room," I gesture to said room. "I'll get Devi and join you."

I go to Devi's room and scoop her up. "Momma." She coos, patting my cheeks with her tiny hands. She plants a sweet kiss on my chin, giggling.

"Devi, I want you to meet someone." I walk toward the living room with her. Stopping before Devon, "Devi, this is your daddy."

She eyes Devin suspiciously and looks back to me. "Daddy? I don't have a daddy." Tears spring to my eyes. I have never told her anything about Devon. I am not sure where this comes from.

"Yes you do, sweetheart." Devon stands, holding out his hands to her.

She eyes him with a look of confusion. "Daddy?"  Looking back to me for approval.  I nod.

"Yes." he nods as she hesitantly reaches for him. He carefully pulls her to his chest and gently squeezes her little frame. His nose in her hair, he breathes deeply as his eyes gloss over with wetness. "My pup." I hear a growl, almost more like his wolf than him. I watch in wonder as my baby finally gets what she deserved all along. Her daddy. This man who deserted us.

"I'll just be in the kitchen finishing dinner." I motion to the couch. "Why don't you sit down and get to know her a little." He nods, wiping his eyes, as I leave the room.

As I am bringing items to the table, and chopping Devi's meat, I hear his low voice speaking to Devi and her high pitched one in answer. It is a bittersweet, overwhelming moment as I feel the pain envelope me. If only he hadn't left us, this could have been our future. Me preparing dinner after a long day, while he sat in the living room playing with our children. Devlin would likely have been with us too. I lift my hand to wipe the moisture from my cheeks. I guess I have an unending supply of tears for the loss of what could have been. This leaves me cold and unfeeling toward Devon.

Composing myself, I slip my head around the doorway. "Devon, if you want, you can bring Devi in and put her in her chair." As he buckles her in her chair, I fill her cup with filtered water. Placing it and her plate before her, she begins to eat. I pull up a chair and gesture to Devon to sit on the other side of Devi.

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After a quiet dinner, where Devon mostly spoke to Devi, we bathed her and readied her for sleep. Tucked into bed, after brushing her teeth, I placed a child's book in Devon's hand. He snuggled in beside Devi and began to read.

While Devon read to our daughter, I cleaned up from our dinner. Thankfully, I am the kind of person who cleans as they go, so I only had to put away leftovers and clean up what we used at dinner.

By the time I was done, Devon came into the kitchen. "Let's have a seat and talk." I sat down at the dining table and motioned for him to sit across from me. Reluctantly, he sat across from me, eyeing the chair next to me. Being an overly prepared person, I pulled out a file folder that held two additional copies of the divorce agreement. Handing him a copy, I say. "Let's discuss."

"Amaris," He begs. "I don't want a divorce. I really want a chance to talk."

Completely finished with that conversation before it even began, I snark. "Do you mean you want the chance that you never gave me?"

Sighing, he drops his head. "I did that. It's true. I left and never gave us a chance, but I had my reasons at the time. So, now, I am asking for something that I never gave to you.  A chance." He pleads, as he actually gets down on his knees in front of me. "I am so so sorry. I want a chance to explain to you what happened and make this up to you. What can I do to make this right?" His chocolate brown eyes, just like Devi's, are wet with unshed tears.

I am shocked that a grown man, an alpha, as huge as Devon would beg to me.  Even on his knees we are eye to eye.  Flustered, I look away. "Listen, Devon," I gently speak and the anguish of his countenance eases. "What can I do to get you to understand there is nothing you can do, short of going back in time and undoing what you did. So, can we just go over this agreement and sign it?"

"No." he cries as he drops his forehead to the floor. "I am on my knees." His voice is muffled. "I just made a mistake. I am so sorry. Please forgive me."

"No, Devon." I grit my teeth. "When you make a mistake, sorry works. When you make a choice, not so much. In either instance, you break trust. For future reference, never break trust. Because forgiving, although not easy, can be done; but forgetting and trusting again? Inconceivable. Trust once lost is...lost. You didn't just make a mistake. You made a choice. A choice that can't be undone, one that adversely affected us all."

Crestfallen, he grips my chair legs. "You are right. But there has to be hope."

Then, as if he had an epiphany, he hesitantly smiles. "Yes." Nodding his head and still on his knees before me, "Rue, and I, would like you to do him a favor.  He says he knows his human is an idiot," still crying, he laughs, as tears course down his face, "but he didn't want to leave you despite the reason. So could you take a leave and come to The Still Waters Pack with us. Bring our pup so she can get to know us better and can meet her grandparents. One month is all we are asking for."

I soften a little towards the poor wolf caught in this mess his human created. "Rue, I know you didn't..."

Devin speaks, but I know it's Rue as his voice is more growly and his eyes are golden. "The only thing we want, right now, is to get to know you and my pup." He says woefully.

I drop my head and Devon speaks. "And you can get to know us." He states. "No strings. Just let me woo you. We go out on dates as a family and as a couple."

"No couple dates." I interject firmly.

"Yes, couple dates." He insists, hope in his eyes. "For one month only. If at the end of the month you still want the divorce, I will sign it. No questions asked."

"And, no funny business." I stipulate.

"No funny business." He promises, with his fingers crossed behind his back.  

I smirk as he gets up and turns around to head for the door.  There's a little red handprint on his nice white henley from Devi's sauce covered hand.