WHEN RONAN PULLED UP to the locale in his battered truck deep in the night, Gwenn almost knelt to the ground and kissed the pavement. He didn't even wait for her to open the door to the passenger side. Instead he jumped out and raced towards her, eyebrows furrowing.
"Are you alright?" he asked. His eyes inspected every inch of her, down to the heels she wore, as if expecting her to have an injury or some sort of mishap. She reached for him for stability, and he tightened his hands around hers.
"I cannot be here another second," she let out, almost like it pained her to speak. She chastised herself mentally for acting so melodramatic, but Wolf's words repeated in her head like an agonizing loop. He knew. "Please, can you take me somewhere else quickly?"
Ronan didn't even answer and led her to the passenger side. Her limbs shook as he helped her climb into her seat. He ran to the other side, his engine sputtering as they made their exit.
She ran her hands from her forehead to her hair, threading her fingers into her locks and messing it up. Her thoughts were so clouded she forgot she drove herself to the gala.
"My car." She winced at the realization.
"I'll have Arthur drive it back," Ronan said, not an ounce of hesitation in his words as he wove back into Lockfell.
She didn't bother to question the logistics and closed her mouth, staring off into the clear night. Her vision blurred with unwanted tears, but she kept them at bay. The vibrations of her phone buzzed over her lap. Her mother sent thousands of messages about her whereabouts followed by a string of calls she never answered. She sent a message that something came up, then shut her phone off.
They drove into a dirt path, the headlights illuminating their way. Grass blades protruded the soil at both sides, reaching for the stars like it was their life's purpose. Ronan skidded to a halt when the abandoned basketball court came to view. Its raggedy appearance calmed her down. A warmth settled into her chest as the truck fell into silence.
Her lips parted, but nothing came out. Ronan didn't wait for her to say anything and jumped out into the dark night. Blinking back, she followed his lead, struggling to walk in a straight line with her thin heels on uneven ground.
"Ronan?" she asked. He climbed onto the trunk, using the tire like a stepping stool, and bent forward towards a corner. It took her several seconds to realize he was looking inside a duffle bag.
He pulled out a white comforter, letting it pile behind him. Another beige comforter followed from the bag. He laid the second one over the trunk until it covered most of the area. Then he bunched the white comforter in a corner before turning to her.
"You coming?"
She unfroze from her position, walking up to the closest tire. He met her on top and reached for her arms. A tiny grunt escaped her as she struggled to lift her leg from the restrictions from her dress.
"I can't," she said, laughing at the stupidity. Ronan joined in and knelt to reach for her body.
"Come on," he stretched the last word, his grin wide. The uncomfortable cold chill settling inside her chest melted away. She hiked her skirt higher up her thighs and placed one high-heeled foot over the tire. After taking impulse, Ronan caught her by the waist as she squealed, and they went tumbling down inside the trunk in a heap of giggles.
She turned over, a hand over her stomach, and chuckled as she faced the millions of stars twinkling above them. Ronan stayed on his side, his eyes studying her face.
Minutes of silence followed, and she cherished the calmness after the dizzying evening at the gala. Wolf's words came back to her, and she winced at the way he circled her like she were his prey. She had no idea what else would have happened had she stayed in that venue.
"Thank you for getting me out," she whispered, meeting his icy gaze. "I don't think I would've been able to drive by myself."
"You sounded very distressed when you called," he said.
Gwenn pursed her lips, looking away. The glittering evening promised loads of luxury and the finest of foods, but a wolf had been let loose. The rest of the attendees took no notice of the prancing predator, except her as she was cornered, staring onto his bared teeth. She shook her head.
"Those galas are often pretentious," she confessed, the words heavy on her tongue. She knew that wasn't the reason why she stumbled out into the night like she would collapse. But Wolf held a finger up to her lips when she closed her eyes, a smirk spreading over his face. He dealt with her cards like a master, and her arms were tied behind her back.
"A gala," he said, as if tasting the word in his mouth. "That's why you look..." He trailed off, then gave the tiniest shake of his head.
"That's why the dress," she ended for him. "My mother wanted me to go. It was for her company."
Ronan nodded. "Right, I remember from their file."
The reference to their time at A Chosen Bond brought flutterings down her chest and into her stomach. She closed her eyes, fighting off the blush creeping up her cheeks when she recalled how he called her his wife.
Trying to move past her uneasiness, she turned on her side and faced Ronan. She bored her brown eyes, almost black under the night sky, into his blue ones. "So how did you become the person that finds...people?"
Ronan hummed, biting down on his bottom lip. Her eyes followed the movement before catching his gaze once again. "My father skipped out on my mom when she was pregnant with me."
Gwenn frowned imagining Cathy dealing with abandonment whilst carrying her son. The woman who had everything in control and who did it all with a warm smile on her face. It was hard to envision her going through all of that.
"In high school, I decided to find out who he was," he continued. "It was hard because I didn't know what I was doing, but I figured out how to find a trail. And the rest is history."
A night chill fell over them. Her skin was ice as she shivered, but she ignored it, wanting to know more. Ronan sat up, however, and brought the white comforter over her body. He laid back down and took a sliver of it to cover half of himself. She smiled and dug her face deeper into the blanket as he got comfortable. His face was barely visible in the deep hours of the night, but his presence was unmistakable.
"Did you ever find him?" she asked when he settled.
Ronan sighed. "Yeah, I did. I also found out I had five other siblings, three of which were from different women like my mother, and two from his actual family in England." Her eyebrows shot up into her forehead. "I did not reach out. I didn't want a man like that in my life. Mom raised me just fine without him. We didn't need him."
She cast her vision over the comforter, mostly feeling its softness over the skin of her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
He cleared his throat. "Don't be, honey. At least I got the answers I wanted, which is what we all want, right?"
Her stomach knotted itself. Ever since she laid eyes on that baby blanket of hers, her questions over her origins multiplied like a virus. That embroidered sunflower remained stitched to her brain.
"It was disappointing, I guess," he continued after a moment of silence. "Not shocking since this was the man that left my mom on her own when she was pregnant. People have to be careful with men like that. They're never up to any good." He remained silent for half a minute, sighing like the story bugged him, and for good reason. "It doesn't matter. Mom and I are doing well. Now if I just win that MNTR spot, I'll be set for the rest of my career."
His internship echoed in her head in Wolf's voice. That desperation at the back of his throat to prove that he was the better man laced his words. She clenched her jaw.
"How is that internship going?" she asked as innocently as possible.
Ronan's tone turned lighter. "I'm loving every bit of it. I hope I get that slot. So far, things look great, so fingers crossed. I definitely want a career to pay back my college loans." He stared into her eyes. "I should take you there one day. Show you what I do for a change since I always see you work at the daycare."
She chuckled at the absurdity of it all. "Wouldn't Wolf be there?"
His groan only made her laugh harder. "That's another guy to careful of in Lockfell. A man that could easily turn out like my good ol' dad."
A hollowness crept into her chest as she felt her heart plummet. The dance they shared came back. She could even feel the ghost of his hands over her waist, guiding her across the floor as he blackmailed her.
And now she had to find the information he sought.
"Some people aren't that nice," Gwenn offered as an explanation. Ronan shuffled forward a little, grasping onto more of the comforter. The night stilled, and their breathing permeated the air.
"You do find a few outliers that are worth everything though," Ronan said, his voice soft like a warm caress. Gwenn smiled, shivering under the thick blanket. "It gives you some hope."
"It does," she responded. Hearing herself felt like a fever dream. It came out like a silky whisper, almost like she was afraid of disturbing the dark night. Her eyes drooped, heavy with the weight of the day.
He shifted closer, bundling more of the comforter over his shoulders. "Would you go find your biological mother if you found her?"
Gwenn didn't let the question sit for too long. "Yes."
Her hands went numb at the idea of finding her biological mother, the woman who brought her into the world. She couldn't fathom being able to see her face. It always seemed like an impossible moment for her to experience. But with Ronan, maybe it wasn't so impossible.
"I'll do my best," Ronan promised, scooting even closer. His breath fanned her face, his large body stretching besides her. Heat radiated off of him, and she fought the urge to press herself onto his side.
Before she could change her mind, she moved an inch closer. If either of them leaned the slightest bit forward, they'd be touching. Her cheeks burned at the thought, but fortunately he couldn't see her bright flush in the dark.
Her head lolled forward, no longer being able to control her eyes. She took in a deep gulp of air before a comfortable warmth enveloped her as she slipped into sleep.