It was brief, but Elena got the gist of what may be required.Caring for one child who wasn’t terminal looked right up Elena’s alley. Not only that, the location was not far away. But what really stood out for Elena was the pay. It was almost double what she made now. Yes, it was around-the-clock work, but to Nora, it seemed like her savior.She was trying not to get too far ahead of herself, knowing how hard these jobs were to come by and how many others were probably applying at this very second.The only part that she wasn’t sure of was how old the child would be. But that was neither here nor there, especially given the array of children she’d dealt with throughout the years. If she was offered the job, she was sure she would be more than capable.It was everything she was looking for. This might be the change she desperately needed.Elena checked her resumé to make sure it was up to date, and everything was in order. She couldn’t fuck this up.It didn’t ask for a cover letter, bu
Her curly brown hair was scattered over her face and pillow with a drool spot where her mouth was.Atlas smiled, happy that she was sleeping so well. No one deserved rest more.His smile faded as his eyes skimmed over her room and landed on the large wheelchair parked near her bed.Looking at the clock, he saw it was still early, so he let her continue her slumber.He shut the door to a crack and returned to his cooling coffee and waiting laptop.He sat with a heavy sigh, hoping that he was doing the right thing by giving her a home where she knew no one and had no immediate family.If he were honest, and he always tried to be, his confidence in the whole thing had quickly waned. Of course, he wasn’t going to give her up. He just hated admitting he needed help. It wasn’t in an alpha’s nature.If anyone besides Logan had recommended that he get help, he wouldn’t have taken it so well. Atlas might be prideful, but he knew when his beta was right. He usually was, whether Hudson liked it
A glance told him it was a reply from Elena, the applicant to whom he had just more or less offered the job.Without sitting, he leaned forward and clicked it open.That sounds perfect. Please let me know when and where you would like to meet or if there is anything else you may need from me. I look forward to meeting you and Hannah. ElenaAtlas smiled as he looked over the calendar and sent appointment times back to Elena, letting her know they would meet at his home since she would want to see her new place of employment.He stood and hoped this was going to be beneficial for Hannah, who had always been shy and withdrawn but was even more so after the accident.Atlas prayed this would go well. He only wanted to do what was best for Hannah, and he hoped Nora hair behind her ear, adjusted her blouse, and took a deep breath before knoc was the answer.ELENAElena tucked her blondeking. “Just smile and be yourself,” she muttered before internally chastising herself for talking to hersel
Marigold told her story of losing her parents in a plane crash where all aboard had died. Parts were hard for her to want to talk about, but she did, nonetheless.It never ceased to surprise Elena that the bravery of children was so much greater than they were given credit for.Still, MariGold got through it and talked about her being left unable to walk while she still recovered and what she had done so far. Her now-guardian chimed in occasionally to provide more details when necessary.It was obvious to Elena that not only had Marigold sustained physical trauma but emotional as well, which she had already suspected.But the more she watched Mr. Atlas ebb in here and there, the more she noticed he had emotional baggage tied into this as well.She turned her attention to him after a moment. “Mr. Atlas…”“Please, call me Atlas.”She nodded, taking it as a good thing that he was moving to be more casual.“What made you decide to take in Marigold?”He cleared his throat, pushing back any
He ran a hand over his face, realizing he needed to do better. He needed to work harder, too, so she had someone she could lean on. Her parents were gone, so he was responsible for making her feel safe."Hudson," Hannah called out to him, giving him a big smile. "Did you see that? I moved my foot. I moved it!"Hannah giggled, looking back at her feet. "I moved it."Tears burned in the back of his eyes. Just a couple of months ago, she was as normal and happy as could be, and now she was so giddy that she could wiggle her toes.Nora looked at him, giving him a gentle smile. She walked over to him, patting him on the shoulder. "She's doing good. This is progress. This is all going in the right direction."Marigold looked back up at him. "What's wrong? Why do you look sad?"He quickly hardened his face and gave her a nod. He didn't need her feeling the emotions he was feeling. She was happy, and he wanted her to stay that way. "Nothing. This is good, Marigold."The PT nurse nodded. "I ag
Marigold needed him to keep his head on straight. His clan needed him to focus. He couldn't let a human with a fine figure pull his attention away from important things.Another problem was that Elena didn't know about his shifter abilities, and he wasn't sure how she'd react. He couldn't allow her closer because then he'd have to tell her. He couldn't risk losing the help, so he'd just keep doing what he was doing.He pinched at his eyes, shaking his head. He wished it was that easy, but it wasn't. It was going to be a lot harder than that.Atlas wasn’t sure how this was happening or why. He was feeding her when she was hungry and burping her properly afterward. How could she be pooping this much even after everything he was doing?He cleaned her again and grabbed the diaper, unfolding it as quickly as he could. “Maybe I shouldn’t have put the princess dress on you before I did this?” he asked Marigold miserably.His daughter looked up at him with her large gray eyes before she inexp
Elena was it. He would have hired her without the interview, just from seeing how quickly she had moved to save him from being blasted with more baby poop.But Atlas was also nervous.ELENAShe was a little shocked when he offered her the job. Of course, she could tell he had been desperate. Any man would be if he was knee-deep in shit and couldn't get out.But she also had nothing better to do besides accept his offer. Maybe it had been a bit of a joke, but she felt she should be there. It was clear that Atlas needed help."Will you accept the offer?" Atlas asked once more, rocking Marigold himself now. She was half asleep in his arms, her little fingers wrapped around the fabric of his shirt.She couldn't help but smile at them. The man needed help, and she needed the money. The answer was clear, but she wanted to set down some rules."Yes, I accept the job, but I do have some requirements. And if those needs aren't met, I will not accept the job." She was sure it sounded like she w
He looked at Marigold, and she watched as his expression changed. His eyes dropped, and his face seemed to pale slightly."I'm scared I'm going to screw up. Or that I'll drop her, and she's gonna end up hurt. I haven't slept because I don't know if she's still breathing at night. They certainly didn't state how your entire world flips upside down when you become a parent."A warm smile grew on her face. He felt how every other parent in the world felt. And she knew that he would make an amazing dad in the end.Once he figured out how to do everything.ATLASAtlas felt blessed to have Marigold. He was ready to be the father and role model she needed. He wanted to do everything right since she wouldn't have a mother in her life. He watched as she cooed in her sleep. He ached to hold her, feeling like he was being a bad father for putting her down.He looked at Elena, needing to focus his attention on something else. He studied her golden blond hair and light brown eyes. She had a calmin