An Unexpected Dinner Invitation

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

POV: Raina

I set the plate of chicken and rice down on the table in front of Raymond, but he immediately pushed the dish away with his small hands, crossing his arms over his chest while tears filled his golden eyes again. Ever since his wolf surge earlier in the afternoon, he had been cranky and restless, refusing to take a single bite of his food or sit properly in his chair despite every soft word of encouragement I offered him. Ruth was sitting beside him eating her carrots quietly, watching her brother throw a tantrum, while Reign stood near the kitchen counter reviewing team emails on his tablet.

"Raymond, baby, you need to eat your dinner so you can get your energy back," I said, leaning down beside his chair and placing my hand gently on his small knee.

"I don't want to eat, Mommy!" Raymond cried out, wiping his wet nose with his sleeve while he shook his head stubbornly. "I want the nice tall mister from across the street to come eat with us, because he fixed my chest when it was hurting so bad!"

"Raymond, he lives in his own house, and he is busy right now," I said, letting out a heavy sigh as I tried to explain the situation to a upset four-year-old child.

"I won't eat anything until he comes over!" Raymond screamed, dropping his head onto the edge of the table while he began sobbing loudly, his small shoulders shaking with pure exhaustion and frustration.

I stood up straight, grunting in absolute frustration while I rubbed my forehead with my fingers, completely torn between my deep hatred for Damon and my unconditional love for my son, who clearly needed comfort after his first wolf surge. Reign looked up from his tablet, giving me a quiet, sympathetic look, but he knew better than to interfere when Raymond was in one of his rare, stubborn moods.

"Fine, Raymond, stop crying right now," I said, letting out a sharp breath as I made up my mind. "I will go across the street and ask him, but if he says no or if he is busy, you are going to sit right here and finish every single piece of chicken on that plate."

Raymond stopped sobbing instantly, wiping his eyes with his hands while he looked up at me with hopeful eyes, nodding his small head fast.

I threw on a light cardigan over my clothes, unlocked the front door, and marched down my front porch steps, crossing the asphalt street in quick strides until I reached Damon's driveway. I walked straight up his porch steps, not giving myself time to second-guess my decision, and I knocked on his front door three times with my knuckles.

The door opened almost immediately, and Damon stood there wearing a simple gray shirt and sweatpants, looking thoroughly surprised to see me standing on his front porch in the evening light.

"Raina?" Damon asked, his golden eyes widening in shock as he looked at my face. "Is Raymond okay? Did he have another surge?"

"Raymond is physically fine, but he is throwing a massive tantrum inside the house," I said, keeping my tone completely dry and businesslike while I kept my distance from his doorway. "He is refusing to eat his dinner unless the neighbor who helped him comes inside to sit at our table, so I am here to invite you over for a simple meal, but let me make one thing crystal clear right now, Damon."

"Anything you say, Raina," Damon answered quickly, stepping closer to the doorframe while he listened intently to my voice.

"This invitation does not mean I forgive you, it does not mean we are friends, and it certainly does not mean you get to act like a husband or a father in my home," I warned, pointing my finger straight at his chest so he understood the strict boundary. "You sit at the table, you eat the food, you talk to Raymond until he finishes his dinner, and then you pack up and leave my house immediately."

"I understand completely, and I promise to be on my absolute best behavior," Damon said, his face lighting up with a soft, genuine smile that he tried to restrain as he stepped out onto his porch, shutting his front door behind his back without hesitation.

We walked back across the quiet street in complete silence, and the moment I opened my front door, Raymond let out a loud cheer, sliding down off his dining chair and running across the hallway to wrap his arms tight around Damon's leg.

"You came!" Raymond yelled happily, looking up at Damon with wide, sparkling eyes.

"Of course I came, big guy," Damon said, kneeling down on the floor to pat Raymond's back gently while he smiled warmly at him. "I heard you were refusing to eat your chicken, and a growing wolf needs his strength if he wants to play sports one day."

Damon walked into the dining room, taking a seat at the table right between Ruth and Raymond, while Reign quietly excused himself to his home office to give us space. For the next forty minutes, the dining room was filled with the constant chatter of my children, who peppered Damon with dozens of enthusiastic questions about playing professional hockey, how fast he could skate on the ice, and what it felt like to score a goal in front of thousands of fans. Damon answered every single question with endless patience and tenderness, cutting up Ruth's chicken into smaller pieces for her and making Raymond laugh out loud by doing funny ice hockey demonstrations with his fork.

Sitting across from them at the table, watching Damon interact so naturally and effortlessly with our twins, brought a sudden, crushing wave of painful memories rushing back into my mind, reminding me of the beautiful family life we could have shared together if he hadn't chosen his father's cowardly path five years ago.

After dinner was finished, I took the kids upstairs to take their bath and brush their teeth, and within thirty minutes, both Ruth and Raymond were fast asleep in their beds, completely worn out from the day's events.

I walked quietly back down the stairs into the kitchen, finding Damon standing by the sink with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, rinsing off the dirty plates and setting them neatly into the dishwasher.

"You don't have to do my dishes, Damon," I said, stopping near the edge of the counter while I folded my arms over my stomach. "You were a guest here tonight, so I can handle the cleanup myself."

"It's the least I can do to thank you for letting me spend time with them, Raina," Damon said softly, turning off the water tap and drying his hands on a paper towel as he turned his body around to look at me. "They are amazing kids, Raina, and you have done an absolute incredible job raising them all by yourself."

"I did what any mother would do when left with no other choice," I said flatly, stepping closer to the sink to grab the glass dish sitting near the edge of the counter so I could put it away in the upper cabinet.

Damon reached out at the exact same second to grab the exact same glass dish, and his large, warm fingers accidentally brushed directly against the bare skin of my hand. A sudden, scorching jolt of electric heat erupted through my skin from the point of contact, sending a powerful wave of the dormant fated mate bond shooting straight through my blood, making my pulse spike wildly while my breath hitched in my throat.

I gasped loudly, yanked my hand back like I had been burned by a hot iron, and stumbled two quick steps backward away from the counter, staring at him with wide, alarmed eyes while my heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Damon froze in his tracks, staring down at his trembling hand with raw shock before lifting his eyes to meet mine, the golden color in his irises flaring bright with sudden, intense mate hunger.

"Raina," Damon whispered, his voice deep and raspy as he took a slow, instinctual step toward me across the floor, "You felt that too, didn't you?"

"Get out of my house right now, Damon!" I panicked, pointing toward the front door with a shaking hand as I tried to regain control of my racing breath, refusing to let the pull of our bond compromise my heart again.