The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 70

Tate sat by the fountain and gently pulled Margaret to sit next to him as he began, "Mom was a math teacher, and she'd throw a fit if I scored anything less than the highest mark in my class. When I was nine, the first time I was the second-highest in math, I erased my answer and wrote the correct one before going up to the teacher to ask for a review. That was the beginning of a very horrifying experience."

Margaret's eyes sparkled with interest as Tate continued, "It turned out that my math teacher and my mom were friends, so when I got home, I was given an hour's lecture, grounded on the night of a concert my friends and I bought tickets to six months prior, and, to my dismay, mor math homework. There was so much that I started seeing numbers and math questions in my dreams." Margaret chuckled lightly at that last part, which warmed Tate's heart and made his animal melt. "Mom was strict as a mother and a Luna...and she was a stationery-addict. She particularly loved weird-shaped paper clips."

"Those are cute, actually," Margaret commented.

"Not if you have like a thousand of them at home," Tate retorted.

Margaret weighed up that fact, and shook her head before she declared, "Sorry, Tate. I'm with your mom on this. Weird-shaped paper clips are cute even if there are a thousand of them."

Tate chuckled, before Margaret prompted, "And your father?"

"Pop was a typical businessman, focusing on buying land and properties in strategic locations and turning them into profitable businesses."

"Which of his businesses was your favorite growing up?" Margaret asked in curiosity.

That question took Tate by surprise. Normally, people would simply ask him to talk about the businesses that his father owned and passed down to him, or they'd venture into making small-talk, saying how lucky he was that White Blood had a consistent, lucrative income. What Margaret was asking now was on a more personal level, about what he personally thought of his father's work.

After some thinking while he stroked the back of her hand, he said, "That would have to be the nature park that was about to be torn down had he not bought the land. The trees and plants there are exotic and gorgeous. And there's this lake right in the middle of the park, so pop, mom and I would go there every fortnight for a canoe ride. I'd dip my hand into the water and feel the fish. There was even once when I fell into the pond."

He laughed, but registering his mate's eyes that widened in fear, he quickly added, "Nothing bad happened, really. Pop scooped me up before I went too deep."

Margaret sighed with relief, and then questioned with furrowed brows, "What were you thinking?!"

Tate shrugged like it was no big deal. "The fish were just clearer underwater."

Margaret narrowed her eyes and smirked. "I'm sure they were."

Her candid reply made him laugh before he said, "I'd love to bring you there one day...if you'd like to see it."

A soft smile replaced Margaret's smirk when she uttered, "I'd like that."

Their eyes met long enough for Margaret to start blushing again, and she looked away. Very carefully, Tate's free hand reached for her face and cupped her warm cheek before turning her face for their eyes to meet once more. The Alpha got lost in those gorgeous orbs for a long moment before he whispered, "You are so beautiful.”

Margaret's eyes glistened as she flustered even further, but the moment she tried to look away again, Tate muttered, "Don't hide from me, please? I want to see you."

The way his soft brown orbs penetrated into her soul gave her a sense of safety and belonging. His touch was so comforting and stimulating, like it was urging her to believe him, to believe in their bond, to believe that they could be happy together.

Tate's heart rate raced when he inched his face closer to hers. The tip of their noses touched, and their lips were barely an inch away before Margaret subconsciously held back.

"Oh c'mon, mom! That was so close to perfection!" Stella's sudden presence and outburst made Tate and Margaret flinch.

Margaret shot up from her seat in an instant, and Tate threw the teenager an annoyed look as he complained, "Really?"

"Dad, that was her fault. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What did I say about going easy on your mother, Stella?"

Stella's head cocked to one side as she said with a cocky smirk, "I think it was something about her loving me more than she does you."

"Terrible memory," Tate commented with a shake of his head.

Stella chuckled in cheekiness before she stated the obvious, "Anyway, I only came because I thought you two lovebirds needed a reminder that we only have twenty minutes left before Officer Katie calls."

Tate's eyes widened in shock as he checked the time on his phone. How in the world did time pass so fast? They were just here for what felt like five minutes!

He took Margaret's hand without hesitation and spoke in a hushed voice, "We should head back."

"Yes, we should," Margaret managed.

During the drive back, Tate casually asked, "So, Stella, what's your favorite part of Labyrinthe Vert?"

"Mm...definitely the fountain. I saw two people almost making out there."

Margaret started flustering as she mouthed, "Oh Goddess."

Tate couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he asked, "And your second most favorite, Stella?"

He saw the teenager's cheeky smirk from the rear view mirror when she responded, "Trying to change the subject so soon, dad?"