Rejected Mate's Redemption (Freda and James)
Mates 8

Chapter 8 FREDA WHITLOCK

I bit my lip as I pushed the last of mine and Cisco's luggage into the trunk of my SUV and then slammed it shut. I let out a heavy sigh and wiped my face with the back of my hand. This was going to be hard. It was going to be really hard, especially with the fact that I was going to have to be driving for three days. straight if I wanted to reach my destination in time.

"Mommy, more chocolate," Francisco called as I walked into the house. He was seated on the couch and he was playing a game on my iPad. I was glad I had that to keep him busy while I packed up our things and got ready for the move.

I bit my lip hard and buried my face in my hand, desperately hoping that I would not have a m**I breakdown from all the stress and anxiety I had been going through in the past few days.

It had been three days since we had received that call from Lyra and then she had told me the horrible news. Since then, I had been doing my very best to leave things in good condition before I went back to the place that had once been my home for an indefinite time.

I

I had handed over the coffee shop to my assistant. She was competent and responsible and I knew that I could trust her. I had also consulted Francisco's school and discussed with his teacher. She had asked me if I would be okay with leaving him over with her while I went back, but I could not.

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First of all, I was not sure how long I would be staying. It was all so indefinite and unplanned. While I was not obsessive about controlling things, I did not really like surprises. I liked to plan things ahead and be ready for them.

Second, Francisco was my life. He was all I had with me. physically. He was the person I woke up, lived, breathed and worked for. He was the reason I had been able to speak with my father and Lyra all the times they had called.

"No more chocolates baby. You're going to have a stomach ache," I told him and he went silent before murmuring an "Okay."

A brief smile touched my lip and I walked into the bedroom I slept in in the cramped three bedroom apartment. It was a miracle that I could afford it with just running a coffee shop, but I could and it had been great so far, especially for Francisco.

I looked around the room. Almost everything had been packed up to go with me back home, I took a deep breath, refusing to allow the part of my brain that was screaming at me to move my things from my car and back into the apartment to speak to me for much longer.

'You can do it. You need to do it for your father, Gia spoke in my head and I gave a single nod. It was a relief to finally hear something from her after nearly three months.

Ever the rejection, she had barely spoken. I could count the number of times she had spoken in the past five years off my two hands. It was painful, but it was yet another loss that Kaiden had caused me. I swallowed the lump that appeared in my throat at the thought of him.

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was going to have to face him. It was inevitable- He was the Alpha of the pack. I was going to have to face my sister, my stepmother, all of the problems, people and things I had left behind.

I was not sure I was ready for all of that, but I was going to build up the confidence and strength I needed in the three days it would take me to get there.

I forced a smile to my face and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

"Come on," I muttered to Cisco as I lifted him into my arms. He said nothing. He was too focused on the game he was playing on the iPad and I still could not help the gratitude I felt for the device.

It was going to keep him occupied most of the way. I was prepared for the times it would not be able to distract him from the discomfort of sitting in a car the whole day. He would be fussy and annoyed, and as much as I dreaded the thought, I was fairly prepared for it m**ly.

"There you go, buddy," I kissed his forehead as I buckled him into his child car seat and then secured the chair to the seat directly behind the front passenger seat so I would be able to glance at him easily while I drove

"You ready?" I asked and he looked away from the iPad for the first time in almost an hour. He smiled at me and nodded. "I can't wait to see grandpa and Aunt Lyra," he said with his gorgeous smile before looking back down at the iPad.

I wanted to smother and bathe his adorable face in kisses but I held myself back. I didn't want him to get e**d or shy. It

Chapter 8

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was fun to see him blush, but I didn't want to bother him any more than I was about to in the next three days.

I hurried up the front porch and double-checked the front door to see if it was locked. It was.

I bit my lip and headed round the SUV, climbing into the driver's seat. I flexed my fingers and started the engine. I glanced back at Francisco. He was properly seated in his chair. I adjusted the rearview mirror so that he would be the first thing I saw when I looked into it.

"Let's go..." I muttered under my breath and put the car in drive.