Mother of Alpha - Burgov Series III

9. Vanya

"Hey, Vanya. It's done." - Ottie said when I picked up the phone.

I decided to stay the night in Portland and, since I needed her organizing skills, I had to tell her what went down yesterday. But her tone was rather doubtful. Well, so am I at this point, but I don't see any other option.

"Thank you Ottie."

"Are you sure you don't want to give her some space? After all, she said no. If the guy I said no to would make another move, not even twenty-four hours later, I don't think I would consider it a romantic gesture."

"It's a serial killer kind of desperation, not romance." - shouted my brother from somewhere in the background.

"Well, technically she hadn't said no. She just said she doesn't have time after work, and I get that, with being a Mom and during summer at that." - I justified my actions.

It's not that I can't see their point. Desperation is never sexy or charming, and that's exactly what I'm doing. But I really hope she will see it as a positive. The proof that I'm willing to go above and beyond for her, rather than being obsessed creep invading her life. Well, it's a long shot, but who doesn't risk, don't drink the champagne. Worst case scenario, Ilia would tell me 'I told you so'.

"Vanya…" - Octavia's voice trailed off with a heavy sigh.

"I know what you're about to say, but I have to try. And don't women love grand gestures?"

"Well, yeah if they're from a guy we're interested in, but if it's someone we're nice to only to not hurt his feelings… let's just say I would be leaving the town before nightfall if that happened to me." - my sister-in-law said.

"Even if it was Ilia doing that?" - I tried to call her bluff.

"Don't you remember Ilia at the beginning of our acquaintance? If he pulled s**t like that, I would be boarding the plane faster than you could say 'chocolate cake'."

"You're never going to let me live it down, don't you?" - Ilia said.

"It's just that, I think she needs time to figure out what she wants and for that she needs some space." - Octavia started completely ignoring my brother's remark. - "You're coming on too strong, Vanya, and you're meddling with her work. She might not like that, that's all I'm saying." - she said with concern.

"Well, it's too late now, isn't it?"

I heard the long exhale of exasperation coming out of her.

"I just hope you won't regret it." - Ottie said with resignation.

"Me too." - I admitted - "Look, I gotta go. I'll call you on my way back home."

"Yes, please do. And I'll keep my fingers crossed."

I chuckled and ended the call.

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure if I was doing the right thing, myself. I went through all the things Ottie pointed out and more, but I still see no other option.

Next week is going to be hectic. And I already know I won't be able to be in Portland every day. It would be a miracle if I amass enough time to be here once before the weekend. And I can't, simply can't leave things with Diana in this limbo we are in now. So let's call it my swan's song before reality hits me.

I left my hotel room, leaving Dan behind to rest. The poor guy has been my chauffeur this whole time, and with his hyperactive three-year-old back home, he won't get enough peace when we get back. Besides, I don't want him to know what I had planned for today. That's way too personal to include one of my men.

Driving to Meatology was longer than I expected. Traffic in Portland is a real deal, and I started wondering if Diana actually likes living in the city, and would she find happiness in our community. Pack's life doesn't offer as much entertainment, and we keep ourselves secluded for a reason. But we're way safer. There are no burglaries, no robberies, no vandalism. And occasional fights between people are never anything serious. Diana and her family would simply be safer there. But I probably shouldn't get ahead of myself and I guess that's something to discuss after Diana gave me an actual chance.

I parked in front of the restaurant and thankfully I still had ten minutes before her shift started. It's good that's how it's supposed to be, at least in my head, because from now on everything is in the Goddess's hands.

I approached the door and smiled at myself when I found them locked with a printed sign, 'Today we open at 4pm'. Exactly how I planned it.

That's a funny thing, money can't buy you things that are really important, like health or love, but they can buy opportunities. Just like now.

I knocked on the door and a few seconds later the grinning face of the manager appeared on the other side of the window. He quickly moved the bolt away and allowed me in.

"Mister Burgov, we're so happy you're here." - he said with an additional dose of servility that just the right amount of zeros can provide. - "We prepared everything just as your sister-in-law asked us to."

"Excellent. Lead the way then."

He almost tripped trying to, at the same time, bow and walk, but he composed himself in a beat and started leading me to the table in the middle of Diana's section. The table was prepared just like I wanted it to. A big coffee machine was wheeled in on a side table. There was a basket of heavenly smelling pastries and a plate of mini-sandwiches, some freshly cut fruits and one big chocolate cake. All of it on the table set for two.

"This looks perfect." - I said to the manager and he beamed so wide I was wondering if his skin wouldn't break.

"I'm glad to hear that. If you need anything else, I will…"

"No. Just send in the waitresses when she arrives. I won't be needing the rest of the staff." - I cut him off. - "Actually, you can give them a few hours off."

"But Mister Burgov…"

"Hasn't my sister-in-law mentioned that? I hope it's not a problem."

"No, no. Of course not." - he nodded - "I'll go see if the waitress is already in."

I looked around the completely desolated restaurant, wondering if I should have brought flowers or something. But a casual coffee isn't exactly a date, but if I'm going all in, I probably should. Damnit!

Fuck, why am I so nervous?!

I heard footsteps coming from the back, and I turned towards the staff entrance to see her reaction, and when Diana came through the door she immediately stopped in her tracks. She took a quick scan around, noticing there was no soul there. No other waitresses, no bartender, no hostess by the entrance and beside me no guests. Her eyes landed on me, and I don't know what I was expecting, but her eyes narrowing into slits and vicious glare wasn't it.

She started walking again, but this time she looked like she was storming to rip me into pieces. Her gracious moves were gone, and I started wondering if I should expect a slap or a punch. Maybe Ottie was right and I went too far.

"What's going on?" - Diana asked in a low voice when she reached me. Her face was all flushed, but this time I knew it wasn't because of the adorable blush, but because she was f*****g pissed.

"Well, you haven't said no, only that you don't have time after work, so I arranged a coffee, during your shift." - I explained suddenly, feeling stupid and self-conscious, and to emphasize my world, I pointed to the coffee maker and the already set table.

Her lips parted and she looked from my face to the coffee machine, then to the table and back as if she was having a hard time processing what the hell she just came into. But the surprised expression started quickly turning into a frown again.

"So let me get this straight…" - she started closing her eyes and bringing one hand to her forehead - "Because I haven't explicitly told you 'no', you thought it would be perfectly normal to book the whole restaurant just to have a coffee with me… at my workplace?" - I wasn't sure if she expected me to answer that or not, so I nodded either way, but that made her brows knoted even harder. Yup, she was definitely not happy. - "Do you have any idea how unprofessional that makes me look? What would my colleagues or my boss think? You could just cost me my job, do you realize that?!" - her voice started rising and, for some strange reason, I felt like a green boy scolded by his mother. That's a very distant, but a vivid memory. No one could make you feel small and insignificant, like pissed off Uliana Burgov, but from what I can tell, Diania isn't that far behind.

"No, no, it's not like that." - I started explaining myself, feeling the cold sweat on my forehead. - "I haven't said a word to your manager. For all I know, he thinks I'm planning to buy this place. And the rest of the staff got a fully paid morning off. We're here alone."

My words did little to calm her nerves, and she even crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side as if she was deciding if I was insane or not.

Okay, so I may not have thought this through like I should have. I thought it would be the grand gestures that would make her laugh and after that she would realize how much I'm willing to do for her. But that's not the case, so here comes the groveling.

"Diana, I'm sorry I took you by surprise. I don't know what came over me, but in my head it seemed charming and harmless. I swear I wasn't trying to meddle with your work, or make you uncomfortable. I just simply wanted to have a coffee with you, get to know you, while respecting what you said about your busy schedule." - her expression hadn't softened per se, but her pose became less guarded. A-ha! There's some progress I was hoping for. - "So, since we are both already here, would you have a coffee with me?" - I asked, slightly sliding out the chair for her, hoping she would actually sit down.

She looked at me, then back at the chair and I could almost see the cogs moving in her head. What was I thinking?! So far, this whole thing is extremely painful for both of us.

Diana sighed and sat down, but she still didn't look particularly fond of this turn of events.

"I made you upset, didn't I?" - I asked because I apparently needed to hear it coming out of her lips to torture myself even more.

She locked eyes with me, and there was no trace of her easy friendliness I saw previous times I was here. Maybe she was simply nice to all of her customers and here I am pushing all the possible boundaries. Great way to make your perfect woman hate you.

"No, but I don't like to be taken by surprise."

"Noted. And once again, I'm sorry. It seemed like such a great idea, but judging by your expression it's not." - I said, groveling like an i***t I am.

For f**k's sake, I'm an Alpha. I lead an extremely successful Pack that me and my family built from scratch. I'm not afraid of fighting, I'm never intimidated by anyone else, and I thrive on being stoic and unassuming. It makes others uncomfortable when they can't quite see through me. But here, with my own Mate, I feel like I'm failing my most important job interview. At least I was smart enough to not bring anyone else into my personal hell.

"So what exactly did you want to achieve here?" - she asked, and this time I wasn't deluding myself that she was curious, Diana looked more like an animal trapped against her will, and I bet that one wrong answer from me would at this point make her bold out of here faster than the wind.

"I honestly want to get to know you. Nothing more. But I feel like I went about it the wrong way."

"That you did." - she nodded, agreeing with me.

Okay, I need some fast change of course. I glanced at the huge coffee machine, wondering how hard it could be to use it?

"So what kind of coffee do you like?" - I asked, looking at all the buttons and cursing myself that I never put an effort to ask Sam to show me how those things work.

"You're going to prepare it for me?" - she arched a single brow and an amused smirk crept on her lips.

"I'm gonna try." - I smiled sheepishly.

"Alright then, I'll have a latte with extra cream."

My eyes widened because, of course, she couldn't pick espresso or americano, something easy and not threatening to end with blisters or electrocution. But being on a mission to dig an even deeper grave, I nodded and stepped closer to the damn machine, putting a log latte cup on the tray. I looked at the ten buttons with small pictures and it seemed simple enough, but I was so stressed about f*****g this even more that I took my sweet time deciding which one was correct.

A soft giggle came from behind my back and I turned to look at amused Diana.

"You've never done it before, have you?" - she asked, c*****g her head to the side.

"Guilty."

"Oh, for the love of God…" - she said, coming to me and immediately clicking something on the device. But this time she wasn't angry, she was smirking the whole time she was watching her cup being filled. Maybe she was laughing at me, or maybe she was amused, who could tell, but at least she wasn't scowling.

Diana prepared her own coffee and looked at me.

"Double espresso, if I remember correctly?" - she asked.

"Y-yes." - I stammered out and she turned to brew one for me.

When both cups were on the table, we sat down and at first I had no idea how to talk with her. It came so naturally before, but today Diana was distant and I had only myself to blame.

That's it. From now on, I swear to always listen to Ottie and Sasha. And when they tell me something was stupid, I shall believe them.

I cleared my throat and Diana set her glass down, looking as if she was preparing herself for the brawl.

"So Diana, how is your Cousin?" - I asked the first question that popped into my head.

She taxed me with her stare for a while, and then I knew this particular prey chose to run.

"I have a son." - she blurted out, watching my face for the reaction. Ah, that's probably her game changer she uses whenever she wants to get rid of unwanted attention. It's a shame that I entered this shameful circle, but that actually can be salvageable at this point.

"Oh really?" - I said with a smile, pretending to be surprised by the news. - "How old is he?"

Her brows shot up and she looked taken aback, as if she didn't expect me to be genuinely curious, but rather run away under the stupidest excuse.

"Em, he's seven." - she muttered.

"Great age. So I assume Little League Chelsea's coaching is one of his past times?"

"She told you about it?" - Diana asked, bulging her eyes out.

"Well, she mentioned that she has easy access to baseball bats." - I answered smiling, and she covered her eyes, whispering 'Oh my God'. It was quite entertaining, changing the course of our conversation. Maybe after this ice breaker we will get back to normal.

"I'm sorry, she hadn't mentioned that." - Diana said, visibly embarrassed.

"That's fine." - I waved my hand. - "It's good to know you have such a fierce protector."

"You have no idea." - she shook her head, indicating that wasn't the first time Chelsea had tried to scare away men. Huh, maybe I have her to thank for Diana remaining single for so long?

"So tell me about him?" - I asked and Diana frowned in confusion. - "Your son?"

"Oh, his name is Sean and he's excellent at everything outdoorsy. As long as he has the sun shining above him and a full stomach, he's the most undemanding boy I know."

"It must be hard to keep him occupied, especially now, during the summer?"

"It is, that's why I'm in constant rush nowadays." - she admitted, and I noticed that talking about the boy relaxed her. It was almost impossible for her to talk about him and not smile. - "I ran from work to pick him up to get a few hours before he had to go to bed. But I still feel like I'm missing out on everything."

"Forgive me if I overstep, but I haven't noticed a ring on your finger. Isn't Sean's father helping you?" - I decided now was as good a time as ever to point to the elephant in the room.

She looked up at me and I knew she was thinking. Hard. Her potential love life was probably her second wall she used with intrusive customers, such as myself. And I found myself holding my breath for her answer, because the documents could say one thing, while the reality could be much more complicated.

"He's not in the picture." - she said finally, and I wanted to throw my fists in the air. Not only has she confirmed that the douche isn't around, but by revealing this she, maybe subconsciously or maybe completely deliberately, told me she's unattached. That's what I'm talking about. Suddenly the day seemed brighter.

"I'm sorry to hear that, I'm sure it's hard raising a boy on your own."

"It's fine, I've got Chelsea. You probably noticed she's a bit of a tomboy, so Sean isn't missing out on things a man could teach him." - she said with a tiny smile and a shrug, making me laugh for the first time since we sat down.

The atmosphere became lighter and we started talking about the most trivial things. I found out she was taking a course to become a Tax Agent and she still has one semester to finish. I told her the half truth that I'm managing a small community, purposely making it look like I was in politics. I found out that the three of them usually go camping when the weather and her schedule allows them to. And it was fun, the most perfectly normal conversation between two adults.

I offered that, since the restaurant is already closed for her shift, she should take some time off too and go spend more time with her son, and she looked really excited about the idea. So, after a little over two hours and her changing out of her uniform, we started heading out.

"Diana, I really like you, and if I hadn't scared you off I would love to see you again, but without an ambush this time." - I said when we were outside the door.

She bit on her bottom lip, making me want to be the one to do that for her.

"My schedule is changing, but I will have the next Monday off." - she said shyly, and it was another great victory, she was willingly making plans with me. Score!

But my excitement was short-lived when I realized Monday is one of those days I definitely won't be able to make the trip.

"I won't be able to make it on Monday. I have tons of stuff to do. Actually, I'm not sure if I'm gonna be in Portland before next weekend."

And just as those words left my mouth, her guard went up again, and she even wrapped her hands around her shoulders as if she was protecting herself.

"It's because I told you about my son, right?" - she asked, looking hurt.

"No, I really have to…"

"It's fine Vanya. Just forget it." - she said, taking a step back and I felt as if she was slipping away for good. - "Thank you for a lovely breakfast. I have a bus to catch." - and she darted away from me before I had a chance to explain myself.

I considered running after her. After all, I made a fool of myself in the restaurant, then why not on crowded Portland streets? But she moved so fast that I knew something I said hurt her deeply and no matter what I tell her now, it wouldn't change the way she feels. The only way I can prove she had it all wrong, is to show up and make her understand I'm not going anywhere without her.