Forever in the Past and Forever in the Future

Half an hour later, we exit the highway and drive another twenty minutes down a country road. Eventually, we pull up to a little restaurant that has a handmade sign that says "Jimmy's BBQ' with a silhouette of a hog under it.

There are a few other cars in the parking lot, but it doesn't look like a place that ever gets too busy.

"You got dressed like that to eat barbeque?" I ask waving at his suit.

He just smiles as he gets out of the car and jogs over to my side to open the door for me, "You're going to love this place. I promise."

A short, plump woman in jeans and an oversized blue sweater greets us," Bronx! Long time no see, darlin'. This must be that adorable wife we see in the papers."

"Hi Shelly. Yeah, this is Kas. I thought it was about time to bring her to my secret spot," he smiles and gives the woman a big hug. I take a deep breath and stop myself from growling at the interaction. There is a hint ofa werewolf's scent in the air, but she is definitely human.

"It's nice to meet you, Kas," Shelly reaches her hand out and I shake it, " You must be a pretty special young lady to win this grump's heart."

"It's nice to meet you too, Shelly." I say cordially. She is so friendly, it's difficult not to like her. I look at Bronx, "He can be a grump, can't he? You're right. I must be pretty special to put up with him."

"Ha! She's got a sense of humor, too. Come on you two, your usual table is right where you left it, Bronx," she smiles as she leads us to a booth at the back of the restaurant. Once we have seated, she lets us know she is going to get us some fresh iced tea and Bronx's usual order, then walks away.

"Your 'secret spot'?" I look at Bronx with genuine curiosity.

"Yeah, when things were really bad for Saint and I, he would go for runs with no destination in mind and we would end up all over the place. We ended up here one day. Shelly is human, but her husband is a hybrid. Werebear, werewolf. His werebear side is more dominant, so he tends to be a loner, but he makes a mean smoked trout. How they ended up as mates, I don't know, but they are madly in love. More importantly, they didn't know or give a shit who I was. They let me borrow some clothes and fed me until I was stuffed. They treated me so well, even though I was a stranger to them," he stops and looks around at the rustic decorations on the wall. I look around too. There are taxidermied animal heads, old photographs, and vintage tin signs screwed into the walls. It is very comfortable and quaint. The smell of smoked meat is like a delicious perfume.

"Shelly told me they help wandering werebears and the occasional errant wolf all the time. I told them I had just shifted, so I didn't have any money. They didn't care. They let me bus tables to pay for whatever ate. Coming here was one of the first times I was treated just like a regular person. They just wanted to make sure I was okay. I came back a week later and paid them back every penny and more. They keep my table open in gratitude. I've brought Milo here once. I've never even brought Reggie."

He looks at his fingernails for a moment then gives me a guilty look, "I would even come here on Sundays sometimes when I was supposed to be in the apartment with you. I wasn't always out in the woods drinking and smoking. I mean, a lot of the times I was, but sometimes when I wanted to be alone, I would come here."

"How come you've never told me about any of this?" I place my chin in my hand and give him time to answer.

"I-I guess I wasn't ready. We were talking about it during my last therapy session and realized I want to share more places like this with you. I mean, most of them are just spots in the woods or at the tops of mountains, but you know, I figured start with one that will at least get us a dinner worthy of your culinary expertise," he confesses. Shelly comes back with a giant tray filled with plates of various barbecued meats. She piles the plates on the table and even pulls up the table beside the booth for the platters that don't fit. It all smells so good. I can feel my mouth watering.

"I hope you're hungry, Kas," Shelly quips with a giggle.

"Shelly, I'm never not hungry," I respond, eyeing a plate full of delicious looking rack of ribs.

"Well, just one more reason you're a perfect match for this guy. Ha ha!

Bronx, let me know if you need anything else, hon. I'll leave you two to it," Shelly says as she walks away, to greet a group that walked in the front door.

"Before you dig in," Bronx puts his hand up, "I have something for you."

I sit back against the bench seat. He knows I hate when he buys things for me 'Just because', "Bronx-"

"This isn't just a gift, Kas," he pulls outa jewelry box and hands it to me, "It's not what it looks like."

I glare at him as I open the box to see a white gold necklace with a beautiful pendant that looks like a cluster of diamonds. I snap the lid closed and hand the box back to him, "Bronx, no. Take it back. No. I don't want it."

"Hear me out, please," he puts his hand up and presses the box toward me, "The tech guys at MasonCo have been working on a new technology. After you disappeared, I had them speed up development. Once James took on his new role, he helped them refine the requirements, and they created this for you."

I look at the necklace again and hold up the box, "So you're telling me there aren't thousands of dollars' worth of diamonds on this necklace?"

"Oh, no, I didn't say that. There is," he smirks while I roll my eyes and place the box on the table, "but there are also two very important safety features. The pendant has a microscopic tracker that's undetectable to anyone's equipment. It won't set off any alarms or scanners. If something happens and we need to find you, the pendant will lead us right to you. Anywhere in the world." I look at the necklace again. It just looks like a necklace. I could probably wear it all the time and not draw too much attention, "What's the other safety feature?"

"There is a silent alarm in the clasp. If you take it off, Marco, James, and I all get a text notification. If you're in trouble, we can check the tracker location and come find you," Bronx explains.

"So, like a luxury MasonCo ankle monitor?" I say dryly, holding the box away from me. The idea of being perpetually tracked is not appealing in any way, especially if I decide I want to spend time with any the Mavri Magea. "Kas, please. You know it's not like that. I don't know how else to keep you safe. You literally disappeared out of my arms during a grappling match," he looks at me desperately while he explains, "I have my best guys following you at all times, people monitoring threats against both of us, and now we've added a bunch of disgruntled goddesses in the mix. It is just a precaution, Baby. I can't lose you again. I just...1 can't. We won't track you unless you're unexpectedly missing or the alarm on the clasp goes off letting us know you need help."

I open the box one more time and look at the necklace. If I argue about it too much, he is going to get suspicious. I sigh and take it out of the box, putting it around my neck, "It's not too over the top to wear everyday?"

"Maybe for someone else, but not for Bronx Mason's wife," he gives me a lopsided smile as he watches me latch the clasp on the back of my neck, "It's perfect. Now here, start with some brisket, it's the best."

I purse my lips in displeasure at the thought of wearing a glorified dog collar, but the smell of the brisket he places in front of me pushes the thought to the side long enough for me to enjoy dinner. I can figure out how to slip out of it some other time.