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“Hazel.” Elizabeth Dutton was a petite woman with wavy blond hair like her daughter’s. They both had the same turquoise-blue eyes that showed every emotion they were feeling.
I pulled away from Calla and walked straight into Elizabeth’s arms, feeling my heart break as I received the closest thing to a motherly hug I’d had in years. I was a little bit taller than her, but somehow I still felt like a little girl as she held me tight.
“Oh, my sweet girl,” Elizabeth sobbed, rocking me a bit. “We missed you so much. I’m so sorry. This is all our fault?—”
“Lizzie,” Grant chastised softly. “We talked about this.”
Sniffling, she pulled back, looking at her husband. “I know.”
“It’s good to see you, Hazel,” Grant said with a sad smile. “I’d like to hug you, but I know you’ve been through quite the ordeal. We don’t want to pressure you. Joel and Kevin told us to tell you hello. They’d like to see you, but only when you’re up to it.”
Elizabeth watched us with a soft look in her crystalline eyes. “How are you feeling, Jude?”
He smiled easily at her. “Feeling okay.”
Elizabeth scowled. “Crew told us a little about what you boys did, saving our Hazel.” She stepped in front of him and framed his face with her hands. “But next time you’re playing hero, try to dodge the bullets a little better, yeah?”
Jude chuckled and ducked his head. “You got it, Mrs. D.”
Sighing, Elizabeth let him go. She rolled her eyes in my direction. “Three years they’ve been a pack, and I’m still Mrs. D.”
“I might not’ve been raised in the South like Kellan, but my Mama taught me to respect my elders,” Jude replied with a grin.
Elizabeth huffed, throwing her hands up. “And now I’m an elder.”
Shaking his head with obvious fondness, Grant wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Face it, baby. We got old.”
Elizabeth let out an undignified snort and elbowed him. “You got old. I stayed the same.” Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me I did.”
Grant didn’t miss a beat. “You’re even more stunning than the night I first met you.”
“Right answer, hot stuff,” Elizabeth replied, melting into his front and turning her face up for a kiss.
“Seriously?” Calla whined, looking at me for backup.
Past me would’ve absolutely complained at any sort of overt displays of affection from either of our parents. What teenager wanted to see their mom and dad (or people they thought of like their mom and dad) making out?
But now I was seeing Elizabeth and Grant in a whole new light. They weren’t just Crew and Calla’s parents; they were an alpha and an omega. They were part of a bonded pack who loved, respected, and adored one another.
An ache settled in my chest as I watched the easy way they were together. I wanted what they had. I just had no clue how I’d get it.
Or if I’d get it.
Elizabeth shooed Grant and Jude away, claiming it was time for girl talk, as she guided Calla and me into the house.
It was obvious both women were familiar with the home. Calla’s hand didn’t falter at finding a light switch and Elizabeth seemed to know the layout of the kitchen as she started pulling things out of the cabinets.
“Don’t tell me they don’t have—ha! Got it.” She raised a box of instant hot chocolate over her head with a look of triumph. “I knew I raised that boy right.”
Calla climbed up onto the barstool beside me. “Hot chocolate is an omega dietary staple, but especially in times of crisis.”
Admittedly, I really was craving some chocolatey warmth to sip on.
“Instant isn’t as good as the real stuff, but it’ll do in a pinch.” Elizabeth started filling a kettle and then turned on the stovetop burner to heat it. She spun around to face us, her eyes fixing on mine. “Now, I’m sure you have a million questions, and I’ll answer every single one of them, but first things first. Are you okay?”
“Uh, yes?” I responded tentatively, looking from Calla to Elizabeth.
“Are you asking or telling?” Calla teased, bumping my shoulder with hers.
