AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh Ethan!” Cressida reached out a hand covered in rings. “Min and I are having a mom/daughter-in-law lunch.”
He wanted to shout, you’re not her mom-in-law, nor will you ever be. But that just intensified the gaping hole inside him.
Min looked up at him and her face suddenly pinched into a frown. He needed to rectify this, or his mom might think they weren’t getting on.
He swooped in and kissed Min fair and square on the mouth.
He felt her little indrawn breath. Damn it, he should have asked permission, but desperate measures were required to make sure everything looked normal between them, whatever normal even was at this point.
As he drew away, the sweetness of her breath and the softness of her surprised mouth lingered on his lips.
He wanted to do it again. Real bad.
“Hi babe,” he said casually.
She gathered herself, the panic in her eyes softening. “Hi—gorgeous.”
Gods, if only she could keep saying that, in that little breathy voice, until the end of time.
“Oh, look at you two.” Cressida clasped her hands in glee. “Just so in love.”
“Yes Mom, okay, we got that.”
“Sit, sit down.” His mom waved a hand at the seat next to Min. “Drink your coffee with us.”
“I can’t really, I’ve got so much to do.”
“Oh, you can. Don’t be such a workaholic. You are getting like your father.” Cressida’s face momentarily crumpled. Min reached out and touched her arm, and to Ethan’s relief, his mom’s face immediately brightened. “Silly me, let’s not go there. Seeing you so in love just reminds me, but I’m so, so happy that you are. Look at you, just perfect together.”
Min cast him a glance, the smallest twitch of a smile on her face, and he smiled back.
It suddenly felt… okay between them again. The tight band around his chest loosened, and he let his wings relax down on his shoulder blades.
“I’m taking Min to get a dress for the gala dinner after this,” Cressida continued, stuffing her face with pasta carbonara.
“What, already?”
“Ethan, it’s barely three weeks away. Have you been hiding under a rock?”
On a whim, he said, “Min has been distracting me.” He saw her startle slightly as he said it.
“Aw, that’s so adorable. But darling, the gala dinner has always been the year’s highlight. How could you forget, even for this gorgeous being?”
“I know, Mom, I know. It’s the event of the year.” Ethan managed not to roll his eyes. His mother lauded it up at the Blade gala dinner, giving out the awards to small businesses on the up and up. It was her night really, not his. But he went along with it, and this year with humans from the Council of Towns attending for the first time ever, he did need to take it seriously.
He and Min had to look absolutely rock solid.
“Tell him, Min, that he has to come shopping with us. Ethan has such great taste in dresses. Whenever I… Well, let’s say, the few times I’ve got a bit overwrought and set light to my entire wardrobe, he’s always helped me buy new outfits.”
“Sounds like that’s happened a few times,” Min said with a gentle smile.
Cressida smiled sadly. “Oh dear, yes, quite often after Clifton died. Less so of late. Don’t you think I’m improving, Ethan?”
Ethan gave a tight smile. “Yes, Mom, you are getting better on that front.”
“Thank you, my darling boy. Now let’s go.” Cressida went and paid the bill, then bowled out of the cafe like a ship in full sail, clearly expecting them to follow, all her silk billowing behind her.
Out in the street, Ethan glanced at Min.
