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“I didn’t like the way things went last night.” Her tone was calm, but I wasn’t sure I could trust it.
“Mom…” I glanced at Forrest, sitting next to Mason, and shook my head. “Maybe we could talk about this later.”
She picked up her glass of water and took a long sip. “Honey?”
I cringed. “Yes?”
“Relax.” She smiled at how floored I looked before turning her gaze back to Mason. “I hated it. I realize now that I hated it so much because you were defending Violet from me, the way I should’ve been defending her from others all this time. It was hard to swallow that awful pill. You did what I couldn’t, or wouldn’t. All three of you did. Without hesitation, you were all three ready to fight for my daughter.”
Mason swallowed the bite he was chewing and sat back in his chair. “Ma’am. We’ve gone to war for beliefs that weren’t our own. Imagine what we’d do for a woman we believe in whole-heartedly.”
Tears filled my eyes as his words sank in. I sniffed and tried to hide them, but Forrest called me out.
“Why are you crying, Mommy?” He walked around the table and climbed into my lap, forgetting his earlier declaration that he wasn’t anywhere near a baby.
I held him closer and rested my chin on top of his head so I could meet Mason’s gaze. “Mason said something really sweet, baby, and it made me happy. That’s all.”
“You cried because you’re happy?” He climbed down and went back to his chair. “You’re silly, Mommy.”
“Damn. I really wish I’d been the one to say that.” Justin grinned sheepishly at me. “Is it too late for me to take credit for the emotion behind it?”
Dad elbowed Mom and nodded at me. “Are you going to start wanting more men around so you get doted on like this?”
Before Mom could reply, the same alarm that had gone off that morning went off again. The energy in the room changed instantly as the guys shoved away from the table. I looked up at them and felt the evening crashing and burning. They each already looked miles away as they silently communicated with each other.
“What’s happening?” Mom looked at me with concern coloring her expression.
Justin squeezed my shoulder as he backed away. “Work emergency. We’ll be back.”
Ben kissed the top of my head and Mason pressed a hurried kiss to my cheek before they vanished out the front door. Once again, the sound of their truck racing away followed shortly after.
I looked back at my parents and my shoulders slumped when I saw how much their happy expressions had dampened. Feeling the need to excuse their abrupt exit, I forced a smile. “They own a security company. Sometimes they have emergencies and have to go help.”
“Oh.” Mom looked around the dining room and pursed her lips. “Okay.”
I didn’t like that she was seeing flaws in the picture. I didn’t like that I felt like maybe there were flaws, too. It made me speak out of turn. “Oh? What, Mom? What do you have to say about it?”
Dad frowned at me and shook his head. “Forrest and I are going to go play with the dogs. You and your mother can talk. Try to remember your manners, Violet.”
I rested my elbows on the table and braced my chin on my fists. I hated the feelings churning in my stomach. I hated I was worried about the guys leaving and I hated that Mom could see it.
She took a deep breath as she pushed her plate away from her. “Violet… I’m not trying to attack you or what you have here.”
“Please, don’t.”
“Do they have to rush away like that for work often?” She saw my mouth turn down and rushed on. “I’m not trying to be critical, Violet. I watched your face when that alarm went off and you looked sad. Are they able to be here as much as you need them to be?”
I stood up and started clearing the table. “This is only the second time they’ve had to rush away since we reconnected.”
“That’s not bad, then. You’ve been here for weeks.”
I stopped with my hands full of plates and looked down at my feet. “The first two weeks I was here, they were out of town for work.”
“Oh, Violet.” Mom rushed after me into the kitchen and cornered me at the sink. “They seem great, they really do. You need someone who can be here for you and Forrest. Do you think they can do that? I’m not saying they can’t be. I’m just…asking.”
I stacked the dishes next to the sink and wrapped my arms around myself. “They don’t have to take on the cases that are farther away. As the bosses, they get to choose which ones to take on. Ben was telling me last night that they’ve spoken about it and they don’t want to leave on long cases anymore. Not since me and Forrest are here.”
“That’s great, honey. Or maybe if they do have to take on one of the bigger cases, one of them could stay behind with you. There has to be some benefit to having three men.” Her voice trailed off. “You don’t seem like you think it’s great, Violet.”
