She was fuming then, but I thought I saw a flicker of shame, too. “You listen to me—”
“No.” I smiled wryly. “I won’t. I don’t have to. I’m an adult. I have a life, a job I enjoy, friends and family I love, and”—I reached to take Law’s hand and squeezed it—“the love of a good man who knows a thing or two about abusive mothers.”
That really got Erin going; she got to her feet, pointing a finger at me. “How dare you!”
The low, dangerous growl from between me and Law made her eyes widen. I’d never heard Steve this angry. He got to his feet and let out one rumbly bark, nowhere near his full volume, but still scary if you believed all big black dogs were violent and out of control.
The kitchen door burst open, and Tristan ran out. “You can’t be our grandma; you’re mean!” he yelled at Erin. “We don’t want mean grandmas!”
He scrambled up onto Law’s lap and glared at Erin.
I’d let go of Law’s hand and now reached for Tris’ arm. “Buddy? There is no world in which I would let her get anywhere near you or your sisters. Like you said, our family has no room for mean people, only loving ones, right?”
I could see the upset in his eyes, the tears about to brim over, and I held out my arms. Steve had barely enough time to back away when Tristan launched himself into my arms.
“It’s okay, bud,” I promised him, holding him tightly. Then I looked at Erin. “Do not come back here.”
She was shaking with anger and something else I couldn’t read. Then she gathered herself and nodded.
“I’ll go visit my parents while I’m here.”
“Don’t let her be mean to Grams and Gramps,” Tristan whispered against my neck loud enough for Erin to hear.
She jerked back, finally understanding something, it seemed. She cleared her throat. “I won’t be mean to them.” She grabbed her purse and stepped away, looking at me closely for what seemed like forever but was only seconds. Then she nodded once. “Goodbye, Oak.”
With that, she turned on her heel and marched out. Law got to his feet and went to the window.
“She’s gone,” he said after a few moments. Then he came to embrace me and Tristan.
“She won’t come back,” I promised Tristan. “And nobody is allowed to be mean.”
The kitchen door opened and Charlie peeked out. “Tris? Can I have your ice cream?”
Tristan sniffled, then smacked a loud kiss on my cheek and scrambled off my lap. “No!” he yelled and ran to the kitchen.
“Oh, to be six years old,” I murmured.
Law chuckled and pulled me to stand, then into his arms. He squeezed me tightly, and just like every time since the first hug he’d given me, I melted against him, feeling absolute peace and comfort wash over me.
“You were right,” he said quietly against the side of my head.
“I know. But about what exactly?”
He squeezed my butt for being a brat, then replied, “You do have my love.”
My breath hitched, and I pulled back enough to look at him. I’d known it, of course. I’d felt the times he’d been close to saying the words, but I’d been afraid. Of what, I wasn’t sure.
“I love you,” I whispered, waiting for the fear to hit me, but it didn’t.
The way his brown eyes lit up was suddenly everything.
“I love you, too.” He leaned in to meet me in the middle for a kiss that was somewhere between chaste and hungry.
The front door opened and Uncle Teague walked in, looking much like Law had when he’d arrived.
“Did I miss her?”
“Yup.” I grinned. “Although she headed to Grams and Gramps.”
