“You think she saw him?” Maia asked.
“Richie sent a text. He said he’s never seen her this mad and put three laughing crying emojis behind it.”
Maia laughed.
“It’s not funny, Maia.”
“Sure it is. Wasn’t funny when my father dumped me here without telling me where we were going, but you didn’t seem to mind.”
“You can’t blame me for that. I didn’t know either of you were coming. And this is completely different.”
“How’s that?”
“Because it’s Cristie, and me, and Remi. See? Completely different.”
The front door opened and then slammed so hard it echoed through the house. “Daaaaaad!” Cristie screamed. She didn’t yell or shout, she screamed — in anger.
“We’re in the kitchen, babygirl,” Riley called out sweetly just seconds before Cristie appeared in the archway that was the entrance to the kitchen.
Cristie was clutching a now crushed foil-wrapped breakfast sandwich with pieces dangling from it in one hand, and her usual Stanley cup of coffee in the other hand. Her face was a contorted mixture of eye twitching, bared lips and clenched teeth. Her face, her neck, and throat were flushed and red with the rush of blood to the area and there was a definite rumble deep in her chest as she stood there staring daggers through her father.
“Good Lord, what happened to you?” Riley asked. “Come sit down. Are you okay, baby?”
Cristie stood where she was, glaring at him for a few more seconds before she stepped closer. “Tell me that you did not grant Remi sanctuary.”
“I don’t understand,” Riley said.
“Yes, you do. Remi is here.”
“Oh, he made it, then. Good, that’s good. I was about to see if I could reach him on the phone. I was getting worried,” Riley said.
“Why?!” she demanded.
“Because he was late, and it’s a long drive,” Riley said, his own voice hinting at the fact that he might not be as patient as she’d like him to be.
“No. Why did you give him sanctuary here, with us, among our Pride?!” she yelled.
Riley smiled as he set his coffee cup down and walked over to where she stood. “Because Remi paid respect by calling me and asking for sanctuary. I like Remi. He was always very special to me, and to you, as a little boy. He still is special to me. And he’s the son of some very dear friends of mine, and of people that you love and value as well. Why wouldn’t I grant him sanctuary, Cristie?”
“Because he broke my heart!”
“He was lost.”
“He didn’t give a damn what it did to me. He just walked away and pretended I didn’t exist. You know how hurt I was. I made no secret of it! I confided every little thing and just when I’m beginning to get back to myself again, you invite him here to rip open the wound all over again!”
“He’s your mate. He fucked up. That doesn’t mean he should be barred from ever being here. He asked for an opportunity to be here, to be near you. I gave it to him because I know how hard it is to even fucking breathe without your mate at your side.”
“He renounced me!” Cristie yelled through tears.
“No, he didn’t. He didn’t do a damn thing. Nothing at all. He didn’t claim you. He didn’t even speak to you, but he did not renounce you. Your mother, she renounced me. In front of Kaid, God and every fucking body, but look at us, married, mated, andthe proud parents of two full grown, successfully functioning adults. Running a Pride filled with other successful functioning adults. You might think we may happen to know a thing or two about life that you haven’t had to live yet,” Riley said.
“This is my home, Dad. This is my sanctuary, and you invited him in, meaning that it’s no longer a sanctuary to me.” She turned to leave, but her father stopped her.
“Cristie!”
She stopped short, knowing the voice he used was his Alpha voice, not his father voice. But she didn’t turn around.
“He asked to come here. I asked him what took him so long. His answer was, ‘I had some healing to do’. I gave him permission to be here. He knows he was wrong. He knows it won’t be easy, but he also knows you’re worth the fight to make things right.”
