“Call us Zach and Maisie,” her father said immediately, though his ice-blue eyes were doing a thorough assessment.
“How did you two meet?” her mother asked, her romantic heart fully engaged now.
Brie and Hunter exchanged a quick glance. The edited version formed between them without words.
“We matched on Mate.com,” Brie said carefully. “But we actually met in person at the bakery.”
Not mentioning the murder, the cartel, the kidnapping attempt. Just the simple truth underneath all the danger.
“The moment I walked through her door, my wolf knew.” Hunter’s voice carried absolute certainty. “She was covered in flour, had her hair falling out of a ponytail, and she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”
Heat crept up Brie’s neck at the intensity in his voice, at the truth of it despite everything else that had been happening.
“That’s so romantic,” her mother breathed, one hand over her heart.
“Exactly how it happened with us,” her father added, smiling at her mother through their screen. “One look and I knew.”
Tears pricked Brie’s eyes in response to their easy acceptance, and their joy for her. This was what she’d grown up seeing, this kind of love. And now she had it too.
“When are you coming home?” Brie asked, though she already knew the answer.
“Not until next spring,” her father said. “We’re heading to Australia next, then Southeast Asia. We’ve got the whole route planned.”
“But we’ll meet Hunter properly when we get back!” her mother added quickly. “We’ll have a big family dinner. Make it special.”
Brie’s chest tightened. Months. They’d be gone for months more. Part of her felt relief that they were safely on the other side of the world, far from the threat of the cartel. But the rest of her just wanted her mother’s arms around her, wanted her father’s steady presence, wanted to stop pretending everything was fine.
Her mother leaned closer to the screen, her keen eyes studying Brie’s face. “Honey, are you sure everything’s okay? You look tired.”
“More than tired,” her father added. “You look stressed, sweetheart.”
The words were right there, desperate to escape. I witnessed a murder. I’m being hunted by a cartel. I’ve been so scared I can barely sleep. I need you.
But she couldn’t say them. Couldn’t ruin their dream trip, couldn’t drag them home early, couldn’t burden them with fear when there was nothing they could do from New Zealand except worry.
“I’m fine,” she said, forcing brightness back into her voice. “Just busy season at the bakery. Winter Festival prep is intense. And I’ve been missing you guys.”
Her voice cracked slightly on the last word, and Hunter’s thumb stroked across her knuckles in silent support.
Her parents didn’t look entirely convinced, but her father nodded slowly. “Well, you’ve got Hunter now. You’re not alone anymore.”
“Hunter.” Her mother’s voice took on that particular tone that meant business. “You’ll take care of our girl?”
“With my life, ma’am.” Hunter’s response was immediate, absolute. Not a promise but a statement of fact.
Something passed between her father and Hunter then, some wordless understanding that made her father’s expression soften.
“Good,” he said simply.
They talked for a few more minutes about New Zealand, about the bakery, about Hunter’s work with Steel Protection in vague, non-specific terms. Her mother made them promise to video call more regularly now that they’d found a good cell signal. Her father gave Hunter his number directly.
“Just in case,” he said, and Brie knew he meant in case something happened to her.
If only he knew how likely that was.
Finally, the goodbyes came. More I-love-yous than seemed possible in a two-minute span. Her mother blowing kisses through the screen. Her father calling her “polar bear cub” like he had since she was small, the childhood nickname making her eyes burn.
“We’re so happy for you, sweetheart,” her mother said, her eyes misty.
