Page 29 of Eddie

Matthias didn’t call out when he walked in. He made his way to the kitchen, knowing that was where he’d find his mother. Sure enough, she was at the stove, cooking breakfast. Jenna was nowhere to be seen, but his father and his brother were there. He was surprised to see that Noah appeared almost awake. He hadn’t expected him to be lucid for at least another five to six hours.

“Matthias,” his mother said when she saw him. She was frowning. “What are you doing here? I don’t have enough food for all of you.”

Matthias rolled his eyes. “I don’t need you to feed me, Mom. I’m an adult. I ate before I came.”

Noah glared at him. Good. It meant he’d realized that what Matthias had just said was aimed at him. That alone wouldn’t be enough to get him to change his behavior, but that wasn’t why Matthias was here. “I need to talk to all of you,” he declared. “Including Jenna.”

“She’s only been home for a few hours. Let her sleep.”

“Either you go and wake her up, or I do. It’s important.”

It was clear that his mother didn’t want to do it, but eventually, she huffed and held out her spoon. “Keep an eye on breakfast. I don’t want your brother and your father to eat burnt food.”

Matthias told himself that this was the last time any of this would happen, so he could do it. He took the spoon and poked at the bacon in the pan, carefully ignoring the two men sitting at the table. He could feel them watching him, but he wasn’t going to explain himself just yet. Hell, he didn’t want to explain himself at all. He wanted to tell them that he’d had enough and that he was leaving. He knew that his mother would hound him if he did that, though. He wanted her to leave him alone, which meant she got the short explanation. It was more for Matthias’s peace of mind than hers.

It took Jenna fifteen minutes to appear in the kitchen. When she did, she looked like she’d been in a fight with her pillow and lost. She hadn’t taken her makeup off when she’d gotten home, and the dark smudges under her eyes made her look like a drunk raccoon. She smelled of cigarettes, which made his nose wrinkle, but he didn’t say anything about it. He watched as she shuffled over to the table, looking like a zombie, and as her mother fussed over her.

This was it. Everyone was here, and it was Matthias’s chance to say what was on his mind.

“I’m done with you,” he declared. In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the best way to start the conversation, but all the feelings he’d been repressing for years were bubbling to the surface. It was a miracle he wasn’t screaming it.

His mother frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Last night was the last time I’m doing anything for you all. I’m not going to answer Noah’s phone calls ever again. If he needs a ride at two in the morning, he can call you or get a taxi or something. I don’t care. I’m going to start turning my phone off at night, and whatever happens, happens. I also won’t go and get him from jail again, won’t give anyone money, and won’t just be there for you whenever you need me. I’m not Jenna and Noah’s father. They have a father, as useless as he is.”

Matthias’s father made a strangled noise, but Matthias ignored him. He knew that his mother would be the hardest to win over in the situation. She needed him to take care of her babies.

She’d never called him her baby.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“I’m moving away. I met someone, and he doesn’t live here. He has to be my priority from now on, not you. In fact, you never should have been my priority, because I’m no one’s priority, am I? If I ever ask any of you to help me, the answer is always no, when you answer me at all. Well, that’s over. I’m leaving, and I’ll be blocking everyone’s number. I might unblock you in the future, depending on what happens, but I’m done allowing you to take advantage of me. I’ve had enough. It’s time for me to focus on my future, and I won’t be able to do that if I keep getting dragged back by all of you. Everyone here is an adult. You can take care of yourselves and each other. You have to, because I’m done taking care of you.”

That said, Matthias turned around and left. He didn’t wait to listen to what his mother had to say. He already knew what it was. She’d want to complain, argue, and try to change his mind, but he wouldn’t let her. Eddie was waiting for him, and he couldn’t wait to be with his mate.

Chapter Six

WHEN EDDIE FOUND DENNIS and Taylor waiting in front of his house when he got home from work, he knew it was an intervention. He wasn’t sure why it was necessary. They’d seen each other yesterday evening, and while he’d been a little down, surely it hadn’t been that bad? There was no reason for them to be there.

Valentine had clearly stuck his nose into his mess. It would be just like him to call Dennis and the others to tell them about Eddie’s mood today. Even more than that, Eddie’s best friends knew him well. They wouldn’t want him to wallow, which was precisely what he’d been planning on doing. They were ruining his plans, dammit.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he warned them when he got out of his car.

Dennis grinned. “Then don’t. Doesn’t mean you’re not going out.”

“Why should I? We went out yesterday. I’m sure the two of you have better things to do than babysit me, like spending time with your mates. I know I would if I could.”

Taylor pointed his finger at Eddie’s nose. “There. That’s what we’re worried about.”

“I get that, but I promise, I’m fine. Valentine and I talked earlier, and he mentioned a few things that made me realize that Matthias isn’t the only one in the wrong here. I’m not going to leave him just because his family is awful and he needs time to deal with them. In fact, I’m not going to leave him at all. I wasn’t dating anyone before I met him, and I’m not planning on dating anyone else now. I can wait for him.” And if he had to wait too long, he’d make his move and find his mate. He didn’t care about having to deal with Matthias’s family if it meant being with Matthias.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Dennis said with a smile. “But you’re still coming out with us. Our mates are fine with it. In fact, they were planning on watching a movie together, so you don’t have to worry about them. You don’t have to worry about anything but yourself.”

“That’s great, because I just want to eat dinner, flop on the couch, and watch TV for a few hours before going to bed. There’s no need for me to go out again, especially since I have work in the morning, and so do you.”

“When did you become so old?” Taylor asked, sounding like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

“Well, unlike you two, I’m not a shifter. I was bound to start aging, wasn’t I?”